There are two round dimples stamped into the sides of the arm tube. Unfortunately, this receptacle is made of a somewhat soft, flimsy plastic, and it is very tightly fitted to the arm tube. This has to be pulled out of the tonearm tube. After removing the headshell from the front end of the tonearm, you will see a white plastic receptacle containing the four contacts that touch the pins at the back of the headshell.

Once the arm is separated from the turntable, you are ready for what is probably the riskiest part of the whole procedure - getting inside the tonearm. You will also need to get the ball bearing out from the inside of the tonearm bearing well and put it in a safe place for now. This will allow you to remove the entire tonearm assembly from the turntable. Cut them where they pass through the plinth and leave the remaining halves of the wires in place for now. The very first thing to do is to cut the tonearm wires. In retrospect, I might have done well to buy one foot of the fifth color for a ground wire. Welbourne sells it by the foot in five different colors.īe sure to buy different colors. I would not recommend using wire any thicker than 33 gauge, as even this is just a bit thicker than the original wiring. It is very tiny and flexible, which makes it just right for the job. If I can do it, almost anyone can! There is virtually no information available on the Web about rewiring an AR XA, so hopefully this article will change that.Īll that is required for this project are a few basic tools and some new wire. If you are similarly inexperienced, then let my success inspire you. Use your own judgment if you are in doubt about my techniques. I am not an electronics or turntable repair expert, so you may know better ways of doing certain things.

I will give instructions on how to replace these wires based on my experience in rewiring my own tonearm. The point where the wires pass through the plinth is where damage is most likely, and it comes from decades of rubbing against the edge of the hole in the plinth. One common problem for aging AR XA turntables is frayed or broken tonearm wire.

Tonearm rewiring service