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Turntable and record player repairs, service and upgrades
Written by Annas
We speak the language of the phonograph fluently. (Just not the Sheffield Drum Record though).
You don't have to justify your vinyl addiction at Speakerbits; we understand.
We may not be able to cure a $215.00 a week vinyl habit but we can keep your turntable spinning. We do it every day.The turntable may be the simplest device in most sound systems but it's also the most elegant, requiring the steady hand of experience at service time. Tom Manning has been at it for more than twenty seven years but still finds himself learning on a weekly basis.
All turntables passing through his workshop leave with a thirty-eight point inspection report. He sets the anti-skate dynamically with a blank record, the tracking force with a digital stylus pressure gauge and the speed with a digital stroboscope. Most importantly he listens to music on every turntable as a final inspection.
Much of our work involves service and repairs to the famous German made Thorens turntables - a brand we proudly represent in Australia. We keep most available parts on hand to service and repair your Thorens turntable – from modern to vintage. We know that many of you have Thorens models going back many decades; whilst parts for some early models are sadly no longer available, every belt is stocked. Servicing and calibration of almost all turntables is straightforward and can usually be undertaken quickly.
Not surprisingly those decks that leave with a new Ortofon cartridge installed sound better than they ever have done. Why not treat your Thorens or any other brand of turntable to a new Ortofon 2M or Rondo MC cartridge while we service it? Your turntable and Ortofon are natural dancing partners. There is no better way to extract all the music from the groove than with a new Ortofon cartridge. Ask us for our recommendation. Got an old Thorens or other high quality brand you'd like to offload? We're always buying quality vintage and high end Hi-Fi equipment for cash - working or not.
Why do the best speakers in the world use Scan-Speak drivers?
It’s not a surprise, or a coincidence, that designers who really understand sound use Scan-Speak drivers in their speakers. Scan-Speak have proved time and again that their speaker drivers are the best in the world. Can we be clearer? Several distinct ranges of Scan-Speak drivers are available now to ease your audio passion. Give yourself a sonic present – use Scan-Speak in your next project. Scan-Speak drivers by the way make fabulous replacements to upgrade or repair any speaker system you may have.
Searching for a turntable with a difference?
Thorens from Germany know a bit about the phono business; Every Thorens comes with 125 years of history and know how. Today’s Thorens, from the fully automatic series right up to the award winning TD309, TD2035 and beyond showcase the finest audiophile standards born from famous German engineering. Thorens electronics are designed to maximize your phono experience. Exquisite eye catching design come standard of course!
Why do phonophiles love the sound of Ortofon?
This Danish audio manufacturer produces cartridges, cables and phono accessories coveted by music lovers the world over. Ortofon trusts engineering, measurement, thorough process and the knowledge born of a nine decade history to consistently produce cartridges with the same sonic signature, year after year. Ortofon’s factory floor full of exquisitely crafted machinery and test equipment allows a remarkable performance to price ratio, emphasizing the breadth of the science underpinning their exquisite, jewel-like creations.
Custom designed speakers
It would appear that Michael Vowles, our National Sales Manager and Chief of Design, has the Gothic Symphony of Havergal Brian on high rotation on his Sony Walkman. Either that or he's been researching the Munch Mammoth motorcycle or perhaps gleaning some ideas from the late works of Emil Nolde. It must be true since the custom speaker designs he's produced lately share a similarly strange screwed-together beauty.
I don't know how he does it because I don't know how to do it myself. The tools have moved on a bit since the 14th century when I had something to do with the caper. The results of Michael's work are tangible; we often gather round his creations soon after birth to soak up the baby's nascent gurgles. Scan-Speak and Peerless drivers, Musicap capacitors, Carlsson inductors, Ortofon internal cabling and other tasty bits and pieces usually add up to a sophisticated package. With a full suite of contemporary design tools and the knowledge of how to use them properly, Michael can ensure success for you speaker project. Call in or call us to discuss your ideas. You're always welcome at Speakerbits.
