Rotel RP-2500 Turntable Cartridge Replacement & Alignment
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2024
- Fun fact: The record played at the end of the video is, in fact, a MONO recording. According to the description on the back of the record jacket, it was originally recorded using a single high-quality microphone placed at the center of the orchestra. Even though it is mono, the fidelity is actually pretty good. Well worth the 25 cents I paid for this 98 cent record ;)
The original cartridge was a Sure model SPS-5 with N15 Hyperelliptical "Green" Stylus 
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Love all the videos, but a series on turntables sounds great to me.
Yes for more TT vids. Excellent timing by the way. Over the christmas weekend, I found my 1977 Technics SL1950 in my parents basement. Bought this new in high school, I have not seen it since the early 80's. My plan is to tune it up and install a new cartridge, and see how my records have held up over the years.
The EN is the middle of the line stylus. It goes C-Conical, E-Elliptical, EN-Elliptical Nude, ML-Microline and SH-Shibata. The EN is a great sounding cart.
More turntable videos, please!
Sure, of course, more information is always appreciated...
A series of turntables would be great. Using the oscilloscope for setting up anti skate is a very cool idea. Thanks for all the great videos Tony
Tony,
If that Shure cartridge on your table happens to be a M97x, get a LP Gear Vivid Line replacement stylus and pop it in. It really wakes up that sleepy M97x and takes it to the next level!
Dan
A good turntable video every now and again would be great, I think.
Yes, we're interested. The most important thing to maximize sound quality is proper cartridge alignment. In future videos, you might want to explain the multiple alignment adjustments beyond the two you are doing. Good vid. Paper makes good shims. Thanks.
I had no idea that the anti-skating adjustment had such a great effect on the tracking of the stylus. I would love to see more videos specific to turntables. I learn something new from every one that you offer.
A turntable series sounds great! Thanks Tony!
Let's go with the turntable series! all your material is useful and appreciated Tony! thank you so much for the time spent recording and editing this videos.
Very interested in more turntable videos. Very informative.
Been wanting to get an oscilloscope just for this reason. Thank you for showing it.
Yes, love turntables….
I have a Marantz 6300 from 1976….
I have this same turntable. Still works and sounds great
Hi Toni a series on turn tables sounds great and looking forward to it
Yes please, there is actually very little on practical turntable set up and fixing on youtube from someone like yourself who actually knows things properly!
Really like seeing the oscilloscope set up, you’ve got the tinkering perfectionist and me wanting to play and set up a turn table properly. Already own oscilloscope.
Looking forward to a detailed turntable series.
Please bring on more of the turntable stuff. I'd never thought to use the O-scope for checking anti-skate as you did - Bravo! Would love to know if there are any further applications for the O-scope to check other parameters.
You got a beautiful Rotel turntable there Tony. It looks brand spanking new. Needle has gone missing however. Nice video
on how to properly replace cartridge and adjust the arm tracking. It is like getting a front end alignment on your car.
Happy 2023, Tony! Nice turntable, and very detailed and correct setup of the tonearm and reproducer. That test record is a great tool!
More turntables!
When it comes to parts, etc, it’s always better to look at it than look for it…
I love seeing your Turntable vids.
Really cool. I had no idea anti skate played such a vital role in achieving quality sound. Thanks much.
If you sight along the front face of the cartridge looking towards the spindle as the arm moves across the record, the 'arc' it describes might surprise you. Truly excellent videos Tony, thank you so much!
Thanks. Yes more please.
I think for posterity sake Tony should do a turntable series, as much of analog technology has or is being supplanted.
Thankyou as always Tony. This one gets filed away under critical knowledge
this Rotel sure looks
like realistic lab 400
turntable made around
the same year as this one I loved that 400 !
Rotel was a Japanese company. I think they made equipment for others with their brand, such as Realistic for Radio Shack.
@@srtamplification Probably CEC made Rotel and Realistic among many other brands they were the OEM for.
