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Yamaha YP-D10/D8 VTA Adjustment

Hitachiht550

Hitachiht550

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
So I am looking for people with a Yamaha YP-D10 or D8. (I think they use the same arm)

What I am curious about is the VTA adjustment. Mine seems too difficult to be right. The only comparison I have is a Hitachi HT-860 which I can adjust with one finger. My YP-D10 takes some muscling compared to the 860. Is this normal for the Yammys?

As always thank you for any help or insight.

Jason
 
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I have the D8/D10 tonearm right in front of me. It's a great tonearm. In fact, I bought a second YP-D8 that was ruined in other ways, just so I could recycle the arm to use on another table. It's that good — and so is the table, when working right.

First of all, the obvious — you did loosen that T-shaped lock-thing, right? Of course you did, so let's move on to the less obvious...

Mine had the same problem — it took so much force to turn that knurled adjustment-ring at the bottom of the tonearm assembly, that the stylus just skipped all over the record. Useless. I fixed it and now it's perfect. The adjustment ring turns easily, the arm glides up and down the post like silk, and changes the VTA while the music is playing (no skipping) so you can fine-tune the stylus-angle by ear for the best sound.

I fixed it myself. It wasn't hard. And it was very satisfying.

But I don't know you and must ask a couple of questions:

1. Do you have basic DIY skills? Basic tools? Nothing fancy, just screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, soldering iron? If NO...

2. Do you have a friend with the basic skills/tools? If NO...

3. Are you willing to pay a tech to do the job?

I'll send you clear, simple instructions, step-by-step, which you, or your friend, can easily follow. If it's a tech, the instructions mean he doesn't have to figure it out for himself, while charging you per hour for his inexperience. He can do it in 1 hour. Maybe cost you $50 — I don't know the rates in your area.

Please let me know either way if you wish to proceed.

It's a superb table, and getting the VTA adjuster working properly adds whole new dimensions to musical detail, subtle nuance, and soundstage realism. It's also a real beauty to look at, perfect proportions, the veneer is real rosewood not fake vinyl-wrap, and the tonearm is like fine jewelry.

Bima
 
Hi Bima,

Thanks for replying.

Yes, the first thing I tried was loosening the T-shaped locknut.

I would say that I am a proficient enough DIYer and have all the tools for the job including a soldering iron if needed.

So send me those instructions so I can get this thing performing the way it should.

Thanks again,

Jason
 
Great. Give me a few days to write them. The weekend will be a good time to work -- if the NFL Playoff games are boring.

Bima
 
Hi Bima... glad I stumbled onto this thread... I've got a YP-D8 that is a bit stiff when trying to adjust the VTA... would appreciate your fix for this issue... if you could PM myself or post to this thread so others could benefit it would be much appreciated... thanks.
 
Happy to, 2sixR — but if it's only "a bit stiff' it might be easier just to live with it. Mine was totally jammed, as is Hitachihy550's, so the effort was justified. It requires removing arm from table and some other disassembly, though nothing that affects the fragile or high-precision elements, such as the bearings, anti-skate, cueing, etc. They're always out of harm's way and perfectly safe.

The VTA adjuster is just a basic piston-in-a-cylinder (like a car's piston sliding up/down in the cylinder block) and the parts are very strong — you'd have to try very hard to damage them.

But since yours is only "a bit stiff', 2sixR, I just thought of a pretty easy way that might fix your issue with very little work.

I'll explain more when I send the step-by-step in a few days.

Later, Bima
 
Sad to see others are having this problem. Maybe we can all get them fixed and be much happier with our turntable choices. Anybody here ever re-veneer a D10 or D8? I read somewhere that whatever glue use was really good and a pain to get the old veneer off.
 
Seems we're forming a club...

I didn't "re-veneer" my DP-Y8, but I did sand it down, removing all stains, scratches. It's real rosewood veneer, and thick enough (.07mm thick) so you won't go through it. (Just be super-careful at edges and corners.) Then I refinished it with satin urethane. Looked gorgeous. Mine didn't have any chips (eg, corners) but if they're not too big you can patch them by stealing some small pieces from the back where they won't be seen or missed.

Re-veneering it a total bitch, requiring a good plan, hours of prep, and lots of clamps. The original veneer is applied at a factory using a dozen hot-glue applicators, then instantly rolled over by steel rollers that must weight at least 500 pounds while the whole board is moved thru the process on a slow, steady conveyor belt. I've seen it done. I couldn't never do it.

For DIY'ers they recommend contact cement. I've tried it. It always bubbles up, looks like ****, a lot of time wasted, and a lousy feeling.

Some veneers have a heat-sensitive adhesive on the back. You use a hot iron, like pressing your pants. I've never tried it. Also, the range of wood patterns is very limited.

If you do self-veneer, make sure you get consecutive numbered pieces. This allow for flipping them, and getting that beautiful Rorschach effect.
 
Actually, the YP-D8 is originally done in Ebony veneer. Mine has been re-veneered in rosewood. I don't recommend contact cement, but rather research the wood glue iron on method. Almost any wood you can name is available in veneer. I recommend paper backed veneers.

I have veneered about one hundred turntables.


