Clearaudio Pulley noise
 

Is anyone else getting a light clicking noise from the pulley on their Reference motor? If I apply very light pressure front, back, or top it disappears. Will a new $150 pulley solve this?
Regards,
Jim

Jim.......Have you inspected the pulley for debris? Have you closely inspected the belt for cracks or stretching? If you remove the belt from the motor pulley, does the clicking noise persist?

I have never had a problem with mine. A new belt is not a bad thing to have on hand I would start there. Check the pulley for wear marks a how old is the table and how much use has it got.

There is no noise without the belt, and the belt has been replaced with a new one. I have removed the pulley and cleaned it then reinstalled it with no change. I really think that the Delron screws being worn could be the problem, and will probably get a new pulley.
Regards,
Jim

Why don't you contact Musical Surroundings and ask. Their customer support is excellent.

I already talked to Mike, and his suggestion was " A new pulley is $150, or for $100 per hour we can take a look at it for you.
Disappointing,
Jim

I have decided to go for a new pulley. The noise is faint, but bothersome.
Regards,
Jim

Thank you for providing closure. I have been enjoying an Ovation for about 3 months now and am very happy.

Jim.......Did the new pulley solve the clicking noise issue?

I have decided to ship the reference motor and pulley back to Mike at Musical Surroundings for a check out and repair. The motor is a Reference model which was a step up from the standard Solution motor, and is dated 02/02 so it made sense to me to have it gone over and ensure it is in proper condition. I have the RA and will ship it back in the next day or two. I have inserted the TD125MkII/Magnapan Unitrac1 table as a stand in. Not shabby, but not the same.
Regards,
Jim

Jim.......Thanks for the update. I was hoping it was going to be a simple and easy fix. Keep us posted.

Will do! It is packed for war conditions and on it's way to Mike at Musical Surroundings. He assured me they can take care of the issue, and it would not have to head to Europe for repairs/resolution! I sure hope so. :^(
Regards,
Jim

BTW: The Thorens TD125 MKII/ Magnapan Unitrac1/Dynavector 17D2mr combination is filling in nicely.

Jim.......It's good you have a reliable turntable as a standby.

I just got off the phone with Mike Fajen at Musical Suroundings and they found the motor tests dead on speed stability wise. The very faint ticking noise is a bit annoying, but is it worth the 12 week trip to Germany? They are going to clean and lube the motor and try a new pulley to see if it quiets the faint ticking noise that I think is coming from the pulley as I could not hear it when holding a stethoscope up to the 11lb. motor. I also could not detect the noise when using the same method on either arm board. Both arm boards are the upgraded cast alloy ones not the acrylic ones.

So it comes down to possibly putting up with a small annoyance if the clean, lube and new pulley does not correct the problem. The other option is sending it back to Germany not knowing the cost of repair till after it is in their possession, not to mention the 12 weeks+ shipping costs.

I'm leaning on not sending it back as I could sell the table and upgrade to a Clearaudio Innovation table that would accept my arm boards and arms, or move to another table. I really do like the ClearAudio table and that I can run two arms on it, one stereo, and one 12" mono. Decisions Decisions Decisions!

I want to shout out to Mike Fajen at Musical Surroundings who has been great to work with, and open to conversation about the issue. He has also been very fair in his options and service cost estimates and pricing. Goes a long way in confidence in the products the represent.

Regards,
Jim

Jim.......Does Mike hear the ticking noise?

Yes he does, but like me only when the platter is being driven by the pulley. The pulley is made of Delrin I believe with 3 Delrin screws to tighten it.
Regards,
Jim

The motor is on it's way back to me after a cleaning and lubrication at a very reasonable cost including shipping back. The noise is 99% gone, and one needs to put their ear up to the motor to faintly hear it according to Mike. Will follow up upon it arrival and installation.
Regards,
Jim

Jim.......So my take away is the ticking noise is in the motor and not in the Delrin pulley, is that right? Was a new pulley installed along with the lube job?

Mike said there was quite an amount of residue in the lower bearing of the motor, and he did not think it was in the pulley. This reference motor has some age on it so a cleaning and lubrication made a lot of sense. He said the replacement of the pulley at a cost of $150 would not gain a reward. He did take the shaft measurement and has it on file should I decide to get a new pulley which would have to be ordered from Germany as my pulley is a six step pulley 3 for 33rpm and 3 for 45rpm. We shall see when the motor arrives. My Solution Table has the upgraded Ceramic Magnetic Bearing and the thicker Master Solution Platter, which is why the motor was upgraded to the Reference model as well.
Regards,
Jim

Jim.......I have my fingers crossed for you, hoping this solution with make you happy.

Thanks Dan, even with the faint ticking noise the table makes wonderful music. The noise was more of an annoyance than a performance hinderance, so I'm looking forward to it's return.
Regards,
Jim

Well the Clearaudio is back up and running. You literally have to place your ear next to the pulley to hear a very faint ticking. Before you could hear it while cueing a record. So far I am very pleased with the results, and while the break gave me a chance to play with both the Thorens TD160 and TD125 MKII using the Dynavector 17D2mr and the Ortofon MC20 Super it is obvious the ClearAudio is superior on several fronts. It is good to get it back in the main rig. The cost of work at Musical Suroundings totaled $105 including shipping cross county and back.

Regards,
Jim

Jim.......Thanks for the update. Perhaps the cleaning and lube will ultimately see the faint noise disappear. It seems you are satisfied with the improvement. That's all that matters. Happy listening.

Thanks Dan, and congrats on the 8 yr anniversary of AA! I will go with it and see how it plays out. I am a bit surprised that the Innovation tables (which are the newer update of the solution series) have the motor mounted on the plinth???
Regards,
Jim

After some time on the motor since the clean and lub, it is now silent, so all is good in the main rig!
Regards,
Jim

Jim.......This is great news. Your Clearaudio turntable is a beauty. I was hoping the noise would ultimately disappear.

I am happy for you. . :applause:

I had this exact issue with the motor and pulley on my Performance SEP. Contacted Musical Surroundings and they had no clue what it was. Acted like they had never heard of this problem before. I ended up replacing the motor and pulley because I just couldn't stand it anymore. Cost me $550. New one is good and the music sounds a lot better. I didn't realize how much the clicking sound affected the sound until it was gone.