Need helllllpppp !

J

joeygill

Guest
Hey dudes,
need a lil help here, just got my tables today and I've never set one up before. I got the STR8-80 and I'm confused about the needle pressure needed, by adjusting the counter-weight. How much pressure do i need? I find, when i put too little weight, the sound is distorted. Also is it normal for the needle to have a slight scraping sound when i put it on the vinyl?
 
First, you adjust the counterbalance to where the needle just barely floats above the vinyl. turn the other dial to 0 (won't move weight). Then turn the weight again to 2.0. The numbers will move with it. 2.0 is enough for home use for the 520sk, which I think is probably the cart you're using. If you're scratching or playing at a club, etc, I'd use 2.5-3g.

If its skipping at 2.5g at home, something is probably wrong. Check table balance, check headshell alignment with the included guide, and make sure the needle appears to be perpendicular to the record surface. I had a defective stanton cart once that put the needle onto the record at a slight angle, it sounded bad and skipped like crazy.

The needles do resonate with the record, this is normal. If you put your ear close, you will hear the music (treble mostly).

Be worried if you see visible scratches on the record or black dust accumulating on the needle.
 
i've got the str8-80's as well (good choice) :)

here's how you set up the needle pressure and stuff.

1) place the plastic stylus protector on your needles (just a precaution)
2) find the exact balance point for perfect balance by using the counterweight on the end of the tone arm. make sure that it's balancing perfectly with no help at all.
3) once you find that perfect balanced point, rotate the dial to zero (use the top of the tonearm as a reference point).
4) now, "dial in" the desired weight. i don't remember the exact weight that is required for just mixing and scratching... but i've got it set at about 3.4 or so. that should be plenty.

just for a visual... the counterweight should be pretty much all the way up. that's where i have it set.

now... as for the scratching noise... what kind of noise are you talking about? when you place the needle down (if you are doing it carefully and not carelessly) you should only hear maybe a few pops or crackles if you records are older.
check your needle... it may be crooked or a bit out of place. try that and see if that works. if not... we'll see if we can find a solution. :)

peace
 
oh hell yeah, i think i got it now....i could not understand the instructions stanton gave on their website....REALLY appreciate you guys responding so fast .... i guess the noise i hear from the needle is normal....


Also do I have to ground these tables?
 
one more thing (at least for now ), :) the VU's on my mixer seem to show that the right channel is somewhat louder, i checked the connections on the mixer and all. Could this be caused by something misaligned on the table?? :confused:
 
as for grounding... you don't need to ground your stantons... they have internal grounding. i've played on outdoor rigs (2500 watts and up), where you would normally expect grounding problems, and have had no problems with hum and buzzing at all.

if you do have some problems... just get the proper grounding wires and hook them up to your mixer where the grounding goes... then just tape them to something metal on your table... like the connector of your RCA cable. that should fix the problem if it ever arises.

now... as for the right channel being louder than the left... take your whole headshell off the tone arm and replace it... sometimes the headshell dosn't make a totally solid connection with the tonearm. :)
 
You want your cartridge/stylie as well connected as possible. Recheck connections and screw on as tight as you can.
 
Cart weight for the 520sk should actually be set at 4.5 grams.
 
520sk spec is 2-5g, 2.2g works for all my stuff (no scratching), use the lowest you can get by with to help reduce record wear
 
OK i think i've got the weight setup right, it's at 2.3 or so ... but the scraping noise from the stylus on the vinyl still bothers me, you can hear it well by just standing next to the tables...is this normal? Am i wrecking the vinyl by any chance?
 
where did you find that spec? Stanton's site says 4.5 grams.
 
well, i thought it said 2-5 grams ... I wont be scratching. Anywho, does the weight effect that noise the stylus makes?
 
weight effects it a little, not much. Its normal to hear the needles a little from several feet away
 
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