Vinyl

Is tracking a big problem with today's record players? I always assumed tracking issues really only happened with badly damaged (warped, scratched) records.
 

BananaHands

Staff member
According to reviews and whatnot as long as that ABOX thing is placed on in the middle there's no tracking issues.

I think it looks cool but I could see how it's seen as an ABOMINATION.
 
Is tracking a big problem with today's record players? I always assumed tracking issues really only happened with badly damaged (warped, scratched) records.
It doesn't appear that the tracking force is adjustable, which means you can't properly balance the tonearm (and even if it were adjustable, how do you balance a vertical tonearm?). Setups like that that are typically reserved for low-end systems and track much heavier that their better-built brethren. The M97xE on my 1200 tracks at about 1.75 grams. Your typical non-adjustable Crosley or Ion tracks at 5 grams or more.

I'm also concerned about support for the record itself. Sure, the platter is full-sized, but oriented like that, it's not doing much for the outer edge of the record. I've had turntables with smaller platters that left the outer portion hanging over, and many times those tracks would skip like crazy. Play on a more professional model, and it's fine.

If you browse some of the audio and vinyl forums, you'll see lots of tales from people who can't play their new 180 gram audiophile reissues on their Urban Outfitter Crosleys. The records aren't damaged, and neither is the turntable. It's just that those cheap turntables aren't built to handle that heavier vinyl.

I could go on, but I'm tired and places like the Steve Hoffman Forums and audiokarma can go into much greater detail.
 
I used to have an app called PlatterSpeed that would use a test tone to check your turntable's specs. The tones were found on various test records. You could use a 1Khz tone, but the 3150hz tone was preferred.

Too bad it died after iOS 11 released. They've never updated.
 
It's an unwritten rule that any used record store or thrift shop (ESPECIALLY thrift shops) must carry a) Herb Alpert, b) Ray Conniff, or c) Bert Kaempfert. Usually all of the above. I've yet to find a store that didn't have at least one copy of Alpert's Going Places. Too bad for me I chose the worst quality one of the bunch to finally buy. :p
HaHa. So true when I picked up mine last year I was like, "WOW what a score!"
 
I found this among the remainder of my parent's record collection. May not be interesting to many, but I really enjoyed this when I was younger, and have been vacillating whether to buy the CD on amazon or not, since the CDs are over $30 (cassettes going for $200+).

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I bought that one at a used store. That's Wendy Carlos when she was still Walter right?
 
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