*UPDATE:* I found another patent from Mr. Dennis that *exactly* matches the 1988 mechanism I showed in the video, including the unusually rapid auto-return feature: freepatentsonline.com/4788676.pdf
I have to say I don't know how you do this VERY GOOD DETECTIVE WORK!!!! I am still flabbergasted on how you found this info I loved this so much I seen it 6 times so far I love history and this is good history JRo
Thank you for your research Kevin - getting more knowledgeable every day! I've been following you for 11+ years, and have seen your evolution and improvement as a UA-camr - while I'm largely above these cheap turntable mechanisms, it is very interesting and informative to see their evolution and origins.
@@shoppinglions9056 Oh come on. Don't give me that pretend-ignorance. You knew what you were doing. You were trying to make money on the back of someone else's video, by being the first out the gate with an affiliate link to grab those Amazon affiliate dollars for yourself. And apparently someone with mod powers agrees with me that that's not the done thing, because it seems your affiliate link comment has now been deleted.
The Glaser-Steers GS-77 wasn't originally a budget record changer, it was fairly expensive. They made a simpler model GS-400 which didn't have the platter atopping during the change cycle or the automatic speed selector, but it wasn't a budget changer either, it was still more costly than the very popular V-M 1200. General Electric took over Glaser-Steers in 1963 and further simplified the design for use in their portable record players, then came out with a totally new design in 1965.
I know the factories(s) where the units are made. I was there a few times in the last years. They are all in Guangdong province in South China. I live there. The outer metal ring has a fuction. Normally it goes a little bit stronger around the plastic platter. The metal ring keeps the plastic platter in shape to reduce the altitude stroke (hopefully I use the right word, I am a native German...). This is working very well. If you want to know more you can ask me. The man who produces the cheap needles became very rich. He lives in a big villa. The smaller record players (suit case and so on, with the smaller platter) uses lower voltage. I made the suggestion years ago that run with a 5V USB power supply. In before the smaller units uses 9V. It seems they are all run with 5V now.
_"The metal ring keeps the plastic platter in shape to reduce the altitude stroke"_ Sounds kind of like the metal ring serves as reinforcement to help prevent the plastic platter from warping.
I have vivid memories of playing my parents records on their all-in-one Amstrad stereo back in the late 80s/early 90s that had a plastic turntable/orange cartridge just like these. If its cheap/affordable and works, that's enough for most people.
That cheap and nasty mechanism.and screechy ceramic cartridge. They were around for ages as stated in the video. Audiophiles also avoided them back in those days it seems.
@@robredz for some reason i have always had a love for the ceramic cartridge (that's what i was brought up with and all i could afford, use to try and go for a Sonitone 9TAHC, they were slightly better) , (i use a magnetic on my main deck now ) but it dose amazes me that you can make them sound pretty good, most of the problems with modern players, why they sound so crap is that these these decks have a rubbish amp in them, a ceramic cartridge needs a good 2M Ohm load to approximate the RIAA equalization or massive attenuation and a phono preamp. but like you said still never 'Audiophiles' quality. Considering most people used to have 'Hi-FI' systems with 'full range' single speakers with no more than a 2W output, a magnetic cartridge would not have made much difference.
@@priddystrains5660 Yes the Sonotone was alsoused in many DJ decks as were rugged and didn't sound too bad, a really good sounding Ceramic was the Decca Deram, but they had a low output voltage for a Ceramic, howeverin times gone by the 2 Watt hifi, the audiophile might be a Leak valbve amp with 10 watts a channel fed into Tannoy dual concentrics that wouldn't take more than 20 watts, but would fill a dancehall big beasts like Tannoy Westminster's.
@@robredz Agree completely, the Decca Deram was a good ceramic, I had a friend who had one, who would continuously rip into me about my Sonotone's...... On the note of the Tannoy's i once had a set i used when i first started DJing in pubs (they were wood but painted them black to make them look 'professional' ha) , used to use a couple of Garrard SP25 decks, they were built to last back then, when they said 20W they meant 20W not like some speakers or amps today, '100W' is almost like 10W with a good old amp and speakers :). I once brought one of them moden cheap 'suitcase' players about £30, said on the specification 5W RMS per channel (never believed it ) , on taking it apart the IC used in the amp is from the 80s for walkman casset playes no more than 500mW per channel. Always wondered how they get away with saying things like that, then i realised the built in speekers have 5W rms stamped on them :)
I had a suitcase Crosley and you know it was never a GREAT player, but it also didn't mess up my records and what it lacked in quality it allowed me the space to dip my feet into the world of vinyl collecting to know if I wanted to make a more worthy investment. These days I have a much more advanced (though still fairly "mid range") setup and I wouldn't have spent that money without exploring the scene with the Crosley first, and I think that's worth it.
