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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
dill
2,529 posts
 

I am not familiar with any turntables in that price range and did a search, found this. You might check your local CraigsList, Facebook marketplace, etc. for Pioneer, Marantz, Technics,

 

bigtwin's avatar
bigtwin
1,204 posts
 

I had a similar thing happening on a very good TT.  Turned out the matt that came with the TT allowed the LP to occasionally slip and it would create a sound like the TT was slowing down a bit and then returning to the correct speed.  I threw on a different matt on it and problem solved.  

theo's avatar
theo
2,690 posts
 

Sounds like a speed control issue. As mentioned above, any investment in repair would be better spent toward a new table. Look for a used Rega RP3

corelli
993 posts
 

The most likely cause is an old stretched belt.  Cheap fix--if you can fined a replacement of the correct size.

richl35's avatar
richl35
18 posts
 

For $300 go get a Fluance RT 82 and don’t look back. That table likely has a speed stability issue and isn’t worth fixing. There are other tables in the $300 range but the Fluance is as solid as you will get at $300. 

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