|
for National or Panasonic from Professor Phonograph There is a common myth that one belt fits 95% of all turntables. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth! If a typical belt is, say, an inch too small, the turntable will probably run, but you will wear out your motor in about a year. If the same belt is an inch too large, again, the turntable will probably run, but as the belt ages, it expands. Because this belt is too large from the start, you will need to replace it years before it would normally need replacement! Flat Rubber belts have 5 measurements that are critical to ensure proper performance. This belt fits these Panasonic turntables, and while it fits some other National, Panasonic, or Technics models, it does not fit all National, Panasonic, or Technics models. I was a store manager for the largest independent Technics and Panasonic dealer in the Southeastern United States, I also ordered parts direct from Panasonic. Please let me share this knowledge with you. There are established websites that use the same belt for all National, Panasonic and Technics tables, and while some are “close”, if you call 5% close, they are not an exact match. These belts are not cut to size, they are precision molded to match the original factory specifications for the following Turntable: About these models: I managed a Pro Sound Store for over 20 years (from the late 70s to the early years of this century). I took notes of people bringing in turntables The National or Panasonic (these turntables were available in both brands) SL-N5, SL-N15, and SL-N25s are turntables that customers brought in for belts. I did not stock or sell these models, so I wanted to be 100% sure which belt they needed, so I called Panasonic at that time and they said to use this belt. (At that time these had only been discontinued for a short while, and Panasonic still had information on them. If I did this today, they have no information for me. There was an early, non-Panasonic, parts cross-reference with a lot of errors in it, and the info it contained had a belt that contradicts what Panasonic told me when I called. There are many, many major parts dealers that copied these errors, and are selling the wrong belts, even to this day. Here is the info I copied from my notes from my actual customer’s SL-N5, SL-N15 and SL-N25 turntables: All three of these turntables are extremely different. The SL-N5 is a fully automatic belt drive turntables with a straight tonearm that pivots. Fully automatic means that you press the start stop button (I think it says start stop, my photo has Kanji characters, and my Japanese is a little rusty... does anyone have an SL-N5 with English?). At the end of the record, the arm automatically lifts and returns to the rest position, and the player shuts off. All of the controls (including the cueing mechanism) are located near the front, so you can lift the cue without raising the lid on the rack. On the left side is a switch for speed (33/45) that is set either on 33 or 45. There is no pitch control. If you buy this belt and still have pitch issues, I can guide you through a solution, it will take you about 1 day to complete, but you will be able to adjust the pitch! (Yes, I see no pitch control on the outside, and yes, I can show you how to fix it.) Most people don't have this problem, getting the correct belt is essential. The Left side of the front has a cueing switch (up and down), if the cueing is not smooth, add oil to the hydraulic chamber, that fixes it. The far right side has a control that says "stop", if a record is playing, hitting this switch lifts the arm and returns it to the starting position. On the right front, next to the start stop button is the place for a 45-RPM adapter. The SL-N5 is about 12.5" wide and have the tonearm to the rear (so it looks like it is sitting sideways). The SL-N15 is a fully automatic belt drive turntables with a linear tracking tonearm. Fully automatic means that you press the start to begin playing a record and hit the stop button to stop playing a record. At the end of the record, the arm automatically lifts and returns to the rest position, and the player shuts off. All of the controls (including the cueing mechanism) are located in front of the dust cover, so you can lift the cue without raising the lid. On the left side is a switch power (on/off). Just right of center are the selectors for speed (33/45) and record size (17 is ~7 inches, the size of most 45 RPM records, 30 is ~12 inches, the size of most LPs). There is no pitch control. If you buy this belt and still have pitch issues, I can guide you through a solution, it will take you about 1 day to complete, but you will be able to adjust the pitch! (Yes, I see no pitch control on the outside, and yes, I can show you how to fix it.) Most people don't have this problem, getting the correct belt is essential. The next button to the right is a cueing switch (up and down), if the cueing is not smooth, add oil to the hydraulic chamber, that fixes it. The next switch has an arrow and says < Start, that begins play and moves the arm to the left. far right side has a switch with an arrow Stop > that says "stop", if a record is playing, hitting this switch lifts the arm and returns it to the starting position. In the center, at the spindle there is a pull-up 45-RPM adapter. In terms of features, the SL-N25 is extremely like the SL-N15. The SL-N25 is a fully automatic belt drive turntables with a linear tracking tonearm. Fully automatic means that you press the start to begin playing a record and hit the stop button to stop playing a record. At the end of the record, the arm automatically lifts and returns to the rest position, and the player shuts off. The key difference seems to be that the SL-N25 has built in speakers. The controls are on the top of the base (the SL-N15's controls are on the front of the base) to make room for two small speakers on the left and right side. There is a slide volume control. 15 inch subs won't fit <(•¿•)> Everything else seems to be like the SL-N15. Local Pickup Available at no charge! I am in Tucker, GA (North and East of Atlanta) 5 times a week and in Monroe, GA (between Athens and Loganville) at least 5 days a week. Message me before you buy to arrange a pickup. Shipping and Handling by USPS Ground Advantage with tracking to all points in the US for only $1.99. (You pay less than I pay the USPS to ship your item, you can factcheck this... check your local post office and see how much it costs to ship a package to yourself with tracking) -- or at your option -- USPS Priority Mail for $9.88. Please allow One (1) Business Day after receiving payment for shipment. |