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Phonograph Audio sound tech help needed

I was given a technics sl-5200 turntable. It currently has a Stanton 680el cartridge and a d6800el needle. The needle is over 30 years old and sounds terrible on records. I don't have the shell weight or overhang gauge that came with the original record player.

i would like to replace the needle/head/cartridge any or all of the combination of the 3. I want the best audio quality for listening, no djing, won't harm records, price range is $400 ideally under $250. Thoughts?
 
I had the same turntable many years ago. If you do a search on Amazon for a SL-5200 stylus, you have plenty of options. I remember changing my cartridge out for an Audio-Technica. Good luck, it's a nice piece of equipment.

Pete
 

never-stop-learning

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I was given a technics sl-5200 turntable. It currently has a Stanton 680el cartridge and a d6800el needle. The needle is over 30 years old and sounds terrible on records. I don't have the shell weight or overhang gauge that came with the original record player.

i would like to replace the needle/head/cartridge any or all of the combination of the 3. I want the best audio quality for listening, no djing, won't harm records, price range is $400 ideally under $250. Thoughts?

You can find the owners manual for the SL-5200 here:


You can also find a DIY overhang gauge on this site that will be a lot more accurate than the plastic overhang gauge that came with the turntable.

As far as a cartridge and stylus, there are several that I would consider in your price range. What amplifier and speakers do you have?
 
Thank you , I'll check out that link. I found the manual on a different link, that's how I knew that I didn't have those things. Speakers are junk. That is why the price range is so low. I'll get back on wed Thursday and check on the amplifier then.
 

never-stop-learning

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Thank you , I'll check out that link. I found the manual on a different link, that's how I knew that I didn't have those things. Speakers are junk. That is why the price range is so low. I'll get back on wed Thursday and check on the amplifier then.
Just want to make sure that your amplifier has a phono preamp. The make and model should give me enough info to verify.
 

never-stop-learning

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I have 2 amps. The current one hooked up is a Sony STR-k700 and a Sony 0590
From what I can find on the internet, the Sony STR-K-700 does not have a phono preamp built in. This could be why the turntable did not sound good.

Please confirm the model number of your other amp. I'm not finding a Sony 0590. There are several Sony receivers that have "590" in the model number. Some have phono preamps. Some don't.
 
It definitely has a preamp but he quality of the needle is terrible. It makes it sound like a literal phonograph
1st attempt with the 1st amp, no pre amp pick up. You could barely hear anything.
 

never-stop-learning

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It definitely has a preamp but he quality of the needle is terrible. It makes it sound like a literal phonograph
1st attempt with the 1st amp, no pre amp pick up. You could barely hear anything.
Have you cleaned and inspected the stylus, balanced the tonearm and set the tracking force near the maximum amount for that cartridge/stylus?
 
Yes. Yes. No to the tonearm, no to the tracking force. I haven't done the research to the stylus or cartridge. T
I figured if I replace the whole head it might be easier. Since I'd have to rebalance anyways
 

never-stop-learning

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Yes. Yes. No to the tonearm, no to the tracking force. I haven't done the research to the stylus or cartridge. T
I figured if I replace the whole head it might be easier. Since I'd have to rebalance anyways
I'll take a closer look at the owners manual for the SL-5200 and make a recommendation.
 
The SL-5200 is a mid-range turntable that dates back to 1978. That is 45 years ago. Apparently, it never gained popularity and was soon replaced with the SL-Q2. Due to the age of the turntable, there might be some concerns with the bearings in the motor, spindle and tonearm pivot. A good cleaning and lubrication might be helpful. Another potential issue is corrosion on contacts. Since the signals coming from a turntable cartridge are so minute, any corrosion is detrimental to the sound quality. You might want to pick up a new compatible headshell along with a new cartridge in order to minimize the corrosion issue. If you find the sound is still unacceptable after installing a new cartridge, you should be able to use the cartridge on a new turntable.

I had an old Girrard SL95B turntable that was a few years older than your SL-5200. It was no longer reliable. I decided to replace it with a new Audio Technica turntable. I decided on a AT VM95ML cartridge (moving magnet with Microlinear stylus) but there are other stylus options available, including a Shibata stylus. You can also get moving coil cartridges if that is your preference. Your choice of cartridge really depends on the type of music you intend to play. Ortofon and Grado are another couple of good options.

As for the stylus pressure gauge, there are some digital gauges available for under $20 that will allow you to measure as low as 0.01 grams up to a maximum of 5 grams.
 
