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Newbie question on TT.

I found this wonderful site about 2 weeks ago and have been doing alot of reading. First of all, I am very limited on funds to spend on my quest for quality analog enjoyment. Ok, enough rambling, now my question. I have recently acquired thru a yard sale, a beautiful Dual 701 TT and installed a new Shure VN-35E stylus. It sounds much better than my old TT, which was a Technics SL 1300. Is there something I can do for say $100 that would tweak my TT for even better sound? I have it hooked up to a Carver HR 742 receiver. My speakers are 2 floor standing Pioneer CS E9900 4 way speakers and also 2 floor standing Polk Audio RTA 8TL speakers. Any suggestions on anything I can do cheaply to enjoy a better sound will be much appreciated. I have been an avid collector of Analog recordings, with alot of MoFi and Japanese pressing. It might also be of help to know that I mostly listen to classic rock, blues and jazz. Oh, by the way, I bought the Dual for $5.00 I was pretty happy with that find. Not even a scratch on the dustcover, so I don't think it had hardly been used.

Thank you in advance for your help!
sfpritch0a98
twl
3,251 posts
 
Make sure the belt is good, and clean the RCA connectors real well. Get a cartridge alignment protractor for $20 from turntablebasics.com and make sure the cartridge is aligned properly. Make some minor adjustments in the tracking force and anti-skate and listen to see if things get any better or worse, and try to find the best sounding setting. Put the TT on a dedicated stand that is lightweight and rigid, with no other equipment on the stand with it. If you can remove the dustcover, remove it totally from the table when playing.
Post removed 
twl
3,251 posts
 
Marty, does it help if you empty those 3 drinking glasses of a fine single-malt Scotch whisky before you put them under the table? :^)

I didn't know if the Dual 701 is direct drive. Sorry if I was wrong about that.
sfpritch0a98 OP
4 posts
 
I take it you are serious about the 3 glasses? Just curious, what is the purpose of removing the dustcover? Vibration? Thanks for your help. I live in a part of the country that no one carries mid or highend analog equiptment. So this is all new to me. I have collected and listened to vinyl for the last 12 years, but the thought of getting a much better sound intrigues me. I have been reading alot also on the Disc Doctor. I think I need to invest in a better way to clean my records, as apparently there is a much better way than what I have been doing. Thanks for your help!

Steve
shersta
140 posts
 
I wouldn't recommend spending any money on a tweak that couldn't be transferred to another table sometime down the road. In fact, at this point, I wouldn't recommend any money-related tweaking at all (e.g. ringmat, new conterweights, dedicated tt stands, etc). Having said that, investing in a Shure traking force gauge (20$ from audioadvisor.com) and getting a free alignment protractor (http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/0900/protractor.htm) and then reading up on alignment techniques and then fiddling with alignment may help. Try to isolate your tt from vibrations and movement, but try to do it as cheaply as possible (i.e. a piece of mdf attached to the wall w/ shelving brackets). Spend your money on cleaning the lps you have (perhpas using a homemade cleaning recipe--there's plenty of ideas on the web) and putting them in new sleeves. Add a good, cheap carbon fiber brush like the Audioquest one, and you're good to go. Enjoy!
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