Pro-Ject Debut Carbon DC Noise Reduction Techniques That Work!

The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon is a great turntable if you want hi-fi on a budget, but you may notice some noise. Here's how I eliminated it on mine.

[@christophermarvin85]

I found the ground lug. Is not making contact .To the black box. None of the ground were. I hard wire the rca grounds and the turntable ground. To a new plug I had and fixed it. It the way it is made.

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

Thanks for going the extra mile to correct Pro-Ject's error in design! I no longer own that turntable, but I'm glad so many have used this video to get their turntable to sound as good as it can.

[@thesupergamermario3701]

Bill what do you own now?

[@vinylthoughts5201]

Wow! Just performed these little tweaks to my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon and what a huge difference!!! No more subtle buzz at all! Added a leather mat, for now, Acrylic platter is next on the list of upgrades... Thanks for the tips!

[@northa4021]

Hi Bill nice post on this turntable and its noise problems. I actually had one of these and returned it due to noise problems and and ended up getting the Essential II, while this is a downgrade it had less noise than the Carbon. I just want to add a couple of things I did to my Project Essential to help it out. First is the very poor quality of the power supply like the one with your Carbon. The switching wall wort power supply creates all kinds of RFI. If you take the tip of the power supply close to the cartridge you will hear the noise. I experimented with various power supplies and found that laptop power supplies were silent when the tip was brought close to the cartridge. I am now using a power supply from a Canon printer. Next was speed stability and this was an easy fix, I replaced the black rubber belt with a white silicone belt that was suggested by the dealer. I have since replaced the MDF platter with the acrylic platter and added a Goldring 2200. While this now sounds very good, it might be time for a Rega.

[@northunionstation]

Thanks so much!! I just bought this today and I love the sound so much, I was just going to put up with the hum, but now I love it even more! Great work!

[@GRSM000]

DUDE! The last trick .... worked 1000%, that was it! Love you!

[@ferdinandeugenio8201]

Your videoclip is great. I’ve the Debut Carbon Esprit. There’s this annoying buzzing noise specially at high volume level. You’re absolutely correct: grounding problem. I followed your advise and attached the (-) of the DC power supply to the black ground of the tonearm. Problem SOLVED!!! Sound is much better & crispier. Thanks a lot.

[@JuanAlvarez-cx2pc]

I have to thank you!!! I bought this turntable second hand, and I was so disappointed after a couple of days of playing records on it.... I tried everything, I changed my cables I thought it was my phono stage hooked it up to my other system to no avail .... until I came across your video, followed the steps and now.... I'm in musical bliss !!!! My the gods of rock bless you infinitely!!!!!

[@davidsacks4561]

Amazing help. I had been bugged by the hum for months. I knew to remove the transport screws only after calling the company, but was not made aware, and thus I did not even know that the grommets existed. After removing the grommets, the hum was gone.

[@halfmanhalfbiscuit]

This really is the consummate (and utterly brilliant) enthusiast video. Respect.

[@tjeerikablom7921]

Hey Bill! I just came across your videos and I must say good work! I probably am a lucky pro-ject owner (debut carbon esprit dc) because mine is silent! So I thought! But then after seeing this video I turned up the volume really loud, and yes a bit of dark hum is noticeable. I went straight to my shed and made a new groundingwire for de power plug. BAMM since!! so a big thanks to you Bill

[@willmarinell6710]

Bill, you totally solved my hum issue! Thanks very, very much for posting this super helpful, clear video!

[@CiclopediBastogne]

Dear Bill, congratulations! Definitely your technics works! After several attempts with no results, I tried on my Carbon debut your suggestion and IT WoRKS . Especially the wire among the DC pin and the ground knob. Fantastic, the most effective and simple solution ! Thank you very much! Cheers

[@giorgiomarino5958]

Ciclope DiBastogne did you connect it to the turntable lug or the amp lug?

[@rv6541]

Do did you put wire on a ground for TT OR RECEIVER?

[@jaxphotobuff9252]

Very helpful video. Just purchased a Pro-Ject Carbon Esprit SB (Oct 2019) and, after following all these tips, I still had a low level hum with the volume up. I switched out the “high end” audio interconnects I was using (which were not especially well shielded) for some Monster Cable RCA interconnects that were better shielded, and that was the final touch to silence the hum.

