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New to me Zenith Record Player not loud enough

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monkboughtlunch said:
A humming noise can indicate a bad ground connection, meaning the cartridge has a wiring issue where the three or four wires connect to the back of the replacement cartridge. It can also suggest a failed/failing capacitor or other part. But Zenith used decent US and Japanese capacitors back in the 70s.

If it's a wiring issue, it should be pretty easy to sort out. You would just turn off the unit, unscrew the cartridge and inspect the wires that connect to the cartridge. See if any wire leads are touching, loose or if the wires are plugged to the correct pins etc.
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Now that I have fiddled with it more I am suspicious of a wiring issue since after fiddling with the wire going into the cartridge it is playing steadily with a higher volume, still not great though. I will fiddle around with that connection more and check on the wires .
 
Jody Gardill said:
I'm


Now that I have fiddled with it more I am suspicious of a wiring issue since after fiddling with the wire going into the cartridge it is playing steadily with a higher volume, still not great though. I will fiddle around with that connection more and check on the wires .
Click to expand...

Can you post a photo showing the wires connecting to the cartridge pins?

With the stylus in position, and the volume turned up, lift up the tonearm and lightly touch the tonearm wires using a pencil or pen that connect to the rear of the cartridge. Does the hum improve or go away when the wire leads are slightly wiggled or repositioned?
 
monkboughtlunch said:
Can you post a photo showing the wires connecting to the cartridge pins?

With the stylus in position, and the volume turned up, lift up the tonearm and lightly touch the tonearm wires using a pencil or pen that connect to the rear of the cartridge. Does the hum improve or go away when the wire leads are slightly wiggled or repositioned?
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With the arm lifted off of the record there is no audible hum, but touching the wiring leads to a loiud cracking noise through the speakers, much louder than the music.
 

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monkboughtlunch said:
Also - Zenith used ceramic cartridges -- they have a high output -- much louder than a moving magnet cartridge. The Zenith phono preamp is designed for ceramic. What type of aftermarket cartridge was fitted? Is it ceramic or moving magnet?
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This is also a lower end model of Zenith. Still has a Voice Of Music changer. But doesn't have Micro-Touch, and less powerful amplifier. And not as large speakers. An economy model.
 
Jody Gardill said:
With it cutting in and out based on how I fiddle with it, I think my next step is to re sodder the connection
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Sounds good. The photos are low resolution (I can't see the solder joints), but basically you want to look for a loose wire, cold solder joint or or two solder joints touching that would null out the audio etc. If you have a multi-meter you could test continuity to make sure the wires are connected to the correct pins.

As Kent noted, the turntable was probably manufactured for Zenith by a company called "Voice of Music."

I would recommend you email Gary Stork who runs "Voice of Music" today. He's an expert on Voice of Music turntables and stacker/changers and can walk you through fixing issues with these turntables.

Here is his web site: https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com

He can probably tell you the correct pin out of that connector / cartridge so you can make sure the correct wires are going to the correct pins.

He could probably also recommend a better cartridge for that table. Once you get it sorted, you'll want to set the correct tracking force -- usually there is a screw on the tonearm to adjust this. Gary can walk you through it.
 
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Your cartridge looks closer to a Micro-Touch medium output type. I think you need a higher output ceramic cartridge installed. And that is most likely your problem here. Go to www.thevoiceofmusic.com, get Gary Stork's phone number, call him, he's friendly, helpful, knows vintage phonos and can find you a solution to your output woes. Nice thing, you have plenty of options due to having a 1/2" mount on your VM changer's tonearm.
 
I believe Kent is correct, the replacement cartridge does not have high enough output. The replacement looks like the last version of the Micro-Touch cartridge and these had a low output
(for a ceramic), of about .22 volts, this low output is why they could track so light. Your console was Zenith's lowest priced model for 1971, with the VM made Custom-Matic changer with standard tonearm
and you probably need a ceramic cartridge with an output of .5 volts or higher.

Zenith did use that same tuner/amp (at least it looks the same) on the next up models in the line with the Micro-Touch tonearm, so the input of the amp may have a limiter resister to lower
the output of the higher output original cartridge, thus making your your low output replacement even lower. I have the schematics for these somewhere at home, If I have a chance tonight,
I will look.

But as is, you need a higher output cartridge.
 
orthophonic said:
But as is, you need a higher output cartridge.
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Do you know the output voltage and tracking force of the OEM 142-154 cartridge? See my prior post for photos. Not sure who made that cartridge for Zenith, but if it's a common output voltage and compliance, the OP might be able to use a much higher quality ceramic cartridge with similar output and compliance, such as a Sonotone.
 
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Original cartridge on this console would be .7-.9 volt output. And yes, the Tetrad ceramic this changer was fitted with was a good one.
 
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I looked up the original cartridge specs, .5 volts output and 3 - 4 grams tracking force. There is a universal tetrad replacement that has those specs and you should be able to purchase
it from Gary at thevoiceofmusic.com.
 
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