Sony PS-LX300USB - speed keeps changing?

I've had an issue with my USB turntable for a number of years now - the speed will change mid-song. Usually, the turntable was too slow, but partway through an LP it would speed up to normal; now, I adjusted it to start normal, but then it kicks into "too fast" partway through an LP.

Anyone know how to remedy this?

 

I would say the motor is on the way out but have you checked the belt is in good shape and running through were it should?

 

If the belt is not the issue, then there's little else you can do short of taking it to a repair shop which would likely not be cost-effective. Consider getting an Audio-Technica LP-120: $235 on Amazon. It's a "plug & play" replacement for your Sony and the user experience and performance will be much better.

 

The belt was my first guess. This thing's had speed problems since I first got it three years ago - taking it to the Geek Squad was a waste (three weeks later, no fix noticeable). My next step is just buying a different player, honestly.

 

That’s really your best solution. I would not put any money into trying to resolve speed issues with turntables at this price range. You’re better off just finding the money for an upgrade and moving on.

 

You're better off buying a new turntable, in this case:

That Sony PS-LX300USB is a Sony-branded version of one of many nearly identical low-end turntables sold under such brands as Audio-Technica, Ion and Denon. All of them have belt-driven motors and a permanently fixed, non-upgradable MM cartridge which has a typical tracking mass of around 3.5 grams. And the same Chinese factory that produces them is not renowned for its quality control, especially for this particular OEM model of turntables. Thus if you had bought one of these, you've rolled the dice: Good copies are decent if not stellar while bad copies are a pile of junk.

Worse is the fact that these turntables, for all their low quality, don't cost all that much less than a U-Turn turntable that is likely to perform significantly better than these cheapies do. (And yes, I am comparing a $100 turntable to a $200-ish turntable, not a $100 turntable to a $1,000+ model, in this case.)

 

Honestly, not being that concerned with ripping LP's, I'd rather find a shop that sells refurbished 1970's turntables - those were built to last.

(We do have a shop in Pittsburgh, so I'm headed there this weekend.)

 

You can get a thicker, stronger aftermarket belt for it for around $5, which will improve the speed stability:

TURNTABLE BELT FOR PIONEER PL-514 PL-514X PL-514XD PL-518X PL-320 PL-560 PL-990 | eBay

(The listing says it's for a Pioneer PL-990, but that's another one of these turntables based on the same chassis and mechanism as the PS-LX300USB, AT-LP60, etc.)

 

I wouldn't hold my breath about "refurbished" Just buy something solid that works well, unless you trust the seller the word refurbished is overused a lot. As many said I would not spend money on that Sony. For less than 150-200 you should be able to get something much better that works well in the second hand market.