[@harpalchauhan428]

Can't be hi end if you changed it for monster cable 😂😂😂 a 100% better company then most hi end cable manufacturers and British to boot are qed.co.uk most a innovation in speaker cable not a copycat like most including monster. 😂😂😂 just to be curious what was the "hi end " cables you were using lol

[@returnofthetres697]

Hey Bill, just solved all of my hum /noise issues thanks to your video! Thanks so much from the UK 👍🏻

[@PrettyGreenVinylGuy]

This was fantastic, thanks Bill. I have a Pro-ject Debut Carbon and I'm going to check out these noise elimination recommendations. Cheers E

[@jontranberry3420]

Thank you for making this video Bill !!! I just removed the rubber grommets under the motor assembly as well as the dust cover and the change is night and day! No more mechanical hum. Everything is clearer now. Less fatiguing to listen to my system now.

[@ferdinandeugenio8201]

I just wanted to tell you how marvelous your recommendations are. And all of those things you mentioned I did on my Project turntable Debut Carbon Esprit SB (The Beatles Edition) and practically successfully removed that annoying buzzing (even at low level). Thank you very much.

[@amd3449]

Thank You Man! The Ac to the Ground Tip works!!! No Buzz or Hum! ...finally my ProJect Dc is quiet!

[@johneaton3069]

Thanks Bill, I have had my Pro-Ject Debut Carbon for several years now. While I have not experienced any electrical ground or hum issues, I have been bothered by mechanical motor noise since new. I even demonstrated the noisy motor to an old friend a couple of days ago. Just for fun I finally decided to Google Debut Carbon noisy motor. Imagine my surprise when your video showed me I need to remove the transport screws and grommets. Wow, now total silence! I'm going to sit in the corner now with my pointy Dunce Cap on. Thanks again!

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

I'm surprised I put up with the noise for as long as I did - it was still a great sounding table! Thanks for your comments.

[@Baerchenization]

@@BillsBoxOfSound Only problem you are not supposed to do that, looking at the owner's manual. The screws and grommets are supposed to be in place, clearly a poor construction.

[@Vanadisphoto]

@@Baerchenization I'm surprised by that since that kind of mechanical holding usually is only so the platter and motor are not moving around during transportation and when installed should be unscrewed so the motor and platter are free "floating". I know my Revox B790 has similar screws under the platter that are screwed down for transportation only and unscrewed for use and playback.

[@FRST2012]

Michel F I found this so interesting that the dealer removed the screws. This says to me they shouldn’t be there, although I have never read the the manual, I don’t own the turntable although they intrigues me to experience one vs my SL1200mk2. I would have imagined the rubber grommets to be somewhat sound suppressors, but clearly not the case here. As long as having the motor floating does not cause an issue, a solution is found. 👍

[@docscollectibles]

@@Baerchenization The website FAQ says it's recommended to remove them. The manual does not. Frustrating. Removing the screws and pads made a HUGE difference for me.

[@VinylRescue]

At one time that turntable was on my short list for a new one, but I had read too many issues that you mentioned. When my Audio-Technica AT-LP120 developed a motor pulsation noise that was it for the POC (really long story, but I have many videos modding the dumb thing)! This past December I bought the Rega Planar 2 and it's dead quiet of any buzzing, humming, or any other annoying noises I hate when spinning an LP. I'll be sure and pass on this video for anyone who has this TT so they can fix it and enjoy the music! By the way great video!

[@spikesagal]

Thanks for the tips! Removing the motor screws and spacers was a very good decision. I thought this was some minor vibration that I would only sense with the most elite sound equipment, but no - the vibrations from the motor were very present. You can easily tell by putting your finger on the plinth. Very noisy. After removing the screws and spacers, I can still feel slight vibrations, but drastically reduced; barely noticeable.

[@johnadair6108]

Bill! Thank you!! Your power supply ground hack totally eliminated my hum. You are my audio god for today :)

[@vaslor]

What type of wire did you use?

[@brucew1464]

This totally eradicated two sources of loud him/noise. Thanks so much!

[@Nearest_Neighbor]

Just done this on my Debut Carbon Esprit SB. Thank you very much!

[@keithparkhill8546]

When these first came out they had motor noise even with a free floating motor. The DC version came out and you were told to keep the motor in place with the screws . The black things you removed are sorbothane and were supposed to buffer the motor . Personally I have a Music Hall with a completely detached motor . No noise at all. Your dealer wasn't being shady . He was doing what the company recommended . I have since moved on to a SOTA Moonbeam. A truly amazing table. The noise you heard pulling the arm closer to the center is normal on most cheaper tables. No motor shielding. AC motors are worse at it than DC. Grounding the motor sometimes works and sometimes doesn't .

