Hi,

I am a lucky owner of a beautiful Beogram 7000 Record deck with a MMC2. It bought it in late January or the beginning of February this year, and it has been a delight.

But about 2 weeks ago it begun to distord the sound, when it has been playing for an a hour or so. And it seems that it's getting worse. Now it begins to distord after only a couple of songs!?

I have tried the different options on the arm, but it doesn't make a difference. Eventually the distorsion returns. The stylus doesn't seem to be centered, but a little to the right. Can this cause the distorsion? Tried to take a picture of it. Sorry for the poor quality.

Does any of who have any idea to my problem? Could it be the stylus or does it sound more like something inside the Record deck?

Regards, Claus

It's the cartridge.  Sooner or later all those all those old MMC carts go bad.   The suspension that allows the cantilever to move/vibrate is rubber, which dries out with time.  You might be able to give your MMC-2 a bit more life by increasing the tracking force a little.   Replacement cartridges can be purchased from Soundsmith.  They could also rebuild your MMC-2 for $295.

Or send it to Axel - He can replace the whole cantilever assembly. www.schallplattennadeln.de

 

Thanks mediabobny and Peter,

But what would you choose - a new SMMC cartridge or repair the old MMC2? If a buy a new SMMC from Soundsmith, then which one should I buy?

Do both! (i.e don't ever throw that broken MMC2 away! You'll be getting another Beogram sooner or later anyway )

If all you want to do is listen to some records, the SMMC4 will be more than adequate. I have one and IMHO it is clearly better than an original MMC4, probably beats MMC3 as well. I also had my MMC2 repaired by Axel with a basic elliptical stylus, and it sounds just fine to me as well. Both of these solutions are good value for money, but I believe higher specs would be wasted with my ears...

Hi Mika,

I use my recordplayer very much, so the new cartridge has to be a good one. Not the most expensive one or the cheapest one. (maybe a SMMC3 or SMMC2)

I am sitting at home searching the web for cartridges, and have found a MMC1 cartridge for sale in the US, which (according to the seller) has been used for about 50 hours.

But I'm not sure about bidding on an old used cartridge!? I could risk buying a cartridge that isn't better than my own MMC2!?

My advice based on personal experience........don't buy used cartridges, period. I have tried it several times and have never bought a good one yet. You might as well set fire to £20 notes!

SMMC4 is more than adequate. Like Mika, any better (?) is wasted on me and I buy audiophile pressings wherever possible.

I also have experience with Axel's refurbishment work (30+ cartridges of different types) and in my opinion it is excellent.

I have had both MMC4 and MMC2 refurbished to their original spec (or as near as possible) and I think I prefer the MMC2 refurb. Although I can't say why???

joeyboygolf:

My advice based on personal experience........don't buy used cartridges, period. I have tried it several times and have never bought a good one yet. You might as well set fire to £20 notes!

Thanks Graham! Just what I feared about buying used cartridges.

I'll try a new SMMC4 first.

I've recently bought a new old stock MMC20CL cartridge. It was corroded! I've now got a nice screwdriver, a nice brush,  nice scales, a nice cartridge adapter and a nice frequency curve all in a nice acrylic box!

Ah, and there's a new diamond tip too! And I did pay 20€!

Jacques

chartz:

Ah, and there's a new diamond tip too! And I did pay 20€!

Well at least that was a sensible price for trying... I've seen these "NOS" cartridges selling for absolutely silly money, and all of them are probably shot, or will quickly be once you start using them.

I got lucky once with a 25€ MMC20EN, it's still giving great service in my Beogram 6000. It'll be going to Axel as well if/when it lets go - I have a few working 20S's as well, but the black shell doesn't look so nice.

tournedos:

...but the black shell doesn't look so nice.

Well I've got(ten) used to my SMMC20EN which is black and gives sterling service!

Jacques

Hi again everyone,

This morning I recieved my new SMMC4 and it's GREAT!!! 'So far' there hasn't been any distorded sounds!

There is actually at great sound in the SMMC4, so I'm VERY pleased!! 

So thanks for all your inputs and words of wisdom!!!

Regards Claus

Hi again everyone,

This morning I recieved my new SMMC4 and it's GREAT!!! 'So far' there hasn't been any distorded sounds!

There is actually at great sound in the SMMC4, so I'm VERY pleased!! 

So thanks for all your inputs and words of wisdom!!!

Regards Claus

I nearly forgot that I actually have one more question, that I hope some of you can help me with...

The alu on the record deck could use a good 'wash'... But what do I use to clean it? Any special products, simply water or ???

Glad you're happy with it, ang got it so quickly too! I had to wait for a few weeks for mine, apparently they are made according to demand and aren't always in stock.

Don't use any kind of solvent! The aluminum has some kind of a lacquer on it, and if you manage to rub it off, the result will look awful. Just a little soap for the most stubborn dirt.