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Help... my turntable is alive!

I am hearing a heartbeat through my turntable between tracks, and also when the music is very quite in the song's track. This noise is at 33 BPM in sync to the turntable rotation. It's very quiet unless of course the volume is turned up, but can clearly be heard. I don't think its rumble as it has a distinct "heartbeat" sound.

My turntable is a Basis 2500 with a Graham 2.2 arm and a Goldring 1042 cartridge set at 1.70 grams tracking force. Any guesses here? Is the bearing on the turntable shot?

Thanks
koestner

Showing 9 responses by cleeds

cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum

The OP does not need to buy a new belt. The solution is simply to wash it in warm soapy water then rinse & dry and it will be good as new

You may be correct, moonglum, but you can't know that for sure unless you've actually examined the belt. Even the best belts do stretch over time and require replacement. That's part of why they sell replacement belts. I usually get more than a decade out of mine and you're correct, the soapy water wash often restores it satisfactorily. But all things wear out over time.
cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum

I’ve just been told my earlier post was deleted by a Moderator.

Perhaps because you engaged in insult rather than discussing the topic.

I fail to understand the problem you (Cleeds) have with the words “negative & positive” in relation to a tonearm’s VTA ... why would you take the reference point "zero" on the Y axis to be associated with a cantilever? I didn’t mention cantilevers at all and would challenge you to show me where in this thread?

This “convention” was NEVER directly associated with the cartridge.

VTA - Vertical Tracking Angle - is the angle between the cantilever (measured from the cantilever’s pivot to the stylus contact area) and the record surface. That is simply what it is.

One clear erroneous assumption by you was equating the expression “NEGATIVE VTA” (SETTING) directly with a cartridge rather than a tonearm VTA adjuster
VTA refers to the cartridge cantilever, by definition. That’s not an assumption on my part, but the actual meaning of the term. You prefer to ascribe your own definition to the term "VTA" for a purpose that defies reason, except perhaps to conceal your confusion on this topic.



cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum

I must be honest. When you first questioned the usage I thought you might be “winding me up”.

Based on your last 2(4?) posts I now recognise that your confusion is genuine.

I'm not confused at all. There's simply no such thing as "negative VTA." I realize that you are embarrassed for having been exposed for your ignorance, but that's not my problem, kind sir.
cleeds
6,156 posts
 
One of the reasons it's important to understand that there's no such thing as "negative VTA" is that, had the OP initially properly set his VTA, he wouldn't have had his phono cartridge bottom out in the first place. VTA can be set pretty reliably, btw, if you have patience and good tools. There are a few devices that can help set VTA, but this one is my favorite. When you consider the cost many of us have committed to LP playback, the price isn't unreasonable. It's much better than relying on guesswork or estimation.
cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum
Since you haven't offered an alternative convention ...
Because there's no such thing a negative VTA, you could say "lower the pickup arm" or "reduce VTA." Either of those would accurately state what you were thinking.
cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum
... I think you are are confusing angular quantification of VTA with *someone's* attempt to indicate the direction of a VTA adjuster ...
 Sorry, but I'm not confused at all. There's a singular accepted definition for VTA, and a "negative VTA" simply isn't physically possible. 
cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum
... if one considers that the pivot is the primary means of adjusting VTA and that the movement is constrained to the vertical axis, if one assumes that "horizontal"/"neutral" VTA is effectively "zero" on that axis then ...
But that's mistaken. VTA is the angle between the cantilever (measured from the cantilever's pivot to the stylus contact area) and the record surface. The ideal VTA in any given setup is a function of the cartridge's design and the cutting head that was used in making the LP. It's actually a critical setup parameter. So to describe it as "zero" under some circumstances simply isn't correct. I can see how the misunderstanding occurs, but that doesn't make it correct.
cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum

Positive, Neutral, Negative VTA are popular expressions which have been around for a while ... You can call it "physically impossible" if you wish

There's simply no such thing as "negative VTA." You can call it possible, but that doesn't make it so.
cleeds
6,156 posts
 
moonglum
... something could be mechanically "bottoming out" if it is periodic e.g cartridge rear end hitting a warp or negative VTA ...
Certainly a pickup arm can be adjusted so that it and the VTA are too low, but there's no such thing as a "negative VTA." That's physically impossible.
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