First mods to a record player?

[dav305z]

I finally have a setup that 'works' and of course am now looking for ways to improve it. Unfortunately, I don't really have money for this adventure. I have a Marantz direct drive table. What are some cheap ways to improve its sound. By cheap I mean CHEAP. Should I consider adding some sound deadening material to the plinth (it's already respectably think and heavy compared to other tables I've owned).

[JohnMichael]

I finally have a setup that 'works' and of course am now looking for ways to improve it. Unfortunately, I don't really have money for this adventure. I have a Marantz direct drive table. What are some cheap ways to improve its sound. By cheap I mean CHEAP. Should I consider adding some sound deadening material to the plinth (it's already respectably think and heavy compared to other tables I've owned).

I am not familiar with that turntable but a few things I always try with different tables are as follows; I replaced my felt ttable mat with the Ringmat mat. There are many others to try that you might like better than the stock mat. You might like the benefits of using a record clamp such as the Souther clever clamp. It is inexpensive and will not affect the bearings the way a weighted clamp might. Make sure you have a good alignment guage such as the MoFi geodisc. The Shure stylus force gauge to make sure you have the downforce set properly. Guages on arms can be wrong. Those are a few inexpensive ideas.

[jrhymeammo]

I finally have a setup that 'works' and of course am now looking for ways to improve it. Unfortunately, I don't really have money for this adventure. I have a Marantz direct drive table. What are some cheap ways to improve its sound. By cheap I mean CHEAP. Should I consider adding some sound deadening material to the plinth (it's already respectably think and heavy compared to other tables I've owned).

The cheapest way to enjoy music is to make time for listening, if you make less than $100/hr lets not talk about your opportunity cost. Turn off and unplug all the electronic devices that are not being used. Also turn off all of your lighting fixtures maybe except for one.

My cheapest and most effective tweak was wearing a blindfold. I stopped this cuz I thought it was kinda crazy.... but it really worked.
http://www.kamasutraexpress.com/blblsa.html

"Your best fantasies are with your eyes closed!" Mmmmmmm........... works for both audio and sexual fantasies.

All you gotta do is to listen and enjoy your music. It is very simple yet we all have hard time with it on occasion.

[trollgirl]

...thing you can possibly do is to install the very best-sounding phono cartridge you can afford, and they don't always have to be expensive. I have bought second-hand tables with really fine cartridges for ten bucks or less. My favorite for sound is the Ortofon OM10, which can be upgraded to OM 20 or 30 with a stylus change.

Laz