willdownes4
Active Member
Hi everyone, long time lurker first time poster.
I've just come in to possession of a beautiful PL-550. After getting set up with a Denon DL-110 and giving it a spin I am loving this table. It's been restored recently and the cartridge sounds incredible. After 10 or so hours of listening however, my records have begun skipping and repeating the groove seemingly in the same spot about 3/4's of the way through an album. This has now happened on four different albums all of which are new and immaculately taken care of. I've gone back and zero'd the tonearm, readjusted the tracking force and double checked on a microgram scale (set at exactly 2 grams), played with the anti-skate setting everywhere in between 0 and 4, and adjusted the VTA in several different spots. The tonearm is not touching the arm rest at any point after lowering on to a record. I have noticed that there appears to be a resistance in the tonearm ever so slightly pushing the arm back towards its resting point. I noticed it the first time I went to play an album right as I moved the arm above the record, it pushed itself back a few mm's. Once again I went back and zero'd the tonearm and let it float free above the plinth. Gently blowing on the arm I can see that it is resisting and gently pushing back away from the center of the table.
I'm not the most experienced enthusiast around these parts so before I start disassembling anything or digging through the under belly of this beauty I'm interested in hearing what the experts suggest. Any and all input, opinions, or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
I've just come in to possession of a beautiful PL-550. After getting set up with a Denon DL-110 and giving it a spin I am loving this table. It's been restored recently and the cartridge sounds incredible. After 10 or so hours of listening however, my records have begun skipping and repeating the groove seemingly in the same spot about 3/4's of the way through an album. This has now happened on four different albums all of which are new and immaculately taken care of. I've gone back and zero'd the tonearm, readjusted the tracking force and double checked on a microgram scale (set at exactly 2 grams), played with the anti-skate setting everywhere in between 0 and 4, and adjusted the VTA in several different spots. The tonearm is not touching the arm rest at any point after lowering on to a record. I have noticed that there appears to be a resistance in the tonearm ever so slightly pushing the arm back towards its resting point. I noticed it the first time I went to play an album right as I moved the arm above the record, it pushed itself back a few mm's. Once again I went back and zero'd the tonearm and let it float free above the plinth. Gently blowing on the arm I can see that it is resisting and gently pushing back away from the center of the table.
I'm not the most experienced enthusiast around these parts so before I start disassembling anything or digging through the under belly of this beauty I'm interested in hearing what the experts suggest. Any and all input, opinions, or advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you!
