Chicago_Pete Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Hi guys, thanks to everyone's advice and especially to Allan for sending me the 12" armboard I have the Thorens spinning some vinyl. Well, sort of, doesn't sound very good. The SPU did not come with any instructions so I am flying blind on the tracking weight. Tried everything from 1.5 to 4? I found a setup manual for the 3012 and I believe I am close. So whats the problem? I bought a Shure Audio Obstacle Course test record and the right channel is dead on the level and balance test. When I play a normal LP it seems fine. Strong output from the right channel so I think I wired the Flat Earth RCA kit OK? Spun the same test LP on my SOTA and it sounds great. Passed every test. Hope this is something obvious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest " " Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 I'm guessing here...so are you saying there is a problem with the left channel? Any anti-skate counter weights or settings avail? Normally if adjust the tracking wieght there's a corrsponding anti-skate weight setting. The anti-skate setting can cause the needle to drag on on side or lean forward on the other. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fini Posted August 12, 2007 Share Posted August 12, 2007 Pete, hang in there. Obviously, it's fixable. Most likely an easy fix. As you know, these things happen with vinyl. I have a 124 that is still waiting for me to mess with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joessportster Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 hey pete this is an obvious one im sure you have already tried but sometimes my heads needs a kick start, did you try reversing the inner connects (left to right and right to left) also miight be a good idea to try a differant pair........... i dont see how the spu is adjustable for tracking angle isnt it a P mount (of course i have never had one just going by the pics here) also i dont suppose you have another cartridge / headshell you can attach and see if things improve (i hate to think it for your sake but could the spu be a problem) lastly, do you have a multi meter with ohms capability, test your wireing for continuity from the cart leads to your rca kits output Joe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 If you are getting fuzzy output from the left channel, no amount of VTA or VTF adjustment is going to help--and it's pretty hard to screw up azimuth with an SPU!! I am betting that there is either something wrong with the SPU, the tonearm wiring or the interconnects. You'll just have to be patient, play detective and hunt down this gremlin. It will be worth it in the end, BELIEVE ME!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garymd Posted August 13, 2007 Share Posted August 13, 2007 Either I got really lucky or Allan did an excellent job putting mine together then walking me through re-assembly (probably a little of both). They're really hard to screw up or I certainly would have done so. Mine sounded amazing the first time I set the needle on a record and I've hardly made an adjustment since. Mine is tracking at 3.88 and my anti-skating is a total guess. Oh yeah, my SPU is mono so it was a little harder to screw up. Allan is correct. If VTA or anti-skating was a problem, it would most likely still sound good. I'm sure mine could use some tweaking but I've felt no need and I'm really lazy, especially when it sounds great. I'll go out on a limb and say it's the wiring or your cables. Good luck and be patient. It'll be worth it in the end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicago_Pete Posted August 14, 2007 Author Share Posted August 14, 2007 Thanks guys, looks like I have the wiring all Jones-up:) My color codes are not the same as what Flat Earth shows so I guess that is where I went wrong? The 3012 SME manual shows the correct pin / color combination. Will try it again and hope to be posting accolades of the 3012 / 124 combo soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted August 14, 2007 Share Posted August 14, 2007 Is there a distinct, immediate improvement to be had by switching from a 9" arm (SME3009), to a 12" arm (SME3012)? If yes, please offer me a logical explination as to why, given the same SPU. Sorry, chicago Pete, not trying to de-rail your thread, but I have been contemplating this for some time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Songer Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 The longer the arm, the less tracking error. Distortion is reduced, plain and simple. I find the 3012 to have a livelier, more dynamic sound--it's bigger and heavier than the 3009 and I think you just can't get TOO big and heavy when it comes to getting the most from an SPU! The effective mass of the 3012 is more than 50% more than that of the 3009. Is there a jaw-dropping OMG! difference? No, not really. I could be happy forever with a 3009/SPU. Am I glad I have the 3012? OF COURSE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 The longer the arm, the less tracking error. Distortion is reduced, plain and simple. I find the 3012 to have a livelier, more dynamic sound--it's bigger and heavier than the 3009 and I think you just can't get TOO big and heavy when it comes to getting the most from an SPU! The effective mass of the 3012 is more than 50% more than that of the 3009. Is there a jaw-dropping OMG! difference? No, not really. I could be happy forever with a 3009/SPU. Am I glad I have the 3012? OF COURSE! You'll have a PM shortly,...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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