The Acoustic Research model XA

[@davislar1]

I found one on the curb awaiting the garbage pickup back in the early 80's, fixed it up and gifted it to a coworker along with some KLH -9 (?) found in the dumpster, I really enjoyed the pre-internet research, and used it until I bought a Thorens TD-146. The arm bearings were a bit of a mystery - and hum with a Grado cartridge can be an issue. The suspension works best on a rigid base - not happy with floors that bounce - I wall-mounted a shelf. Rest of my system at college (UIUC, mid-70's) was an early AR table w/ Grado F3E cartridge, Dynaco SCA-35 integrated (kit-built), and custom speakers I designed/built with parts from CTS (KY) and McGee of Kansas City. I usually crafted 2-way sealed box, but then discovered 10" passive radiator / 8" woofer that were matched by mfr.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Nice! Just sitting on the curb! And KLH speakers in the dumpster! Wow! I’d love to test out some good KLH speakers, either vintage restored or some of the higher end new models that are out there. I’d also love to test out a Thorens turntable if ever given the chance. I know what you mean about a bouncy floor. I originally had my AR near an outside wall on a very sturdy stand. It never had an issue with the suspension until I moved it to a better location for the acoustics of the room. But now I have to tread lightly because the floor moves a little. Been considering how to fix that issue. Maybe I can try a shelf built into the wall like you did. Bet it would work.

[@m.zillch3841]

"Under $30"?! Wow, great score! Even finding an XA dustcover alone (in good shape) at that price is a deal! In the very early ones the 2nd motor had only one purpose: to bias the main motor to start spinning in the proper clockwise direction. This was because the best (i.e. quietest) drive motor AR could buy at the time spun in whichever direction it was initially nudged to do so and the various direction biasing mechanisms to solve this, at the time, also generated their own noise so were still objectionable. The second motor provided this initial direction "nudge" to the main motor via a tiny rubber belt to it. Later a single motor was found which was also equally quiet yet consistently only spun clockwise, so the "direction to start" motor was dropped. I know it seems odd but the failure to start spinning on its own with yours is possibly due to a failure to talc the belt annually. I know, you'd think: "But wouldn't the talc make it slip more and have an even HARDER time coming up to speed?" Yes, intuitively that would seem to make sense to me also, but for some odd reason it doesn't work that way. Another reason startup can be is slow (over 5 seconds) might be either that the bearing isn't clean and oiled or the thrust plate (the small, hard plastic disc at the bottom of the bearing hole) is worn out. After years/decades of use the spinning shaft drills a divot into this hard plastic so rather than a teeny tiny contact area (with almost no friction) the contact point turns into a larger bowl shaped depression with lots of friction on the shaft. If you are lucky the other side of this existing thrust plate disc is unused, unworn, so simply flipping the thrust plate disc over will get you back to the proper flat surface it should be. Otherwise you'd need to buy/fabricate a new one. [On a side note: XA tonearms that don't rotate freely might be missing their ball bearing under that shaft but the platter shaft has no ball bearing]. Good luck.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Thanks! Yeah, after putting talc on the belt again recently, it starts up so much better! Thanks! And thanks for the input on the bearing. I’ll keep an eye on that as well. I cleaned and lubed it when I first started restoring it. Doesn’t seem to be much of an issue at this point but good to know. By the way, I love your video about the ARXA. It really made me appreciate what I have. I found it early on when I started getting it fixed up.

[@paulmcdonough9595]

I love it too! It was a big noise in the late 60's early 70's, great buy.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

And still relevant today!

[@paulmcdonough9595]

@@TheAlmostAudiophile agreed, it’s a practical item of hifi

[@watdanuqta-mf5ms]

