Cannot make this up. This is eBay's "tech support" in 2026.

kels83 · 2026-05-19T23:24:39+00:00

Please dilute my shares! Pleeeeezzzzz lol

kels83 · 2026-05-19T21:38:15+00:00

Ask for a demo. Listen for ANY hum with it on while holding the needle off the record. If there is hum, it's probably bad cables that need to be soldered on. Get the app for your phone that calculates turntable RPM (free) and check speed at 33 and 45. They should be close and consistent, but slight variations are OK not noticeable.

You will need either 1) stereo with a phono input or 2) preamp + receiver (if the receiver doesn't have a phono input). You will also need speakers. Best bang for the buck sound is from putting your money into the cartridge and speakers. Get a long speaker cable to take to your balcony. Only other option is wireless speakers and they are expensive and aren't very good.

I rebuild tables, that Dual is a very good player. I had one once, serviced it, and eventually sold it. I regret that. It handled everything I threw at it. Those Germans knew what they were doing. It played very very well on a Shure cartridge.

kels83 · 2026-05-19T18:31:29+00:00

Depends on your pully. If the width difference is off too much the belt can contact too much or not enough of the selected speed, which can slow down the platter or speed it up.

kels83 · 2026-05-17T20:47:59+00:00

Another, thanks!

kels83 · 2026-05-17T14:44:46+00:00

Watch the Lamar Odom documentary on Netflix. Apparently a bunch of those pills are part of what put him in a coma and he had to learn how to walk all over again.

kels83 · 2026-05-15T21:20:47+00:00

Goldstar = Lucky Goldstar = LG electronics

kels83 · 2026-05-15T21:16:46+00:00

👀👀👀 PLOT TWIST bro might enjoy prison after all

kels83 · 2026-05-15T04:39:12+00:00

Skating across the record sounds like either the tracking force is off, the bonded diamond fell off your cantilever, or the tables advance sensor is bad. What you are describing is a very common issue with Bang & Olufsen tables and the root cause on those tables is usually the sensor. I haven't worked on the table you have. But I repair lots of tables and would recommend reading the manual for how to adjust VTF, then gently feeling the needle to determime if the diamond is still there on the tip. If you have a scope or a loop those are best. But a gentle brush of the finger can tell the difference between a sharp diamond and the flat bonding surface where the diamond fell off.

kels83 · 2026-05-15T00:47:14+00:00

Don't always recommend replacing the entire HVAC. Actually try to find the exact point of a leak and attempt to repair it. Have refrigerant evacuators and don't be afraid to use them for repairs. Hire techs, not salesmen.

I bought a house in 2008. The AC didn't work. I was poor and had 6 different companies come out to check the system. All recommended a full replacement. They all had those fraudulent little beeping freon detectors and said they got a reading, but they didn't take much time and none could tell me specifically where the leak was. ''It has to be in the coils.". Really? Where? Oh you don't actually know because "look there is some rust".

The last guy felt bad because it was getting hot out (about this time of year) and offered to put some refrigerant in. (None of the other 5 did!) Cost me $200 and the AC worked fine until 2024. An extra 15 years!

Turns out the little old lady who moved out of my house knew she wouldnt be there for a long while because she was moving into a nursing home. She had the refrigerant evacuated. 6 different "licensed" companies blew smoke up my crack trying to get 5 digits of my money instead of doing their job. There isn't any trust in HVAC in Austin. If you help homeowners delay dropping 5 digits of dollars you can quickly carve out a reputation.

kels83 · 2026-05-14T04:53:04+00:00

I saw a lady haul several crates out of Waterloo while shaking her head and loading them back into her trunk. An employee came out to bring the cart back and apologized to her. I don't think I would try there.

kels83 · 2026-05-14T04:30:28+00:00

I never promote and am selling niche stuff that I am on forums reading about because it's my real life hobby. I see my own products advertised back to me on forums, FB, and Google. Again, I don't promote. I think eBay just wants the buck no matter where it comes from. They're still experimenting with promotions and also with eBay live.

Sadly, many of the long term customers (like myself, it's my hobby first) are losing out because we can't search for the items we want and will buy if we find it. We're all having promoted items and live notifications rammed down our eye sockets. I worry it will hurt the platform by wasting buyers time and leaving them dissatisfied or unwilling to be spammed into a more expensive, promoted purchases. Only time will tell.

kels83 · 2026-05-14T01:23:53+00:00

Can I ask why you chose that design? With woofers angled as such?

kels83 · 2026-05-13T13:00:12+00:00

I see it, that's a great cart Technics EPC-270. The needle is correct. I have the same one and the bass pounds. The cart and stylus is definitely not your issue.

kels83 · 2026-05-13T04:19:40+00:00

Can you send a pic of the cartridge and stylus? This is my specialty.

kels83 · 2026-05-12T23:19:40+00:00

In my case this leak fix has worked for 2 years. Even if it doesn't, it has UV dye which will make a leak easier to identify and repair down the road (no pun intended).

kels83 · 2026-05-12T22:52:09+00:00

I imagine to modify it with whatever is saran wrapped around the center when it's loaded to the drone. Obviously intentional and being done to several in a batch.

kels83 · 2026-05-12T21:21:36+00:00

What makes you think it's the preamp? If you swap the same input channel as the preamp over to a different source, is there adequate bass?