@@somebodyx As far as I know, Rotel made their own stuff, at least in that time. Who is CEC?
@@srtamplification The Rotel arms are tell tale CEC I am afraid. CEC was a large Japanese OEM turntable manufacturer. Along with Micro Seiki they manufactured a high number of turntables for others to market. Just Google them up.
Another wonderful video Tony, thank you for that and yes, please post more vids about turntables :) In most of cases TTs are not very fancy with regards to electronics used under the hood, but of course there are some exceptions. With your skills and knowledge we'd definitely learn a lot from you working on them. Anyway, after watching this video I will have to look for the record similar to the one you've used here with your scope. This was very impressive.
More turntable videos? Yes please!
Thanks! I’ll be using this excellent instruction to replace my RP 3000’s cartridge soon.
I would love to see turntable videos
I love this. if only we all had access to this equipment. I only had a test Disc, scales ears and eyes to do this. My first really good turntable was an AR legend turntable a Linn Arm and an Acoustic Research P77 Cartridge. I still miss that combo.
Vinyl had the best sound. It had nuances that no other media had or have.
It’s not a budget deck it would cost $800 to find an equivalent model today. It was seen as a mid range deck. If you gave a 1-5 band rating covering all makes available at the time this sat in the lower end of band 3, 5 being the highest.
Really informative video and skilfully demonstrated.
I highly disagree with the people who say that 2 samples per cycle is enough. What kind of reproduction could you do with only 2 points per cycle? Because of this, Records have a higher presence than CD's do. Presence is the very high frequencies that give you the effect of a live performance.
Being a sound engineer for the last 40 years, I have come to realize that most people don't hear what is going on anyway. That is why MP3's work. A lot of the sound has been removed, but most people don't notice.
But in reality, CD's lack good high frequency.
DVD's solved this problem by sampling at 96K instead of 41k
Absolutely show more turntable videos, vinyl albums outsold CD's for a couple years now, be nice to see some vintage turntables repaired and set up More will need these turntables in the near future. Great show today, just would please like more!
Thank you Tony, More on the set-up of turntables would be interesting and useful.
I remember that for one LP record, I had to starve for at least two weeks, the money they gave me for food at school, I saved to buy a record. If it was a higher quality one, maybe three weeks. I'm 56 now and watching this video brought back memories of what we used to go through for decent sound. You might be surprised by my opinion, but I think it's better to invest in a decent DAC and listen to music from youtube music, apple music, soptify, etc, than to go through Sisyphean pains again and again, to listen to music.
finally a quality machine
man all those memories came back!! NOW i remember why I don't care a bit about vinyl anymore 😆
Nice video Tony. My first TT was a Rotel RP-3000 direct drive. Still kicking myself that I traded it for a CD player in 1987. From memory I got $20 for it. Crazy times.
Definitely pro on the turntable series!
Great job.
I'd like to see a turntable series!!
Thank you so much Tony.
We used Empire or Pfanstiehl replacement needles on the Sure Brothers cartridges at work in the 90's & 2000's (AM broadcast station). They worked great.
Thanks for the video 👍
I vote for tha occasional turntable video, especially featuring o’scope setup. I have a test record too, that comes with instructions to use a scope, with a RIAA de-amplifier (removing the RIAA curve) but did NOT include a phono-stage in the line-up; I found the signal so small that my old analog scope could barely pick out the signal from the noise. Come to think PF it, maybe I was supposed to use a phono-stage, but didn’t realize it.
Again, other topics in setup would be useful to me; like how to set overhang with a protractor, Stylus Rake Angle, and others. I got so confused and frustrated, I bought a new (used) turntable that came with the cartridge already setup. But I still have the old turntable, and it still needs the cartridge replaced. It also has some electrical issues: 60 cycle ground hum. The difference between the chassis and the signal ground is maintained by a 100 Ohm resistor. An explanation of how this grounding is supposed to work would be helpful to me. I suspect an unshielded transformer mounted inside the plinth is to blame, but I’m not sure how to test for it or correct it. (It is part of the DJ oriented speed control circuit.).
