thinking about buying a turntable

thanks for the tips :)  The ground makes sense, that would mean the shell of the rca would go to the ground on the phono stage, which should result in no hum.  Is the grado issue a manufacturing issue (tolerance /QC issues) or could it be that the 2 grados were in different setups with different rfi/emi environments?  I'm kind of curious about that one, been listening to a set of Grado headphones at work for the last couple of years, and they work perfectly still, like out of the box.  The comparison isn't the same since headphones aren't microphonic, though the quality is definitely there (can't even get them to make noise when jiggling the connector).  Maybe the thing to do is buy one, and if it gets annoying, send it back and let uturn deal with it  8)  Was the SQ of the Grado nice when it worked? 

For me, I have a somewhat crowded entertainment center (rotel cdp, onkyo ht receiver, sony blu ray, nintendo wii, senheiser wireless headphones, quickie, dac...) so fitting in a turntable may be tricky (and susceptible to noise).  The only place I can think of is on the floor underneath the entertainment center (maybe on a roll-out tray or something?)  Could this be an issue?

Dave
 
No, it's not QC, they are nicely made. It's the design, they have a patent on their particular generator, I don't know the details off-hand. You can search 'Grado hum', you'll find lots of reading.

Anyway, not trying to put you off, just providing information for a prospective buyer.
The Orbit Plus with the cartridge & acrylic platter is a pretty sweet deal for a starter turntable.
 
Grados don't hum. Motors hum and Grados (and several other cartridges) pick it up. I have no experience with the UTurn design. Search for people's experiences with the turntable and cartridge you are looking at, or contact the company.

Not all tonearms have a ground wire. Those that do not will have the body of the arm connected to the negative of one channel's RCA.
 
fullheadofnothing said:
Grados don't hum. Motors hum and Grados (and several other cartridges) pick it up.
Click to expand...

Yes, true Joshua. My terminology was a bit loose, but Grados are known to be more susceptible to picking up that hum.
Less likely in a deck with a small DC motor & a rubber band. ;D
 
one other thing to notice is that the tonearm and motor are on completely opposite ends of the table.  Hopefully that results in enough isolation.

Dave
 
Dave,

If you settle on a turntable without a seperate ground you can easily run a wire from the chassis of the TT to the Reduction.

As for "Grado Hum" I have listened to two Grados in the past 23 years and have never had hum.  I didn't buy the $35 Grado, I bought a better one.  The first one was on my Thorens TD 160 then my VPI HW-19.  The new one only on the HW-19.  The hum that is so famous and seldom heard is from bad motors that radiate AC hum.
 
Grainger49 said:
The hum that is so famous and seldom heard is from bad motors that radiate AC hum.
Click to expand...

So how come I've heard it Grainger? Yes, I use a vintage idler drive turntable with a powerful AC motor (which is not bad), but no other cartridge including SPU, London Decca, Audio Technica, Nagaoka, Grace, Stanton, etc have the same issue?
 
Hi Grainger,

I'm looking at the Grado Black 1 (~$70), maybe it's time to check out some more info on that.  As far as the uturn, I watched a bunch of videos on youtube, and read a bunch of reviews on the internet, and haven't heard any mention of a hum issue.  The general consensus is that it is a well-engineered table, and has some cutting edge features such as the unipivot tonearm.  Of course there is always potential to pick up hum depending on the setup, but as long as there is a good ground there shouldn't be an issue.  Another interesting thing though is the s/n ratio.  It is stated on their website as 79db.  Oddly enough, that's the highest spec I could find on a turntable (after around $450 or so there weren't any specs for the s/n ratio).  Could this really be a true spec value?  I wonder if sometimes manufacturers inflate specs to sell a product (like quoting peak power on an amplifier vs. RMS power).

Dave
 
I wouldn't fret about signal to noise ratio on a turntable.  If the record you're playing gets some dust on it, the SNR will go down accordingly.
 
aragorn723 said:
Hi,

I have been thinking about branching out into vinyl for a while (just got a few records a week ago-Simon and Garfunkel - Sounds of Silence, and The Very Best of Cream).  They look almost new (and not warped).  I don't have a turntable now, but was wondering what to look for in one besides maybe belt-drive.  Someone suggested looking at uturnaudio in another thread..  What makes a turntable good?

Dave
Click to expand...

Hi Dave,
I to got the urge to get back into vinyl. I still had a dozen or so records I bought in th 1970's. About two years ago I bought a VPI table and have been buying records ever since. I'd guess I have about 150 now. Some I bought at Good Will. Some from used record shops and quite a few from Acoustic Sounds. Their Quality Record Pressings offerings are amazing. Not a single pop or click and the sound is first rate. I haven't bought a CD in two years now. I wish you good luck and I think you will be happy you jumped on board!  ;D
Toby
 
Hi,
Just thought I would add my 2 cents. I just went through what you are contemplating. Adding a stock Reduction and a turntable to my system has made more difference than ANYTHING else I have done. More than mikes iron, more than the Elrog 300b tubes (although I must say they sound amazing), more than the EML 300b mesh. By a huge margin.

Sounds like you are doing your research and receiving sound advice. I know you are going to enjoy your journey.

Pat McSween
 
Chris65 said:
So how come I've heard it Grainger? Yes, I use a vintage idler drive turntable with a powerful AC motor (which is not bad), but no other cartridge including SPU, London Decca, Audio Technica, Nagaoka, Grace, Stanton, etc have the same issue?
Click to expand...

So we have the Grado works on VIP, Thorens belt and Dual but not on old vintage idler drive with powerful AC motors.  I can only speak to my experience.
 
patm said:
Hi,
Just thought I would add my 2 cents. I just went through what you are contemplating. Adding a stock Reduction and a turntable to my system has made more difference than ANYTHING else I have done. More than mikes iron, more than the Elrog 300b tubes (although I must say they sound amazing), more than the EML 300b mesh. By a huge margin.

Sounds like you are doing your research and receiving sound advice. I know you are going to enjoy your journey.

Pat McSween
Click to expand...

Hi Pat,

That's impressive the submissive can keep up with that system, it looks pretty upscale.  Have you felt the need to upgrade it with the integration upgrade?  What phono stage did you use before?  Just realized the system i'm thinking of doing would be around $900, so i'm looking for ways to ease into it (maybe start with the basic uturn + grado, then add the platter, cue, reduction and integration later).

Dave
 
one minor catch-just realized the Onkyo doesn't have a phono input (so that means disconnecting it from the stereo and hooking up the 1970's Sony receiver or buying a phono stage straight out).  Luckily it can play mm and mc cartridges, so maybe this will be a good start (with a set of headphones).

Dave
 
Grainger,

hmm so does that mean it's possible to use the phono preamp in the Sony and then pass the signal to the Quickie?  Cool!  There's a monitor button on the front (tape 1 and tape 2).  Is it as simple as hitting the phono button and then hitting the tape 1 monitor button (and using the record out jacks for that?)  The model is TA-1055.  Thanks,

Dave
 
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