Try some Vaseline on the arm gooseneck under the soundbox. Also, make sure that grease seals the swinging arm to the horn where they meet, and make sure that the pivot moves freely. I'd also pull the soundbox pivot point apart by unscrewing the ring, seal the joint with grease, and snug it such that the pivot moves up and down freely with no side play. Make sure there is no excess play at the arm base pivot as well, and that the arm moves freely- any drag will cause muffling.2002too wrote:i emailed a pair of sound files to Wyatt of the same record using medium needles, one each from the IX and the 4-7. He heard the issues and immediately asked me to return the soundbox to him. He jumped on it (not literally), found the issue, and quickly returned a much, much better sounding unit. No buzzing, good bass, great woodwind, but the vocals and the brass are not as clear as I expected. The vocals sound like someone singing through a Covid mask.
Unlike most Victrolas, the 4-7 has an all wood horn. Could the lack of a cast iron neck be a contributing factor? I can find no leaks in the horn. The swing arm has been carefully restored. The soundbox fits well to the swing arm. The soundbox is the standard pot metal unit in great condition. Could a different model soundbox give me clearer vocals while preserving the bass? Is the 4-7 the issue here? Or is it just that my expectations are out of line?
To those of you that can play the same VE record on an acoustic machine and an orthophonic, how does the sound compare? Is there a difference in clarity in the vocals and brass between the two? Does the better bass response of the Orthophonics mean sacrificing clarity in the midrange? If not, please tell me your combination of machine and soundbox. I don’t have room to collect a bunch of machines, as much as I would like, but I love the music and I’m willing to go all in for the right setup.
Thanks so much for your input.
All of these areas are a potential source of problems.