Realistic Lab-440

Hi! i'm pretty new to owning a record player but i'm trying to learn as much as i can so i don't sound like an idiot. I'm having a pretty big problem with my realistic lab-440. i bought it at Goodwill for a dirt cheap price of $10. It was originally priced at $50 but the cartridge was missing, so i made sure i could easily replace it by making some calls to friends. Now i tried actually going to Radioshack and they were so lost and confused i was totally frustrated. but then i went to guitar center and they really helped me out to realize that at this point my new purchase is a lost cause! unless i can find someone with an outershell (i think thats what you call it...) and a cartridge! Does anyone know how i can go about finding this? i tried calling radioshack's hotline and they just said sorry we dont have that part.

I've hit a dead end can anyone help?

thanks!

Welcome to Audio Review!!!

That table uses a "standard" straight-arm headshell to hold the cartridge. The headshell is held in place by a knurled set-screw which is hopefully still on your tonearm. If not, you may be able to find something that threads into the hole properly... Don't overtighten... things will break.

You can find a replacement headshell at Garage A' Records http://www.garage-a-records.com/index.php Look under "all accessories" on the left. Click on headshells. Find the Straight Arm Replacement HeadShell. The ones for the "S" shaped arms won't work...

A shot of contact cleaner that's safe for plastics into the connectors where the headshell plugs in would be a good idea, since they've been exposed to the air for awhile. Spray a little in and plug and unplug the headshell a few times.

Found a couple used headshells on eBay that should work. Cheaper than the Garage A' Records replacements and black to match your tonearm. One comes with a decent cartridge you can still get a stylus for (around $30.00, stylus missing on eBay cartridge), but the cartridge mounting screws look mismatched. Shouldn't matter as long as they're secure. You'd be taking a slight chance on getting one with bad / broken connections to the tiny, delicate cartridge wires or dirty contacts that need cleaning by going used though...

http://cgi.ebay.com/AUDIO-TECHNICA-A...QQcmdZViewItem

http://cgi.ebay.com/MALE-AND-FEMALE-...QQcmdZViewItem


You could also look for a cheap, non-working parts table that has the headshell and set-screw if you need it. Might even come with a decent cartridge you could still get a replacement stylus for...

As far as a cartridge goes... Your headshell will accept any standard 1/2" mount cartridge. I'd recommend the Audio Technica AT95E or the Shure M97xE if you want to spend a little more... the Ortofon OM-20 Super for a little more... All excellent choices at their price-points. All come with the hardware necessary to mount them to your headshell. Garage A' Records carries all of them. Stay away from the DJ cartridges at Guitar Center etc... They are built to stand up to more abuse, but you always lose some detail, frequency-range and smoothness. They also track heavier, causing more record wear.

I'll try to post a picture that shows the tonearm, set-screw, headshell and cartridge in place so you'll know what you're shooting for...

Does your receiver / preamp have an input for phono? If not, you'll also need a phono preamp to enable plugging the turntable into a CD, tape, aux or other standard line-level input. Just in case... This one's a great deal http://www.phonopreamps.com/tc750pp.html . Good for use with a more modest system and / or cartridge. Very decent sounding and runs quiet (many of the lower-priced preamps have hum problems and sound terrible). Next step up would be something like the NAD PP-2 http://www.audioadvisor.com/prodinfo.asp?number=NAPP2. A little cleaner, smoother and more dynamic sounding than the TC-750. Would suggest it for use with a good mid-quality system if going with a better cartridge. Although... The most inexpensive cartridge I recommended (AT95E) is an exceptional value and the better preamp would probably not be wasted on it...

The Lab-440 is a decent table, capable of some pretty good sound. Hope you get it working. Good luck!!!

Wow! thank you sooo much for all this information. I never would have figured this out by myself. One last question.. do i need the phono preamp for it to play? or is that just like an extra accesory?

That picture helps alot too thanks a lot! You have no idea how happy I am! =)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kimjim25

Wow! thank you sooo much for all this information. I never would have figured this out by myself. One last question.. do i need the phono preamp for it to play? or is that just like an extra accesory?

---

Some receivers and preamps are still being made with an input marked "phono". You wouldn't need a phono preamp with one of these. There's one built in. Many receivers and preamps are being made without a phono input these days. You would need a phono preamp with one of these in order to use a CD, DVD, tape, aux, line in, etc... input. Otherwise, you'd barely be able to hear the turntable at all with the volume turned all the way up. Phono preamps also reverse the RIAA equalization used in recording vinyl. If you don't have a phono input, you'll need an outboard phono preamp.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kimjim25

Hi! i'm pretty new to owning a record player but i'm trying to learn as much as i can so i don't sound like an idiot. I'm having a pretty big problem with my realistic lab-440. i bought it at Goodwill for a dirt cheap price of $10. It was originally priced at $50 but the cartridge was missing, so i made sure i could easily replace it by making some calls to friends. Now i tried actually going to Radioshack and they were so lost and confused i was totally frustrated. but then i went to guitar center and they really helped me out to realize that at this point my new purchase is a lost cause! unless i can find someone with an outershell (i think thats what you call it...) and a cartridge! Does anyone know how i can go about finding this? i tried calling radioshack's hotline and they just said sorry we dont have that part.

I've hit a dead end can anyone help?

thanks!

---

...tables in cherry shape. I know that it's more than you wanna spend, but I can send you one for $80, Grado Blue included, as well as the original Shure. Box, manual, mint. Even the original receipt!

I'm keeping the one like I had years ago, the model in Roy's pic - flip-lever cueing. The first one I bought has a matching rectangular button for the cue. And he's right... not a bad sounding rig, not sure who really made it.

When I had this table originally, I wasn't aware of the adjustments for lead-in groove drop and lift-off... cool feature.

I'm sure you could find another $10 or $20 table from eBay or whatever for parts.