Aftermarket Dust Cover

In the past, every turntable I owned had a clear plastic dustcover attached to the turntable with hinges. That's not an option with the Micro Seiki, so I have been thinking about one of those aftermarket clear plastic dustcovers that cover the whole turntable, right down to it's feet. Do you or have you guys used something like this and what do I need to know?

In particular;

• What do you do with the cover when you are playing records? Where do you put it?
• This is a big, awkward piece of plastic. Are their any handles or other ways to lift it?
• How much clearance do you have between the turntable and the cover?
• Did you add any cutouts for cables or other holes?

Thanks in advance for any input. My Micro is a big table (21" wide x 18" deep x 9" tall), so I am concerned with the size.

 

JnB Audio, a seller on eBay made a custom cover for my KD-2070. He did great work, so maybe you can reach out to him to see what your options are.

 

Is it the BL-111 because I thought that one did have the dustcover attached with hinges? https://www.intovinyl.com/products/micro-seiki-bl-111-bl111-compatible-dust-cover for a replacement but if you don't have the hinges those will also not be cheap... though custom covers will also get quite pricey.

Technically I am using a custom cover that does go all the way around past the feet on mine with cutouts for wires / handles / 2" clearance all the way around (so ~4"/100mm clearance total and 2"/50mm vertically) but if it were an option for mine I would go with the hinged thing that fits on the plinth ;/

 

Thanks for the recommendation. It turns out he is about 40 minutes away from me.

Alas, all I have are the hinge brackets that screw into the turntable. I haven't found any original hinges, but maybe I can make something.

Thanks. You are confirming what I have been worrying about. The big, all-over cover seems awkward.

I have also thought about something like the Kuzma Stabi S cover. Part of the table would still get dust and dust could still get in from the side, but I would be easier to manage. I wonder if anyone has experience with this type of cover?

https://www.dropbox.com/s/ajbvgljmif54dl5/kuzma.jpg?dl=0

 

Yeah the hinged cover is certainly more convenient.

I don't have experience with the kuzma type cover, the holes in mine are relatively low down so dust has to blow in and then up to get up on the plinth. Not saying it doesn't happen at all but it certainly helps a lot. I can't see how the kuzma could be used while playing a record, I put mine back over the top while playing, I would like to keep dust off my records even more than off the record player. but I am hoping that type is significantly cheaper maybe?

I think it is possible to get a custom over the top cover that is itself hinged so you aren't doing the whole lifting it off and placing it back over the top thing, but I suspect those ones get real pricey.

 

I totally agree that the Kuzma Stabi S style can't be used while playing. I guess I haven't closed the dust cover while playing, so I hadn't thought about that. I thought the Kuzma cover was smaller and less clumsy than a big cover, so it could easily be stored on a lower shelf, for example. I am sure that a Kuzma cover won't do as good a job with keeping the dust out.

I have also wondered about sound coming from the speakers transmitting vibrations to the turntable through the dust cover. That would probably be worst for an open hinged cover. A cover that is removed doesn't block any direct sound, but also can't transmit vibration like one that is connected to the plinth. Your system is probably best because any vibration picked up from sound would be transmitted to the shelf below the turntable. The price for that, of course, is a larger and more clumsy cover.

As an aside, I was watching a Fremer, Tracking Angle, video talking about the OMA turntable he has. The Schroeder tonearm is a 3D printed, aluminum truss structure and Michael Fremer talked about the idea that the open truss design wasn't affected by sound from the speakers like a single tube might be.

 

I used something like this flipped upside down back in the day, and just folded it up when not in use... but I guess it doesn't do much for aesthetics.
https://www.amazon.com/CleverMade-Collapsible-Storage-Bins-Lids/dp/B078WP93DG/