I've owned four over the last forty years from just cleaning one up, to modifications and complete restorations of others. The last and prettiest ARXA I owned I rebuilt motor with new lighted motor switch. All bearings redone with main platter bearing given a Lap polish plus the platter was brought to a mirror finish at a local machine shop that I have used for years, plus rewiring arm with a magnesium headshell that removes any breaks in the signal from the cartridge tabs to the RCA cables using a cotton wrapped wire(expensive). A couple of things about the table; Did you check the cartridge geometry is correct? The connections between the tonearm wire and the RCA leads out are attached poorly to that tin metal strap. It's better to solder the tonearm leads directly to the RCA cables and bypassing that tin strap. Why they did that I guess is for convenience at the expense of performance. Make sure the platter is level to the plinth and that the whole turntable is perfectly level. You can use a 4mm hex wrench as a guide to level the platter by placing it between the platter and base at the three points where the springs are. Adjust the platter height until it just clears the 4mm wrench at all three points. if you're feeling adventurous you could rewire the arm. I think why this turntable makes all these lists is Edgar Villchur's three point sprung sub chassis design set the trend for most highend turntables in the ensuing decades. I'll add the 1957 Quad ESL's and Futterman's OTL amp designs. from the fifties. Add a modern high end phono preamp to the three components and in a lot of ways you're making music few systems can muster today.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Yes, geometry measured spot on, including the overhang. I didn’t even have to make any adjustments. Which surprised me. I’ll have to look into bypassing that tin strap for the RCA leads. But I did clean it very well and the leads feel tight. I haven’t had an issues with noise or poor ground connection (not since I replaced the original RCA cables with new). I have no doubt that I could make improvements to it. I did everything I thought needed to make it perform well. I usually go by the general rule “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, I’ve made stuff worse when not following that rule. I actually have somewhat limited experience making repairs to equipment and generally have to do lots of research and watch lots of videos to make sure I’m doing it right. Example: I removed the cartridge once to fit another turntable I was repairing because I was impatient and didn’t want to wait for a new cartridge to test it. I accidentally broke a lead wire at the solder point and had to resolder it. Worked fine afterwards but I couldn’t get the wires back up under inside the headshell nice and neat, so I’ve just left it that way because it still sounds great. I’ll probably get around to either fixing it or replacing the headshell at some point when there’s a problem. But I’m not great with soldering tiny wires so I try to avoid it if possible. I really appreciate your advice. You’ve given me some helpful information to research and consider.

[@dell177]

I bought one f those at the PX in Korea and ran it for a lot of years. It was an absolute steal back then. I used a Shure M97 cartridge back them. I now use a Rega RP3.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Nice! The owner of the local record store in town had a Rega P3 setup with a vintage McIntosh system for a while. Sounded pretty amazing. I’ve never had the privilege of hearing a Shure M97 cartridge but I’ve heard great things about them. I don’t think they make them anymore. I had read somewhere that they were often sold together with the Acoustic Research turntables. I’m looking to upgrade my stylus soon. Thinking about the ATVM95ML because I already have the compatible cartridge.

[@mikesaunders4694]

I had one years ago and it was a surprisingly great sounding deck. Mine had a nice aftermarket arm lift. Wish I hadn’t sold it.

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

I just got one, solid turntable 👍🏻

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Nice! Was it already in good shape or did you have to tweak it?

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

@@TheAlmostAudiophile it needed a new belt and to oil the motor, now it is running good

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

@@AudioElectronicsChicago it’s amazing how often vintage equipment just needs a little TLC to get up and running again. I considered taking mine into a professional to restore it but I’m sure I saved hundreds of dollars by doing it myself.

[@Af1st1]

My friend Mick got his new in the early 1970s !I think his was the later version and it is a fantastic sounding turntable!

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

That’s really cool! Was it a later version of the XA or later model like the XB? I made a mistake in the video. The early XAs actually had two motors but mine only has one. That leads me to believe mine is actually a later XA. I’m not sure how many versions were made.

[@Af1st1]

@@TheAlmostAudiophile XB version got the arm lift ! He still uses it with his Quad amps and JBL speakers! Sounds so good!

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

I’ve heard the XB performs about as well as the XA if not better. I’m not sure if it was quite as popular. I don’t hear as much about it as the XA. I’ve wondered why that is.

[@Af1st1]

It is an XB my AR ETL 1 turntable is its grandson which was more pretty and electric speed switching!But the guts are similar! AR we’re great and it was a sad day when they closed!

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Indeed! Thanks for sharing!

[@mightyducks5867]

Hey, where did you get the pad from?

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Walmart, it’s just a basic felt platter mat. Haha.