[@MrSouzy]

like one of the other commentators I have to express my thanks here. I bought the debut carbon dc and the wow factor was missing a bit and it was well sort of humming. I took those screws out.. and fishing hallelujah instant upgrade ! I actually burst out laughing when I put the first LP on the platte after removing the screws. Now it really is a really brilliant turntable. I went out an bought a job lot of Deutsche Gramophone records which are themselves usually really high quality pressings and I have to say they sound unbelievably good. Some which I have are from the 60s and 70s.. When I listen to those I realize what quality we had back then and with the advent of CDs we've all been basically taken for fools.

[@thangtraubo]

Very helpful tips. Thanks. Saved me a big headache- for my turntable noise was especially annoying when listening to soft pieces like The Sound of Silence :)

[@joefitzpatrick2544]

Had the same problem with my brand new debt carbon dc, couldn't believe the transport screws can cause such noise. Nothing online or in the user manual. Great vid

[@PHILIPPINESEXPATGERMAN]

Thank u so much for these tips to increase the sound quality of my carbon esprit debut. I already life in Negros Oriental Philippines and tomorrow will start to install my Record Player with a Camtech V101 and Mission 760i modified speakers. I remember that i had a lot of rumble from my turntable and i hope it gone after ure tips and tricks !!!

[@krzysztofgulcz]

Thank you so much for this video! It just let me get rid of the irritating noise from my Pro-Ject 1-Xpression turntable (the motor screws were not removed at all in my case).

[@stever4494]

Bill thanks for posting this. I was struggling to eliminate hum from my first turntable purchase, a Debut Carbon Esprit. Tried everything you said and now operation is totally silent. Working like a dream. Thank you!!!

[@matt_moran_bike_adventures]

I have a Project Debut S phono connected to a iFi Zen phono stage. When I turned up my Rega IO amplifier to maximum I could initially still hear a slight bit of hum. I remembered when I serviced an old Pioneer PL-512 turntable that not only was the tonearm grounded by the usual ground wire to the amplifier but also it was double bonded to the motor earth of the turntable that was in turn connected to the earth on the mains lead. That never had that slight buzz issue. I live in the UK so it was easy to replicate that bonding to mains earth from the ground lug of the turntable. I got a length on wire and crimped a spade connector to one end of it then got a UK style mains plug and removed the fuse as it wan't needed and connected the other bare end of the wire to earth pin of the plug and connected it to a spare mains socket plus the turntable ground to the phono stage as normal. Low and behold silence with the amp fully open. The engineers at Pioneer clearly knew how to resolve this issue. It appears that a lot of modern turntables, phono stages and integrated amplifiers suffer from a floating ground in some respects and I think this is largely down to them being double insulated and isolated via transformers with no connection to electrical earth/ground . If anyone has better knowledge of this issue or wishes to correct me theory please feel free to do so.

[@firebearva]

I own an Audio Technica with two of the same issues you describe in your video and I will be trying your fix for them as soon as I finish posting this. I was blaming the plastic plinth and never thought of the dustcover.

[@heavyprogressive76]

I don't own one of these tables, but a couple little audiophile techniques in there worth a listen! Nice work on figuring that out that's decent!

[@justinc3898]

Similar issue, motor vibration hum. I had removed screws and rubber grommet yrs ago when u purchased it. Have had hum since new. Yesterday I added bluetack under each arm of the motor (where screws used to be) vibration and hum now gone!! Finally!!!

[@ChefDerek]

I've had my debut carbon for 7 years and it's hummed since day 1...im in the other room and can hear it right now... Its so loud and annoying... I find it ridiculous that so many have this problem... Hope these techniques fix it... I will be so happy!

[@ChefDerek]

Holy F@&k!! I took the little spacers out and it's gone!!!! You are my hero!!! Thank you soooo much!! 🙌🙌💙

[@foreveryodeling93]

Bill! My Pro-ject Carbon turntable has been humming since I bought it in 2016, and just recently I upgraded to some higher end speakers to fulfill my audiophile needs. I still had the hum. I had no clue what to do. I found your video here yesterday and I did everything you told me to. AND. IT. WORKED. I just HAD to comment here and let you know that the sound coming out of my speakers is practically PERFECT now. And it's thanks to you!! I did do one thing differently which was use an RCA cable with a spade grounder built-in, which I connected to my turntable lug and then to my preamp lug. That solved the problem of my remaining noise after I had removed the screws and rubber spacers from the motor/belt drive. Anyway, I really needed you to know how much this help meant to me! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

[@vmax4steve524]

I've had a project 1Xpression for several years now and have had a noisy motor, knew nothing about the transport screws, nothing in the set up instructions says anything about them being present and needing to remove them. Just found your video and removed the screws, there were no rubber grommets, noise is gone, totally silent turntable that now sounds like it cost £600, thanks a million.

[@NeilBulk]

That wire trick worked for me! Thanks!

