If you have a good hands and fingers you can deal without lifting mechanizm. In most cases lifting manualy is nothing wrong if it's done accurately.
Unless you notice something wrong sonically or performance none would be able to define a problem. Benz cartridges are probably the best on longetivity among the high-end MC.
Another tip: You can say to your wife that if the record is finished she should leave it running until you come and pick it up. |
Well, unless she shoved it sideways pretty hard or mashed it downwards onto the record, which you definitely would have heard, there should be nothing whatever wrong with it. I rarely use the cueing lever, and I haven't damaged a record or cartridge in 30 years of playing. Once you get used to cueing by hand, you'll never use the cueing lever again, unless you are fumble-fingered. The technique is to rest your pinky finger on the plinth for steadiness and use the finger-lift to raise and lower the arm. No problem.
The bottom line is, if the cartridge still plays, the cantilever doesn't look bent, and there is no channel-balance problem, you are ok. |
Be very careful! She may remind you that 1/2 of that turntable belongs to her! LOL
Sounds like everything is OK, just teach her how do it correctly. Her half anyway!
Good Listening,
Smiles,
Michael |
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What's a furntable? I've enjoyed fiddleheads in salads and odd veggie dishes, but I didn't think one could...oh nevermind. |
To all that replied thanks very much. The reassurance was greatly appreciated. I have listened quite a bit and everything sounds great so I suspect there is really no issue. I do appreciate the advice and am probably to uptight when it comes to the cartridge. I should just be happy my wife likes the music but I will educate her about how to lift it up and I will work on my speling
Gary |
My advice, if desired...tell your wife she did a GOOD thing by lifting the arm at record's end. Tell her she has the makings of an expert and show her how to cue the arm properly, using cueing arm and by "hand". Go a step further and show her the proper way to select, clean, spin, remove, and store an LP. Then, when the next record ends, give her a title of choice and tell her you'd like her to do the honors because she is soo dang good at it.....while you ease back further into your chair. |
I'm with those who are just a bit incredulous as to why you thought you had a problem in the first place - just because she touched it?! Talk about a placebo effect - no mishap was known to have occurred, yet you thought you could maybe 'see' a difference in the way the cartridge rode in the groove. Only an audiophile could be so anally hyper-neurotic, if you'll pardon my saying so. :-)
Listen, your cartridge is quite a bit more robust - and your wife quite a bit more competent - than you apparently assume. I'm like Twl - I never use the cueing lever. In fact, I have the opposite 'problem', if you could call it that: I can't convince my girlfriend to even try to learn how to do it without the cueing lever - she's too scared!
So cheer (and lighten) up; Hey, it's better than having Dieter touch your monkey! |
Every time I see the title of this topic I start laughing out loud. Just imagine how it would look to a non-audiophile. Or imagine it as a teaser on the cover of an audio mag.
My Wife Touched My Turntable--Should I Dump Her?
:-) |
I accept all the ribbing in the spirit in which it was given and humbly (or with pie on my face) but should add there was a rather worrisome noise made when she took it the arm off, and no the record was not scratched. In retrospect the reason was probably the volume was still up or the kids were screaming. When I looked that at night it really did look like it was riding low but it may have been the light and the record - which was a bit warped. The other thing I failed to mention was that when I first got the cartridge it rode very low and I thought I was crazy until I realized the thing was defective from the start. It took three months to get it repaired, which only added to the paranoia. Finally the reason for the title was to attract input or advice - which it did. Again I acknowledge my goof and furthermore that my wife is a wonderful person and I am lucky enough to be with someone who loves music and takes an interest in my hobby. Suitably humiliated (but at least not in need of a cartridge) |
I have had this problem, so I thought it was a legitimate question. Next time I am going to take a photo of my cart while a record is playing and use it for comparison when I wonder about damage. Glad things seem to be fine but wish you would have changed "furntable" to "funtable" instead of "turntable". |
I have decided to commence work on a 'ferntable', a decorative coffee table covered with potted ferns, in order to inject some oxygen into the listening room. |
gajg...
you also asked about retipping. Depending on the make, the original manufacturer need not do the retipping. There are highly qualified companies that can do this.
However, I have found it a better (and often cheaper) option to buy a used high-quality cartridge with low hours. There are some good deals on this site! |
I had a buddy who's wife put the dustcover down on his LP12 - while he was spinning a disc - he completely freaked out - screaming about "turbulence - tracking etc". She looked rather bewildered and proceeded to lift it back up.
My pals blood pressure dropped back to a normal level. Audiophiles can be a little touchy. |
Was he screaming about his turntable, or is he just a delusional pilot? |
