Goldring GR 1.2

[sparrow]

I just bought one of these yesterday and it is a massive improvement on my old Technics. It only cost 130 pounds and was the best I can afford at the moment .. Any comments

[JaS]

The GR1 series is so close to being a Rega P2 it's amazing at the price. They do sometimes have loose vertical arm bearings (easy enough to nip up) and the plastic arm base is a little cheesy, but they sound fine. Be sure to place it on a decent support/wall stand to get the best performance

Regards,
JaS

[stereophile]

I've set-up a couple of those for friends. Bang for the buck ttable! I agree with JaS: set it-up on a solid table or rack. Another tip, lube the spindle w/ Mobil 1 oil or another fully synthetic. Makes the platter spin even smoother. Other than that, the usual careful cart alignment/set-up is required. VTA requires use of shims though...

Set-up properly, it can compete w/ ttables costing $1000.

[Flat Earth]

I'd argue that your new GR1.2 will already have the best bearing lubrication a turntable could ever want - specifically two carefully applied drops of 80w/90 Hypoid gear oil (see below).

Regardless of whether this record deck is new or used, came from a dealer or private seller, you'd do well to first check the oil by lifting off the outer platter, removing the belt, and then raising the inner hub by no more than two centimetres in order to observe whether oil is present on top of the brass bearing housing.

The presence of such indicates that the table has been on its side and/or upside down for more than 20 minutes at a time resulting in precious oil lost. Even pulling the hub/spindle assembly fully out of the bearing bush will cause sufficient loss of oil such that speed stability problems and possibly eventual bearing damage will result.

In which case, regardless of the age of the turntable, the official cleaning/re-oiling method is indicated as follows...

Cleaning Hub/Bearing

1. Undo hub nut and remove washer. Remove hub/bearing from turntable. As the brass bearing bush is designed to fit tightly in the plinth, gentle tapping on the base of the bearing bush with a plastic hammer may be necessary. (We advise that this is not done in front of the customer!)

2. Slowly withdraw the hub from the brass bearing bush, (if the hub is pulled out quickly the ball bearing may inadvertently be sucked out and lost). Remove ball bearing by turning the bearing bush upside down and tapping sharply.

3. It is important that both the hub spindle and the inside of the bearing bush are cleaned and degreased thoroughly. This is best done using a solvent cleaner containing 1.1.1. trichloroethane which is available from R.S Components Ltd. A small amount of this can be poured into the bearing bush, and with a finger placed over the hole, shaken thoroughly and poured out. To clean the spindle apply the solvent to a piece of lint-free cloth or kitchen paper. Wipe both spindle and the ball bearing with same and replace.

4. Fit the hub back into the bearing bush and spin to check that it is running freely. If its not, return complete assembly to Rega.

5. If all is well, remove hub from bearing bush then tilt the bearing bush and place two drops of Comma Hypoid EP80, Castrol EPX80w/90 or Shell Spirax EP90, as recommended, in the position as illustrated. Do not use more than two drops.

6. With the bush still tilted, slide hub (without twisting) back into bearing bush. This method should ensure a release passage for trapped air.

7. Spin hub to evenly distribute oil and refit into turntable. Replace washer and tighten nut firmly, using an adjustable spanner or Rega tool, to approximately 5Nm, (a full explanation of this torque can be found on Explanation of torque)

IMPORTANT

It is essential that the recommended oil is used as any other lubricant will break down under pressure, causing wear. It is available from most car accessory shops or from Rega, free of charge.

Degreasing: RS Components stock a solvent cleaner containing 1.1.1. trichloroethane which is suitable for degreasing the hub/bearing assembly and lift lower assembly. Please note warning on solvent tin.

Note 1: The illustration referred to in step 5. above depicts the two drops of oil being introduced into the angled brass bearing bush (aka bearing well) at the very top of the inside wall such that it is allowed to run down the full length of the bearing on one side only.

This is critical as Rega bearings aren't intended to 'pump' oil up the shaft/wall from a pool at the bottom, rather the parts are 'coated' with the minimum amount of thick oil which stays put indefinitely should the bearing be left upright and undisturbed. I've seen 25+ year old Planars with original oil still fully coating the entire bush, ball, and spindle!

Note 2: The full explanation of torque referred to in step 7. above includes a quick equivalent which involves running the nut up the bearing bush until it is finger tight (i.e. stops against the plinth with no more finger pressue than it took to thread it along it length) and then turning it through a further 270 degrees (3/4 turn) using a wrench.