[@josh9148]

Thanks a lot. Had also forgotten to remove these damn screws. Greetings from Germany.

[@reverberateddreams7958]

THANK YOU I’M GONNA TRY THIS RIGHT NOW! Thank you thank you thank you!

[@mariosupa4027]

Hey Bill I own a Debut Carbon Espirit DS and I'm getting rumble at higher music levels. I have an isolation pad the Iso-Tune platform and decoupled it also using brass feet under bamboo cutting board under the Iso-Tune I thought the screw and grumet removal would do the trick. I found no difference. Thank you for the video.

[@Rich6Brew]

There seems to be some confusion as to what is hum and what is resonance.

[@300DBenz]

When I bought my Carbon DC, the audio store set it up for me (free cartridge alignment, belt install, and tone arm balance, ect), and it sounded pretty good, waaaaaay better than the plastic Aiwa PX-E860 I had for decades. But then I installed a Nagaoka MP150... Whenever I played a record at high volume, I heard a rumble (not a hum), I thought it was just surface noise from the vinyl. After seeing this vid, I looked under the platter, and lo and behold, the shipping screws were still there. I kinda feel like an idiot since I looked right at them every time I moved the belt to listen to a 45 (but in my defense, I didn’t know thats what they were for). Now that the screws and rubber things are gone, so’s the rumble. Thanks for the advice!

[@szaman035]

This is the golden tip! Thank you. I have removed screws and rubbers. The hum still exist but it’s almost not hearable now! I have “new” turntable now! :) I’m a little bit afraid to test grounding cable modification because I don’t have ground in my power sockets in my room at all. Should I do it? Will it be safe for my gear?

[@stephenbarrow3352]

I've just replaced mine with the new evo version. All the issues that were on the previous version seem to have been addressed. Can't recommend the new version enough. Donated my old one to my son who's well pleased with it.

[@Sam-ei2qh]

7:10 I’VE HAD THAT BUZZING FOR YEARS AND TRIED EVERYTHING! THIS FIXED IT!! YOU’RE MY HERO!! It must have been cold there in my shadow, to never have sunlight on your face. You were content to let me shine, that's your way. You always walked a step behind. So I was the one with all the glory, while you were the one with all the strength. A beautiful face without a name for so long. A beautiful smile to hide the pain. Did you ever know that you're my hero, and everything I would like to be? I can fly higher than an eagle, 'cause you are the wind beneath my wings. It might have appeared to go unnoticed, but I've got it all here in my heart. I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it. I would be nothing without you. Did you ever know that you're my hero? You're everything I wish I could be. I could fly higher than an eagle, 'cause you are the wind beneath my wings. Did I ever tell you you're my hero? You're everything, everything I wish I could be. Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle, 'cause you are the wind beneath my wings, 'cause you are the wind beneath my wings. Oh, the wind beneath my wings. You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings. Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high. Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings. Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings. Fly, fly, fly high against the sky, so high I almost touch the sky. Thank you, thank you, thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings!!

[@rega1039]

Sir thanks a lot for the info now im enjoying my my carbon dc 😊 cheers 🍻

[@johneaton3069]

One more comment / observation: After removing the transport screws and grommets from the motor, I decided to take a look at the user manual for the Debut Carbon. I expected to see where I overlooked the motor transport screw removal step in the set-up. The manual does say to remove the tonearm transport lock but says nothing about removing the motor screws or grommets. A couple of set-up videos don't mention motor transport screws either. One video clearly shows putting the belt and platter on with the motor screws intact. Curious no? The one thing I know for certain is my Pro-Ject is silent only with the transport screws and grommets removed.

[@casperguylkn]

You're right! I just took mine out. The one rubber guy fell in. I got it out though. Worth it. It doesn't say diddly in the instructions.

[@mallydraycott1870]

Having just watched this video,this was going to be my comment but you beat me to it.I have seen nothing anywhere else that tells you to rmove those screws.

[@spiritfreemike]

​@@mallydraycott1870 I had the RPM 5.1 with the screws and grommets removed and it was humming. I then placed a water filter (o-ring rubber) only - (no screws) - in the exact same place, and now I get NO HUM. The fix costed me about 1 euro.

[@BarakaPDub]

Good video Bill. Playing without the dust cover is sound advice for any turntable that has a removable cover.

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

Thank you, Paul! I'm surprised how many people don't remove the dust cover.

[@casperguylkn]

I'm going to have to start.

