In February I purchased a Victor VE8-30X. I really wanted one with a spring motor, but when I visited Ron Haring, of the six or so machines he had (he has an unbelievable inventory - well worth a visit) one was in such fine condition that I caved and bought it. Having sold my Victor VV4-3, I was initially surprised that it didn't sound as good - rather dull, and less volume. First I removed the tonearm, and discovered there was no gasket underneath, so I made one out of rubber, which improved the sound a bit. I started using my HMV 5B soundbox which greatly helped the higher frequencies, and had been using since, but several people said it still sounded thin with less warmth and bass response than it should have. Recently, I read of adjusting the screw on the soundbox balance bar, and did so in 1/8 turn increments - wow, what a difference! After an hour or so of turns and tests, I now have dramatically more volume, and very nicely balanced with highs like the HMV 5B, but with better bass.
Are there any more "tweaks" I can do? Ron already replaced the ball bearings in the soundbox, and I always use teflon tape on the tonearm end for a tight seal. Many thanks for any suggestions, Will Chicago, IL _______________________________________________ Phono-L mailing list http://phono-l.org
