Hi all,

I have a very nice Beogram 5000, that would seem to be in mint condition (purchased recently on eBay). I am using a MMC3, purchased separately on eBay. My problem is, records sound great in the outer grooves, but as they move inward the sound gets sort of scratchy and muffled—particularly on music with a great deal of dynamic range.

This would seem to be an anti-skate problem, and I've tried the following:

- Setting 0 balance, and adjusting my tracking weight both to the proper level (1.2g) and slightly higher and lower
- Trying anti-skate settings from way below MMC1-2 up to MMC5
- Checked that my turntable is properly leveled
- Cleaned my records before playing
- Removed all dust from the stylus 

None of these attempts has had much of an effect, the music still sounds pretty bad toward the center.

Do you all have any idea what else I might do, or where my problem might be? One thing I've noticed is that my stylus does not appear to be meeting the record with the needle perfectly flat, but rather it is a bit cocked like this --  /  -- if that makes sense. I don't totally understand suspensions, but is that perhaps what is going on here? I've very carefully tested movement on the stylus, and it does seem to move well enough, it's not frozen or anything.

Another thing I noticed is that the counterweight on the tonearm is not totally straight, it is down-angled just a little. Is it supposed to be this way (could someone with another Beogram 5000 verify?) or has it somehow gotten bent? I have an RX2, and the weight is perfectly straight on that.

I love the style of this turntable, and the integration with my Beomaster 5000, but man, the sound is pitiful. Please help!

Thanks.

-Michael 

The 5000 should sound just the same as the RX2 as these are effectively the same deck. I take it that the MMC3 sounds fine with the RX2 and if this is the case, the arm on the 5000 sounds as if it is the problem. I don't like the sound of the bent counterweight as this suggests some considerable impact to the arm. I would be tempted to send it back. The only thing that will fix this is a new arm in my opinion. 

Well, I'm convinced the tonearm is a problem, it was obviously damaged in shipping as I've seen other indications, and the transport screws were not set.

However, doing tests of the MMC3 on my RX2 gave equally bad results. I also tried my old MMC5, which sounds pretty bad as well (that's why I replaced it).

The only thing I can't figure out here is why records sound so much better with low dynamic music or music in the outer grooves. Is worsening sound as you move inward an indication of a worn out cartridge, or should that be apparent anywhere on the record? I don't have great points of comparison, I feel like I've always had sort of sub-standard sounding turntables...

Thanks for you quick response.

-Michael