Make my Soundlab DLP1R TT sound better

[PulpWax]

Hi, N00B here.

My post below is longer than I planned, so here's a "TL;DR" synopsis of it:

1) What should I replace my Stanton 500 mk1 stylus with for better sound quality (£40 or under)?
2) My Soundlab DLP1R is running slow despite a new drive belt. Is it time to try to adjust the pots on the deck near the slider? Anybody have experience of this? Do I need some 'spectacles' style mini scredrivers?
3) Will changing my Preamp from a BTECH BT26 to say, a Pro-Ject Phono box MM or Pro Ject Phono Box E make much difference to sound?
4) I occasionally get that "dit dit dit" mobile phone sound interfering when the turntable is in use. Can it be prevented?



The longer version:

I am not an audiophile, so I'm coming to you guys for your knowledge . I tend to spend my money on music (CDs, gigs) rather than on equipment. Please don't hate me!

I've had a Soundlab DLP1R turntable since 1999. Nothing fancy but hey, it spins the records.
It came with a Stanton 500 Mk1 cartridge and needle, and I also bought a BTECH BT26 Preamp from Richer Sounds in London. At that time, the BTECH was the only preamp that those guys stocked, and I think they continued to stock it for about 20 years until it was discontinued (in 2019?). So Richer Sounds must have thought it was reasonable. I've never changed the needle because I've used the turntable lightly. I'm more of a CD guy. I have thousands of CDs but only a couple of hundred records - mostly 12" singles.

Another reason why my TT has been used lightly is because, from day one I've never been happy with the sound. I've always noticed a drop in sound quality when switching from my humble Panasonic Stereo (with "MASH" 5-disc CD Player, ha!) to the record player.
I know vinyl is different from CDs, but my record deck never seemed to sound as good as the record store decks in HMV which also had Stanton cartridges on them. I used to regularly listen to dance music 12's on the in-store decks in HMV and other shops (e.g. Phonica in Soho). Could it be because they had Stanton 500 MK2 instead of Mk1?

I was also perhaps spoiled before leaving home in Dublin (1995). My dad had a Technics SL7 parked atop his hi fi separates and it always sounded fantastic combined with his Technics SU V7 Amp.

Recently I decided to replace my Soundlab's drive belt (for a fiver), and the local HiFi store guy chatted with me on the phone about my record deck and said: "if you want better sound quality, go for an Ortofon for about £50".

Well the concord style Ortofon cartridge I looked at online was more like £75 - which I didn't want to spend.
So I decided to look at better stylus options without changing cartridge. I plumped for an "LP GEAR Stanton N500S Universal 500 Series Elliptical Upgrade Stylus" as listed on Amazon for £24.99 here (that £24.99 listing may be about to be removed though, see next paragraph!). I don't do scratching or DJ-ing, so eliptical seemed like a good idea for better sound.

The stylus arrived today. BUT the seller, Computerstar have sent me the wrong one. They've sent me a "KYOWA (Blue dot) ELLIPTICAL DJ STYLUS" as listed on their own website here. They have acknowledged the mistake to me today (they linked their product to the wrong Amazon ASIN number/listing) and confirmed that this cheaper stylus is what they *actually* sent. It's almost half the price! Well, it is nonetheless an eliptical stylus so it's probably better than the one that came on my turntable, right?. Well I've had a listen now and honestly I don't thnk it sounds any better than the old one (which I presume is conical).

So...I don't think I want to keep this Kyowa stylus (is it a good brand?). It seems like I'm not going to be able to get an LP GEAR eliptical stylus for £24.99 after all (Amazon listing) and I'll have to fork out about £40 for one via the US.
So, should I still try to get an Eliptical 'stanton' Stylus from LP Gear in the US, or am I better off switching to Ortofon? I also note that Juno are selling an Ortofon OM PRO S with matching PRO S needle for £38.75: here . Would switching to this be better than going for the LP Gear 'stanton' stylus at around the same price?

