All That Jazz

Just a we note about recorded music and maybe some myths to denounce.

I was speaking with a friend today that had recorded years ago an album. He was amazed at the levels music was played at, think he said 118dB which is pretty friggin' loud. He then explained that they recorded and played at those levels to insure all unwanted noises were absent, such as microphone, amplifier or cable noises.

To be truthful, I really hadn't thought much about that but this does back up why they need big amps, play very loud to insure the absence of noise. He then went on to back up my statement that the recording studio was less concerned about "the quality" but concerned instead about "The Hook!" making sure the record is a seller! It is up to us and our music systems to decide if we enjoy the sound.

Lately, we've been many turntable tune ups for both Folks at our Stayner location and others,

To a one, folks are amazed how much better their system performs. As of September 1st, we will be charging $25. for a basic service, or no charge if you purchase a cartridge.

As a reminder, we stock most belts, many stylii, phono cartridges, cleaners etc, so... Don't be shy, Drop in and see us!!!

What's On Tonight; On Pure Pleasure Records!

Just a quick question!!! When was the last time any of you checked the "bearing oil" on your turntable. This simple act is one which most of us don't think about.
Bearing oil is a life blood for the spin of your turntable, too little oil and you can run metal to metal, both on the shaft and the little ball bearing the shaft spins on.
You have oiled it? What oil did you use... 3 in 1, WD 40, motor oil? To my knowledge, no company actually manufactures bearing oil. as you can imagine, in that each table needs only a few drops, there is not a huge market for the product.
A few years ago, I did some research on the subject as I was concerned about weight of oil was necessary. The immediate word was that the oil must be synthetic to stop any oxidation, but the true issue was also viscosity of the oil is very important as it's job is to insure the metal components (bearing, shaft and cylinder) must be kept cool, thus the oil has to be heavy enough that it doesn't burn off.
I'm sure some are now tuning out thinking there is no real mass to consider, but in many cases, if you consider that the mass of the platter, spindle and end of spindle (most often which is machined to a point) all balances on the tips of a ball bearing, the mass per square inch can be quite high.

What does the internet recommend? 2 types
1) Synthetic motor oil (5W30 Recommended) - I use Mobile 1
2) Transmission oil from high end European autos

It's simple to do as an annual thing on all belt drives, sometimes impossible to do on Direct Drives, but the early Technics DD tables actually came with a little vial of oil.