[@watdanuqta-mf5ms]

@@TheAlmostAudiophile You're a thrifty guy.

[@gli7utubeo]

I had this turntable for many years. I bought it new.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

I would love to hear more about that experience. I am embarrassed to admit that I had never even heard of this turntable until 2022. But I am in love with it now, 43 years after its initial release.

[@gli7utubeo]

@@TheAlmostAudiophile I used to visit the AR demonstration room in Grand Central Station in NY when I was a kid where they let you listen for a long time and sold nothing. It was a really peaceful place with all AR equipment. Eventually I saved up enough to get my first system. Funny thing was I listened to Dynaco A25 speakers in Sam Goody's and like those best. So I got an AR Receiver, the AR XA turntable, a Shure V15 tyoe-2 cartridge, and the Dynaco speakers. The A25 drivers seem to disappear and they just seemed more natural and more "of a piece" than all the AR speakers, even the 3A. I painstakingly installed the cartridge in the head shell (I had never done anything like that, putting in the tiny shims that came with the AR and was nervous that I would get things wrong, carefully set the tracking force at 1 gram using the primitive little tracking force gauge, and was amazed that it worked. I put on my favorite album, Carole King's Tapestry and was floored by the resonant piano and sweet vocals. I loved my Beatles and Stones and Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder (Innervisions!), etc.. I had that system for about 10 years and remember how it sounded in vivid detail. It led me into a long audio journey. Thanks again for your great videos.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

You’re welcome! Thank you so much for sharing! I love to hear stories like this!

[@watdanuqta-mf5ms]

Was the cartridge new when you bought it?

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Yes, brand new at the time of repairs. But I did recently upgrade the stylus to the ATVM95ML. I’m really loving it.

[@pschaida]

Have an XB with a hum. Can you share the source for those new cables. If you already have provided a link, just ignore the question.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

There is a link in the description if you scroll down to Custom RCA Cables. I reused the old ground cable because the hum was coming from the RCA cables in my case, but I bet if you message the seller he’d be willing to make you a new ground cable as well if you ask nicely and give him a detailed description with photos. The ground cable has several connection points that can’t be ignored.

[@pschaida]

@@TheAlmostAudiophile AH! The penny drops. Thanks for the fast reply... What a gr8 video... Enjoyed the whole thing start to finish. Love the platter mat! will look for link on that. Are you willing to reveal the auction site you used to find the AR and the receiver?

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

The platter mat is so basic. I found it at Walmart. Haha

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Auction Ohio I think. Unfortunately you almost always have to pick up in person. But well worth it for this one.

[@ChristopherJanisch-cc5nc]

How did you get the top base so clean? I'm restoring one, and although it has turned very rough it's also very dirty. How did you get yours so clean? Thanks!

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

I used a cleaner meant for stainless steel (because I had it on hand), and scrubbed it down with a toothbrush. There are likely better cleaners available but it seemed to work to my satisfaction.

[@ReyciclismoMTB]

Great video, I’m guessing you seen the M. Zillch required watching for anyone who owns or plans to get one.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

I have! Great video! It definitely helped me really appreciate what I had as I was working on fixing it up.

[@ReyciclismoMTB]

@@TheAlmostAudiophile I’m finally getting around to restore the two I have. One mostly stock, which pretty much looked just like yours and the other was rough awful plinth and the infamous melted platter matt.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Good luck! Sounds like a lot of fun with a little frustration mixed in. I’m sure it’ll be worth it when you’re done.

[@joedeegan3870]

I found the AR turntable to have too much friction in the tone arm bearings.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

I had an issue with the vertical pivot bearing not releasing and it wouldn’t lower to the record all the way when the vertical shaft was tightened to the gimbal (I think that’s the right word). There were two small washers inside that had completely worn out so I removed what was left of them and put a new plastic washer on the outside. I think they were supposed to keep the stylus from crashing down hard on the record or plinth. Now mine works fine but I have to be careful because it will drop straight down on the plinth or record if I let go of the headshell too soon.

[@bertroost1675]

Mine doesn't have that problem.

[@mauricekashdan5375]

The 2 motor tables were earlier than the one motor tables.

[@TheAlmostAudiophile]

Thank you for this information!