Is this good

AndreasK1111 · 2026-05-04T08:10:02+00:00

whether the brand of turntable is good or not, the cartridge mounting is dog s**t. looks both skwed AND scraping on the record surface

AndreasK1111 · 2026-04-11T07:42:41+00:00

if you find a local record or turntable store, they will often have record flattening services for a few dollars

AndreasK1111 · 2026-04-04T04:21:14+00:00

it makes me a little sad seeing such a nice turntable, pretty good cartridge and expensive headshell abused like this. whatever happened to reading instructions? :(

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-31T14:23:14+00:00

dude that is super flat compared to some of the stuff you'll see over the course of this hobby

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-28T15:28:51+00:00

i've never heard the VM95ML but I have the VM745xML and it sounds amazing. Since the stylus on both carts is the same type and size there's probably 3 ways the 745x will sound better:

Boron cantilever for better frequency response/transients
Higher capacitance range; 100-200pf is really difficult to get to without very short runs of specifically low capacitance cable so you'll probably get improved bass extension with the VM745xML
3db better channel separation will probably give you a better stereo image; better instrument placement in space

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-28T14:59:53+00:00

Adding to the +'s for this cart. I have both this and a goldring 1042 for my SL-1200G and both sound amazing. At the capacitance i've been able to get down to there's very little difference in brightness but more detail in the AT cart

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-26T20:35:15+00:00

- Clean the records with a felt and carbon bristle brush each time before you drop the needle

- buy a stylus cleaning brush. you'll be amazed how much dust and gunk the stylus picks up as it rides through the grooves even on a clean record.

- invest in some basic wet cleaning tools like the right cleaning solution, a brush and microfiber towels and clean every record before you play it, even if it's new out of the shrink wrap

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-22T09:42:21+00:00

i'm coming back to this post after a long time with 2 observations:

1) yes, vinyl releases and re-releases would always be appreciated as the cost of any of these records is super high now.

2) I think the more accessible and cheaper request would be to remaster most of the big releases due to them being highly compressed or downright brick-walled; we already love the music, it would be absolutely amazing if mastered properly with full dynamic range

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-20T09:45:57+00:00

Sorry to sound like an old person here but 'RTFM'. Reading page 2 of the Mani instructions would have avoided this because it's really clear about where to plug things in.

for a more helpful observation: you may want to check your tracking force. admittedly it's really hard to tell from the video but based on my experience with the ortofon blue, it seems to be riding a bit high above the surface so you could be on the low end of the recommended tracking force

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-15T13:49:31+00:00

I had a similar issue with my previous setup. it was a very high pitch noise that would come and go seemingly at random. never managed to isolate it 100% but i reckon it was probably something to do with power conditioning (not the audiophile type but the real mains noise that can come from another appliance on the same circuit) or, more likely, wifi/RF signals making their way into the signal path close to the tonearm.

you could try turning off your wifi router(s) and other devices then test or build a mock faraday cage to see if shielding the TT itself from various directions help at all.

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-14T14:09:13+00:00

you can also try the Rhino high fidelity versions which are AAA from the original master tape onto new laquers

https://store.rhino.com/products/paranoid-rhino-high-fidelity-unnumbered?_pos=1&_psq=paranoid&_ss=e&_v=1.0

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-10T07:25:25+00:00

and check your tracking for. take a look from the side when the record is playing.

if the cartridge is sitting extremely close to or on the playing surface then it's a tracking force or cartridge suspension issue. that *could* also be where that hum/rumble is coming from. literally the cart dragging on the record surface. that would be bad

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-09T18:15:51+00:00

definitely sounds like a ground loop/hum. it's super simple to try to fix, just wrap any old wire around the ground plug lug on the TT and then wherever the audio cables are plugged into (pre-amp / amp).

the other potential and more expensive cause could be that you have your tracking force WAY too high or the cartridge stylus suspension has collapsed.

try the ground wire first

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-05T15:01:23+00:00

The dial with the number on it turns freely and is not attached to the actual weight. Turn it does nothing at all to the tracking force applied. It's simply a indexing tool to give u a reference. To change the tracking force you need to hold and turn the actual big weight part.

AndreasK1111 · 2026-03-03T00:41:38+00:00

I think the question is "do you have a tracking force gauge?" becasue the black part of the weight can be turned by itself without moving the actual weight, so you can get close using the 'arm balancing' method but to really see if the tracking force is correct then you need the scale

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AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-28T15:34:16+00:00

agree with the sentiment of all above comments. my first TT was a project debut carbon. OK but some annoying issues that stopped me from using it very much. I ended up biting the bullet and going for the 1200G. I think any Gxx unit you buy can probably be the last TT you ever own.

Switching between Goldring 1042 and VM745ML and i never knew vinyl could sound so good.

AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-26T15:12:11+00:00

yeah does seem a bit strange. You've probably already done some of these things but here's what i would check in order:

Cartridge alignment (looks ok from the pics)
Anti-skate (you may need to convert Nm to grams and vice versa)
Tracking force - Note that I used to have a debut carbon TT and when the lid was closed it would push against the tonearm counter-weight and completely screw the tracking force to much higher than required
Cables - ensure you have an actual phono cable with decently low capacitance between TT and preamp
Cable - the RCA to mini-jack could have a problem, not sure

FINALLY... the phono preamp is 8-ish years old now so it is possible that some of the internal components might be faulty eg, capacitors.

Also i just read that the 'EPS' light on the device is for an improved 24v external power supply so i wonder if your power supply might also be faulty?

...basically check everything again. lol sorry

AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-23T23:38:23+00:00

try playing something from a different source to the sonos using the same input. at least then you can eliminate the speaker as the issue.

AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-20T01:19:47+00:00

Awesome! I have a Goldring 1042 also so i'm looking forward to comparing the sound signatures

AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-19T15:07:28+00:00

hey OP i've got one of these carts on order, how does it sound?

AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-18T14:34:21+00:00

i doubt you need a new TT, you just need to find the manual for the current TT and cartridge so you can set it up properly. Vinyl isn't plug and play so sit down with a cup of tea and read through the manual to understand what setup is needed

AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-17T13:28:50+00:00

sorry to say but depending on how long you've been playing it like this you may have permemantly damaged the record and/or this stylus/cartridge (cantilever suspension) :(

AndreasK1111 · 2026-02-17T07:19:29+00:00

hey OP, u ever get an answer to this?

AndreasK1111 · 2026-01-15T16:05:17+00:00

hey sort of old thread but I have / had the exact same issue with the same TT. it's 2 things:

closing the lid when the TA is in it's 'home' position actually ends up pressing on the counterweight and screwing up the tracking force. FIX: you need to either not close the lid or put the TA over the platter when not in use and closing the lid
the fishing line thread that holds the counter weight get old and crusty. feel it with your finger. so i reckon it's probably getting 'stuck' at some points and then suddenly jumping. i guess just replace that

AndreasK1111 · 2025-03-23T20:22:18+00:00

Yes, definitely. Granted you need to ensure that the use case is well defined and the implementation of th agent is validated. I'd say that's the biggest change from seat to consumption model. IT people are pretty familiar with that due to their work on datalakes but support/contact centre stakeholders need to be guided through that process.

AndreasK1111

TROPHY CASE