New cart for Pro-ject Debut III

Good question! I'm not sure exactly what the difference is.
Often only one figure is listed, but when they list both you can usually figure the right one just by the cartridge type. In this case the AT is a microline high compliance cart, so 40 must be the right figure, as 10 is just too low for this type of MM cart.

 

Just following up on this whole saga. I've done some more reading around various sources on the net, and it may be that the noise I'm hearing, (low-pitched constant hum whenever the needle is in the groove) could be due to the design of the Debut III. If such is the case, I may be able to trade up to a Pro-Ject Xpression. This seems to be the only tt my dealer sells that isn't well over the $1000-1500 range (which is well beyond my budget).

I wonder if trading up to the Xpression will give me a better basic tt setup. I know the arm on the Xpression is quite a step up from the Debut.

 

The 1 Xpression is a big step up from the Debut. It sounds a lot better in every way, plus it's far more amenable to the audio tweakery that some of us like to indulge in.

I'd still like to hear if the motor on your Debut is suspended, or still screwed into the plinth.

(BTW, I despair of reading about people who buy a Debut with the aim of "upgrading" its performance. The Debut is designed as a plug-and-play turntable. Every cent spent tweaking a Debut would have been better spent on the 1 Xpression - a far better sounding turntable to start with at only a modest increase in price, and a better base for adding a Speedbox, a better cartridge etc. )

 

Oh sorry, I thought it was clear from my explanations that the transport screws were removed. Actually, I somehow misplaced them when I first got the turntable! The motor is definitely suspended on its rubber sling.

BTW, I wasn't one of those who bought the Debut for tweaking. I basically wanted something that would give me reasonable vinyl playback. I do have to admit that as I've been reading up on all the tweaking, I am a bit frustrated at the Debut's lack of flexibility for such stuff. Certainly the light tonearm limits the cartridge choices in terms of compliance numbers.

Anyway, I'll speak with the dealer tomorrow. It may be that the motor needs replacement, but the hum might be due to the design. However, the SNR specs on the Debut place rumble at about -65dB and I was measuring about -40-45dB with recording software on my PC.

 

Okay here's a needle drop I did just a few moments ago. There has been absolutely no processing done or anything else of the sort. I captured through my Creative Audigy 2 ZS using Audacity. Sample was captured at 16/44.1. You can hear when the cart first makes contact with the vinyl and how it sounds before it gets to the music. This "Only the Lonely" from the album "The All-Time Greatest Hits Of Roy Orbison". Mastered by our host Steve Hoffman and Kevin Grey.

http://www.yousendit.com/download/2VclkMGswLh5TA%3D%3D

 

Thanks for the needledrop sample. You're experiencing exactly the same problem as I am. As soon as the needle drops into the groove, it's picking up the sound of the motor.

As my dealer mentioned yesterday, you can't expect a $400 turntable to sound as quiet as a $4000 one, but surely we can expect better than this from a product that's been so lauded as a great entry-level tt!

 

I had the same problem with the Project 6. Picked up the sound of the motor, poor isolation. Drove me mad. I went with the Project 9X in the end. Motor is completely seperate to rest of TT. No noise whatsoever...

 

I visited the dealer this morning and, in his view, there is no problem with my tt. He placed it on a decent stand and we listened carefully. There is a very faint rumble but nothing as loud as I've heard at home. He seemed to feel that it may be a case of my physical setup creating resonance that's being picked up and amplified by the cartridge/arm. He's expecting his next stock of Xpressions in next week and offered to let me take a demo home to try. He also gave me some reasonable terms for a trade on an Xpression.

I wasn't planning on putting any more money into audio for another few months, so I'm going to see if I can track down what's causing the resonance first. I've got the tt sitting on a middle shelf on an Ikea "Bonde" shelving unit with a shelf full of albums on the shelf below and a receiver & disc player on the shelf above. I did have my phono stage (Cambridge Audio 640P) sitting up next to my receiver. I'm wondering if moving it down to the same shelf as the tt might help.

Any thoughts?

 

Hi Steve

Just heard the sample and that noise is quite noticeable - I have a little on my Pioneer which one day I'll look into, but it's not as loud as that.

I know it's a pain moving stuff around but it may be worth experimenting with it's position on your rack in view of what was observed at your dealers.

It may be that the rack is assisting in transmitting that motor noise.

Good luck.

 

I put a solid wood cutting board I had between the tt and the shelf. This has reduced the sound substantially. It's still there but much more faint. So I guess my dealer was correct in his assumption about the resonance. Let me throw in a plug for Todd Saucier, the manager at Codell Audio here in Montreal. The guy really seems to know his turntables and seems willing to go the extra mile to make sure his customers are happy.

I'm sitting here listening to a nice mint copy of Van Morrison's Moondance I found recently at a used shop and once more enjoying the sound of good analog. Into the mystic indeed!

 

It's not so straightforward. It looks like 40(static) is the wrong figure to use and it's closer to 20(Dynamic). See the link below for more information........

http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/613724.html