This is what I tell people when they're always giving crap to newcomers into vinyl world. We need the cheap little dink to let us know if this is something real to us. Then, we can explore the world and spend time and money when we are hooked! I know that's what I did. :)
Here in the UK almost every turntable I encountered during the 70s was a BSR. My very first record player was a Fidelity stereo with a BSR deck just like this. I loved it. It played my records fine and was within the financial reach of my parents. Thank you BSR.
So the main reason why record players with this kind of mechanism usually sound so bad is the impedance mismatch, since they don't have a pre-amp designed for a ceramic cartridge.
Yup, and that design flaw has a long history, too. My sister had a 1992 Sanyo stereo system and its record player sounded horribly tinny because they didn't properly match the impedance, even back then.
@@vwestlife Then why don't just make a full job instead of a half job, match the impedance once in the construction and then produce thousands of players that sound decent for years?
But they still add a lot of rumble, wow (very noticable in piano music) and an unacceptable amount of tracking weight. A good turntable applies 1,25 - 1,75 grams of weight. These things do 5 - 7 grams. That they already existed back in the 1980's doesn't mean they don't harm or wear down your records. They did back then, and they still do.
Have to admit, these videos are way more useful for people getting into records than the videos of audiophiles claiming you need to spend $1000 on a cartridge made by nude virgins, and $3000 on a turntable and stereo or you'll never enjoy your records (which is utter rubbish.) The truth is the majority of people would be happy listening with a cheaper turntable and stylus, like the ones shown in this video. And if 6 grams of tracking force bugs you, I'd be willing to bet money that most of the used albums on the market today were generally played on turntables with higher tracking force back in the day, and sound perfectly fine today. A lot of tube records players and old changers tracked at 6+ grams. Vinyl is a lot tougher of a format than some people on the internet think. The blemishes in records are what make them attractive. It's not a format for people wanting crystal clear reproduction that sounds the same every time, digital formats are much better suited at that.
Yeah. I’ve had the same turntable which tracks at 5.5 grams for a little over a year, and have used it at least once or twice a day. All my records sound fine still.
Don't forget that you also can't enjoy music if the platter mat isn't made from Unicorn hide, all the cables aren't diamond encrusted, gold plated platinum, and if you didn't insulate the player by placing it on a 2.27356 inches slab of African Blackwood with brass, air suspended feet.
The only thing these cheap turntables ruined was the idea that vinyl sounded better. But it sparked my desire to get a proper setup for a much better sound experience. I say they're a decent intro turntable with the right expectations.
. Thank you again for the subtitles. You have already a very good speech, easy to understand and a pleasing voice. But the subtitles helps me to get those words I'm still not able to understand by just hearing it 👍👍👍👍😀
Wow that is VERY TRUE ,after a hard day at work or listening to depressing news I like to watch VWestlife It can take me away from worrying about things I wish I could control but cannot JRo
@@jro7075 Yeah........ Life was GREAT when we had our cassettes and Walkman's. NOW look at us!! 😆 Our phones took over EVERYTHING. Eliminated so much we used to love. CRAZY TIMES. ⏲️
I'm no fan of basic tuntables, not one bit. That said, I appreciate that you don't speak ill of anyone who does, unlike so many other channels I've seen out there. Great work as usual!
I had an LP60, but I could never really get the timing right on it, so I grabbed an LP120USB (or whatever the model is) with the quartz locked direct drive. It makes a world of difference, but it is pricey in comparison.
Its a great tt I bought 1 in 2011 and after a year i thought more expensive tt's are better, well, i can tell u from my experince, after buying $400 Dennon dp 300f and now $ 1.3k music hall 7.3. Sound difference is not that big ( if any).
I own the Sony version of it, the PS-LX250H. I had one for almost 20 years, and it finally broke. I found another one used for $40. Very good unit for the money.
So after watching a many videos on the subject of cheap turntables, I concluded the following: 1. They don’t ruin you records (the tracking force is well within the normal spec’s.) and 2. If the table is spinning at the correct speed, and the impedance is correctly matched, the TT can be made to sound better with a good set of powered speakers. 3. That you can get into records for a lot less money. Just make sure the above is true, and you are going to have a decent listening experience. Of course you have to go down the rabbit hole of expensive gear if you want to hear all the lovely warm sound the better gear can provide. Great video I learned a lot!
Every time I see that clip of Michael Fremer, I die a little inside lol. Love the video as always, didn't know these mechanisms went back that far. You learn something new every day.
Michael Fremer is not completely wrong. Each time you play a record the groove stretches out of shape a little. Back in the 70's and 80's the rule Hi-Fi boffins like me went by was never play a record more than once in 24 hours so the vinyl had time to return to shape. We also went to great lengths to use cartridges that tracked well under 2 grams in order to minimise record wear, with top of the line cartridges from companies such as Empire, Stanton and Sure tracking between 3/4 to 1& 1/4 grams.
