Want to know how to most properly operate a Marantz TT530 direct drive turntable. Particularly how to adjust the pitch control. Thanks

If you're talking about the speed of the platter, there will be a pitch control knob to increase to decrease the speed. If the adjustment still doesn't control the speed correctly, the turntable will require repair. If you require more assistance, or would like to inquire about repairing your JVC, please visit my website at audioserviceclinic.com. Thank you.

Most of the 'direct drive' turntables have a "pitch control" dial - you turn this dial until the black bars 'stop dancing' and hold still. There should be a little window with an orange neon light where you can see these black lines and adjust the speed. You may have to adjust it everytime you switch from 45's to 33's.

Try looking underneath the turntable. There might be two speed presets one for 45 and one for 33. They could be covered up by stickers.

I'm afraid it could be many things, most likely nothing to do with the pitch control. I believe you have a Direct Drive motor, so that maybe bad. There is a circuit that operates with a microprocessor(computer) IC, called a Phase Lock Loop, which is what keeps the pitch accurate. Anything there could be bad. More more information, or should you have more questions, please visit my website at audioserviceclinic.com. I may be contacted through the website. Thank you.

The needle skipping is caused by (A) a worn stylus. (B) not enough pressure. Which is solved by adjusting the weight on the end of the arm. It can only really be solved by trial and error. You increase the weight slightly, then play the record. You keep doing this till the record stays in the grooves but doesn't make a rumble sound. If it starts to rumble reduce the weight.

Hello Rosie,

Some turntables have a pitch adjustment feature which allows you to speed up or slow down your records. The adjustment controller is usually a slider or a wheel somewhere on the turntable and is usually labelled "Pitch" "Adjust / Adj" or "Pitch Adj".

Please check for this feature on your turntable then get back to me if you are unable to find it. Please include the brand and model number of your turntable.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
BElectric

Hi!
Make shure that is a 50Hz turntable. If you connect a 60 Hz turntable in a 50 Hz system, the result is aprox 28 RPM in the 33 RPM position/

You need to calibrate your pitch control. This requires a small precision screwdriver (similar to something you would repair eye glasses with). If you look under the turntable where the pitch control is you will find 2 small holes, 1 marked 33 and 1 marked 45. Turn the turntable on and set the pitch control lever to zero pitch. While the turntable is spinning insert the screw driver into the pitch calibration hole under the turntable and twist the potentiometer back and forth until the turntable pitch is zero (I believe clockwise is faster, counterclockwise is slower as you look up from the bottom of the turntable). This is a fine tune adjustment and will not require much turning to adjust the speed (1 or 2 mm's) either way should start to bring you into zero pitch. The platter speed can be verified by the little dots on the rim of the platter. They should appear stationary in strobe light on the power switch when you are at zero pitch. When you are adjusting the speed you will observe the dots on the platter rim spinning clockwise and then counterclockwise as you adjust the fine tuning. Fine tune the speed until the dots appear stationary and you will be back to zero pitch. You have to adjust the turntable at both speeds 33 and 45 using the correct fine tuning hole under the turntable. My personal experience is it is easiest to do this with 2 people. 1 person to hold the turntable level and running, while the other adjusts the fine tuning. Hope this helps.

You lack the proper tools to calibrate the pitch. Here are is a tutorial on calibrating your unit: http://www.djproaudio.com/cgi-bin/Help/kb.cgi?do=read&id=18&lang=en Also, that decal on the turntable that measures speed, is not an exact science. It's just an indicator to give you an estimate of the speed your turntable is rotating. It's not to be used as an exact measurement. Over time, pitch controls tend to drift from their original settings. Calibrating it back to factory specs might fix the problem, however, there are various other factors which control the drive of these turntables. So, if this does not work, the problem lies somewhere else - usually within 1 of the 3 IC's.

There is no drive belt on this unit. This is a direct drive turntable. Your pitch control might be on it's way out. Are you getting any sort of unusual speed issues? Or is it just sort of running slower than usual? There is a pot you can adjust under the turntable platter to speed it up a bit, however, this is only a temporary fix. It is listed as VR301 - and is on the main board under the turntable platter - it says PITCH on it. Try adjusting that pot, to see if it does anything. WORD OF CAUTION: Make sure your turntable platter is ALWAYS on whenever you power up your turntable, and if you do any electrical modifications, make sure you always disconnect your turntable from it's power source to be on the safe side. If this does not work, then either your pitch control (which is a variable resistor) will need to be replaced. The problem could also be one of the drive components on the main board, however, this will need to be worked on by a service tech. Hope this helps. - Justin