Thanks for letting me join. I recently retired and now have time to try and archive/digitize my approximately 300 albums of mostly classic rock. Took my RX2 off the shelf, probably last used it in early 2014. As far as I recollect it worked fine, I even transferred a few albums at that time. It now has issues.  Sound level is very low ( I have it hooked thru phono inputs of a Yamaha RX450), muted and somewhat scratchy. My vinyl was well used and often had scratches but there is only muffled sound now. I have a MMC4 cartridge. I suspect it may be the culprit as I have checked all my connections multiple times.

 

Here's my problem. New MMC4 are around $200 USD. I can get an analog to digital USB with pre-amp for another $100 USD. Total outlay $300. I can get a mid-level Audio Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB for $250 USD. Has digitizer and pre-amp already.

1. Is there a way to confirm it is the cartridge without buying  new one? Is $200 the best I can do?

2. While I realize we all have a bias towards the B&O solution, would the Audio Technica be a good choice to archive my collection? Noticeable quality loss over the RX2/MMC4 in this use? There is little risk with this solution ( unless somehow the pre-amp in my Yamaha is the problem and even then that only comes in to play with option 1)

Thanks for any input.

 

I hope asking about another brand of turntable as part of my question wasn't heresy!

Any opinions on possible causes for my distortion or less expensive cartridges?

 

Thanks

Welcome to Beoworld !

1. There is no such thing as a cheap Bang & Olufsen cartridge, but ask Hans Henrik at pickupservice@outlook.dk
He is usually the one with the best prices.

I cannot comment on #2. Not because I won't or because it is a non-B&O deck, but simply because I know nothing about it.

Martin

Thanks. I think I am going to seek help at a local repair shop (20+ years of experience) to help determine if it is the cartridge and see if they possibly have one. I will post back when I have some info.

There are no electronics in the signal path inside the Beogram RX2, so any sound problems will be down to the cartridge (most likely) or the internal wiring.
A non-suitable external preamplifier can also cause problems. After all, B&Os cartridges are neither MC nor MM.

Martin 

I have had success with FJS Toneabnehmer Service in Germany,

Takes around 6 weeks

They charge approx 120 Euros to re tip and fit a new cantilever to an MMC4 cartridge. Total cost with shipping both ways is around $150.

I have a Beogram  RX that now sounds fantastic.

 H Martin

Does your comment above pertain to my post that i made  a few days ago. Is there not a relay?

 

"Anyone know how to eliminate this.

I bought a used RX and on adding a cartridge tested on anotheg RX there was a loud hum in the output.I traced the RCAs and found one plug was shorted and not in good condition. I replaced the RCAs with a new cable and now I get A noise whenever I play a record or raise the tonearm.

The good news is no more shorted input to my amp.

Any ideas where this relay sits, or do I have to live with it?"

Yes, there is a relay on the small board all the way back, near the cable exit.

But this relay, contrary to what most people might think, doesn't break the connections from the cartridge to the signal cable to mute the signal.
It shorts them to ground.
This means that faulty relay contacts won't cause missing or intermittent channels, it will cause no muting.
In other words, the relay can't introduce distortion.

Martin

I’ve a bit of experience in this department. When it comes to digitizing, the AT will be much fussier in setup to be at its best. It’s nice that it’s something you can buy new as an all in one and is an adequate starter turntable and if you want to dish out more money there are many nice carriages available that are compatible but require expertise in setup.

The RX-2 with a rebuilt lowest end cartridge or new soundsmith lowest end will outperform in audio quality and ease of sound isolation (that will be important when digitizing) compared to the AT. Rather than buying a preamp with USB which can really limit the quality, I’d go with a used mid-grade preamp and a basic Behringer analog to digital USB converter for a similar price. Cleaning your albums expertly will make a huge difference.

Overall, you might find after all this that streaming digital is fine for digital and that listening to your albums through a turntable is way more enjoyable than listening to them after they’ve been digitized.

H Martin.

