Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Turntable working on and off


My Pro-ject TT is working again, but 3 times this year it has shut down and won't spin.

After the 1st time, I took off the band and put it back on, and not much else except for that. It worked fine for a while.

2nd time - I got a new band. Started working again.

3rd time, removed the inner platter and re-placed it, and the put the band back on. It's working again.

It's not a connection issue as far as I can tell.

It's fine now, but I can't feel confident it will stay this way.

It's about 9 or 10 years old. Great when it plays...

I've gotten lazy about picking up the tonearm when an LP ends, and have let it stay on the run-out for a while a bunch of times. I've since stopped doing that, but I wonder if that had an effect.

What do you consider the problem and potential solution might be?

Thank you.

 

kbmr

@yogiboy - interesting piece of gear there! thank you. Not sure how long I'll stick w/ this current turntable and what I may replace it with, but good to know that there's a solution for fully manual ones.

 

@jeffreylee   Why is having a Pro-Ject TT a primary issue? Are they known for not lasting long? They have universally excellent reviews, so not sure why you’re making that statement.

@lewm ​​@noromance the inner platter is not spinning freely! So - will lift it out and lubricate it - I think?

lewm you say "Take the whole thing apart. Clean and relubricate the bearing. Check that platter spins freely. Make sure belt fits snugly around pulley and platter. Etc." - I have no experience working on TT's. I surely understand now that the inner platter needs to spin freely. I do believe that's the issue and as you said, the motor intermittently overcomes it. Sometimes a push to the platter will help it along, other times not.

@kbmr As a person who has occasionally written turntable reviews for Discogs, I can tell you that reviews can only get you so far. The issue with any gear is a how it holds up in the long term, and most reviews are done in a fairly short period of time. It's unlikely that anything will go wrong.

But the sole Pro-Ject turntable I reviewed had a hum from day one and nothing got rid of it. Eventually one of the cartridge clips just fell off one day, which was likely the issue. It didn't seem to be an inherently bad product, but it was not constructed well.

If you google "pro-ject turntable problems" you'll get pages of results, many of which are identical to your issues. Motors stopping.

@jeffreylee thank you.

a quick google does indeed reveal a ton of complaints.

Silly me, I had considered that reviewers would know and comment upon a company's track record regarding longevity.

I do like the sound of my table, and I can understand why it was well reviewed, but your point is well taken.

I have a "good" system - entry-level audiophile gear, and I want a turntable that will last, to match the other gear.

recommendations? technics? rega? music hall?