"Dirty" sound on Thorens TD 160

[hlov]

Hi all,

My TT is a Thorens TD 160 with a Rega 250 tonearm and an ortofon 2M black cartridge. From time to time  I'm experiencing this annoying  like dirty sound, it's like there's  some dirt on the stylus but it's clean.

 

I thought it was a problem with the  stylus so replaced with  a new one, but the issue is still there. The way  it gets  fixed is by removing the stylus and then put it back again.  My gut feeling is that some wires are not well connected, the tonearm is a bit wobbling as well. 

 

Wonder if someone has experienced similar issue before or can  advise  what  part should I check.

Cheers

 

H

 

[Wimbo]

Post a photo of your cartridge/arm/record interface. Might have something to do with setup.

[hlov]

51 minutes ago, Wimbo said:

Post a photo of your cartridge/arm/record interface. Might have something to do with setup.

Thanks, I’ll post one tonight.

 

H

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

One major virtue of Rega tone arms is the quality of the bearings. There should be no perceptible 'play'. For a Rega tone arm to be 'wobbly' suggests a serious problem that requires attention.

[peterpan]

as it happens from time to time, is it on the same records? could you have some dirt on the actual records? 

 

 if it is not your records, then as above posts, check set up and arm/wiring for any problems.

 

[Full Range]

Electronic cleaner spray may need to be used to clean the innards of the cartridge 

Do this while the stylus is out of the cartridge housing 

 

Dust and other foreign matter may have accumulated inside, leading to poor contact 

I clean my MM carts in this manner 

 

And also have a close inspection of the bearing as noted above 

 

[hlov]

39 minutes ago, peterpan said:

as it happens from time to time, is it on the same records? could you have some dirt on the actual records? 

 

 if it is not your records, then as above posts, check set up and arm/wiring for any problems.

 

Hi,

it happens on different records, even on the best ones. I have to remove the stylus and put it back a few times until it starts playing well again.

 

H

[hlov]

29 minutes ago, Full Range said:

Electronic cleaner spray may need to be used to clean the innards of the cartridge 

Do this while the stylus is out of the cartridge housing 

 

Dust and other foreign matter may have accumulated inside, leading to poor contact 

I clean my MM carts in this manner 

 

And also have a close inspection of the bearing as noted above 

 

Thanks for the tip, the cartridge is less than one month old so it looks like something funny with the wires.

 

H

[Batty]

I am thinking along the same lines as Full Range above, maybe the innards of the cart body have tarnished where contact is made with the stylus, that could be why a couple of re-insertions get it working again, I would be trying another cartridge.

[Wimbo]

39 minutes ago, hlov said:

Thanks for the tip, the cartridge is less than one month old so it looks like something funny with the wires.

That sounds like a faulty cartridge. Have you got another one to A/B?

[hlov]

6 minutes ago, Wimbo said:

That sounds like a faulty cartridge. Have you got another one to A/B?

Hmm, I don’t think is the cartridge, I had the same problem with my old cartridge and previous stylus, so it will be a weird coincidence. That’s why I decided to replace it, I’ll try to do the check on the wires first.

 

[Telecine]

On a Rega arm, it is almost certainly a problem with the cartridge clips attached to the tonearm wires. They are notorious for failing.

 

Have someone solder some new and better cartridge clips on for you.

[Full Range]

32 minutes ago, hlov said:

Hmm, I don’t think is the cartridge, I had the same problem with my old cartridge and previous stylus, so it will be a weird coincidence. That’s why I decided to replace it, I’ll try to do the check on the wires first.

 

 

Not sure how old the arm is 

But if the cart is near new and the issues have been repeated from the old cart 

 

Then I would suggest a complete rewire of the tonearm and new cartridge clips 

With this option, you may want to upgrade to silver wire 

 

 

 

[hlov]

1 hour ago, Telecine said:

On a Rega arm, it is almost certainly a problem with the cartridge clips attached to the tonearm wires. They are notorious for failing.

 

Have someone solder some new and better cartridge clips on for you.

Thanks mate, I’ll contact the technician who looks after the TT and ask him if he can do it

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

14 hours ago, hlov said:

the tonearm is a bit wobbling as well. 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is a serious concern and should be addressed before rewiring, changing cartridges or anything else. Rega tone arms use excellent bearings and the tone arm should have little or no 'play'. Have this problem checked.

[hlov]

48 minutes ago, Full Range said:

 

Not sure how old the arm is 

But if the cart is near new and the issues have been repeated from the old cart 

 

Then I would suggest a complete rewire of the tonearm and new cartridge clips 

With this option, you may want to upgrade to silver wire 

 

 

 

I bought the TT here last year , the description said that the arm has been rewired, the seller gave me the name of the store who did it and also told me that they know the TThistory, it might be worth to contact them

[hlov]

2 minutes ago, Zaphod Beeblebrox said:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ This is a serious concern and should be addressed before rewiring, changing cartridges or anything else. Rega tone arms use excellent bearings and the tone arm should have little or no 'play'. Have this problem checked.

Thanks mate, I’ll ask the technician about it

[Full Range]

1 minute ago, hlov said:

I bought the TT here last year , the description said that the arm has been rewired, the seller gave me the name of the store who did it and also told me that they know the TThistory, it might be worth to contact them

 

Then I would suggest to take @Zaphod Beeblebrox ‘s input and have the store give it a once over 

 

[Hi Fi Delirium]

Could be faulty cartridge as suggested or headshell/tonearm wires not connecting properly to cartridge.  

[hlov]

Finally had the time and money and drop it to the technician, he said the wobble on the arm shouldn’t be an issue as it moves together with the platter, he said it’s by design but he found that some of the wires that connect to the cartridge are a bit lose. Anyway is with him hope he can fix it. In the meantime I’m listening Tritons on my Project and finally understood the advantage of “Second system” 

[hlov]

On 06/02/2019 at 12:10 PM, Telecine said:

On a Rega arm, it is almost certainly a problem with the cartridge clips attached to the tonearm wires. They are notorious for failing.

 

Have someone solder some new and better cartridge clips on for you.

The Thorens is back, yup, this was the  problem he said the clips were too lose and some of them weren't  sealed properly. He did  some surgical work to mitigate the issue. It sounds pretty nice now. I just listened to Ricky Lee Jones - RLJ and was  great, the only issue I have is that the vocals sound a bit unnatural, bit of sibilance, so next question  is what needs to be tweaked?

- cartridge? Ortofon 2M Black,

- amplifier? Yamaha CA 810,

- Speakers? Wharfedale Crystal CR 30.5

 

never ending

[mloutfie]

Try increasing the vta a bit. 2m black like it to be tail up abit

[hlov]

9 minutes ago, mloutfie said:

Try increasing the vta a bit. 2m black like it to be tail up abit

Thanks mate, I don’t think this arm has any way to adjust the VTA 

[Telecine]

54 minutes ago, hlov said:

Thanks mate, I don’t think this arm has any way to adjust the VTA 

You will need to buy some spacers. There are lots of options. 2 - 4mm should do the trick.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Telecine

[hlov]

Just now, Telecine said:

You will need to buy some spacers. There are lots of options. 2-4mm should do the trick.

Thanks, where do they go on the cartridge? Sorry but no idea