ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I'm visiting a friend and trying to get his rx2 running. He has a somewhat recently purchased soundsmith smmc4 cart. Is is hard to get the tone arm to float but I am pretty sure I have the tracking force properly set at 1.4 grams (I emailed mark at soundsmith and he supplied the VTF number).
I also have tried several of the anti-skate settings... So what is the problem, you ask?
It will cue up fine but once the tone arm sits down in the groove it won't advance into the record. If I use the cueing feature and set the tone arm down several tracks into the LP once the stylus hits the groove the arm skitters back to the beginning of the side.
The suspension of the cart may be damaged. The stylus rides pretty low and it is not straight up and down. Instead it is angled in towards the inner groove (like this.../....).
From reading old threads one possibility is the suspension is compromised and the stylus can't grip the record grooves properly (does that make sense?). Another is that the anti-skate is way off. Or both...
Would love any suggestions. Thanks!
If the cantilever is not parallel to the cartridge housing, the suspension is damaged or the cantilever bent.In both cases tracking will suffer.
Martin
Here a nearly new SMMC4 playing, check the distance between record and cartridge
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
thanks for the photo!
this smmc4 is definitely riding lower/closer to the LP surface than the one shown in your photo; so that points to the cartridge suspension
just in case the antiskate is also an issue, i am looking at page 5-4 of the service manual. i am not sure where to find the adjustment depicted there. any ideas?
It's on the bottom. You should try to set it without flipping over the turntable. 3 settings: for MMC 1-2, 3-4, and 5. You should probably set it to MMC-5 because your tracking force (1.4g) more closely matches the setting for an MMC-5 (1.5g) than for an MMC 3-4 (1.2g)
thanks! i do have it set to mmc5. there is some adjustment described in the service manual to adjust the anti-skate, which is different from that pointer/needle thing on the bottom of the deck.
Thanks all the advice. Unfortunately my vacation is ending and I have not been able to repair my friends rx2.
Can anyone recommend an affordable b&o repair place in the US?
Before sending the whole TT for repair, send the cartridge to Soundsmith for repair.
Under warranty, preferably.
good advice!