Just a quickie, as all these decks suffer so - make sure the bracket holding the idler assembly is free to move back and forth. B&O used a particular grease that turned into vaseline very quickly (ten years or less) and then siezed altogether. Somehow, you'll have to free this pivot off so that the belt alone pulls it into position. I was able

A quick comment on the new 20CL not always tracking as well as the new EN.. The Beogram 4002 has hard rubber "ribs" giving very marginal support to the vinyl records played (easily measured in reviews). This *may* upset the tracking security of the CL model with the fussier tip. Just my thoughts. Adding a thin felt mat such as the Linn one

Two quick points... The first won't apply in California, but the MMC cartridges were incredibly temperature sensitive, the top end drooping very audibly if the ambient temp goes below 20 degrees C. The Soundsmith models may have different damping/suspension material. The second point refers to LP contact area. The 8000 and its predecessors used

HiFi Choice waxed lyrical about the 8002, as at long last the deck had a decent support for the record - the hard ribs of the 8000 causing record damping problems in extremis. The 8002 (and 6002) were lovely, refined and gentle sounding decks and I'm pleased to read that Soundsmiths re-building of the cartridges gives them almost CD life and sparkle

You won't damage anything by tracking at 1.5g, but I'd go with the above and reduce it to 1.2 or thereabouts. A quick email to Axel asking his advice wouldn't go amiss either. if you do, please post his conclusionjs here :)

The CDX and its Philips made cousin Mission DAD7000 were the first two players I ever heard which told me that CD was worth having in my life! The standard Philips models gave me a headache and the Sony CDP101 sounded boring at the time (not strictly the player's fault, I discovered later on). The CDX is WELL worth repairing, and if you can find

These cartridges were temperature sensitive and should sound much better in clarity and tracking during the summer months. try shining a small spotlight on the deck, not close enough to risk damaging the lid, but enough to further warm the playing area under the lid, which the electronics inside the deck should help with too. Aim to get the cartridge

I'm still looking for a "lift" plate, but obviously not hard enough If the Achromat is a similar weight and total thickness to the beogram top platter, then you could try replacing one with t'other. Thinking about my earlier comments, it would be a shame to attempt removal of the studs, but i still think some form of extra record support

late question - I've been away too long it seems - can this unit be used with my 1972 'Gram 3000, or was it a different one?

A difficult one this - please bare with me and I'll have a go... In terms of mechanical engineering, I love the 1202 internals, but there are flaws - the studs on the platter don't support the record properly, there may be too much rumble and noise from the drive system by modern standards and the MMC1 should sound rather more refined than the