Ariston Audio RD11s Skips. Help?!

[Kenboy]

I have a horrible skipping problem. I just bought a used Ariston Audio RD11s with a Linn Basik LV X tonearm and a Grado Signature 8 (we think) cartridge. It sounds so sweet. But if I so much as touch the stereo cabinet (which is very stable) or lightly walk a step or two -- carpet or hardwood -- the needle skips. The turntable is hyper-sensitive. You can see the platter and sub-chassis wobble on the slightest touch. If there is no external influence, it seems to track fine. But you can hardly move in the same room as the turntable or it will skip wildly.

I bought the turntable in pristine physical condition -- not even a rub mark on the cover -- from a guy who appeared to take excellent care of his equipment. The only modification I could see was an upgrade of the RCA cables. The guy told me that he hadn't played the turntable in several years, and he wasn't sure about the condition of the belt (I ordered a new one) or stylus (which I'll take in to be checked), or the actual model of the Grado cartridge. The guy recalls that he paid roughly $200 for the cartridge 10 or 15 years ago, kind of recalls it's a Signature 8, and it looks like a picture of a Signature 8 that I downloaded, so that's my best guess.

The turntable starts up and runs quiet and well. I haven't yet cleaned and lubricated the bearing, but there doesn't seem to be an issue there. I adjusted the tracking weight to the Grado's suggested 1.5 grams with a good scale and turned the dial on what I believe to be the anti-skate adjustment to 1.5, as well. And musically, it sounds terrific -- no audible sign of undue stylus wear.

But it skips like school girl at recess. I tried playing the turntable on several different stable surfaces -- including the cabinet that holds my Rega RP-1, next to which you can jump rope with nary a skip -- and tried several different soft and hard surfaces for its base. I made sure that all four feet rested firmly on the various surfaces and the turntable, itself, doesn't wobble -- just the sub-chassis. I played with the tracking weight (up to a max of 2.25 grams) and the anti-skate dial. Nothing seems to help.

What would cause my new-to-me turntable to skip so badly? Are the springs set too soft? Could it be a bad stylus? Maladjusted tracking weight? Bad karma? I'd appreciate any advice. Thank you.

[bonzini]

If your Rega doesn't skip in the same location as your Ariston skips, then probably you don't need to replace the house

You might want to look online for instructions on setting up Ariston or Linn suspension; your suspension may be set up to be too bouncy.

I recall in my RD-11 there were little bits of foam between the springs and the positioning bolt that were probably meant to provide a bit of damping. Does your turntable still have these?

Does your Ariston always skip in the same direction (toward the inner or outer part of the record)? May be levelling, azimuth adjustment, antiskating, or arm bearing problem. Try disabling the antiskating first. Check to see if the top of the cartridge is relatively parallel to the record surface left/right and front/back.

Is the cartridge suspension worn out? Watch while playing and see if the cartridge bottoms out or contacts the record when disturbed.

A few ideas anyway.

[Kenboy]

Bonzini,

Thanks for your response. I think you're right on.

Since I posted, I bought a new set of springs for a Linn LP12 and, in the process of installing them, tightened up the suspension on the RD11s. The Ariston is still not as stable as the Rega, but it's much better now. The old springs looked very tired. I also swapped out the cartridge from the old Grado Signature to a Clearaudio Concept MM which, with the upgraded springs, almost eliminated the problem altogether. Unfortunately, I managed to bust off the Clearaudio's cantilever after about 20 hours of playing -- and watched a brand new $200 cartridge become an inefficient paperweight -- so I'm back to the Grado. But I have a new Grado (old 8mz) stylus on order. (Although the Clearaudio was beginning to sound terrific as it broke in, severely uncoordinated people like me shouldn't be allowed to have a cartridge where the cantilever so prominently sticks out of the front and can't be replaced or repaired.)

After all this, though, a new problem has cropped up. Many, but not all, of my records have started skipping at the very end of the last cut, just before the needle enters the end groove in the middle of the LP. I suspect the bearing on the tonearm is sticking at that point or something's inhibiting the tonearm from entering the final groove, but I'm not sure. I'm also wondering whether it has anything to do with the anti-skate setting. Any suggestions?

I do like that Ariston, but the much lighter and cheaper Rega RP 1 is looking better and better in comparison.

Again, thanks for your very insightful response.

[youngdand]

Its all about set up. is the deck 100% level? note that the leveling point should be halfway between the spindle and the tonearm pivot. if it is level and set up properl, tapping the platter at this point should make the platter bounce in a piston like motion vertically with no horizontal movement.

Next you should see if you can feel any sticking points in the tonearm, could possibly be a bearing problem. It could also be that the internal wiring is catching, or restricting the movement of the tonearm. if the arm can spin 360, check it hasnet done so and that the internal wire are not wrapped up inside. when you move the arm closer to the center, does it pull on the wires to the cartridge tags?

once set up, the ariston will be a fantastic performer. i love mine to peices.