Vinyl Thread • Page 949

That newer U-turn with the electronic speed control looks veeeery enticing to me any time I have to switch over to 45rpm on my orbit

 

Switching the belt is annoying, but it would probably be like 50% less so if I could ever remember to adjust the rotation before I’ve already got the record on the table and spinning

 

In fact this has inspired me to pick up some dot stickers later today and put them on the plastic sleeves of any 45 I own

 

i see what you did there, all the cds were only 5 bucks, trying to complete some discographies ya feel

 

Oh nice I didn't even know about this Orbit Special. Adding it to my short list.

Been eying an Pro-ject, actually never heard of Fluance before. Will start looking into them!

 

Fluance is a better bang for your buck. You get a nicer stylus and platter, probably at the expense of not as nice of a tonearm. It’s also fully spec’d out at RT-85, so if you want more modular for upgrades, it’s probably better to go with a pro-Ject. But if you think a $500 record player will keep you content for a long time (it will for me) then I would check it out.

 

Alright, I caved…

 

I suppose it was inevitable MerchBar would finally screw around with an order, despite all the albums being in stock. My order hasn’t even processed yet after 2 weeks. It is only received.

I am almost ready to tell them to refund it and let them know I’m done with them. I just sent an email to support and will see how they respond.

Most of the records have been on sale on other sites that don’t have horror stories, so I have little patience for MerchBar.

 

Audio Technica has some decent offerings, too, both in automatic belt and direct drive models. They also have some sales going now.

 

Don't blame you one bit...

 

Also just now finding out about the Orbit Special/Custom and I'd also love to upgrade from the manual speed control. I kind of can't believe my original Orbit is ten years old at this point and still going strong. Still looks great too.

 

I love the nerdier side of this hobby when it comes to gear. Speakers/subs/amps/record players/preamps, etc.

 

How do you know when you need to change out the needle? Any early warning signs?

 

On most turntable set-ups, the needle will move too speedily across the record, have too much sound distortion, and/or having trouble with the initial dropping of the stylus all seem to be signs that you need a replacement.

 

i take it you'd want to listen for distortion through either channel. it also depends on the stylus. for mine, Audio-Technica recommends replacement after 800-1,000 hours. depending on what you have, i'd say anywhere between 500-800+ hours would be a reasonable benchmark.

 

Next time I change my needle I should get one of those electricity monitors that records hours, then I can have an accurate reading for how many hours are on the needle. Kind of like watching the odometer for an oil change in the car lol

 

Yeah, how else would we keep track? haha

 

Also want to frequently clean it. I use one of the little sticky pads I bought on Amazon to gently place your needle on to remove anything stuck to it. Also make sure it isn’t bent. I accidentally bent a needle on my old audio Technica player in a move.

 

I read that you can use one of those Mr. Clean pads by letting the needle gently land on it a few times? Not sure how I feel about that.

 

i used to do this, but apparently the needle ends up with melamine buildup over time. i plan on picking up an actual stylus brush soon, but for now i've been lightly brushing my needle with my antistatic brush when necessary.

 

This is what I use.

Turntable Stylus Cleaning Gel - Anti-Static & Zero-Dust LP Cartridge Needle Cleaner for Turntable - Easy to Use Gel Bubble Stylus Cleaner for Record Needles - Vinyl Record Cleaning Kit Accessories https://a.co/d/fDXwwYr

 

Not all today. 5 different packages between 3 different days. I actually got a tenth record, but it’s not actually even announced yet. I’ll have to share it at a later time. I love the album, and some people here may be interested, but it’s not one tons will flip out about, trust me. Just a small tease though.

 

Oh and the candy cane variant for the holiday Punchline looks great.

 

Identity Crisis set you back much?

 

Honestly, I paid it and moved on haha I couldn’t even tell you what I spent without looking it up. I just needed to complete my Thrice collection. Haha