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Oracle Alexander Turntable


zuzu

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The forum threads on vinyl and TT's finally got me to look at my Oracle TT. Haven't used it since CD's came out. Cost new was about $2500. I just plugged it in and there is a wabble on the platter.. Is this an adjustment down inside the unit. . That was about $350. But here is the other observation. This has an air bearing tone arm fed by an air pump. When I last played it the arm moved in and out really freely. Its getting plenty of air but is now sluggish. The tone arm always moves perpendicular to the record so the stylus is in the center of the grove at the outer cercumference all the way to the inner circle on the record.In other words the tone arm does not pivot from a fixed point. Hard to describe but easy if you see it. Anyone have any thoughts on the wabble or the sluggish air bearing?

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I used to have a Delphi II turntable with an Eminent Technology air bearing linear tracking tone arm. Your arm is likely dirty and the dirt is interfering with the very fine gap between bearing surfaces. Ask the manufacturer of your arm how to clean this. Do you use an expansion tank for your arm? Compressed room air has lots of contaminants which can be seen in the expansion tank/filter.

BTW, I found the Oracle and linear arm to be a poor combo.

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The Orarcle table I have seen are very percision devices. Your going to have to clean everything and very carefully set the table up at least if its anything similar to the one my good freind owns. I'm sure his is a more recent and expensive model but I know it took him weeks of adjusting to dial his in even though it was brand new. But boy does it sound and look impressive.

Craig

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I'm working with the factory techy to get this back to perfect. For the 5 years that "I" played it, I never had to tweak it even once. I just now lubed the motor shaft and will run it for a few days. Boy this turntable is heavy.

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I think you're talking about an Oracle Alexandria - right? If the platter wobbles, chances are good that you'll need to re-seat the bearing. That requires removing the bearing, aligning the thrust plate, cleaning and re-lubing and then adjusting the suspension towers. The 1st few items are pretty straight-forward but adjusting the towers is a real PITA and takes a lot of patience to get right. The Alexandria is a bit easier to set up but I have an Oracle Delphi and it took hours to get the platter to bounce only 2 times (the goal is to set the resonant frequency of the TT to less than 4-12Hz - 2-3 bounces before it stops). I also know that every time I pull it out, I have to adjust the suspension so its very likely you'll need to as well. Also, its imperative that the Oracle sit on a perfectly flat surface or you'll never get it set up properly. You may also consider buying the maintenance kit ($150) since the springs do tend to stretch out a bit and the kit offers several tensions to make the task easier. It also has the felts, belt and lube.


I don't know much about the arm but most AB arms need to be very clean to work properly and and blast of air in the guide will usually clear out the dust. I don't think a lubricant is used in the guide but if so, I imagine that it is pretty gunked up by now and that would cause your problem. Also, check the pump and lines to be sure your getting a steady air flow.

The stylus should be OK if you kept it clean when you did listen to records. You can check for dirt, alignment and dullness under a strong loupe or magnifying glass to be sure. Also, carefully look at the glue joint to be sure there are no cracks - you don't want the tip falling off on your favorite record. The cartridge's suspension may also be suspect after sitting so long but on a $350 cart, there's not much you can do short of replacing the stylus or cart. - and good luck finding a replacement. 

Having said that, most folks would simply set the TT up as best they can and start spinning with no problems. You have to decide how persnickety you want to be and how much time you want to put into getting the set up right. Once set up, the Oracles are very nice TTs and are still well-regarded for their age. You won't regret the effort. Have fun -Bryan
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Yes flash, Oracle Audio is the correct site. Well the air bearing tone arm is working smoothly now. Per factory instructions I cleaned the shaft with alcohol and paper towel and moved it back and forth agressively many many times. Walla it floats. I oiled the motor bearing and am running it for a few days. 80% of the wabble is gone. But I want to get the other 20%. Oracle is sending me some written instructions on what and how to check and fix it.

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