So with a nice working cartridge I now find that the left channel is continually shorted, I believe through the muting switch operated by the cam wheel under the platter The right channel is working and the switch slides.

Could the muting switch be shorted inside.It seems to slide ok and all seems to work mechanically. I tried to check the wiring continuity and that seems ok. Would like to avoid de soldering wires as they. area pain to reconnnect.

Any suggestions?

thanks

Mike

 

So after switching left and right channels onto the mute switch I now conclude there is a short in the left channel wiring between cartridge and  mute switch. Seems terminal as in no hope. I have bought another arm plus pivot on e bay and will try to re fit it.

Mike

Check under the black carriage cover.

Martin

Do you mean at the back of the tone arm where the wire drops down through the arm pivot?

Mike

Top cover of the sliding carriage, covering the arms fastening points etc.
Two small black screws and one silver.
Lift it off carefully as the leads can sometimes bind to the underside of the cover.

Martin

Hi Martin.

I changed the arm and refitted everything. All is now working. Sounds fantastic such depth in the stereo image.On another. subject. I got a Beogram 1800 with a working MMC5 cartridge..

Wires were broken by the arm entrance at the back of the arm. I tried to resolder some thin cartridge cable but to no avail. The two leads in question are the ground lead from the arm and the ground lead on one channel.

If I combine the two cartridge ground leads at the cartridge. and re separate the two ground inputs on the input to the small pcb board that connects to the phono leads will i get a stereo image?

Or shall I try to get a replacement arm?

Thanks for your inputs.

BTW what does that small PCB do?

Best Regards

 

Mike

 

 

Hi Saint,

I want to do the same thing, but I have a recently repaired and tuned with new soundsmith MMC cartridge Beogram 5000 connected to the Beomaster 5000.  (I also looked into the AT, but am hoping I can find a purer way to do this.  I want my digital recording to be as hi fidelity as possible, even picking up the pops and scratches that might be on my records.)

I could:

1. Get a pre-amp connected to RCA cables from the Beogram and an analog to digital converter as you suggest.

2. Connect the Beogram to the Beomaster with the 7-pin DIN and then use RCA cables to the Pre Amp out from the Beomaster and connect  an analog to digital converter.  The Beomaster would be the pre-amp.  I might even be able to program a mix of record, cd, and tape to be output to a single file . . .

I think #2 would get the purest Beo-sound, but might introduce issues or not be as good as #1.

What do you think?

(I hope to take the digital files with me to listen on the road, but I know the sound will not be the same.  Worth a try.)

AKML:

Hi Saint,

I want to do the same thing, but I have a recently repaired and tuned with new soundsmith MMC cartridge Beogram 5000 connected to the Beomaster 5000. (I also looked into the AT, but am hoping I can find a purer way to do this. I want my digital recording to be as hi fidelity as possible, even picking up the pops and scratches that might be on my records.)

I could:

1. Get a pre-amp connected to RCA cables from the Beogram and an analog to digital converter as you suggest.

2. Connect the Beogram to the Beomaster with the 7-pin DIN and then use RCA cables to the Pre Amp out from the Beomaster and connect an analog to digital converter. The Beomaster would be the pre-amp. I might even be able to program a mix of record, cd, and tape to be output to a single file . . .

I think #2 would get the purest Beo-sound, but might introduce issues or not be as good as #1.

What do you think?

(I hope to take the digital files with me to listen on the road, but I know the sound will not be the same. Worth a try.)

Sure #2 would work without having to buy as much gear and cables as #1 considering you have a functional BM5000. But as you said, more issues with volume control, etc. I don’t know what a pure “beo-sound” sounds like but the idea in hi-fi is not altering it modifying in playback how music was presented when recorded. I love the BM 5000 but in this situation I can get cleaner reproduction with a great phono preamp and less circuitry in the path from my Beogram to the computer.

All this to say, in my opinion, nothing is pure about digitizing vinyl and then playing it back on the road.