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a 1953 webcor won't damage your records if working properly, although if it has a Mono cartridge from that era it should not be used for stereo records. Might not be the best changer for stereo though, since there may be some rumble or noise. Ive played mono records on these and didn't notice any issues with noise. As long as the tracking isn't over 6-8 grams, you wont be wearing out records prematurely, sure, the wear rate may be more than if played on a 1.5 gram unit, but if the records are clean it wont wreck them. Back in the 1950s RCA did studies of how many plays you could get out an Lp at varius tracking forces (mono records and 1 mil stylus) and they showed that the wear was negligible at 8grams (good for a thousand plays or more without audible noise, thats equal to maybe 5-6 grams with a .7 mil stereo needle.
A webcor changer of that vintage should do fine with a modern Shure DJ cartridge tracking at 5 grams or so, although it wont be as quiet as better modern gear, I'm sure it would still beat one of those plastic Crosleys hands down. I see posts on audiophile boards all the time about how people who use old changers are "ruining" records and its just not so, if its set up properly. Obviously if you have a unit where the counterbalance spring for the tonearm is missing and the needle worn down to a chisel point that's another story. I had one VM changer that was in that condition when I got it, and the record grooves changed color as the record played...
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12-05-2016, 04:17 PM
Hybrid Mode
