Teac TN-300 angled headshell , exchange or return?

[Montycat]

"Less satisfying, uncomfortable" ?

Such encouraging words... Yes he has made his own decision, and good for him, but it's up to him to decide whether he is satisfied or comfortable.

 

[iramegdal]

I received this turntable today and I was surprised at the flimsy build quality of the headshell. The cartridge itself is secondary, I wasn't going to leave the AT95 that comes with it, I have an AT440MLb that I was going to put in it, except that when I put the headshell in to test it, it was evident that it is at an angle. It's not too bad, maybe 3 degrees or so at the most, but it's evident to the eye and measuring on both sides makes it clear that it's at an angle, therefore the stylus is not falling on the record perfectly perpendicular as it should, and would probably wear it in an uneven way.

The interesting thing is that I can actually rotate the headshell in its place, and make it a little more even, but not completely so. In my other turntable, the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USB, that doesn't happen. While I haven't measured it, it's not evident to the eye that it's anything but perfectly straight, and if I try to rotate the headshell it barely moves and it always ends up in the same position. With the Teac, I can actually change the rotation of the headshell because the construction is mediocre.

This doesn't seem to affect the sound quality, I tried a few records and even with the AT95 it sounds pretty good, and I can't really tell if there's one channel that sounds louder than the other if that's the case. However, the fact that the stylus is not touching the groove perfectly even makes me concerned for my records.

Now, even if the retailer pays for the shipping back and sends me a new one, it's a pain to pack it, take it to a UPS Store, and then who knows if the replacement will have the perfect angle. So I don't want to get a replacement that I will have to unpack, and then pack again and take to the store.

Did anybody else who owns this turntable notice this? Or did I get a lemon?

I have one, and have had no problems. What do you mean by "at an angle"?

 

[SSaxdude]

Good Lord, some people here are so bitter when the OP doesn't obey their wishes...

Seriously, it's like turntables are their religion. Which is quite sad.

 

[Blue Shadow]

25 bucks spent to subscribe will get you access to barter town, a place that you can post a wanted ad and have a flood of cheap, reasonable or expensive options that are below, equal to or well above what you are looking for and get it shipped to you in good condition. EASY to get a great rig that way at your price points. That one year subscription would allow you to buy enough and then sell some if you decide to move on, too. Of course, the feedback forum is where to check out the buyer or seller before you get into a deal. I've gotten a number of nice pieces and sold a few. worth the cost and you can edit threads and delete posts...cool extras.

 

[majick47]

The OP is free to make any choice he wants, either good or poor. Members are also free to give any advice they want that's either good or poor. OP is free to take the advice or disregard it. I wont lose any sleep over it one way or another but he will have to live with his choice. And yes there are probably a number of AK members that subscribe to Barter Town and for them turntables might as well be their religion.

 

[Sebastian A.]

"Less satisfying, uncomfortable" ?

Such encouraging words... Yes he has made his own decision, and good for him, but it's up to him to decide whether he is satisfied or comfortable.

Good Lord, some people here are so bitter when the OP doesn't obey their wishes...

Seriously, it's like turntables are their religion. Which is quite sad.

Exactly. I give advice to people, but I'm not offended if they don't follow it. Just because some people have the time to devote to find and service vintage turntables, doesn't mean that all of us have it. Or think it's a good idea. That goes for everything.

Before I packed the Teac I took a couple of pictures with a bubble level on top of the headshell. The first shows it as it is once you put it in, the second one after you try to straighten it.

As you can see, it's not straight by a long shot, even after tweaking it manually. I put this bubble on top of my AT120LP and it was perfect, even after I had taken the headshell a few times over the years to change cartridges and styli.

Furthermore, I had sent an email to Teac support on Friday, and this is their response:

Sorry, but there is no azimuth adjustment.

Thank you for your interest in TEAC products.

Well, sorry Teac, but if you're going to have such poor QC, I'm going to buy from a brand that has decent QC.

 

[majick47]

Neither Teac or Audio Technica mfg their own tables, both are subcontracted to the Hanpin Turntable Factory either in Taiwan or mainland China and certainly not in Japan. Both are built in the same factory by the same people and probably with the same level of quality control. What was going on with the AT-LP120USB in the first place that he next tried and failed with the Teac?