[@aidan4062]

Bill's Box Of Sound I always just dealt with the low hum at 33&1/3 after going through the oft mentioned scouring of message boards and figured I just needed a platter upgrade, even after already spending extra on the speedbox. Recently I bought a 45 LP and was really bummed at hearing the hum get even louder. So I took a chance that new info was available and searched about the issue again. I was SHOCKED by the reduction in noise when I took the dust cover off completely! I’ve had my debut carbon with speedbox II for about 7 years and somehow never did this. I had always heard playing with the lid down was a no-no but this was a crazy difference. Between that and removal of the rubber grommets I’m enjoying my TT like it’s brand new. THANK YOU!

[@croonologist]

Best advice I've ever had

[@SuperMatrix59]

All the money for this, and you have to try to fight the HUM. Very good video good info.

[@jerryjohnson4625]

My Pro - ject Carbon developed a hum " after " I removed the 2 little black rubber grommets on the motor mount. The hum would start as soon as the stylist touched the record . On quiet passages you could really hear it. I put both rubber grommets back in with the little black Phillips screw, not too tight. Hum all-gone. Seemes people are confused whether these are there for shipping or if they are supposed to be there all the time . Well , seems like they are supposed to be left there to me , to dampen motor vibration , but what do I know. I'm just happy my turntable isn't humming anymore so I can enjoy my records.

[@alexa6474]

Yep, it worked! Thank you!

[@net_news]

Bill just wanted to say thank you for this video... it helped me a lot!! I finally managed to eliminate the hum from my Pro-ject Debut tt!! It was that frikin screw!!! I didn't know about its existence until I saw your video. THANKS SO MUCH MAN!!

[@shavermcspud]

I have the PJ Carbon in the UK for circa two years, I also didn't know about the transport screws but have now removed those. I do however still have really bad hum but mine doesn't have an external wall power supply like shown in your video. Everything is grounded from Turntable to valve preamp, to valve power amp if i remove the RCA cables from my pre amp the noise ceases.Im at a loss now.

[@ElKaaahleeente]

Good informative video, thank you.

[@echoed61]

Hi Bill. Thanks for your reply. I was just confused because I thought that once you'd found the problem with the spacers, that that cleared everything up, but then you went on to additional problems. Still, very useful.

[@allansinclair4172]

Although the screws were only for transportation on the original debuts they, together with the grommets, were a modification to that original specification to reduce motor vibration on later models. Just touch the metal motor support bracket with these removed to see the difference, this vibration gets worse as the motor ages. Try placing something under the o ring where it contacts the wood of the deck to reduce vibration, personally i use a thin foam packing material cut to size, costs pennies.

[@javier432]

great video, thanks Bill,

[@samisiilin4029]

Thanks Bill for great tips! Btw which Michell clamp you have,the regular Michell or Rega version? I

[@casperguylkn]

Holy cow! My shipping screws were still IN! I took them out. One rubber washer fell down the hole but I got it. PITA! I was just eliminating the hum in Adobe audition before when I did needle drops. Thanks for the video!

[@dannytickner3040]

So helpful thank you! 👏🏼

[@lacieb4585]

Great research job, Bill!!! Just remove rubber-that's a Newton apple quiz solving! Thanks a lot! *the owner of tt debut from Russia*

[@60sStyling]

Hey thanks Bill. This helps.

[@georgenovicky1811]

Thanks for the video, got the noise under control. I have a newer DC model and you do in fact need to keep the screws in. I initially removed them but then had the rumble, placing the screws back in stopped the motor from making noise. I also had to ground the power plug as shown, but I grounded to an outlet (earth) ground and not the grounding lug. When I tried to go to the ground lug, it made the noise worse.

[@casperguylkn]

Believe it or not, it could be your cartridge not agreeing with the ground which is making the hum worse when you tried to do what Bill did. I woukd say search forums. Find an upgrade power supply.

[@alexdelli2]

@@casperguylkn Hi have upgraded the power supply with a silent DIY. Now the hum is gone, but if I start the platter start another bzzzzzzzzzz

[@ckl01442]

It works, impressed.

[@hobojon44]

I have the pro ject carbon dc I just backed of the screws only and grounded it to my pm7000n only complaint changing from lLP to 45 ps do I need a pre amp

[@JJBolli1]

Hey Bill, I know this is an older video but...did you ever notice a hum or buzz that gets louder when your finger is closer to the cartridge (stock Ortofon 2M Red)?

[@Dogtown16v]

I had the hum on my carbon,I took the dust cover off and it’s totally gone now. Put it back on and it comes back. When the cover is off if you touch the thing the cover goes in to on the one nearest to the motor the hum comes back. I’d try this before removing any screws,well happy with it now.