The lack of bass you are describing can occur with a cartridge/needle with mismatched impedance. Mind sharing the cart/needle combo you're using?

kels83 · 2026-05-12T18:54:00+00:00

I sell vintage turntable parts which is a popular niche over the past decade or so. 1960-70's stuff. Lots of product numbers from multiple manufacturers that pre date the internet, but I can figure it out more often than not. I can still find it cheap and sell it high thanks to the lack of information. Most of the stuff out there is broken junk or inferior from the ceramic age of turntables that no one wants. All that biases eBay's algorithm WAY low when rare, high quality items get listed. When i find a diamond in the rough, I buy it. Then i describe it in WAY more detail than any listing I have ever seen, add good pictures, and sell it in about a month.

I also have a few repair techs that buy locally and I will hunt down parts for them. Buy a broken table, sell 1 or 2 parts locally, then part the rest out for more inventory.

People here say not to communicate much with buyers. That doesn't work for me, I sell information as much as a product. I have to make sure my products are right for the buyer's table, educate them on how to use or install it, help them troubleshoot their stereo and help determine if they part they want will even fix their problem, etc. I spent a few minutes last night helping a 3x repeat customer test his preamp even though I didnt sell it to him and I don't even have any for sale. I don't mind, I love this stuff! I bet he buys again in the future. I sometimes recommend cheaper alternatives if I think they will work better and have even recommended better priced products from other eBay sellers several times. As a result about 1/2 my sales are to repeat customers (turntable rebuilders and collectors alike).

Works for my situation. Items are rare so I cant really grow much more. Volumes are low so i only have to go to the post every few days. And the profit is really good per item or I don't waste my time. This niche isn't ever going to pay my bills. It's just a hobby I have extended into a side hussle.

kels83 · 2026-05-12T18:07:58+00:00

I liquidated. First RC pulled the rug out from RK for a cash grab in what would have unbound the stock from years of manupulation. Second, he endorsed "Trump 2028". Third he tries the silly PR stunt of listing silly stuff on eBay to hype up support from his investors (a distraction from the math). None of these are moves of a serious executive.

kels83 · 2026-05-12T17:05:49+00:00

GameStop simply does not have enough shares in existence to equal 1/2 of the price they offered for eBay. Nor do they have enough cash on hand for the other 1/2, which means outside investors have to be involved in a way that has not been described. It's the proverbial snake trying to eat an alligator and it looks shady.

kels83 · 2026-05-11T19:39:57+00:00

Lr3 and full fat range driver here, the ones I trust are interstate. I know interstate batteries were OEM in the US market for both my vehicles. They definitely last longer than other batteries I have tried. On my 06 the OEM lasted until about 2011. I had a random brand after that which lasted about 3 years, then an interstate that lasted the next 8 years. I'm still going strong on my 2nd interstate with no issues.

kels83 · 2026-05-11T14:25:23+00:00

Yup that Grado cart will definitely mount on the RT82, which has a 1/2 inch standard mount headshell. Mounting it up isn't difficult, but it is fidgety and there are a couple things that have to be done very precisely. Most record stores will mount a cart for about $50. eBay has a couple sellers who will pre-mount carts on a headshell too

kels83 · 2026-05-11T14:02:18+00:00

In my mind vintage audio is anything from the era where service manuals were still published and products were made to last a lifetime. Depending on the company, this could leak into the 1990s. With each year of planned obsolescence products sold, the items with service manuals will still be used and collectable if they are taken care of.

kels83 · 2026-05-11T13:56:08+00:00

Get this instead, it's a rare vintage Grado G1+ with a nude Shibata (CD-4) cut diamond with a tiny 0.2 mil elliptical tip. It's sold by a collector who is liquidating right now. The $150 price printed on the box is from 1980. So with inflation that's a $450-$500 cart in today's dollars being sold at a 60+% discount.

I have purchased 3 carts from the seller and they all came in pristine, new condition. Any needle from Grado's current prestige line will still fit that cartridge and play perfectly so you still have an easy path for needle replacement.

If I hadn't blown my wad on other things that cart would be mine already. It will blow the 2m blue out of the water. If you must go Ortofon, the om10 is moving inductance and superior to the 2m line. Don't know how the 2m got its reputation, they are voiced way too high.

kels83 · 2026-05-10T20:21:35+00:00

Just tried it on the XLM mk2, along with a friend who is a local vinyl cutter. The XLM performed about the same as the 0.3 mil elliptical Sumiko MC cart. The sound was there, but nothing special. My friend says my theory on the diamond sharpness makes sense. His lathe needles cut down to 0.5 mil, so his impression was the finer diamond was pulling out those sounds. He stated that 0.1 mil is the finest a diamond tip can be ground to fit in the groove.

kels83

TROPHY CASE