Excellent video. It's worth pointing out that the Technics gauge would also work for this turntable, as the overhang is also 15 mm. It should also be noted that using a protractor and changing the offset or zenith angle is not a good idea when using an S-shaped arm as you can affect the lateral balance of the arm and many other reasons.
I like this turntable. Not pretentious, and easy to like. I sold Rotel for years. Aligning a turntable is a science of accuracy, and for me fun. Alignment can get nuts expensive if you want. Saw a tool for over $600.00!! How far do you want to take this. Tony is fine here. Too many turntables for me in the past. Do I want another one? Maybe. I have to wrap my head around the high wow and flutter of some new turntables. They aren't so good. So I am taking my time and seeing what I want again if at all. I am tape guy, not a records guy. I ultimately want to play Master Tapes. But oh my they are expensive, and so are the machines potentially. Once you hear a Master Tape, it will change you forever.
Coincidentally I serviced a semiautomatic Rotel RP-2300 very recently. Has the same tonearm but a plastic look and suspended sub chassis. I put a VM95E (green) on it. Because of the auto lift & return mechanism I could not extend it over the spindle for straight overhang alignment method. With protractor method it ended up near the front of the headshell's rail. 52mm from the four pin connector's rim. I also put a couple of sims to give the cart some height for correct vertical tracking angle because the original cart was taller. A black one with conical stylus just labeled Japan on its top. Was tracking well on the scope with a test record but in a couple of days they mistreated it and chopped off its tip. That is why I replaced it with the bonded elliptical Audio Technica. Rotel was CEC for real I believe.
Fun fun FUN stuff here-yes more turntables please.....AAAAANNNNNND more receiver videos-lol!!!!!
I restored an RP-2500 about 2 years ago when I got back into vinyl. Also chose the VM95EN. Great cartage for the price. Did you replace the neon strobe bulb? If so did you stick with neon or convert it to an led? I also noticed that the cue drop on your deck was smooth and damped. Mine drops like a rock so I have to be very careful. I didn't think the mechanism had any damping (fluid or mechanical). Am I missing something?
Tony-really enjoyed this video. I also have this model or Rotel turntable. Do you have a source for the neon strobe bulb?
You asked to know our interest in a turntable series. While I found this video to be interesting and informative, I must admit that I am not an audio guy. I watch your channel, because of your excellence in teaching electronics (I look for the universal information) and your personal character and demeanor. I wholly respect your viewers' and your interest in audio. But, I shamefully admit my selfish interest in a broader variety of electronic subjects. Please forgive me.
More turntable videos please. Tony, could you tell me the name of the record you used to adjust anti-skating? Where can I get one? Thank you.
Second Winter by Johnny Winter is the one I use.
Excelente Tony, estoy bastante documentado en lo que es refiere a los ajuste de los tocadiscos y como dices tu es toda una ciencia. pero estas en lo cierto en todo lo que has hecho, me gusto la prueba con el osciloscopio para que la gente vea que tan critico es el ajuste de anti-skating y casi nadie lo toma mucho en cuenta.
Would have been interesting to see speaker vibration effect on your scope.
Hi Tony,
I would love to see a series on turntables.
I am amazed about the effect of the anti skating! I truly appreciated the demonstration with the oscilloscope; it was very revealing!
Could you recommend some test records?
Also, I would like to make a mirrored gage like the one that you used... I recall from a previous video of yours that we can find protractor templates in vinylengine. Which one should we use?
Thank you so much for the great content!
Cheers
Mark
You pointed out most new records are digital to analog. I would love to see the same song played on vinyl and CD to actually see if there is any noticeable difference in the frequency response. And, if so, where is the difference frequency wise.
Another wonderful video.
How the VM is written on the box looks exactly how Voice of Music made their logo. What is the test record? Thank you for this video.
