Arm problem

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iansr
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#1 Arm problem

Post by iansr »

I've got a friend (no honestly) who emailed me with a problem he has with his TT arm. Here is his description of the problem:

I've got a Linn Basik turntable with an Akito arm which was long overdue for a cartridge change. After much consideration I decided to take a sort of backward step and have an MM cartridge fitted so that I can use the phono stage on the Sugden. In the end I went for a Goldring 2200 and got a local dealer to fit it for me, as I didn't fancy setting it up myself.

Anyway, as it turns out, perhaps I should have done it myself.

When I got the turntable home it sounded great (better than the audio technica cartridge) but when it reached the final track of every record it would either stick or when it went to the run off, jump back into the record. I rang the shop and they said it had nothing to do with fitting the cartridge.This kind of fault, they said, is caused by dodgy bearings or the height of the arm. He said he had adjusted the arm to the correct height but if I brought it into the shop he would lift it higher and this would almost certainly cure the problem.

Not convinced with this solution, I had a look on the web for info on setting up Akito arms and everyone was saying the same thing: "be very careful not to overtighten the allen screw when setting the arm height as this can damage the bearings." So I checked the screw and, sure enough, it was pretty tight. After loosening the screw my albums played better but not perfectly.

I have been back to the shop with it today and, naturally, they are still saying they haven't caused the damage but will have a look at it. (They are being very helpful and friendly but, at the same time, cautious not to admit to anything as a new arm would cost £720). Basically they are inferring that the fault must have been there already.

I pointed out to them that if the arm was knackered I wouldn't have had a new cartridge fitted in the first place. After saying this he did suggest we could wait for a turntable with an Akito arm to come into the shop on px and they could then transfer the arm to my deck. Unfortunately there is no knowing how long we would have to wait for this to happen. At the moment they have admitted that they don't really know what to suggest and have asked me to ring them in the morning.


I know not very much about arm set ups and so I can't help my friend. But I said I knew some people who might . . .

Any thoughts/suggestions will be gratefully received.
Last edited by iansr on Wed Jun 03, 2009 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Andrew
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#2

Post by Andrew »

Was it a Linn dealer? They seem to overtighten everything!!!

Has your friend checked the anti skate?

Most arm bearings are not designed for arms but are designed for very high rpm @ highish loads in other general engineering applications, up to 6000rpm etc. I would be surprised it it were actually damaged. It is possible to check and change the bearings and even reset them if they have moved.

Perhaps he could send it ti j7 @ AudioOrigami for a strip down a re-build?

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Dave the bass
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#3

Post by Dave the bass »

Cartridge leads catching on summat internally causing the arm to be hindered? Maybe they just need re-routing?

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Nick
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#4

Post by Nick »

Where in the world is your friend Ian, there may be someone near who could take a look. TT's are not the magic things Linn dealers would have us believe. Your local Harley Davidson dealer could service them (I mention HD as they are used to large tolerances)
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#5

Post by Mike H »

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iansr
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#6

Post by iansr »

Thanks for the responses guys but it looks as though my pal has come to a compromise settlement with the dealer.
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