Ok hi-fi nuts - £21 for a rubber band?!

[swee'pea99]

The turntable I got off ebay isn't running true - the seller did warn me it would probably need a new belt as it hadn't been used for a decade or more. I've been looking into it, and lots of people are giving 5 stars to the Rega White Belt - more accurate speed speed, better sound, tighter, blah de blah - but some say they can't tell any difference. And I can't help wondering if people who've paid that much money for a rubber band might be predisposed to fool themselves into hearing a difference, whether or not there really is one - after all, otherwise you might feel a bit of a twit mightn't you? Anyone out there who cares and knows about such things but isn't actually swivel-eyed obsessional about them have any thoughts/experience?

 

[DaveReading]

You could try your turntable with an actual rubber band, to help you decide ...

 

[slowmotion]

You can buy "no name" belts on eBay for a fraction of the official part prices. Don't feed the beast.

 

[swee'pea99]

[QUOTE 4974677, member: 259"]You'll get a more elastic sound stage, with more agglutination, especially in the Unsinn wave.[/QUOTE]
There you go, that's why I post here and not on some hi-fi forum. Straight advice. Those guys just talk gibberish.

 

[classic33]

I take it that you've cleaned the turntable, motor pulley and the belt itself if it's slipping. Some motor mounts offer a small amount of adjustment in the tension.

 

[User482]

Don't forget that the genuine belts are directional. Fitting them correctly really opens up the soundstage.

 

[YahudaMoon]

Boot polish rubbed lightly on the Rega Planner large wheel and also on the rubber band gives extra life with the rubber band as it acts as a grip, you'll get endless hours out of it, then repeat when the RPM starts failing again, This I found out myself, no idea how or why? it was many years back

Ive been using two Rega Planners Since 1988, gone through one motor, and one rubber band, only got the second rubber band as it came with the motor

Failing you have no boot polish in your household and your a cyclist, I'm guessing you may have some Brooks Proofride?

As Brooks Proofride is just the same as boot polish no?, well I use boot polish on my Brooks saddles and all is good

Warning though, Ive never used Brooks Proofride on any turntable

 

[slowmotion]

Stick a drop "3 in 1" bog standard oil in the turntable bearing bush. They really won't like that...

 

[YahudaMoon]

Boot polish (Kiwi in a tin) rubbed lightly on the Rega Planner large wheel and also on the rubber band gives extra life with the rubber band as it acts as a grip, you'll get endless hours out of it, then repeat when the RPM starts failing again, This I found out myself, no idea how or why? it was many years back

Ive been using two Rega Planners Since 1988, gone through one motor, and one rubber band, only got the second rubber band as it came with the motor

Failing you have no boot polish in your household and your a cyclist, I'm guessing you may have some Brooks Proofride?

As Brooks Proofride is just the same as boot polish no?, well I use boot polish on my Brooks saddles and all is good

Warning though, Ive never used Brooks Proofride on any turntable

 

[swee'pea99]

Boot polish (Kiwi in a tin) rubbed lightly on the Rega Planner large wheel and also on the rubber band gives extra life with the rubber band as it acts as a grip, you'll get endless hours out of it, then repeat when the RPM starts failing again, This I found out myself, no idea how or why? it was many years back

Ive been using two Rega Planners Since 1988, gone through one motor, and one rubber band, only got the second rubber band as it came with the motor

Failing you have no boot polish in your household and your a cyclist, I'm guessing you may have some Brooks Proofride?

As Brooks Proofride is just the same as boot polish no?, well I use boot polish on my Brooks saddles and all is good

Warning though, Ive never used Brooks Proofride on any turntable

Boot polish? Seriously? Feels counter-intuitive...you'd think you want grip - isn't polish the enemy of grip? If you confirm you're not kidding I'll give it a go.

I take it that you've cleaned the turntable, motor pulley and the belt itself if it's slipping

I haven't actually cleaned the pulley. I'll try that too. (I've cleaned the rest, and there's no tension-adjuster.)

 

[Mr Celine]

The expensive belt will have greater lateral stiffness while also offering class leading vertical compliance.

 

[raleighnut]

I'd check the bearing is running freely as that's more likely to cause speed issues, as for the belt it may have developed a 'kink' where it has been wrapped around the drive pulley that would cause an audible 'wow'

Cost-wise I paid @20 for a new belt for my Thorens a couple of years ago, the 3rd one it's had in as many decades.

Rega turntables, not a fan but I've got the RB 250 arm fitted to my suspended subchassis Thorens.

 

[classic33]

Direct drive is much better.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Genuine belts will use rubber with a longer hydro-carbon chain, this ensures the subjective relationship between the relative loudness of the upper and lower halves of the audio spectrum.

 

[Drago]

I'd be concerned about a cheap one failing and twanging you in the love plums or something.