Radio Shack (Realistic) had a "LAB" turntable that was very similar that Rotel. Both had same OEM from Japan.
please show how set the anti skate on this Rotel 2500 with the weight
Great demo. BTW, was that Brahms 2?
A good source for stylus replacement is LP Gear.
Used to use Needle Doctor, but the owner retired.
Thanks Tony, could you kindly show us the protractor method of alignment?
More, please. I have a Sansui SR4040 w/Shure V15 Type III.
Please send a link or share how to clean the speed control pots. Mines do not adjust speed well...
Good informative video. The German instruction also references 11mm, rather than 15mm. So, it is confusing where the typo is.
Not sure if I'm correct here regarding overhang, but when you showed the instructions manual, I think I noticed that in the German language portion it stated 11mm, not 15mm. anyway, it went fairly quickly, so I could be wrong.
I have a new one and use it for my vinyl
Xray.....I restore turntables regularly. It would be very interesting to watch you restore an 80s turntable that is computer controlled or if possible, one that relies on optical sensors for the: start, stop and record size. Most tables are very basic under the hood, others like a yamaha p850 is very busy and is loaded with chips and sensors.
31:50 isn't removing the mat going to affect the measurement?
I say yes! I always do my adjustments with a record on the turntable! I place my gauge on top of record and then set needle down!
I have one. The UPC1003C chip on the IC board is gone. Everything else mint. What are my options?
If you look around, you can still find them online. You can also use the MPC1003C as well. There are fakes out there, but there are also good ones out there still. Another option is to find a parts unit on eBay, Carigs list, etc. and harvest the part from it.
That tonearm, I would have went for a Grado Black for the same price. JMO would be very surprised at the match it would make.
@15:31 zenith should be azimuth?
👍
would all this work on the rp-3000?
Overhang represents the length of arm, the length of the arm indicates what the overhang should be to its spindle to pivot angle. A protractor doesn't indicate overhang just alignment nul points, it should always be kept to the overhang of the length of arm and there's a chart you can look on the internet to know what this is.
You mean VTA vertical tracking angle, not null point
Not sure how you're going to get amazing stereo separation from that Mercury sampler. It's a mono record.
Check out the description section of this video ;)
You didn't say, but I'm guessing, your cartridge is a Shure V15 type 5-mr. Me too . Cantilever broke after 20 years and 100 hours, and I have switched to the m97xe, to save $, and since my hearing is gone, above 9.5KHz. In regard to straight vs curved arm, It makes no difference, as the curved arm has a straight headshell with no offset , and the straight arm, has an angled offset. The result is the same. You need to point out, that the Technics gauge, should only be used on Technics turntables.
I prefer amp or receiver repairs, more fun.... to me ;-)
Rake angle?
Here is a definition from Sure's website. I think it says it better than I can:
"Through the "HiFi" years, rake angle has had a specific meaning. It is the angle that the body of the diamond tip, alone, (or maybe the centerline of the tip body) holds, relative to the record surface. In the ideal case, it is 90 degrees, or perpendicular, or standing straight up. The shape of the tip surface, that touches the record groove, is controlled for optimum contact with the rake angle at 90 degrees.
"There is another angle called vertical tracking angle. This is the angle between an imaginary line (from the tip contact point to the pivot point of the stylus, somewhere in the middle of our bearing block) and the record surface. This alignment is meant to replicate the angle of the record cutting stylus. It is thought to be 15 degrees. We have studied this years ago and measurements indicate varying effective cutting angles from 0 up to the 20s. Our styli have VTAs in the range of 17 to 25 degrees."
My Pioneer PLX-1000 turntable has adjustable arm height, making it easy to adjust the VTA/rake angle. Setting it properly makes a noticeable improvement in the sound. Most fixed-height arms are already set to a optimal height for most cartridges, so you usually don't have to worry about it. If necessary, you can add shims between the cartridge and headshell to make the adjustment as well. Thanks for the comment!
ironic you should mention the tagging by utube. Had you played a pop tune, likely would have tagged, but some classical piece is doubtful.
so complicated.