YPD8 002.JPG


Jon
 
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I checked the wood glue method and it seems easy enough. It also doesn't need as much ventilation as the contact cement so I could do it in my basement over the winter...I have used the contact cement method with the carpet tool not a roller to good results. Mine was a Hitachi HT-561. My main concern was removing the old veneer. I read somewhere that someone had a real problem getting the old veneer off without damaging the substrate.

Jon,
That is a great looking table, Thanks


Bimasta,
Show us a pick of what a resanding looks like if you can.

Thanks guys for all the info.

Maybe when I get mine back up and going I will post a pic and we start a thread for YP-D7 - YP-D10(because these models are very close in appearance) thread. Or start it now. I love seeing the different veneers people use and would be specialy interested in these tables.
 
I sanded the original veneer off on mine with an orbital and 60 grit followed by 220 grit. It is a B**** to get off! The original Ebony is actually real wood veneer and can be sanded and refinished, if you are careful and it's not damaged. I did that on another D8 I had and it came out like new. The one I re-veneered had damage. I can provide details of the wood glue method I use, if anyone is interested. These are very good turntables and are related to the GT series as far as the tonearms. I'm not sure about the rest of the details as to that relationship.

Jon
 
Yes, jnoyes, I'd love to know about your wood glue method. My attempt was a total flop (my fault I'm sure). After that, I even bought a great little how-to picture book on veneering but haven't used it, as I haven't veneered anything since. Must have that book in a box somewhere. But if you've veneered a hundred tables — and they look like that picture! — you're my new glue-ru.

And you're spot-on to observe these tables "are related to the GT series as far as the tonearms." I began my first post with "It's a great tonearm. In fact, I bought a second YP-D8 that was ruined in other ways, just so I could recycle the arm to use on another table. It's that good."

It seems unchanged on the D7–D10, but reached it's culmination on the GT-2000 (also used on the GT-750 and -1000). That version is the YSA/YA39, and a stunning display of beauty in engineering. I lust for it. But most of the changes from my humbler D8 seem minor (example: changing anti-skate from falling-weight-lever to plain falling-weight — though the built in cueing-device is a serious ergonomic benefit). Of course I can't speak to invisible changes, such as different metals or grade of bearings.

BTW, the invaluable Vintage Knob site says of the D8/D10's bearings: "Very low friction rates, even lower than the famous Technics EPA-100, and better than that of the GT-2000!"

I have two other DD tables I'd like to try it on — a Denon DP-80, a TOTL broadcast model, and the sexy Micro Seiki DQX-1000. Haven't gotten around to it. (It's the old saying "I really want to procrastinate but I just can't get around to it.")

And no, sorry, I have no pictures. I did it nearly 20 years ago.
 
Apologies, gentlemen. Some business in the real world has demanded my full attention. I promise I'll finish and send the VTA info asap, I hope by week's end.

Bear with me, Bima
 
bimasta said:
I have the D8/D10 tonearm right in front of me. It's a great tonearm. In fact, I bought a second YP-D8 that was ruined in other ways, just so I could recycle the arm to use on another table. It's that good — and so is the table, when working right.

First of all, the obvious — you did loosen that T-shaped lock-thing, right? Of course you did, so let's move on to the less obvious...

Mine had the same problem — it took so much force to turn that knurled adjustment-ring at the bottom of the tonearm assembly, that the stylus just skipped all over the record. Useless. I fixed it and now it's perfect. The adjustment ring turns easily, the arm glides up and down the post like silk, and changes the VTA while the music is playing (no skipping) so you can fine-tune the stylus-angle by ear for the best sound.

I fixed it myself. It wasn't hard. And it was very satisfying.

But I don't know you and must ask a couple of questions:

1. Do you have basic DIY skills? Basic tools? Nothing fancy, just screwdrivers, needlenose pliers, soldering iron? If NO...

2. Do you have a friend with the basic skills/tools? If NO...

3. Are you willing to pay a tech to do the job?

I'll send you clear, simple instructions, step-by-step, which you, or your friend, can easily follow. If it's a tech, the instructions mean he doesn't have to figure it out for himself, while charging you per hour for his inexperience. He can do it in 1 hour. Maybe cost you $50 — I don't know the rates in your area.

Please let me know either way if you wish to proceed.

It's a superb table, and getting the VTA adjuster working properly adds whole new dimensions to musical detail, subtle nuance, and soundstage realism. It's also a real beauty to look at, perfect proportions, the veneer is real rosewood not fake vinyl-wrap, and the tonearm is like fine jewelry.

Bima
Click to expand...
I AGREE! I HAD ONE OF THESE A FEW YEARS BACK, WAS FROZEN,AS WAS CUING.I NOW HAVE ANOTHER YP-D8 SOUNDS SO LOVELY,EVERYTHING WORKS...I HAVE YET TO TRY VTA...I WILL SOON, THANKS.I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THOSR INSTRUCTIONS!
 
Hitachiht550 said:
Hey Bima you forget about us?
Click to expand...
Forget about you? Quite the opposite — I shudder with guilt daily that I haven't finished what I promised.

I won't bore you with the cataclysms of business, family and health matters that have consumed me 24/7. Suffice to say I will finish that damn VTA thing and I'll PM each of you so it doesn't escape your notice.
 
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