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Apocalypse Now?—Technics sp10 problem s

I’d been enjoying my Technics sp-10 mkii for a couple of months now but recently it’s sending out signs of giving up the ghost.

When I first bought it, the start/stop function was halting in the sense that I would have to push the button several times in order for it to perform the function. Independently of that, I bought bearing grease and after adding some drops, the halting start/stop problem more or less disappeared. Great.

But then the strobe light went out. It still comes on occasionally but it’s intermittent. Unless that’s a sign of deeper ailments though, I could care less about that.

Worse: if I play a record now after first turning on the TT, the speed is obviously haywire. One symptom is that the gear mechanism is clearly audible in the form of an unusual and grating grinding sound. Playing records when it’s like this is of course out of the question. The good news is that, for now, if I let the motor spin by itself (without the cartridge on) for about 10 minutes or so, the issue goes away. That is, the speed is dead on for the remainder of the listening session (I played it for almost 8 hours yesterday with no problems), and the grinding noise is gone. The bad news is that all this may be just a sign of an impending apocalyptic failure.

So, I'd like to deal with the issue before it gets to that stage. Can someone suggest the cause? Or better: the cure. Or, alternatively, and best of all since I’m not handy enough to actually fix anything complex, can anyone suggest a reputable service shop where I could bring it? I live in Los Angeles. I’m hesitant to ship it because I don’t have the motor clamp for shipping. For all I know, that may be the original cause since the seller shipped mine without the clamp. I guess I could have a clamp fabricated if that’s my only choice.

It’s a wonderful TT and would hate for it to die so soon in our journey together. Final question: if there’s a repair shop, should I go ahead and replace capacitors, etc..? What are people’s opinions on that?

Thanks.
Ag insider logo xs@2xbanquo363

Showing 7 responses by ct0517

ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Dear Banquo / Lewn

I can confirm its not the plinthless setup - that thread was my inspiration as well to pull mine out of the plinth over the holidays. I dont see myself going back to a plinth anytime soon. Too much flexibility now with arms and sound improved too.

With the mkII there is no issue but with the torque of the mkIII - well I don't have one so cant say.

What I have noticed is that folks give the mk II table a try plinthless while waiting for their plinth. They dont secure it properly and the arm pod is who knows what. Even BDR cones with blue tac will hold the mk ii down no problem. I use an ET arm with mine and if it is moving on me I will notice.

I can put up a link to some pics later?
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Banquo363 - great that you found a contact to work on your TT.

With the ET arm if anything moved the distortion would be audible on the last track. So far so good.


Lewn - the great thing about this project was it was cheap to find out if it worked in my setup. 3 legs for the TT and spikes for the armboard - you probably have spares lying around and about $75 - $100 in material for the armboard. Doesnt have to be pretty, just functional for now. I listen with lights dimmed anyway :)

here is a link to a site that I added some pictures of my project to:

If you want some closeups send me a note and I will email to you.

http://www.canuckaudiomart.com/view_userimages.php?user_id=5181

I got the metal from Metal Supermarkets. The smaller steel armboard was close to 20 pounds. I was obsessed with making it heavy but Halcro rightly pointed out in the nude TT thread about the magnetics problem with steel so I made an aluminum one - twice as big and about 17 lbs. I put a picture of one of the store racks on the site for you so you can see what is available - they cut any size pieces on the spot for you.

I will be making a pod for the VPI JMW 12 pivot arm soon.

Appreciate comments and any tips on making my set up better.

This project was a lot of fun and it got me through the holidays with two teenagers :).

Chris

ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Hi Banquo - you mentioned you are a philosopher by training.

There is a saying "if you havent actually played the game -how can you have an opinion on it".

I have posted my impressions of what I think is happening in my setup in "laymans" language on Halcro's thread. As they are the inspiration for me doing my set up I wanted to get their feedback on it and see if they agree with my thoughts.

Trust your ears.

Cheers Chris
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Banquo – thx for the feedback on my setup. Most family members think I am losing it so it is good to hear encouragement - thank you and yes the black button is a cover to keep it from being pressed accidentally when it was used in a broadcast studio. .
Lewn – I have a couple of turntables the other being a VPI TNT - it has a plinth and I enjoy it.
Great that you are giving the plinthless a try and if you use a pivot arm can’t wait to see how you set it up so I can get a second set of ideas for mine.

For the record I mentioned in an earlier post - I did AB testing with my TNT and SP10 in a plinth. I used two two ET arms and a Dynavector xv1.
This AB testing confirmed to me that my SP10 plinth performs as it should - using the benchmark that the TNT plinth is a good one. Could it be made better - maybe - and I was thinking since it was DIY about another plinth but then I saw Halcro’s thread and that got me going, like you, and I tried it. It sounds better to me so I am sticking with it for now – who knows where I will be a year or two from now.

Finally - Standards, Guidelines, now the word principles – its all the same – think out of the box - go with what your ears tell you.

From my thinking even if the plinthless setup is as good as your current set up - it wins due to the all the advantages going plinthless brings when it comes to your choice of experimenting with different arms.

If you don’t like it - its cost you about a tank of gas to find out – at Canadian prices : )

Cheers Chris
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Banquo - I agree with Lewn that it is worth fixing up the sp10. I believe it will only go up in value.

Regarding this thread - you could link it to Halcro's. I will post further impressions of my set up there.

Here is the email from the designer of the ET arm I am using - Bruce Thigpen.

Chris,

The installation method looks good. It is very important that the tonearm cannot move with respect to the platter, in other words they should be coupled together. It looks like your installation meets that requirement, thanks for the photographs.

brucet
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Banquo363

I have one of these decks. If it were me I would treat it like my car and get it checked out - don't wait for the problem to get worse.

Put out an area location in LA on this thread and you will have members provide you with reliable contacts.

Whether you have a tune up due or a major repair it is worth fixing. An SP10 is very hard to find and/or replace. If for some reason you dont want to repair it you can sell it in no time here in "as is" or repaired condition.

Its worth fixing and worth more at that point if it has been updated.

Did you know the history on it when you bought it - was it used in a broadcast studio or in a private sound room?

Good luck
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
Dear Lewn
I will post a link to some pics later that will answer your questions.
It is all very simple actually. The flexibility to setup arms when not restricted by a plinth is huge. You can move the table in place and not touch the arm if you wanted to. I discussed and exchanged the ideas and pics of the ET setup with Bruce as well. Hearing is believing as they say.
Standard is a very strong word – to me it implies constraints and rules to follow- this is a hobby about passion and enjoyment – constraints and rules don’t fit in - lets use guidelines.
Manufacturers have to follow standards and guidelines for their products. its up to us as users to push those guidelines (common way of doing it) then the demand follows if it’s an idea that works and manufacturers have to change. Look I could be in a plinth again - who knows – all I know is I am enjoying my music and not worrying about whether I "did" the right thing.
Regardless –I have learned that the table itself is 3rd in line of importance. Once you have solid reliable platter speed have dealt with motor vibrations and the sp10 has NO RUMBLE by design you are good to go.
This setup I think further isolates more so the arm and cartridge which are 1 and 2 in importance to me from any motor vibrations. I see more and more high end manufacturers using arm pods now and I think you will see more to come. I think my sound improvement was because the arm is no longer on the same base where the motor is turning where it picks up more vibrations regardless. So the sp10 in the plinth or not is not the issue here. You can still put the sp10 itself in a plinth if u want – but aren’t u adding another layer or stage then.
Look I also have a VPI TNT with another ET arm and I did ab testing with both the sp10 in the plinth and the TNT. They both make beautiful music.
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