Hartley - Forever Analog

December 17, 2021March 17, 2022

How To Connect A Phono Preamp To A Receiver And Turntable

Are you interested in using a standalone phono preamp instead of the built in phono stage in your receiver? Are you using a receiver or preamplifier that does not have a phono input? Does your turntable have a built in phono preamp and you would like to use a standalone preamp that sounds better?

If the answer is yes to any of the questions above, you may find yourself purchasing a separate phono preamp for your sound system. I’ve had a few friends buy phono preamps but are unsure how to hook them up properly.

We’ve already covered how to hook up a turntable to the aux input, but in the event you would like a quick and easy guide on how to install a separate phono preamp in your system, please read more below:

December 2, 2021April 20, 2022

Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ Review: A Choice Bookshelf Speaker

I’ve always suggested ELAC bookshelf speakers to friends, but that might be changing thanks to the Emotiva Airmotiv B1+ speakers.

I live in Nashville and buy a lot of audio gear, both new and vintage. During the pandemic I decided to buy a new amp and bookshelf speakers from Emotiva.

Emotiva is located in Franklin, TN, just about 40 miles from where I live. I’ve heard a lot of great things about the company the past few years, but haven’t purchased any of their products.

During the holiday season, my wife and I decided to remodel our living room instead of buying each other gifts we really didn’t need. We moved into our house six years ago and still hadn’t painted the walls or hung any of our framed concert posters. I had an old entertainment center that held my vintage stereo components along with the flat screen TV sitting on top. I wanted to mount the TV on the wall and make room for more stereo components on the shelf underneath.

I thought this would be a good time to introduce new pieces of gear into my stereo system and Emotiva seemed the right company to try out after reading many positive reviews and being impressed with their affordable prices.

November 19, 2021April 25, 2022

How To Repair a Turntable or Record Player That Sounds Slow

The resurgence in vinyl has caused a lot of my friends to buy record players in the past year. I’ve owned various turntables over the last 20 years and these friends usually text me whenever they don’t know how to fix their record player that sounds slow.

I normally give them 5 reasons why their turntable sounds bad, but often, the turntable platter itself isn’t moving at the proper speed which causes the music to sound slow. In this article I will give you the main reasons your turntable or record player might sound slow.

September 24, 2021December 13, 2022

How to Repair a Yamaha CDC-565 CD Player That Will Not Read Discs (Replace The Belt!)

I was recently given a Yamaha CDC-565 CD player that would not read discs. The unit would power on and the drawer would open and close, but the laser mechanism would not engage when CDs were inserted into the unit.

I noticed the laser mechanism was attached to a series of gears and a belt was hiding underneath. I removed the necessary parts, replaced the belt, and the laser mechanism started working properly and reading/playing CDs again.

Below are instructions and photos on how to replace the belt.

September 23, 2021August 3, 2022

How To Connect A DAC To A CD Player

I’ve had a lot of friends recently ask me how to connect a CD player to a DAC and it inspired me to write this article.

Before I start, I understand the name of this website is Forever Analog and I’m about to give advice on digital components like a CD player and external DAC. At first glance it may appear as a contradiction, but I was raised listening to CDs. I only started buying vinyl records in college during the late Nineties because they were so cheap.

August 24, 2021August 24, 2021

How To Replace The Belts In A Nakamachi CR-1A Cassette Deck With Photos!

I recently purchased a Nakamichi CR-1A cassette deck that was listed as is/for parts. This is the second CR-1A deck I’ve bought recently as I was surprised by how well this little two head deck sounds.

The owner stated the tape would not play, nor would it fast forward or rewind. I assumed new belts were needed and ordered a set from Vintage Electronics.

Nakamichi CR-1A decks require two belts. One to operate the main the flywheel and the other to operate the counter. There is also a Nakamichi CR-1 model that, I believe, has an idler tire that operates the rewind and fast forward modes. The CR-1A replaced that model with a plastic gear as you will see in the photos below. If you have a CR-1 and it’s no longer rewinding or fast forwarding, you will need to replace the idler tire as well. It should be very similar to replacing the idler tire on a Nakamichi BX-2 that I also posted here.

I documented how I installed the belts on this new CR-1A to share here. I will start with a step by step explanation of how to install the belts and then post photos below.