Repair Articles - Forever Analog

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.

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.

August 22, 2021May 7, 2023

How To Replace The Belt and Idler Tire On A Nakamichi BX-2 Cassette Deck – With Photos!

I recently purchased a Nakamichi BX-2 cassette deck that was advertised as broken/for parts. The unit powered on, but when a cassette was played, it would only play for a couple of seconds and then stop.

I assumed the unit needed a new belt and while I was installing the belt, I should go ahead and replace the idler tire as well. In these Nakamichi decks, there is not a belt for fast forward or rewind like there is in some lower end Sony decks. Nakamichi uses an idler tire which wears out over time and needs to be replaced.

I placed an order with Vintage Electronics for the belt and idler tire as I’ve had great success installing their belts on other decks. I prefer to not buy belts on eBay or Amazon as it is likely the size will be wrong which will impact playback.

I will include a short step by step summary of how to replace both the belt and the idler tire and the follow up with photos to help better explain.

May 10, 2021August 3, 2022

5 Reasons Your Record Player Sounds Bad, Weird or Distorted

There are several reasons why your turntable or record player might sound bad, weird or distorted. We will look at each reason below and provide advice on how to fix the issue so you can get back to listening to your vinyl records with the best sound possible.

Record players or turntables sound bad, weird or distorted due to these five issues:

The needle (aka stylus) is dirty, worn or broken and needs to be replaced.
The record player is not sitting on a level surface and causing inner groove distortion.
The belt on your turntable is loose, not operating at the proper speed and needs to be replaced.
Your turntable is not properly grounded and causing humming or buzzing noises.
Your turntable’s built in preamp is on the wrong setting.

Read below for instructions on how to solve each issue listed above.

May 2, 2021May 12, 2023

How To Repair a Noisy Nakamichi BX-100 Cassette Deck

Read below for a tip on how to repair noisy recordings on a Nakamichi BX-100 cassette deck.

I recently purchased a Nakamichi BX-100 cassette deck off Facebook market for $40. The seller listed the item “as is” because the unit played tapes fine, but when a tape was recorded on the machine, it would play back with crackling noise throughout, especially on the right channel.

How to repair noisy recordings on a Nakamichi BX-100 cassette deck?

To remove the noise from recordings, clean the cassette deck’s heads, capstan, pinch roller, recording input sliders and the relay switch. Read below for step by step instructions.