Questions for a new ES-1 purchase

by **chrisd** » 11 Jan 2011 01:29

Hi All and first post here,

I've just purchased an AR ES-1 on ebay. I think I got it at a good price as it was listed for spares. The seller said it is playing slowly on both 33 & 45. I know nothing about turntables but want something better sounding than an ipod and dock so I want to build a turntable and valve amp system.

Here is what it has:

Linn Basik arm.
A&R P77 cartridge.
original aluminium platter.
The mat is missing.

Does anyone know of a source in the UK for a new belt? The belt seems old and perished so I'm hoping it has stretched and is what is causing the slowness. I found a few sources via google but they are in the US and will take weeks to arrive.

The other thing I'm not sure about is the suspension assembly (is that correct) that the platter and arm sit on. It seems to be out of position slightly and is very bouncy or responsive to touch.

Thanks for your help all and if you have any other advice for a noobie it will be greatly appreciated.

Chris

by **pivot** » 11 Jan 2011 01:35

Do you have it yet?

I'd wait to have the thing in house before buying things for it.

by **chrisd** » 11 Jan 2011 01:40

yeah it arrived a few days ago. i don't minding spending money on it to get it working as it's such a stylish looking turntable.

by **AR_Legend** » 11 Jan 2011 02:41

Source for a new AR turntable belt:
Part Number: Panasonic SJY90080-3
This is a Panasonic belt that works very well in my opinion. Thickness – 0.020”, Width – 0.155, Length - Just Right.
This belt is wider by 0.020 and thinner by 0.010 than the stock belt but it works very well. No motor strain and it doesn’t pull the suspension off center. Very compliant.

I bought several of these to keep on hand as replacements for my AR "The Turntable".

I tried a belt from a seller on eBay and while the dimensions were correct the compliance (flexibility) was not. It caused the platter to shake and shudder upon start-up. Then I found this Panasonic belt and never looked back.

Try: http://www.partstore.com, http://www.mcmelectronics.com or http://www.kabusa.com for stock.

by **pivot** » 11 Jan 2011 02:51

Okay, here is the question. What is the diameter of the working 33.33 section of your ARs pulley?

Here in the USA, with 60 Hz line freq, mine is circa 20.5 mm.

I don't know he size of the pulley for 50 hz line as you have in England but it should be larger.

My concern is you have a 60Hz pulley. That would account for the slow speed. Let's find that out first.

by **chrisd** » 12 Jan 2011 01:34

Thanks for the belt info i'll order one tomorrow.
Dont know what size the pulley is i'll see if i can measure it.
Another question though, can i connect the turntable to my amp or does it need a pre-amp?

Thanks

by **pivot** » 12 Jan 2011 15:28

I measured my pulley with my cheapo digital caliper. If your pulley is the USA 60 Hz size you will need to aquire the 50 Hz pulley to get correct speed.

If you can connect turntable direct to your amp depends on whether the amp has inputs that provide the correct gain and equalization for a phono cartridge.

Does you amp have a phono input or only line level inputs (Aux, Tape, Tuner) ?

by **chrisd** » 12 Jan 2011 15:31

No it only has 2x RCA inputs labelled 1 and 2. Its a valve amp that i got from ebay.

by **pivot** » 12 Jan 2011 15:46

Hmmm, "1" and "2" are fairly inscrutable labels.

Do you listen to the amp now? What do you use for input? Do you have the brand name of the amp?.....or even better, a user manual?

My uninformed guess is you need a phono pre-amp to add the needed gain and equalization, but I am just guessing.

by **chrisd** » 13 Jan 2011 10:19

It's a Fatman iTube mk2

http://www.fat-man.co.uk/docs/product_0 ... MkII.shtml

I've got it connected up to my ipod at the moment. It doesn't have a phono amp. I've just ordered a Yaqin MS-11B MM RIAA Pre-Amplifier from ebay.

Will any pulley fit my turntable or does it have to be an AR one? I can't find any AR pulleys on the internet, does anyone know of a source?

Thanks

Chris

by **pivot** » 13 Jan 2011 15:31

Yes, you needed the phono pre.

Yes you want an AR 50 Hz pulley. Are you sure the pulley you have is the wrong size/60 Hz one?

by **chrisd** » 14 Jan 2011 08:07

Well interesting thing, i've got a mat now and played a recotd but it doesn't seem slow to me. Tried fast and slow songs to see if i could notice anything but i can't.

I have noticed it has a hurst motor, is this the norm?

Thanks for the help evrryone, once i've got it all setip i'll post a photo.

by **pivot** » 16 Jan 2011 16:02

chrisd wrote:Well interesting thing, i've got a mat now and played a recotd but it doesn't seem slow to me. Tried fast and slow songs to see if i could notice anything but i can't. .

Print a 50 hz strobe disc and see if the speed is close, just Don't get paranoid if the speed is not "dead on" (That way lies madness)

http://www.vinylengine.com/strobe-discs.shtml

chrisd wrote:I have noticed it has a hurst motor, is this the norm?.

See David's site here:

http://www.vinylnirvana.com/ar-models/ar-es-1/

by **cachecoder** » 05 Apr 2011 00:07

pivot wrote:
chrisd wrote:Well interesting thing, i've got a mat now and played a recotd but it doesn't seem slow to me. Tried fast and slow songs to see if i could notice anything but i can't. .

Print a 50 hz strobe disc and see if the speed is close, just Don't get paranoid if the speed is not "dead on" (That way lies madness)

http://www.vinylengine.com/strobe-discs.shtml

chrisd wrote:I have noticed it has a hurst motor, is this the norm?.

See David's site here:

http://www.vinylnirvana.com/ar-models/ar-es-1/

Sorry for the dumb question, but here goes. How can the pitch be adjusted?