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New Townshend Rock 7 owner

The Townshend is in transit to it's new home. I purchased this one-owner table as a package, complete w/ Funk Firm FXR ll arm, dc motor upgrade, Discovery Balanced phono cable and Brinkman PI cartridge. It come with all original boxes, manuals.

If all goes well, I should be able to get it up and running with one exception, my phono stage is not balanced. Since the original owner bought this from a respected dealer as a package, I think my best route would be to get a pair of RCA to XLR adapters in order to hear the package as close as possible as was intended.

Any thoughts on that aspect? What brand adapters would be recommended? Also, any thing I might need to know from experienced users to help with set-up? Thanks.
128x128slaw
nsp
653 posts
 
slaw
 yes I understand the belt goes around the sub platter/ motor pulley. What I referred to as the platter maybe what you call the plinth. The plinth  is what the record is placed on top of. As Max says in his diagram the belt should never touch a platter or the chassis. in in my situation the top of the belt scrapes ever so slightly against the bottom of the plinth/ platter. I eyeballed and try to I I bald and try to measure the top of the motor housing to the top of the chassis. My motor housing top is significantly higher than the top of the chassis. It's not a half inch but maybe a quarter of an inch. I think this is the problem.On your setup are the top of the motor housing  and the top of the chassis the same height?
nsp
653 posts
 
slawAlso Max indicates in writing and his diagram that the belt should run over the transition between the top cylindrical section of the motor pulley and the center tapered section. my belt does not do this it runs almost all the way towards the bottom the motor pulley.
nsp
653 posts
 
bdp24
The Zeta tonearm is not one that I am familiar with. If you spoke directly to Max then you got it from the source!! It's nice that he was honest enough to give his opinion and not try to sell you the newer model if there was not that big of a difference.
bdp24's avatar
bdp24
9,568 posts
 

@nsp, the Zeta is a cult item from the 1980’s and 90’s, far better known in the UK than in the U.S. It was a favorite with users of the idiosyncratic Decca cartridges, who also liked the Rock. In fact, the Rock was developed using the Decca cartridge.

Regarding the nomenclature used for the various parts of the Rock Mk.7, the 12" round disc the LP is placed on (it’s white on the Rock Mk.7) is always referred to as a platter. In most tables, the "body" of the table that the platter’s bearing and usually the tonearm are mounted onto is called a plinth. As the body of the Rock Mk.7 is so "skeletal", it’s hard to think of it as having a plinth!

At any rate, the belt should not touch the 12" white platter, or anything else other than the metal sub-platter. Changing the height of the motor pod to effect where the belt rides on the sub-platter is simple---just shim it with a thin sheet of any material of your choice---metal, acrylic, wood whatever. Or place it on little "footers" of your choice---you can try hard materials and softer, see what you prefer.

slaw's avatar
slaw OP
20,579 posts
 
@nsp ,
What type of shelf do you have the Rock 7 on? Whatever it is, check for flatness. You’d be surprised that several materials look flat to the naked eye but are not. I have my Rock set up with it’s feet screwed all the way in. IMO, this is the best way. Leveling can be done with the Rock’s ingenious adjustable outrigger weight or by the platform itself assuming you have the platform on adjustable feet. (I find in my set up, the motor pod’s set screws are just barely enough to get the pod off of my platform.)
@bdp24, The Merlin motor housing has 3 adjustment screws, I think your table’s motor housing may have no adjustment capability, just shims.

One question, when you are adjusting the pulley’s angle/level, is the platter on or off the tt? This will also depend on the pulley distance......what I’ve found is if I adjust the pulley with the platter off and start the motor, sometimes the belt will look fine until I put the platter back in place. Another thing to consider is the platter levelness when doing all of this set up. I swing the trough back to it’s normal position and keep the tonearm at it’s resting place. Then use a weight on the platter ( in my case a brass 3/4lb weight). I keep a small bubble level on the tonearm mounting plate always. Mine is set up where if this bubble level is centered I know my set -up is accurate. Once I know the platter is level I make sure to orient the platter to a reference point for later. This way I can now remove the platter and re-install it with changing the level.
When I look at my belt’s position on my pulley, it in slightly above centered. Once you get familiar with the tt and all of it’s needs, the set up process will become more natural to you.
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