You're testing my memory now, especially regarding the models, but I do remember several issues clearly.
You mention the starting price of ProJect turntables. One cheaper turntable had an MDF platter and the bearing spindle simply pushed through it. Two pieces. This is a construction method ProJect use on a lot of their decks, not just the cheap ones, and is obviously the cheapest way to make a platter and spindle. Note: All of Regas decks use a seperate sub-platter of either plastic or alloy.
If you accidentally lean on the platter of a Rega turntable it will tilt up off the sub-platter, no damage is done. If you do that on a ProJect it's not so good. I had a lower end deck where the MDF, which is not renowned for its structural integrity, had deformed around the spindle putting a major wobble in the platter. I had to pull out the spindle, glue it back into place and keep it level until the glue set. On a deck with a thicker MDF platter the spindle had bent. As the spindle was quite thin is was not too hard to bend it back into shape.
Another deck had a main bearing which was attached by a flange screwed to the MDF plinth with three small weed screws. Not terrible but the bearing was screwed on from underneath so that it was being pulled away from the MDF with the screws taking all the weight rather than just holding the bearing in place with the flange pressing against the plinth. The bearing screws had burst out of the MDF.
One tonearm tube had pulled out of the bearing boss severing the wires. The tube was only held in by one tiny grub screw. Even when nipped up the tube was able to wobble and twist. I glued it in.
Unipivot arm, top lifted off severing the wires. There was nothing to keep the arm from lifting off and the wires were hardwired instead of attaching to the deck with a plug. Either of which could've prevented the damaged wires.
Tolerances are typically terrible. Counterweight jammed on the stub but the stub falling out of the boss! Vertical bearings literally rattling around in the boss.
I guess you could describe some of these things as 'user damage' but in my opinion the poor design and build leaves the decks vulnerable to damage from very slight mishaps. Things like choosing to screw the bearing on from underneath I find mystifying. I can only think it was to speed up production as it meant there was nothing screwed on from the top. The bearing, feet, arm etc were all screwed on from one side.
I don't know, pure speculation, but I'm really not impressed by the way ProJect build things.
All fed back.
I'll try and offer the most likely cause and explanation for some of the points raised, but, it's not an excuse - your feedback is really useful and will help us get messages across.
The pressed bearing in the plinth is used across entry level decks like the Primary, Elemental and Essential. It's been used for years now and has shipped in it's hundred of thousands. It's a proven tech and allows you to hit a price point, and works well. MDF is common with most manufacturers at this price point.
Not sure how you'd manage to bend a spindle - are you supplying people who just sit on them and treat them as a roundabout ? ;-) In all my years here I've never seen a bent spindle, I've seen them dislodged in the platter from someone leaning on them, or transit damage, but you'd need a press with some serious tonnage to bend one. The entry level TT mentioned above use a pressed platter spindle combination, everything above that from Debut Carbon upwards use a seperate sub platter design - like you mention above.
Main bearings are attached from underneath on a lot of entry level turntables, the only time they tend to get damaged is if someone leaves the platter on the plinth during transport, but forgets to add the cardboard spacer that it shipped with, the manual shows to replace this if transporting the TT, but who reads manuals hey !!
Tonearm tube - no excuses - if it's not been damaged in transit, then that's bad, could be an assembly issue, could be caused by a customer trying to set azimuth. Without know the history of the TT then difficult to pin down. I've only ever seen this twice iirc and that was on the older Debut tonearms with the aluminium tube, not the newer carbon tonearms.
Unipivot Arms - Not used for many many years now, but, yup, they are delicate beasts, and the manuals for the TT go to great lengths on how to use and transport them. When someone raises an RMA here we always send a template reply which still includes a specific nod to them
https://www.henleyaudio.co.uk/cms/content/viewfile?FileId=13&ContentId=78
Counterweights should be removed for transport, if left on then they can break the counterweight support rod. Again - the manuals do state this quite clearly.
Bearings - well, covered that earlier, and to be honest in my 6 years here I've never seen any that were "rattling around". But still I've fed it back to HQ.
I think we have to remember that they do ship a huge amount of turntables. We in our wonderful chosen trade of repair monkeys, we only get to see the bad ones, with any industry that proportion has to taken into context.
No one is perfect (apart from my ex - in her opinion that was - but that's another story for another time).
Like I said I've fed all the info back to HQ and direct to the factory.
Remember - we are here to call on and offer advice and parts (new and reclaimed from older models). The advice is always free !!