Can we see the back of the unit, where you are plugging in your turntable cables?

I agree with @never-stop-learning , I don't think this model is set up for "phono".

It wouldn't be a big deal, you just need to add an external phono PreAmp for a few bucks more.

PXL_20230527_154602167.jpg
 
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Get yourself one of these too. The weights on most TT are not accurate enough for 0.5 to 1.0 gram increments that your headshell and stylus will need.

Before TT started making a comeback, they were upwards of $100. Now they can be had for under $10. A worthwhile investment if you care about your LP's and stylus. I keep one at each turntable setup (upstairs and downstairs).

It doesn't have to be this one, but something similar. It beats the crap out of my Shure, manual scale. The Shure gets used for nostalgic purposes only.

C$ 6.98 30%OFF | Mini Cantilever Beam Vinyl Record Player Needle Pressure Gauge 0.01g Jewelry Scale Needle Pressure Pound For Tonearm
 
@Berwick12 - and you thought shaving stuff is fraught with countless rabbit holes. ;)
Lps, static free sleeves, poly outters, headshells, stylus, brushes, mats, cleaning solutions, ZeroStat gun....it never ends. And that's before you start looking at vintage receivers.

Ps. I use the vinylengine overhang gauge you recommended above. I printed one on cardstock about 15y ago and pull it out if I'm making a major change. I basically swap between 2-3 headshells with stylus and leave them on for a few years.

I haven't gone down the RCM rabbit hole yet. I don't know that I ever will. For a while, I was planning on building my own. I'll probably pick up this soon though, it's been on my radar for years and prices on it are slowly going up since I first added it to my "to buy" list.



A few supplies for my SL-1200 MK2 setup.

PXL_20230527_164803419.jpg
 
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Tirvine

ancient grey sweatophile
The SL-5200 is a mid-range turntable that dates back to 1978. That is 45 years ago. Apparently, it never gained popularity and was soon replaced with the SL-Q2. Due to the age of the turntable, there might be some concerns with the bearings in the motor, spindle and tonearm pivot. A good cleaning and lubrication might be helpful. Another potential issue is corrosion on contacts. Since the signals coming from a turntable cartridge are so minute, any corrosion is detrimental to the sound quality. You might want to pick up a new compatible headshell along with a new cartridge in order to minimize the corrosion issue. If you find the sound is still unacceptable after installing a new cartridge, you should be able to use the cartridge on a new turntable.

I had an old Girrard SL95B turntable that was a few years older than your SL-5200. It was no longer reliable. I decided to replace it with a new Audio Technica turntable. I decided on a AT VM95ML cartridge (moving magnet with Microlinear stylus) but there are other stylus options available, including a Shibata stylus. You can also get moving coil cartridges if that is your preference. Your choice of cartridge really depends on the type of music you intend to play. Ortofon and Grado are another couple of good options.

As for the stylus pressure gauge, there are some digital gauges available for under $20 that will allow you to measure as low as 0.01 grams up to a maximum of 5 grams.
In my experience, moving coils are an ultimate rabbit hole, requiring (expensive) SUTs or preamps and beginning a forever slightly imbalanced chemistry among cartridge, SUT or pre, tonearm, table, plinth, cabling, etc., always hunting but never finding the perfect match, or at least not until you have invested the cost of a decent car, all to hear things that you say that you can hear but apparently no one else can hear.
 

never-stop-learning

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In my experience, moving coils are an ultimate rabbit hole, requiring (expensive) SUTs or preamps and beginning a forever slightly imbalanced chemistry among cartridge, SUT or pre, tonearm, table, plinth, cabling, etc., always hunting but never finding the perfect match, or at least not until you have invested the cost of a decent car, all to hear things that you say that you can hear but apparently no one else can hear.
Different strokes, my friend. :)

I've been using regular Denon DL103 moving coil cartridges through a variety of step-up transformers since 1977. To my ears, they allow me to connect with the music to a far greater degree than pretty much anything else out there. Not the most expensive MC (by a long shot), but the 103 sure checks a lot of the right boxes for my ears. :)

Just my opinion based on 55 (or so) years of fooling around with this stuff. ;)
 
I'll try to take a picture on Monday of the back of it.

I'll find the overhang gauge you recommended.

Will a new head come with a shell weight? Is it needed?


I started to read what options are out there today for cartridges. Moving magnet, moving coil, spherical, elliptical, hyperelliptical and micro ridge. I'm starting to understand, but right now it's still mostly Greek to me.
 
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