TT-101 turntables…or any DD decks

Ok, I'm game. Victor is now on; we'll return late tomorrow to have a listen. But I don't get why it should sound better after 3 days on (or whatever) as opposed to, say, 3 hours on?

This coming from a man whose tt101 resurrected after being left on overnight. But that was surely anomalous and due, I suspect, to the table having been in storage for, who knows, a decade or so.

Incidentally, Halcro, I managed to buy an original Victor pigskin mat. Unfortunately for me, it appears to have been lost in the mail :(.

I doubt it's the bearing, Lew. I once heard a noise roughly of the kind you describe (it didn't sound like a pulsation, but I could hear it every 2nd or 3rd rotation). The noise was due to the platter scraping against the cover to the control panel. This had two different causes. First, the cover wasn't sufficiently screwed down tight enough. Second, after I messed with the bearing well, I evidently didn't reseat the platter to the same height (yes, the bearing screw at the bottom of the unit controls platter height). It sat too low and scraped against the control panel cover.

I relubed with Mobil 1 20w-50 motorcycle oil. There's no consensus on what to use, so I just used that almost at random. Prior to replacement, the existing bearing oil was quite dirty. Aigenga, another owner of the tt 101, did some experiments IIRC with different ball bearings, so you might pm him to get his insights prior to tackling it.

Since the bearing screw controls platter height, it is essential that you mark the screw's current position and count the number of rotations it takes to take it off. Some cement type compound was used to lock the screw in position. You'll need to deal with that and possibly consider a replacement after you're done. I didn't bother myself, but I know how exacting you are :).

Good luck. Am looking forward to hearing about how the Victor compares to the other direct drive giants that you own. I assume you have a giant plinth planned for it? Or are you, gasp, going to go nude?

As you know, the electronics all hang on the metal assembly that also contains the motor per se. Are these "washers" accessed by trying to remove the motor from the rest of the metal structure?

Yes, Lewm.

Sorry to hear about the 'persisting problem', Lewm. Can you describe what it is and tell us who you sent it to? There exists a higher authority than Thalmann? I'd like to know his/her name for future reference.

Lewm: I was the one who suggested resoldering the tracings. I did so because my tt101 had the exact same problems you describe and that's how my tech fixed it. He told me he took the 'brute force' and resoldered them all. Did you and Bill do that? Because, evidently, visual inspection is insufficient.

Even after having done all that, my tech must have missed at least one. That's because the electronic brake stopped working consistently shortly after I got mine back. It sort of bugged me, but since everything else worked just fine I left well alone.

Now, to connect up with the true subject matter of this thread, in response to Halcro's observations I've left my 101 powered up. Two days in, the brakes started functioning again and has continued to work as it should ver since. So, leaving the unit powered up definitely has some effect on the circuitry. Thanks for fixing my brakes Halcro!

Whether it impacts sound, I'm not certain of that in my case. It does seem to have improved in certain respects, but I've not observed any clear progress day to day.

But I did inspect the spacing around the platter, between the edge of the platter and the escutcheon, and I did not see any area of contact between the two.

Yeah, I didn't note any point of contact either, that's why it puzzled me for a couple of days. Perhaps I have mis-described the problem; can't be certain. Nevertheless, the 2 solutions I described for the noise I heard worked for me.

I assume no one messed with the bearing screw on yours. If my diagnosis is correct, then all you need to check is whether the escutcheon is screwed down tight. I mean really tight.

I believe the bearing oil is worth changing, if only for peace of mind. IIRC, Aigenga did it several times to try out different oils--so it's evidently not a difficult procedure. In other words, why not? Better now then after you have everything already set up.

I just remembered yet another cause for the noise I heard. I don't know if Bill had reason to unseat the motor, but in fact it rests on washers. If one forgets to put them back in, then the platter will be lower then it should be--and cause a noise every 2nd or 3d revolution. I recall now that I had to put those back because my second (sic!) tech forgot.