Tom Manning 
27 years repairing speakers
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After twenty seven years in the trenches, we've seen just about every speaker fault imaginable. Have your foam surround suspension rings rotted or perished? Many quality speakers made between about 1970 and 1990 used soft foam for the outer suspension ring of the bass and midrange speaker. This is widely regarded by speaker professionals as the best material for sound quality – but unfortunately the limited life span means that it will eventually need to be replaced. Most refoam jobs cost between $65.00 and $110.00 each depending on the type and grade of foam required. Which foam surround is right for your speakers? We have for example fifteen or twenty different ten inch foam surrounds in stock. Each one fits a different speaker; we can determine quickly which one is right for you. The installation of the wrong surround by less thorough repairers will inevitably result in a profound loss of bass response. The correct grade of foam is absolutely essential to retain the speaker's original characteristics. Our extensive experience lets us select exactly the correct part for you. Have your tweeters stopped working? A common failure, usually caused by driving a low powered amplifier beyond its safe operating limit. Where genuine parts are not available from the manufacturer we can do one of two different repairs. The first involves fitting new diaphragm dome units to your existing tweeters. This can be done in many cases and is a good idea if your tweeters are an unusual shape or design, precluding fitting of complete new tweeters. The second option involves replacement of the entire tweeter with top quality Danish Peerless or Scan-Speak tweeters. These can often be very successfully grafted onto your existing tweeter face plates, making the transplant almost invisible. Fitting new modern tweeters can in any case do wonders for the overall sound of a modest pair of speakers. To preserve your new tweeters, it usually a matter of just taking it easy on the volume control. You only need to reduce the level a little to avoid tweeter destruction. Tweeter or tweeter diaphragm replacements usually cost between $55.00 and $125.00 each depending on the cost of the tweeter and how much labour is involved in retro-fitting it. Have your bass/midranges (woofers) stopped working or do they rattle or buzz? This may be due to faulty braid (lead in) wires or the fault may be more intricate. The voice coil may be bunt or damaged or the cone may be creased or damaged. Any of these faults can be easily rectified. We can replace just the voice coil, spider (inner hidden suspension damper) and braids. We can replace the cone assebly too if that is required. There is almost no speaker driver that cannot be repaired in this way. Costs typically range between $95.00 for voice coil and spider replacement on smaller speakers, up to $165.00 for a complete recone. Cones can be replaced in either paper, plastic or Kevlar. It should be noted that it is far better to retain the original cone material if possible, even it has to be heavily patched. This is the best way to retain the speaker's original sound reproduction. Got some high quality or vintage speakers you'd like to offload? We're always buying quality vintage and high end equipment for cash.
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Here are just a few of the brands we service:
