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More turntable set up problems

I have an older Teres Audio turntable, purchased in 2005. It is a basically a model 160 with some upgrades, such as a birch plywood platter, a Teres VTA adapter and a hardwood reflex clamp. The tonearm is a Moerch DP-6 Precision red dot with a 12"armtube, and the cartridge is a Zyx R100-02H. I had everything set up in 2005 and everything was still working fine when I stopped listening to it a few years ago. Just this month I decided it was time to start listening to my two channel system again - I really do regret having neglected it for so long, but you can't change the past!

The turntable is level, the VTA appears to be correct, I have aligned the cartridge with the use of a Turntable Basics protractor( the only tool I have for this) and the tracking force is set within the range suggested by Zyx. With the rather crude measuring devices I have (rulers/straight edges) the overhang seems about right - it is supposed to be 13.3 mm, but I have nothing that will measure .3 of a millimeter. Anyway, I don't know how accurate my eyes are but I think I have things set up as close to where they should be given my tool and eyesight limitations. But.....

The sound coming out of my speakers is awful.....lots and lots of distortion, sounds like a transistor radio turned all the way up, if you know what I mean (if you are old enough to have been around transistor radios, lol,) hissy and garbled, really rough.

I have tried adjusting the anti-skating on the tonearm. The Moerch DP-6 has a lever for this, not a wheel, so I can't actually dial it in, but moving the lever made no discernable difference, the system still sounded like you-know-what. I also played with the VTA, just in case, but again, this made no difference.

I am probably going to start all over again and recheck every alignment, etc., but if anyone can give me some tips as to what area I should definitely focus upon - azimuth perhaps? - given the distortion problem my system is experiencing, I would much appreciate it.

By the way, I have a DAC and CD-player in my 2-channel system as well; CD's sound wonderful, so that SHOULD eliminate the possibilities that the DAC or tube power amp are causing the problems. Of course, there is a tube phono-stage/step up in the mix as well, but I really don't think that is the source of the problem - I really think I have done something wrong with the cartridge alignment....

Holly
oakiris
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Mofimadness is right, if you haven't used it in quite a while the cartridge's suspension may have dried out. This happened to a ZYX cartridge that I owned for a few years, and I don't know that you can do anything about that.

However, I would also follow the rest of his advice, check the tubes in your phono stage, clean the stylus and make sure it is still there, re-check all alignment guidelines, and lubricate your turntables bearing and motor. Make sure everything is still properly grounded too. Good luck.
lak's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
lak
4,676 posts
 
Yes, I agree with all the above comments.
Just remember it's all easier said then done :-)
I know from experience!
oakiris OP
206 posts
 
Thank you for your responses - I took the weekend off from obsessing over my turntable so didn't see your posts until today.

The stylus is there and it is clean - inspected it under a loupe and used Zerodust to clean it. I improved the sound a bit by adjusting the gain on the pre-amp/phono stage but the sound is still not good. I am not sure how to test the tubes to see if they are bad - don't have a tester of any sort and don't have any spare tubes to see if a different tube would sound better. I do have another phono-stage I can try in order to eliminate the phono-stage as the culprit.

I actually emailed Chris of Teres about the bearing oil, but it has been over a week and there has been no response; apparently Teres Audio customer service isn't what it used to be. I am not sure how to go about checking the bearing oil - mostly, I am not sure I have the strength to move the turntable to where I would need to in order to work on it, let alone having the strength to pull the platter off (I think that is what you have to do with the Teres - it has been a long time since I put this turntable together!) How does the bearing oil affect the sound? The platter revolves smoothly and quickly reaches the correct speed, so it would appear the oil is still OK. Or is it just a good idea to replace it when the turntable has just been sitting for a few years?
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Holly, I am assuming that you re-checked all of your setup parameters as well. First try swapping out the phono stage to eliminate that possibility, since you say that you can. I have heard reports about Teres poor customer service, which is a shame, because their tables sure are eye candy. My VPI table recommends that the bearing grease and motor oil be checked and changed annually. I assume that other manufacturers have similar recommendations. However, if the platter seems to be turning normally, this probably isn't you problem. Where are you located? Perhaps a local Audiogon member may be able to assist you with the Teres platter removal. I am in the Philadelphia area.

If switching the phono stage does not improve the sound, I would next have the cartridge checked out. If you bought your ZYX from Mehran at Sorasound, I'm sure that he can get it inspected for you. If not, you may consider sending it to Peter Ledermann of Soundsmith for an evaluation. I have a feeling that the problem lies within the cartridge. In most analog setups, the cartridge is the most obvious suspect. Good luck.
oakiris OP
206 posts
 
Thank you for your response, Jmcgrogan2.

I wish I lived close to Philadelphia, but I live in Colorado in the Denver metro area; I would be more than happy to receive a house call from someone who can help me, but don't know any other Audiogon members in the area, though I am sure there must be some. Any volunteers?!?

I am sorry to hear that Teres Audio now has the reputation of giving poor customer service. Back when I bought my turntable, things seemed to be different. I worked closely with Chris, went to his house to audition the equipment, exchanged frequent emails with him, and he even came to my house to help me set up the turntable once I had it all assembled. I haven't had any contact with him for a few years, though. Disappointing indeed.

(I also find it odd that Chris no longer even has a section on his website for turntables, just for the motor and tonearm he is currently selling. The only mention of current production turntables is the price for shipping them that is detailed on the ordering page. I wonder if he is getting out of the business?)

I did buy my ZYX cartridge/stylus from Mehran. I sure hope the problem is not the ZYX - I have no money to buy even a cheapie replacement. I will contact Mehran, though, if everything else I try fails to make my turntable sing like it used to do.

I am still curious why changing the bearing oil might improve the sound, but as I am grasping at straws now...I might as well do that bit of maintenance as well. I found my manual (such as it is - a print out of a few pages) for the Teres turntable; there is no recommendation in there about changing the bearing oil at regular intervals, but it does explain how to remove the platter. I'm not looking forward to it, but hopefully it won't be too painful of a task!

Holly
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