Vinyl Asylum: Re: Fellow Merrill Heirloom owners by Galibier_Numero

Hi Jim,

Starting from scratch is certainly a good idea. Since you've had no problems with your AR Merrill, this doesn't sound like a case of your being overly "visually sensitive" to small dimensions. I can't remember if your AR Merrill had a tuning weight, but this is definitely an area to concentrate on, and I'll expand on this shortly.

I disagree with "bacobits" who posted that setting up a Merrill is a bear. It does require making a bit of a cognitive leap, and certainly requires some care - but no more so than adjusting the overhang on your tonearm. Perhaps this all "bacobits" meant. Certainly a stiffly suspended 'table is simpler to set up, and an unsuspended one is simpler yet. Compared with the Linn however, everything on a Merrill can be done via measurement with no guesswork (just a bit of patience) - without dependency on an anointed one to bless it. The integrated armboard / subchassis, while it makes arm changes difficult, is a vastly superior technical solution.

The problem with any turntable that requires such infrequent care is that we don't do it often enough to commit the procedure perfectly to memory. Given that it's been quite some time since I've handled my (your) Merrill, here goes ...

First, you will need some sort of depth indicator or caliper. A very handy device to use is a 6" hemming ruler sold in sewing shops. If you don't have the one I (think) I sent you, this is $.79 well spent. These rulers are made from a thin strip of aluminum and are typically colored black and silver. They have a sliding red plastic pointer that the tailor uses to measure a consistent distance on a skirt or pair of pants. This will simplify validating that each of the three springs are compressed to the same length.

So ... from the beginning.

SETUP & POSITIONING THE SPRINGS:

1. Set the turntable on your adjustment stand, and make sure that the surface of the stand (and therefore the top surface of the plinth) is level.

2. Loosen the spring nuts equally. While you don't have to remove them, it's probably simplest to do so (one at a time), and then to count the number of turns as you spin them back on. IIRC, a good baseline starting point is to screw them back on about 30 turns (60 half turns of these wing-nuts).

3. There is one thing that might affect matters which you may have overlooked. This is the seating of the springs in the rebate on the underside of the subchassis. Rotate the springs back and forth 90 degrees once or twice to ensure that they're seated nicely. Do this before you begin adjusting the spring compression (below).

4. It might be easiest to work initially with the outer platter and periphery clamp removed. I'd leave the belt installed. I'll leave this to your judgment, but remember that FINAL SPRING COMPRESSION and SUBCHASSIS LEVELING must be performed with ALL COMPONENTS installed on the 'table. This includes the belt, although it has a minor effect.

ADJUSTING SPRING COMPRESSION:

Remember that the WING-NUTS which hold the suspension springs in place PERFORM a LEVELING FUNCTION. They DO NOT adjust the spring compression. EQUALIZING the COMPRESSION is performed only by SLIDING/ROTATING the TUNING WEIGHT. Having said that, think back to your high school trigonometry. A tuning weight that's locked into place will compress the springs differently depending on the state of level of the subchassis ... o.k. ... I lied in the previous sentence ... sort of.

Without getting into the trigonometry, just remember that this is an iterative process which usually takes only one or two iterations if you take your time.

(a) Start off by adjusting the wing-nuts to get the platter level and so that the springs float freely. The subchassis shouldn't rub against the underside of the plinth, and the subplatter shouldn't contact the top side of the plinth.

(b) Slide / rotate the tuning weight toward the longest (least compressed) spring. Lock the weight in place with the wing-nut, and then measure the 3 spring lengths. Repeat this process until all 3 springs are compressed equally - measuring the same length. I try to get these lengths within a millimeter of each other.

(d) If the platter isn't level, re-level it using the three wing-nuts and then re-check the spring compression. If the springs are still compressed equally (the absolute length does not matter - only that they are equal), you're done.

At any point when things are off, start back at step (a) and move through the process until the springs are of equal length and the platter/subchassis/armboard are level. Note my comments above, that the final iteration should be performed with the outer platter and the periphery clamp fitted to the turntable. If you were initially working with the outer platter and/or the periphery clamp removed, install them now and re-check.

FINAL SUBCHASSIS HEIGHT ADJUSTMENT:

This should be the easy part - a simple matter of turning the 3 wing-nuts in unison until the armboard is (IIRC) slightly above the level of the top surface of the plinth. When you turn only wing-nut at a time by several turns, the subchassis shifts wildly. This was a previous source of confusion for me. Turn the wing-nuts a few turns at a time as you work your way around the 3 springs.

As you probably know, you have a range of height to work within. At one extreme (too high), the top side of the subchassis bumps into the underside of the plinth. At the other extreme (too low), the bottom of the subplatter will rub on the top of the plinth. Somewhere in the middle is where you want to be. IOW, you're not looking for the armblock to be at the same height as the top of the plinth. IIRC, your 'table will result in the armblock being slightly above the plinth, because it has been re-worked to be compatible with the height requirements of a Rega tonearm. My friend's Merrill - using a more conventional arm has the armblock slightly below the level of the plinth.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier Design