Turntable Dust Cover: Up Or Down

[Hyperion]

Always down when it is playing.

 

[oldmanstan]

I take mine off. I like to watch the turntable go round and round in my lighted cabinet.

 

[Wildcat]

My current rig is sufficiently damped, and has enough mass, that I can leave it open during routine record playing. If I am doing needle drops or playing it loud, cover down. When the TT is off? Down. Serious dust problems here. And I don't need anything falling on it.

I noticed I was getting some distortion while playing an album the other day. I had the cover down and the volume rather high. I cleaned the cart thinking that was the issue but it turned out to be resonances from having the lid closed.

I used to get some serious feedback when I had the turntable in my bedroom (as a teen) with the speakers along the opposite wall. Couldn't figure out why the sound got so muddy. Then I realized the dustcover was acting as a giant microphone and causing the feedback. Ever since, I used my TTs with the cover down. At least, until I got my current setup a couple of years ago.

 

[Poinzy]

I take mine off. When I'm using my turntable for archiving I have to have complete access to it.

 

[91r100gs]

My VPI has no dustcover, Just an old pillowcase.

The Dual doesn't seem to make any difference. Sure is a nice place to sit a record to take a pic when it is up.

 

[techguy0192]

Always down when playing. Rega RP8.

 

[evoroadster]

Off or up, depending on which table.

 

[Bob_in_OKC]

Funny that "off" isn't one of the poll options. Always off, for me.

 

[BillJGW]

^^^ This. I don't have a TT now but when I did I would have the dust cover on only when not using it. When in use, the dust cover came off so as not to collect any airborne vibrations (if in the up position) or possibly affect tracking force from static charge (if in the down position).

 

[Djcoolray]

Off...

No hinges either, but wouldn't vibrations from the motor be transferred to where the hinges are mounted and resonate up into the cover. Yes the manufacturer put a cover and hinges on it for customer satisfaction of some sort. But with the cover suspended by the hinges mounted adjacent to the motor, wouldn't that increase vibration to the frame transferred to the tonearm ??? Vibration muddles sound...

Just.....off the top of my head !

 

[harman/kardon]

What is a dust cover made for?

Down.

 

[Freds.Bands]

It's either on the base or off the base - no hinges. So no vote.

 

[merlynski]

No hinges . . .
I built a circuit to shut down the stereo when the turntable shut off, so cover is on when in Auto off mode, or off when playing in non-Auto mode.

 

[elcoholic]

Off except for the plastic craptastic Technics SL-1950 in the bedroom which is used at low levels as we nod off to dreamland. Its usually up.

 

[SteveA]

Don't really have an UP or DOWN, just an OFF and an ON. So I interpreted UP to also mean OFF

 

[h2o4nyc]

Down.

 

[doctor fuse]

Just fixed the broken hinges on my Thorens 160 for the THIRD time.

It looks so much better without a cover, but in my listening room, it really helps keep dust off the spinning record. So it's closed for me!

 

[91r100gs]

^^^^^^That is how I use the Dual. The dustcover does not resonate as it is away from the speakers. The VPI, what dustcover.

 

[Wildcat]

Funny, first time I have ever seen a dust cover really come in handy was when the wind was blowing the stylus across some records at an outside party yesterday.

That might fall under "extreme use case."

And people wonder what I am a digital guy.

Swing by one evening! If I can't convert ya, at least we'll have good tunes.

 

[Wildcat]

Funny, I was just looking at the crates of vinyls I still have in the basement so I guess that term would have to be reconverted.

@Wildcat

...or enough to fund an upgrade on the digital side if sold.