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Showing posts from May, 2013

Trio Kenwood KD-1033 turntable main bearing service

  One of my first posts in this blog was regarding the servicing of the Pioneer PL12D turntable, and that has proven to be the most popular by a significant margin. The Pioneer PL12D had its competitors, and probably the most popular alternative was the Trio Kenwood KD-1033 turntable. I use both names (Trio and Kenwood) as the company operated under different names in different markets. In the UK they were Trio, possibly because the brand Kenwood was most famous here for food blenders. 95% of a KD-1033 is similar to  Pioneer PL12D, and servicing them is very much the same process. Both are belt drive , have an AC synchronous motor,  mechanical speed change , a main bearing, sprung top deck and rubber motor mounts. the KD-1033 uses a different type of anti skate mechanism, employing a thread and weight. The plinth is shallower with an internal cross brace. One aspect that is different is the design of the main bearing, and servicing it is a little harder than a PL12D. The Pioneer main b

Restoring rubber turntable mats

I have got back into listening and enjoying Vinyl records. I have purchased a number of second hand turntables, which can be something of a bargain. Most have required a bit of tender loving care, and an area which often needs attention is the mat. Most turntables have some form of mat. They tend to be either rubber or felt, though you can get glass and cork mats. This article is about the rubber type. Rubber can harden and discolour with time. This can leave the mat looking rather tired and also reduces its ability to provide a firm platform for the record surface. I recently acquired a second NAD 5120 deck for spares. I had previously restored one of these decks. I may write up a blog on that, but here I wanted to show how to get the mat back to looking good. In the pictures below you can see the mat has discoloured and instead of being very dark grey , it has a green/yellow tint. This is no reflection on the previous owner, its just what happens to this rubber over time. It