[Razak & William]

I amm the owner of an Oracle Alexandria Mk 2, manufactured in 1985. I
bought it used in 2004. Arm mounted is the Alphason HR-100S, rewired
with Van den Hil litz cable.

When I first bought it, I levelled the entire turntable via the
adjustrable feet and then the platter/arm assembly. The setting stayed
dead centre, and never drifted.

Fast forward to July 2006 and I placed the turntable on a new platform.
This of course involved moving it (gently) from platform to floor. After
levelling the new shelf, I readjusted the turntable as described above.

I now notice that the balance always drift out of alignment shortly
after being set. The bubble in the integrated spirit level moves either
left or right a couple of hours after settling dead centre. I thought it
was the difference in temperature — the turntable is in an
airconditioned room, while the air outside is the usual equatorial
warmth (I live in Malaysia). I tried leaving the turntable untouched for
2-3 days to see if would realign itself. It didn't.

The springs are still very firm and springy (not sagging or sloppy).

Any tips in balancing an Alexandria? What should the distance between
the lower rim of the platter to the chassis top plate be? I know it
shouldn't be too high, because the platter/arm assembly would come in
contact with the chassis, and hence defeat the suspension. It shouldn't
be too low, obviously because the lower part of the platter would scrape
against the chassis. Is there such a thing as the ideal height?

But more important, what do you think is causing the balance of the
platter/arm assembly to drift out of alignment every time?

If anyone out there has a digitised (scanned or PDF) copy of the
Alexandria II manual, I'd appreciate a copy. Mine came without. My email
is

Many thanks!

raz