@@macxpert3588 Not everyone can afford those kinds of setups. I can't afford it. I own 2 Technics TTs, both outfitted with AT95E P-mounts. There's no way I can afford to replace those when the time comes. For that reason I don't use those TTs often but the Cruise I own I can afford to use. Diamond styluses are only $8 average for three replacements. And I'm speaking from personal experience...regardless of what others think or believe my Crosley Cruiser is not and has not damaged my records whether old or new. My first TT was an all in one Panasonic, 1980's model, and tracked a bit heavier than my Cruiser. Those records played fine, no damage, all the years I grew up. As long as you keep the vinyl and stylus clean and well maintained there is nothing to worry about.
He made it seem like a cheap turntable would murder your family & burn your house down, while also stealing your hopes and dreams. 🤣 Sure, if I could listen to his stereo system instead of mine, I would. The problem is, his stereo is worth multiples of my house! He's got Wilson speakers, like $200K in monoblock amps, etc. I think his tone arm and cartridge was something nuts - like $15k when he did a room tour. Those items are a far cry from what most of us can afford, or even aspire to. If you're enjoying your music on a thrift store setup, I'm happy for you. Whatever helps you experience and enjoy the music is all that really matters. Recently I recommended a cheap $30 pair of wireless earbuds on Facebook, because for the money, they sound great and if all you have is those and a phone - you can still have a good listening experience. 😁👍
Getting all up in the history. You're like the New Jersey Techmoan. 🤣 Michael Fremer has some decent album recommendations, but since his turntable costs more than my car (and the pre-amp); and the amps and speakers more than my house... suffice to say he's a bit out of touch with affordable gear. I prefer the music first audiophile concept. If I can enjoy my music on a piece of equipment, I don't care if it's 'cheap'. Cheap can sound good with the proper pairings and knowing the limitations of your equipment.
For some people it's just a "name game" and bragging. If something SOUNDS good, It's good. END of story. I have $45 "in the ear" Bluetooth Sonys that SOUND better (with my music, Largely Classic Rock, Blues and Jazz..) than the "Beats by Dre" version (similar price, BTW). But because of the NAME, the "Beats" have more "cred"...WHAH?!? IDC about STATUS, I Care about SOUND.
@@idkanymore3382 Absolutely correct on Sony's wired cans. (I'm not making this up) I have a pair of wired Sonys that I got I bought at friggin FAMILY DOLLAR for $8 that are every bit a match for my TASCAM TH-03s that were THREE TIMES the price, LOL. -The Sony's are a *bit* better at the low end, And the Tascams are a *bit* better at the high end, But over all Same... For $8!!
You can buy a vastly superior turntable, that has a tonearm counterweight for less than £200 or $200 brand new. Alternatively, you could buy a second hand one for half that amount. Are you really telling me that is unaffordable to the majority of people?
@@qsxdr7 The OP didn't imply that you should get a Crosley. He said that he put music first, not price. I agree. I have a vintage Dual 510 that I bought in the 80s for about $50. No need to spend $1,000 for a decent turntable.
@@idkanymore3382 worse than the Beats are Apple's new Airpod Max or whatever the hell they're named. $600 and to put them to sleep in the battery saver mode, you've got to carry that silly 'bra' tote.
Fascinating! Informative! Educational! This made me take another look with a different perspective at all these cheaply made turntables with a ceramic cartridge. Though I do still think the genuine Chuo Denshi cartridge made in Japan sounds better than the clone from China, the sound quality you were able to get from each of these iterations was very pleasing!
My first ever "HiFi" system was an Amstrad branded all in one designed to look like a separates system I got for Christmas in around 1983/1984, it even came built into a cabinet with a glass door and record storage underneath. It had almost exactly the same mechanism as the BSR one but was branded Amstrad rather than BSR. I still have albums I played on that system back then and they still sound fine today on decent turntables because I have always looked after my records.
This was so helpful! I was able to find the speed adjustment “screws” on my Soundesign turntable b/c it was playing the records too slow and it would play 45’s but I cleaned the contacts on the switch and does now! By the way, your advice on turning a meh sapphire into a wow diamond was also super helpful!
My brother got a new turntable for Christmas and he gave me his old one (both with this mechanism). The one I have is a suitcase style with the odd design of stereo speakers firing out the left side and Philco branded. It needed the volume control cleaned, but works.
Hey man, I have been watching your videos for a long time now and I have noticed a big jump in quality. You have always had interesting videos, but it so nice to see how far you've come. Keep it up!