Acapella Audio Arts, Acoustic Energy, acoustic technologies, ADAM Audio, ADRaudio, Advance acoustic, Advent, Altec Lansing, Amphion Loudspeakers, Aperion Audio, Apertura, APG, Arnscott Electronics, Artcoustic Loudspeakers, Arvus Loudspeakers, Ascend Acoustics, Ascebdo GmbH, Ascension, ASW- Loudspeaker, ATC, Atlantis Acoustique, Atlas Sound, LP, Atohm, AUDAX, AUDES, AUDIAZ, Audio Artistry, Audio Physic, AudioPro, AudioTop, AudioVector, AudioVox, Audison, Audivation, AuraSound, Aurelia Loudspeakers, Aurum Cantus, AV , Avalon Acoustics, AVI Sound International, AVI/ Speaker Techniques, Axiom Audio, B&C Speakers, Bang & Olufsen. Barefoot Sound, BC Acoustique, Beauhorn, Behringer, Better Music Builder, Blacka Acoustics, Blaupunkt, BMB, BMS, Bolzano Villetri, Bose, Boston Acoustics, Bowers & Wilkins, Bravox, Bruno Henry Acoustique, Burmester, Cabasse, Canton Elektronik, Celestion, Cerwin-Vega, Chario, Chorus, Coda Audio, Community Professional Loudspeakers, Creative, Crown, Cyramyx, d&b Audiotechnik, D.A.S. Audio, Dai-ichi , DALI, Danley Sound Labs, Davis Acoustics, Dayton Loudspeaker, dB Technologies, Definitive Audio, Denon, Designe , Diapason, Divatech, DLS, Duevel, Duntech, Dynacord, Dynaudio, Dynavoice, EAW, Edifier, Egglestonworks, Elac, Electro-Voice, Electrocompaniet, Elipson, Eltax, EM Acoustics, Emerald Physics, Eminence, Emotiva Audio, Empire disambiguation needed , Energy Speaker Systems, er acoustics, ESTELON, Event, Everest, Fane Acoustics , Farassoo Acron , FBT, FeONIC , Focal-JMLab, Foremost Audio, ForsmanForsman, Forvoice, Fostex, Funktion-One, Gallo Acoustics, Gamut, Genelec, Genesis, German Physiks , Gershman Acoustics, Giussani Research , Gradient, Göbel Audio, Harbeth, Harman Kardon, Harrin Kaiutin, Hartke Systems, Hear More Technology , Hemp Acoustics, Hertz, Highland, Hiquphon, HSU Research, Huff, HUMAN Speakers, Hybrid Audio Technologies , image, Indiana Line, Infinity, isophon, Jamo, Jarmo Audio, JBL, Jean-Marie Reynaud, Jensen, JL Audio, JLA, JVC, Kea Audio, KEF, Kelinac, Kenwood, Kharma International, Kirsch Audio, KLH, Klipsch, Koda, Krell, Krix, KRK, KS Digital, Kustom, L-Acoustics, Lansche Audio, Lautsprecher Produktions GmbH, Legacy Audio, Legend Acoustics, Leon Speakers, Linn, Lipinski Sound, Lithos Acoustics, Living Voice, Logitech, Lowther, Mackie, Magnat, Magnepan, Manger Audio, Marten, Martin Audio, Martin Logan, Master Audio, MBL, McCauley Sound, McIntosh Laboratory, Meyer Sound, Microlab Electronics, Midgard Audio, Minneapolis Speaker Co, Mirage (Klipsch subsidiary), Mission, Mitek/MTX. Monitor Audio, MonitorUnlimited Loudspeakers, Mordaunt-Short, Morel, Mosquito, Mulidine, Naim, NCA Laboratories, Newform Research, NEXO, NHT Loudspeakers, Norge Audio , nOrh, Nubert, OE-One, OHM, Ohm Acoustics, ONIX audio, Onkyo, Opus, OR-Loudspeakers, ORCA, Orpheus, Oxford, Panasonic, Paradigm, PAS, Peak Bay, Peavey Electronics, Peerless (Tymphany), Penaudio, Phase Technology, Philips, Piega SA, Pierre-Etienne Léon, Pinnacle Speakers, Pioneer, PK Sound, PMC speakers, Podium Sound, Polk Audio, Pro-Linear Electronics, Proac, Proel, Proson, PSB, Pyramid Audio, Q Acoustics, QLN, QSC, Quad Electroacoustics, Quadral, Radio Shack, RCF, Rega, REL Acoustics, Renkus-Heinz, Revel, Richter, Rogers Intl, rogue wave audio, S&P-Audio, SEAS, Selenium, Servodrive, SES Audio Design , Shermann Audio, SICA, Snell, Song Audio, Sonic Gear, Sonicweld, Sonique Audio, Sonodyne, Sonus Faber, Sony, Sound Precision, Sound Projects, Speakerlab, Spendor, StudioLAB, surrounTec, System Audio (SA), System Fidelity , Tang Band, Tangent Audio, Tannoy, TC loudspeakers, Technomad, Teledyne, Teresonic, Theophany, THIEL, Tidal, TOA Corp, Tonsil, Totem Acoustic, Tound, Triad, Triangle, Electroacoustique, TruAudio, Turbosound, Tymphany (Peerless), Usher, VAF Research, Vandersteen, VEF Radiotehnika RRR, Verity Audio, Vienna Acoustics, Vivid Audio, VMPS, Void Audio, Von Schweikert Audio, Weckstrom Speakers, Wharfedale, Whatmough, Wilson Audio, Wilson Benesch, XAVIAN , XTZ, Yamaha, Yorkville Sound, ZR Speaker Lab, Zu Audio and Phi Hi-Fi Innovation.