As for the new drive belt. Well it's not as saggy as the old one but a problem remains. I have to move the pitch slider up to about +2 in order to get the platter to spin at the right speed. It's spinning slow. The good news is that because it's a DJ style deck with pitch slider and dots on the platter, I can use my eyes to see when the 'red' dots are steady, and thus the speed is correct. I presume that the 'pots' or holes next to the slider (seen in the YT video below) are there to deal with this exact issue. I don't understand why it happens though. Motor slowing down? Can anyone reccomend any particular screwdrivers for these, or offer any other advice? I have found a couple of YT videos on this subject since starting this post actually. See below.


As for the preamp, once I've got a (hopefully) satisfctory stylus sorted, is it worth my while improving on my BTECH? I'm thinking of a Pro Ject Phono Box MM (£69 on Amazon, £30-ish used on Ebay) or its cheaper sibling The Phono Box E (£45 new on Amazon and reportedly almost identical to the Phono Box MM).

And finally I've recently noticed mobile phone "dit dit dit" interference occasionally coming out of the speakers when I'm switched to the record player. I'm not sure if it's my own phone or the phone of a neighbour on the other side of the wall. Is it the stylus that's picking up the interferance? Any easy/cheap solutions?

Soundlab turntable with its adjustng pots/holes visible here circa 30 secs.

Two videos I've just found on correcting the speed. The second one mentions spectacle screwdrivers around the 5 min mark, so I guess that's the answer.

 

[Tetrack]

I don't have this deck, in general however, the two holes will likely have flat screw heads at the bottom(these sit on top of the speed pots) to fine tune the speed(you can use a small screwdriver for this). If that does not solve it, then may need a clean of the speed pots; you will need to gain access to the underside. Where the two holes are located is where the speed pots are; spray them with contact cleaner and work the slots back/forth.

What about the sound are you not happy about? If you are not happy with the sound of the deck, then maybe could look at a different cartridge, as I'm not sure replacing the stylus would make that much difference. The Ortofon Pro sounds like a more DJ focused cart (I am assuming you are not a DJ); you could maybe look at something like the ATVM95E which is around £45-50 and could help liven up things or if you intend to get into vinyl more then replacing the deck may be a better move.

The BTECH was recommended as a basic budget pre-amp by What Hi-Fi at the time, as I recall.

 

[PulpWax]

"...the two holes will likely have flat screw heads at the bottom(these sit on top of the speed pots) to fine tune the speed(you can use a small screwdriver for this). If that does not solve it, then may need a clean of the speed pots; you will need to gain access to the underside. Where the two holes are located is where the speed pots are; spray them with contact cleaner and work the slots back/forth."

Ooh a reply! Appreciate the advice.

What about the sound are you not happy about?

A lack of richness of sound; sorry if that's vague. About 60% of my records are 12" singles - techno/house etc, and although those kick drums thump through, the bass synths and other parts feel a bit lacking in quality. I would listen to these 12"s in a record shop, then take 'em home and then think: it doesn't sound as good now. So what was better about the instore decks? It had to be either the (pre) amp, the stylus or the cartridge, right? Well maybe the headphones were good too (?).

if you intend to get into vinyl more then replacing the deck may be a better move.

I'm not sure that the sound of the deck itself that would make the big difference. Unless I was perhaps listening to classical. I saw some discussion online that suggested Stanton 500 MK2s were influenced by the sound of CD's . I don't know if that's a reliable comment, but I suspect the HMV (etc) decks had MK2s rather than my Mk1 cartridge. Could that have made a noticable difference? I'm not necessarily looking to get into vinyl more, but I'm tired of putting on my records (or simply not putting them on) and thinking they sound a bit "lacking". I've got sealed Record Store Day releases (not techno/house) which I've never played because I know I'll just be thinking: the sound isn't great.

The Ortofon Pro sounds like a more DJ focused cart (I am assuming you are not a DJ);

I'm pretty sure I've "used" one of these on a listening deck in an independent record shop in Soho and I liked the sound of it (and I like the price too!),. But maybe I would get one home and say, "doesn't sound as good as it did instore..." I'm not a DJ but I do like the look and feel of a DJ deck, I like plonking the needle on the record and I've always liked the look of the concorde style needles - but they're expensive!

you could maybe look at something like the ATVM95E which is around £45-50 and could help liven up things

Ok, this is worth considering. Amazon seem to have it at £42.99 at the moment. Is it easy for any old Joe Bloggs to fit this Audio Technica cartridge to the headshell? Presumably my existing headshell won't need to be replaced will it? I see the vinyl factory mentions it in this 2021 article and it appears to have 5 stars from users on Richer Sounds website, although they also list the cheaper ATVM95C for £29. I wonder if it's possible to listen before you buy...