[@paullindley8139]

Hi, my project makes noise when I switch to 45 rpm - would I still take the transportation screws out if they are not red in colour? Seems to be confusion over this .. thanks

[@echoed61]

Hi Bill. Thanks for these tips. Just to be clear: did you still have hum after you removed the spacers? Because you then comment about how to reduce the hum even more, or that just general advice?

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

1. Removing the spacers removed Mechanical humming. 2. Removing the dust cover minimized vibration interference. 3. Grounding the power supply eliminated the last bit of electrical hum. Sorry if you did not get that from the video, hope that clears it up.

[@raycarr225]

plugged the AC power adapter 4-feet away from other plugs, into a separate power strip, and the motor hum disappeared. note: everything was plugged together on one strip and into a variac set at 120v. was it close proximity to other plugs, low voltage from variac(120 vs 124v?)..... thank you.

[@JerryZigmontMacWorks]

Thanks, Bill. I think I have an original Debut Carbon that I just purchased used. Have the hum. Will this work on this unit serial 021772 - thanks!

[@MrSouzy]

I thought I would comment here again. Its been 3 years since my last comment on this video (help i sound like i confessing my sins lol). But I did it. Yes i finally had enough of the project and bought myself a technics sl-1500c to replace it... well! I have to say the 1500c is literally leagues in front. Less distortion, easy to set up, no rumble, no hum, well built, wow and flutter inaudible. It is everything the project is not. I really recommend it to anyone .... a new classic in the making

[@analog3609]

Great video, Bill, thanks! I see you have the turntable sitting on hockey pucks - what is the second material? Some type of sorbothane pad? Also, do you put the dust cover back on when the turntable is not in use or simply have it removed altogether? Cheers, Paul

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

Those are Diversitech isolators. I got them from Supplyhouse, but I think Needle Doctor sells something similar.

[@johnsweda2999]

firstly put your belt in a bag of talcum powder this prevents it sticking and gives it grip and reduces wow and Flutter, Try finding your inner platter with acoustic putty, on the underneath you need to balance it afterwards by getting two Square carpenters pencils fix down on a surface with Blu-Tack cutting a notch out of the pencil so the graphite is showing plenty, making sure this is completely level beforehand and the spindle plane is pointing West to East. Fill your bearing with grease mainly at the bottom so it's actually riding on the greece not on the ball you could take the ball out altogether. Measure this beforehand and make a piece of card at that height so you can use this as a reference, so it's slightly rubbing against the platter and placed underneath or a notch cut in the side and put on the side and underneath, you want it to be Audible sound from it. Get some white thick!! lithium grease and some graphite powder used in oiling locks, make it up to 2 to 1 of Greece places in the bottom bearing shaft so the platter is sitting about 2mm above its original position you're probably need to put some more grease after some wearing in this could take awhile, don't apply grease!!! to the sides at this point!? Just thin oil, use the card as a reference so you know how much the platter is falling keep applying grease till it's stable and doesn't drop you can leave the card in please if you want. Then apply grease with the graphite to the side walls smearing on the spindle, a little bit more on the bottom as well. You want resistance in your bearing it's better than free spinning because of the flywheel effect? the motor has a hard time controlling this. With resistance is better for the motor. If you don't want to go with the grease use manual gearbox oil 80, used by high turntable manufacturers mixing some graphite powder in this even better about the same 2 to 1. ps try and not have it above 2 millimetres the inner platter or slightly less? All depends how the belt is to the inner platter? you can raise the motor up easily on your system would be better I suggest by using nylon washers underneath the screws spaces what holds the o-ring in place what supports the motor or lower the main bearing. Talking about main bearing it should be isolate with a slither of sorbothane can find in sports inner soles make sure it's completely flat of course. This is going to lowe your platter depends on the bering setup type, but if it's the plastic type it will, if it's the metal type with the washers and nuts you need to get oversized washers preferably aluminium or brass. Same principle could be used on the arm fixing. But put some sorbothane rubber under your feet or as feet, is a must as well, this will work really well thicken it up to about 10 mm or deeper or buy that thickness. Nice to see people having a go trying to improve they're turntables keep it up.

[@rv6541]

So you put the other end of the red wire to the ground on the receiver or a ground on the turntable ??