HTH,

Flat

PS. With a bit of care, it is possible to thoroughly clean and re-oil the bearing without removing the brass bearing bush from the plinth as in steps 1. and 2. above. In which case, after removing the ball, you'll want to be careful to use a lint free cloth to thoroughly wipe out the bearing bush with ample solvent such that no lint is left behind (Tip: after thoroughly cleaning and letting dry, use a can of compressed air to blow out any possible fibre residue). Then it is just a matter of tilting the table in order to properly introduce the two drops of oil down one full side of the bearing bush, drop in the ball, and insert the hub/spindle.

PPS. You won't likely find solvent containing Trichloroethane as its been deemed environmentally unsafe, so whatever tin RS has labelled as solvent cleaner these days will do fine.

[mike_rawn]

Whatabout premium 80w90, like Amsoil? Not going to break down, 1/2 the coeff. of friction of petroeum gear lube!

Mike
ESC

[Flat Earth]

My interpretation is that the key parameters are extreme pressure performance and the ability to maintain a thick film of oil on all running surfaces.

Any quality brand/formulation of 80w/90 gear oil will easily met these, but if in doubt Rega Service is only an e-mail away.

As to comparing co-efficient of drag performance between the various brands/formulations, I suspect that the differences pale to insignificance when compared to hauling a diamond stylus round a record groove.

Flat

[JaS]

Whatabout premium 80w90, like Amsoil? Not going to break down, 1/2 the coeff. of friction of petroeum gear lube!

It shouldn't do any harm. You could use a cheap 20W40 engine oil to get the same viscosity but you don't really want the additives present in engine oil, and as you only need to buy 1L why not use the best? I'm quite partial to high quality mono-grade gear oils having had a positive experience with them when I managed a MC shop. My favourite (if you can find it) is Putoline GP 80:
http://www.putoline.com/en/product_deta ... talogId=32

Regards,
JaS

[sparrow]

I had a bit of bother with the TT. It seemed very sesitive to the slightest mark or scratch on the records. It was sticking on a few LP's that played OK on my old deck. The problem was that it wasn't sitting flat so with the help of a spirit level everything is OK.

[sorted]

hi all. just bumped into this site. so very glad to have come across it. i've been collecting records for a few years now and own a Goldring GR1.2. i have very little technical knowledge when it comes to these things, but i have a protractor, the HiFi News test LP and have just procured a tonearm weight gauge to help in my search for perfect sound! haha!

as far as i can see, everything matches up pretty well, except that i get IGD that in some cases, is unlistenable. especially so with 7"s and 10"s. is there anything else i should be looking for in the TT apart from the usual suspects (misaligned cartridges, incorrect counterweight adjustment etc)? i have the bias set at 2 and have set the weight using the tonearm weight guage and some documentation found online.

as you know with this TT, there is only a counterweight - there isnt a tracking force weight knob, so i cant set it to zero as many guides have stated to do. ive used Goldrings instructions to adjust the counterweight. is there something else i should try?

[Alec124c41]

I would suggest downloading a protractor from the link at the top, and pay close attention to getting it as perfect as you can. Inner groove distortion is most dependent on this, and smaller records are all inner grooves, compared to a 12" LP.
You could probably back off on the bias setting, too.
What cartridge do you have mounted?

Cheers,
Alec

[sorted]

thanks for replying! i have the standard Elektra cart that with the D152E stylus. i have a couple of protractors - one supplied with the TT from Goldring, and another that comes in the HiFi News test LP. i got them out last night and had a gander and it seems pretty close on. should i think about upgrading my cart?

[avole]

If I remember correctly the arm on the 1.2 is an RB 250, in which case the setting bias sets the anti-skate.

Rega arms are notorious for having too strong an anti-skate, so set the bias to 1 or zero. What cartridge do you have, by the way?

[sorted]

Elektra D152E stylus.

i normally have the bias set to 2, so i'll lower it down and see if that helps. i have some nice, trebl-y post-rock playing now, so if there is any IGD on this record, it should sound pretty noticable. played a bass-heavy record earlier, and there was no IGD to be heard, but obviously there are many factors that can influence IGD inc pressing quality and the like.

will need to sound out a few records at least to see if we get some good results.

thanks for the tips guys.

[sorted]

so i've set the bias to zero, replaced the belt and stylus with LP Gear's Goldring GR1.2 'upgrade' kit, lined everything up and guess what?! IGD reduced by a hellova lot! sounding much better - better lows and highs. i've also got a piece of leather down on the platter and the ambient noise has substantially reduced.

awesome tippage guys! v happy listener right here!!.