The BTECH was recommended as a basic budget pre-amp by What Hi-Fi at the time, as I recall

Just for 'fun' recently I ordered a Behringer PP400 from Amazon. I wondered if basic pre-amp technology had progressed in the 20 years since I bought the BTECH. I couldn't really hear a difference in sound quality, TBH. The only difference was that the Behringer seemed to have slightly quieter gain than the BTECH (I used a sound meter app on my phone to confirm), oh and it's a smaller box. So I returned the Behringer to Amazon. I'm still unsure if upgrading to a Pro-ject phono box MM or E will make a noticable difference? I guess I could try the same trick again with Amazon...

 

[Tetrack]

Ooh a reply! Appreciate the advice.

A lack of richness of sound; sorry if that's vague. About 60% of my records are 12" singles - techno/house etc, and although those kick drums thump through, the bass synths and other parts feel a bit lacking in quality. I would listen to these 12"s in a record shop, then take 'em home and then think: it doesn't sound as good now. So what was better about the instore decks? It had to be either the (pre) amp, the stylus or the cartridge, right? Well maybe the headphones were good too (?).

Could be decks and other factors, if they had Technics 1200s, for example.

I'm not sure that the sound of the deck itself that would make the big difference. Unless I was perhaps listening to classical. I saw some discussion online that suggested Stanton 500 MK2s were influenced by the sound of CD's . I don't know if that's a reliable comment, but I suspect the HMV (etc) decks had MK2s rather than my Mk1 cartridge. Could that have made a noticable difference? I'm not necessarily looking to get into vinyl more, but I'm tired of putting on my records (or simply not putting them on) and thinking they sound a bit "lacking". I've got sealed Record Store Day releases (not techno/house) which I've never played because I know I'll just be thinking: the sound isn't great.

I have a Stanton 500 Mk2 with genuine original stylus, it is conical and I would doubt it really sounds significantly better than the mk1. The sound is pretty neutral on these.
If you are using a generic aftermarket stylus, then these usually don't sound as good as the originals anyway.

I'm pretty sure I've "used" one of these on a listening deck in an independent record shop in Soho and I liked the sound of it (and I like the price too!),. But maybe I would get one home and say, "doesn't sound as good as it did instore..." I'm not a DJ but I do like the look and feel of a DJ deck, I like plonking the needle on the record and I've always liked the look of the concorde style needles - but they're expensive!

If you like the sound then that is all that matters really.

Ok, this is worth considering. Amazon seem to have it at £42.99 at the moment. Is it easy for any old Joe Bloggs to fit this Audio Technica cartridge to the headshell? Presumably my existing headshell won't need to be replaced will it? I see the vinyl factory mentions it in this 2021 article and it appears to have 5 stars from users on Richer Sounds website, although they also list the cheaper ATVM95C for £29. I wonder if it's possible to listen before you buy...

The VM have captive screws, no nuts, so very easy to fit to a standard headshell and then simply align with a protractor. They all use the same body, so you can buy the basic 95C and upgrade the stylus to elliptical or higher. Not sure I would describe the 95E as rich, but it is a good budget option to consider and probably a little brighter than the Stanton.

Just for 'fun' recently I ordered a Behringer PP400 from Amazon. I wondered if basic pre-amp technology had progressed in the 20 years since I bought the BTECH. I couldn't really hear a difference in sound quality, TBH. The only difference was that the Behringer seemed to have slightly quieter gain than the BTECH (I used a sound meter app on my phone to confirm), oh and it's a smaller box. So I returned the Behringer to Amazon. I'm still unsure if upgrading to a Pro-ject phono box MM or E will make a noticable difference? I guess I could try the same trick again with Amazon...

You could I guess. I tried the original Pro-ject Phono box in the 90s out of curiosity, but found I preferred the internal pre-amp in my Denon PMA-250SE at the time.