2. analog
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Record player sounds out of tune and "wavy"

I've been trying to diagnose this issue for a while. My records all sound slightly out of tune and "wobbly". I've tried old and brand new records and they all have the same issue. It's not an obvious thing to hear, but I can definitely hear it when I pay attention and it drives me crazy. Is it possible I set up the turntable wrong when I took it out of the box and assembled everything? Something with the belt? Or could it be a needle issue? I'm pretty much a turntable newbie, so I'm hoping there's some glaring error I'm unaware of. 

I don't hear the problem when playing anything else through the speakers (Bluetooth, Spotify, movies, etc.). I've also tried placing the turntable on the ground or making sure the table's surface is completely level. Still has the same issue. 

Here is a short clip to give you a sense of what I'm hearing. I hope you can hear it too! Any help is much appreciated! By the way it's a Kenwood KD-291R.

CLIP: 

 

timattin
rhg3
207 posts
 

Speed control. A new belt will probably help. There should be an adjustable speed control on the motor. There are apps like RPM for the iPhone that measure RPM and wow/flutter. 
 

Good luck!

dr-boop
87 posts
 

$499 for a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo and in my experience sound superior to many of the budget tables for a few hundred more. They give you a $100 cartridge with the table, and it sounds great out of the box. I bought one for a friend and couldn't believe how good it sounded.

boxcarman
422 posts
 

IMO, the Project at that price is better than the Rega.

waytoomuchstuff's avatar
waytoomuchstuff
1,125 posts
 

@timattin 

Several things come to mind here after watching the video.

It appears that the particular record you are playing is not concentric (the arm is moving back and forth).  This could cause the warbling your referring to while playing THIS album.

It could be a belt.  This is an easy thing to inspect.  Remove the mat and you should have a good visual on the belt.  it should take a little effort to stretch it.  If not, replacements are cheap and easy to install yourself.  IF the belt is good, it would point to speed control issues which would take a qualified tech to address.  Probably decision time at this point to repair vs replace?

This turntable uses a P-mount cartridges.  Good ones, an improvement over OEM, can be had for around $99. The stylus should be gentle on your record collection.  This would make sense only if your speed control issues are resolved.

Good luck.

moonwatcher
465 posts
 

+1 for the Fluance RT82 recommendation for your $300 max price range. Also look at U-Turn Orbit Turntables in that price range.  While a belt will be cheap for this problem child turntable, that might not be the problem - but still worth a try. It does sound more like the motor itself is giving up the ghost or the speed control circuit is not doing its job anymore. Nothing last forever, especially fairly inexpensive turntables from the 1990s.

If you CAN fix it, Audio Technica makes a cheap P-Mount replacement cartridge, but better Grado Prestige models are available in P-Mount. 

I have an old Technics P-Mount TT still going strong (knock on wood) and use it to play used (flea market and Discogs) albums before trusting them to my better TT. 

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