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Repair or replace my

I have a Rabco ST-8 straight arm turntable, marketed as a harmon/kardon when they were still a real audio co. It is, to say the least, not a youngster; I purchased it in 1978., but it has always worked well. It currently is sporting a Signet TK7e cartridge that was installed in 1982 (yes, 1982).It has a few creaks and groans, which probably means it needs a new belt, lubrication, and some alignment to the arm, and the very thin fixed RCA cables need replacing. The issue is should I spend the money to fix it up, and upgrade the cartridge, or just get a new TT?
The prices for new TT's seem totally outrageous, or perhaps I'm just showing my age and how out of touch I am with the current audio market.
Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.
Also, any recommendations for a repair facility in the Los Angeles area?
pjsugar

Showing 1 response by celtic66

celtic66
1,616 posts
 
Linear tracking of that vintage had a nasty habit of wagging back and forth which actually destroyed the groove walls of the record. Studer Revox used a completely different system of linear tracking which did not wag and cause this irrepairable effect. Souther was more sophisticated and also did not affect this condition.

I would guess that your collection has sustained that damage and going to a new turntable would reveal that. Tough call here as I would not recommend repair. Find a Rega as suggested and find out if the collection is still listenable.
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