[@andrevanstiphout]

Hi Bill. I'm in Australia. I do a lot of restoration work on vintage Hi Fi and Speaker systems. A friend asked me to look at his Pro-Ject 1-xpression turntable because in his words "it's noisy and doesn't sound right. The first thing I noticed was that he had not removed the transportation screws and grommets so that cleared things up a little. My friend insisted that there was no mention of this in the user guide.The rumble that you are getting when tapping the plinth or lid is simply because while the motor board (plate) is now isolated from the plinth, the spindle assembly is NOT! It's glued and screwed straight to the plinth. So you tap the plinth (or lid) and that vibration transfers to the bearing to the spindle/flywheel to the platter to the record and finally to the stylus. Let's see Pro-Ject fix that one! With regard to your earth wire fix, I would be reluctant to hang a wire off the power connector. Sometimes you can find here that an electrician wasn't being careful and accidentally reversed the mains active and neutral at the power point. If you think about it and trace the earthing back to your home switchboard, you'll see what I mean as there is also an earth lead in the RCA cable that came with the unit. That earth goes back to your amplifier or receiver and so on. So check the wiring on your power point and all the others in your house and you might be surprised. I found quite a few in my house when we moved in. Oh, and would I buy one of these turntables; definitely not! Just too many things I didn't like from a basic design point of view which I can share if you wish. I did a comparison with my 40+ year old Luxman and the Luxman got the nod. Cheers.

[@slim7647]

Hi all, I can't find any reference anywhere re lubrication of the Pro-ject sub-platter spindle! Can anybody advise if this is normally done and what lube is used?

[@middle_pickup]

You can also buy AC adapters with ground lifts.

[@sebastiansajdak670]

OMG that ideas were awesome ! :) thank you very much, also I recommend to mute the metal platter on the inside with the soundproof mat, it also helps.... oh that idea with a wire ! outstanding !

[@laposaccardi]

I tried this, but the problem is if I remove the screws, when I try to play 45s the motor leans towards the subplatter (because of the elasticity of the belt), and it goes back to the smaller pulley, by itself. If you have any ideas on how to solve this please help me, otherwise I'm just gonna stick with the factory settings Edit: second try, it now works, previously I just removed the screws and not the black tiny things (whose name I don't know). Thanks a lot!

[@NOVAISPERES]

ho yes!! that wire make a huuuugeee diference!!! Now i can listen some music in "silence"! thanks for the tip!

[@WindsorRealEstateProperties]

What kind of wire?

[@NOVAISPERES]

@@WindsorRealEstateProperties an eletric wire (see 7.30m)

[@massimo8489]

Instead of removing the dust cover, I just added 2 small rubber "caps" to the 2 points were the dust cover touches the table and it solved the problem.

[@ronnietrejo9166]

Massimo Colautti where can I find the rubber caps?

[@RoaroftheTiger]

Massimo, I like Your solution best. And here's why; A major reason Phonographs fell out of favor in the first place, were the pops and ticks, any Record would eventually develop. No matter how cautious "we" were in keeping them clean. I'm about to relate a fact that may seem Bizarre. It begins with the Stylus. Given the fine point of Any Phono Stylus. It exerts a tremendous amount of Pressure per Square Inch (the PSI). Even with a Stylus tracking force of, let's say about 1.5 grams: The PSI is in Excess of 4,000 Pounds per square Inch (that's 4 Thousand, for our European friends. As it's common for them to use a Comma, instead of a period, when writing numerals. But, I digress) Anyway, That 4,000 Pound figure, is actually sufficient to Melt the Vinyl, as It Tracks the Grooves ! What ever Dust or Other contaminates on the Record, are then Trapped in the Vinyl, once the Stylus passes, and the Groove cools ! That Situation effectively leaves you; with a Record with Permanent Damage. For it's that trapped Dust; that are those Pops and Ticks. That "dust" effectively becomes very similar to Microscopic "cobble stones", in those grooves. The use of a Dust Cover Minimizes (Note: I DIDN'T say eliminates) the Dust, "pulled-down" by a Vortex, actually caused by the Spinning of the Record. While these statements may Amaze some or even Anger many. I stand by It. As I spent over 20 years in the Audio Business, to include being a member of the Audio Engineering Society; a Trainer with TECHNICS; As well as many years in Retail Audio Sales. Sorry, But This is NOT Science Fiction, But Science Fact. Or weren't You ever told, "Sometimes Truth, is Stanger than Fiction." ???

[@hwccheng]

Fluance turntable has the “caps” on their dust cover

[@cristianmicu]

i thought those rubber caps are standard for the dust cover. that carbon has so many things to fix. like your having to thank them for being so cheap , little things cant be incorporated. whats so damn expensive to add 2 pieces of rubber to a dust cover

[@thomasedward2231]

Got the buzz will try this! Does the wire need to be copper?

