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Not Enjoying My Turntable

I purchased a u-turn orbit plus six months back to get into the experience of vinyl and collecting again. So far I have enjoyed the process of album buying and the tactile experience of vinyl. However, I just am not happy with the sound. Generally I have always enjoyed playing music with the treble turned up. Maybe because of some hearing loss I don't know. Also, I have had some problems with the turntable. The needle skips and to me the sound is muffled.

I am sure I could fix some of these problems with a equalizer and some troubleshooting with the turntable but am I just chasing the dragon here? In short am I doing something wrong.
128x128brimel1974
tak1's avatar
tak1
18 posts
 

@elizabeth  You say things sound 'fine' with your method of set up but it can certainly sound BETTER .... I'd like to suggest you look at Peter Lederman's videos at his website  https://www.sound-smith.com/

I recently had a problem with overhang ... I was short of the mark by about 3 cm's .... had to get a new headshell to reach the correct placement ... but when I did ... what a difference~! Everything was tighter, more focused, yet highly resolving, warm and musical. If one spends just a little time and is patient, benefits are reaped.

elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
I have no need to make a lot of effort to 'maybe' make it sound better. Knowing MY grass is GREEN ENOUGH.. I do not need to chase some other grass, 'because it could be better' Yeah and it could be a worthless money pit. (Been there done that)
Know when to stop is just as important as knowing anything else.
edgewear
119 posts
 
I think we can all agree that playing vinyl records has become a 'cultural' fad. A sure sign it has entered the mainstream is the sheer number of tv commercials that are riddled with turntables. The 'climax' always seems to be that close up shot of a stylus about to hit the record as if to say: 'now something really meaningful is about to take place'. By association the purchase of the product being advertised (just about every lifestyle product you care to mention) will be just as meaningful as that stylus about to hit home.....

Obviously this has absolutely nothing to do with sound quality and - no offense - neither does a $300 turntable. High quality vinyl playback requires real commitment and fairly deep pockets to reach a level that surpasses digital (either on CD or download). If you have neither, don't go there. I'm not being elitist, its simply a fact of life.

If the OP is serious about sound quality and not just about enjoying the tactile sensation of holding a LP sleeve or vinyl disc or being mesmerized by looking at that descending stylus, he should throw away this device, make another U-turn and think about how far he or his wallet is willing to go. If he's willing to add one zero to his $300 'orbit', he'll be in business and should return to this forum for advise. There are plenty of enthousiasts (more than he'll bargain for) happy to help him make some choices that will give him a taste of what we're on about here. 


elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
The 'spend more money' theory of audiophilia. The answer to ANY audio question for many audiophiles is... Ta Daaa... SPEND MORE MONEY.   
The real magic is fixing the problem free... free. ever think of that?OMG never!!!!!
uberwaltz's avatar
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uberwaltz
4,946 posts
 
Lol

Is this the same Elizabeth who on a very recent post admitted to spending 3k on AC duplex outlets?

Surely that was chasing a deeper shade of green grass?

Or was that the wake up AHA moment of ceasing to throw money down MoneyPit Road?
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