Newbie with issues...:) (Denon DP-59L turntable)

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Thunderball, Jan 21, 2019.

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  1. Thunderball

    Thunderball Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Hello all,

    I'd firstly like to say that this forum looks amazing and I hope one day to be able to contribute rather than just asking silly questions....but for today, some silly questions:

    I've recently put together a modest home system, the heart of which is my 'new' Denon DP-59L turntable. The thing is huge and gorgeous, but after a day playing around with it I have a few questions I'm hoping those wiser than myself (ie. everyone) might shed some light on.

    1. The platter spins perfectly flat and I've leveled everything but when I apply even the slightest pressure on the platter (or a spinning record) a faint kind of scraping can be heard under the platter. It runs silent while playing but if I, for example, use a brush to clean the record, even gently, the slight 'grinding' noise can be heard. It's barely noticeable but it's there for sure. Is this reason for alarm? The turntable is of course used but under a 30-day warranty so is this a problem that is only going to get worse? Would it be an expensive fix? I would hate to box this thing back up and send it back, but at the same time I don't want to be stuck with a bum turntable (I bought it under the promise that it had no issues).

    2. I am a bit confused by the counterweight on the Denon. I've had SL1200s in the past but this seems a different beast. Is the counterweight not threaded onto the tone arm? It seems to just slide it up and down the tone arm as opposed to it having to be turned like on a Technics? And when I get everything balanced so the tonearm floats, the numbers on the rear dial are a bit confusing as they run from 1 to 0.1 I believe. So if the stylus requires a force of 1.75 grams how do I get that out of a dial that only goes up to 1?

    3. After using the Stevenson protractor I can only seem to be able to get the cartridge to line up by having it sit at an angle in the headshell but I cannot but think that this is not the correct way. I imagine that both screws should be the same distance from the end of the headshell (ie. the cartridge itself has to be oriented straight ahead?). I tried it that way but could not get it to match up at both null points...is this just a trial and error thing?

    Thanks and apologies in advance for what must be questions that have been asked many times before. You guys are awesome!

    Cheers,

    Dave





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  2. vinylontubes

    vinylontubes Forum Resident

    Location:
    Katy, TX
    If you are concerned about the grinding noise, take it back. Maybe they can make an adjustment.

    The counterweight work like this: 1 full rotation is equal to a gram. So you balance the arm then rotate 1.75 full rotations. But just use a scale and get an accurate setting.

    About the alignment: Did you set the overhang, first? If the overhang isn't set and maintained through the alignment, your geometry is going t be off. If you did this, it's aligned properly. I've never used Stevenson, so I can't comment on what the expected angle should be.

    You can download a manual at vinylengine.com
     
  3. Thunderball

    Thunderball Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Thanks very much for your reply. I will look into overhang and try and get that set first as you suggested.

    About the grinding noise, I discovered that if I turned the power off on the turntable and just spun the platter by hand and applied the same gentle downwards pressure, there was no grinding noise at all. Strange. I would think that if it was the platter grinding against the chassis then it would also make noise with the power off but this was not the case. I am sure the noise is mechanical and not any kind of grounding issue as it comes from the platter itself and not the speakers. I'm stumped!

    Thanks also for the advice on setting the counter weight...1.75 full rotations it is! :)

    Dave
     
  4. moomaloo

    moomaloo All-round good egg

    I wouldn't be applying any additional force to the motor. Ever... If I feel the need to 'dry brush' a record, I always do that without the motor running.
     
  5. moomaloo

    moomaloo All-round good egg

    That's a beautiful looking TT by the way...!
     
  6. 911s55

    911s55 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Wa state
    Having the cartridge at an offset angle is fine if it lines up with the protractor grid and null points. It does not need to be square and parallel in the headshell.
     
  7. Thunderball

    Thunderball Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    Thanks to everybody. Can I ask, should there be any play at all vertically in the spindle? I noticed that if I take the platter up and pull up gently on the spindle there is a few mm of play (ie. I seems I can lift the motor up inside the turntable ever so slightly). Perhaps the motor has sunk down within the chassis over the years?
     
  8. Thunderball

    Thunderball Well-Known Member Thread Starter

    Location:
    Japan
    I also noticed that it was shipped without transit screws in place..could that have damaged something?
     
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