[@williambalaga1]

I just got a red debut carbon evo had an issue so sent me a brand new white one the white one has significant motor noise on the 45 speed setting the 33 is still audible but less fricking bummed 500$ and I can hear motor noise, its bullshit pretty disappointed so I’m on a waiting list to get another one cause they are out of stock in every color gonn be fricking may b4 I get another one sucks the motor mount is different in the evo than the DC any tips to try b4 I return it

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

Great video and very helpful. I have a DC and never had any noise problems and screws are still in place. Has anyone confirmed that they're actually transport screws? I might remove them and see if I can hear a diffence, but don't want to fix what's not broken. Just moved my cart to the spindle and no difference, there's a faint buzz there but it doesn't get louder as I get closer and its there even when I play a CD so it's probably my amp and its inaudible at listening volume faint when I turn it way up, I've got the stock platter. Still might try the ground. There's now an upgrade subplatter for the DC similar to the Groovetracer for the Regas, interested to hear feedback from anyone who has done that. I'm probably not far from upgrading to a Rega P3 so I'm not sure if I'll upgrade the subplatter, but if it's a big enough improvement I might.

[@Geoffmurnyack1]

I am having the same experience as you, the transport screws are still in on mine and i don’t have any hum or noise issues at all. I also don’t want to fix whats not broken. Did you ever try removing them? Was it better or worse? Im not sure if i should try removing them or not if I’m not having any issues.

[@crazyprayingmantis5596]

@@Geoffmurnyack1 Never touched them, never had a problem. Don't fix what ain't broken. (Gee that's a 5yr old comment ☺️)

[@ediblehorse]

Doesnt removing the screws and grommets affect the speed at all? Wow/ flutter?

[@PropertiDong]

Thanks for your tips Bill, you have a golden ears to differentiate the tiny hum :D

[@kid.kawali]

Hey Bill what kind of wire did you use to ground your power cable?

[@kingchakazulu7762]

Smh.

[@bumblerer]

My. Debut carbon is dead silent even with the dust cover on and the transport screws still in. Of course I have the ground cable installed between the turntable and the preamplifier

[@deathinsight]

what is that circular shaped thing next to the tone arm (close to the cartridge)? My pro-ject doesn't have that.

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

That is a circular spirit level to make sure the entire table is level. It is an accessory and does not come with the table. Thanks for asking!

[@playbackvintagehifihunter9669]

Hi Bill, I am tempted to take the rubber spacers out, but the manual refers to these rubber spacers are Ortofon Dampers. I have searched back and forth through the manual and there are no reference to the “transport screws” on the motor fixing.

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

Try it both ways and compare, then leave it how it works best for your ears.

[@playbackvintagehifihunter9669]

@@BillsBoxOfSound thanks bill.

[@playandteach]

I've got the Debut iii, and it hums. I listen to classical music and the pitch of the hum really gets in the way. I don't have the sorbothane grommets, so it isn't that. I don't think it's an earth thing (that would be there all the time, yes? - not just when the needle is lowered?), but I will try it anyway... The drive belt pulls the rotating driveshaft towards the turntable a little, and that means that the belt always rides to the top of the channel, perhaps adding some vibration. I'd be really keen to hear from others what they have done as it is spoiling my listening.

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

For me, the hum was there all the time. when I added the ground(earth) wire, it finally got quiet. Your results may vary, but the number of positive comments I've received far outweigh the negative. Cheers!

[@playandteach]

@@BillsBoxOfSound I'll try that once I've successfully isolated the motor vibration transference. Thanks. By the way, I've commented on a similar video, that I've tried a quality (but no longer useful for playing) table tennis rubber between the platters that definitely absorbs some of the hum. It was Tenergy 05, but of course too tired to use on a bat any longer.

[@asimilator]

the trick with wire partially helped... the hum really disappeared but since i did this i noticed sporadic electric crackling while listening records... after that i tried to touch the grounding wire to check if that is the source of crackling and it seems that it is... as soon as touched crackling appears... tried to find replacement 15v 0.8a power supply that has grounding, but no luck... can't believe that pro-ject provided this groundless cheap power supply with such delicate product as tt is :(

[@robertculp9189]

Trying your suggestions. Do you anticipate any long term issues by removing those two screws and spacers in your first step? I mean, Pro-ject must have included them in the design for a reason.

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

I'm still waiting for any issues to crop up. Nothing to this day.

[@Nitrous0x]

@Bill's Box Of Sound, where can I get that singular thing piece of wire that you used to ground the power supply with? I'm a pretty big noob to this and I have a Pro-Ject just like you. This would help me out tremendously

[@BillsBoxOfSound]

It's just a piece of wire...go to a hardware store.

[@mrc911]

Good tips.

[@joemartin6439]

My Dual 704 is humming like a buggy Bird all from the cheap non shielded Monster RCA cable sure need help .I desolder the whole area plus a few of the tone arm wires. I found the old Dual wires are 100% shield. I will try them with new KLE RCA plugs. Found loops in the table is a problem now