Peterayer 12/11/11 re return of unit - I did consider it. Loricraft is clearly a cottage industry. That's not necessarily a bad thing but the cottage is 5,000 miles away. Since they were initially quite helpful I thought I would have a go myself. Also, if this unit was iffy I couldn't convince myself that the next one would be better. Also - it was an intermittent problem. They are hell to deal with if you have any type of repair experience and Loricraft could be at it forever trying to come up with a fix.
re decoupling pump - it didn't make the machine audibly quieter but it greatly reduced vibration both in the arm and in the whole case.
re starting the arm at the outer edge of the LP - You likely get the same results as with changing the direction of the platter. I may try that sometime. You seem to have the benefit of ending up with a dry disc. I wet mine quite thoroughly and always have to wipe the perimeter when finished doing both sides of an LP.
re other brands - I agree that the LC is a big step up from the 16.5 . If there are more effective RCM's out there, I don't want to know about them. I could have added a lot of items to the collection for the money I spent on the Loricraft. RCM's that do things like automatically apply fluid or clean both sides at once don't interest me because of the complications and loss of operator control. Al
re decoupling pump - it didn't make the machine audibly quieter but it greatly reduced vibration both in the arm and in the whole case.
re starting the arm at the outer edge of the LP - You likely get the same results as with changing the direction of the platter. I may try that sometime. You seem to have the benefit of ending up with a dry disc. I wet mine quite thoroughly and always have to wipe the perimeter when finished doing both sides of an LP.
re other brands - I agree that the LC is a big step up from the 16.5 . If there are more effective RCM's out there, I don't want to know about them. I could have added a lot of items to the collection for the money I spent on the Loricraft. RCM's that do things like automatically apply fluid or clean both sides at once don't interest me because of the complications and loss of operator control. Al