If you want to verify the history of this mechanism, a great place to look is the Radio Shack catalogs. They seem to have been using BSR mechanisms on their budget turntables all along, and you can see when they switch from the older style BSR mechanism (the 70s style record changers with the start/stop lever in the corner, usually with a silver bulls-eye pattern on top) to the newer cost reduced version you had from 1984. There was also an in-between version for awhile. The 1982 catalog exclusively has the older 70s style BSR design for budget models, and more bespoke designs up the range. No hint of the newer mech yet. The 1983 catalog is slightly more interesting. The cheaper all-in-one tables (Clarinete 104, Clarinete 90, etc) still use the 70s BSR mech, same for the very cheapest standalone LAB-59, but the slightly more expensive LAB-75 and LAB-77 use a changer that looks like it's an in-between of the older design and the 1984 design. It borrows some elements, like the flusher style off/play switch from the older BSR, but has a minimalist footprint more similar to the newer model. It uses more fake chrome than the 1984 design but less than the older units. I think this might be a missing link in crappy turntable evolution. 1984 soldiers on with the same lineup on the lower end, so nothing of note here. 1985 replaces the LAB-75 and 77 with the LAB-79 and 85 changers. These look exactly like your 1984 style BSR, but configured to be a changer. They also included a platter mat. I did read somewhere that this was a BSR table rebadged as a Realistic product, so it seems that the 1984 BSR variant was also available as a changer. The 70s style BSR table was finally bumped off of the standalone LAB tables, making the new BSR the new bottom end, but it remained on some of the all-in-one Clarinete tables. Notably, the very cheapest Clarinete, the 116, has your non-changer 1984 BSR turntable mech at last. Given that they probably started manufacturing these a little before release, this date lines up, and these machines most likely first hit the market in '85. 1986 was mostly the same. By this point only one model was left with the 70s style BSR mech, the Clarinete-115. Some of the others like the 114 had more cut back designs reminiscent of the older model but without a changer. The slimmer profile, cheaper Clarinetes had the newer '84 non-changer variant. 1987: Realistic still marketed the changer style of the '84 variant, consolidated to just one table, the LAB-89, and somehow the 70s style BSR limped on in the highest end Clarinete. (I had no idea changers were still around this far into the 80s.) 1988: The LAB-89 changer is till there. The 70s style BSR is finally killed off in the Clarinete series, and it looks like they actually regressed to an even cheaper looking table for a bit. Notably, this time it recognizably has a red Chuo Denchi cartridge. 1989: That plucky LAB-89 changer is still holding on, and I must know if it survived into the 90s. The Clarinete series is reduced to one lonely model, the 122, which has the "even cheaper than BSR" mechanism with Chuo Denchi cart. 1990: The LAB-89 makes it one more year! Changers officially made it to the 90s, though I wonder how many actually sold. Maybe they had so much stock left over that they kept them in the catalog until they finally sold out, who knows. The Clarinete holds on with one last model, the 124, which has a mech that looks much closer to the 1988 style you have, but still slightly different; the table and tonearm are separated. Finally, in 1991 Radio Shack stops marketing changers for good. Only a handful of sad looking black plastic turntables remain. By 1993 there's only two left and they're getting shoved farther back in the catalog with tinier pics. It's down to a single lonely table in 1997 until the Realistic line was finally killed off, but they kept marketing budget tables even after this under the RCA badge. But at this point we're well into the age of Crosley tables.
I haven't had a turntable since the 80s even though I have a LOT of vinyl albums from the 70s in varying states of wear. When a newlywed in 92, my bride, bless her heart, bought me a Radio Shack turntable for Christmas. With skepticism, I put an album on and put the stylus in the track. The tracking weight must have been about a half a pound. It was torture letting it even go half way through the first song of my precious album, and that was it. It's still sitting in the storage room. One day maybe, I'll buy a good turntable, but honestly I don't see it. I listen to CDs exclusively and most of my vinyl that I would still listen to has been replaced with a CD version.
BSR was a British company, formed as Birmingham Sound Reproducers in 1908. It was responsible from the 1950s onwards for the decks in the iconic British Dansette brand of record players, so BSR decks brought rock and roll to the receptive ears of British teenagers - along with the other main brand Garrard. Inevitably production disappeared to the far east in the 1980s, the remnants eventually being taken over by Emerson. Source - Wikipedia.
Very interesting video. I've got here in the UK a Philips midi system from 1988 with this type of turntable. I was really easy to track down a replacement diamond stylus for it, and it sounds great.
Incredible knowledge and great presentation yet again. All of your videos are very interesting and so well presented. I've been a follower of your channel for a number of years now. You have one of the most interesting channels on the whole of UA-cam. Great work again.
'they realized people were complaining about the bad visibility of the strobe marks.. *so they made the whole damned platter the strobe marks*' one of my favorite quotes of all time
The thing about these turntable mechanisms is that they have an authentic “vinyl sound”. From the cheapest Crosley or Victrola unit to turntables from quality brands like TEAC, you are going to hear a crisp and crackly reproduction of your records. This is normal and very common, especially in affordable turntables. Some people love the crackles and pops that vinyl offers because it seems more retro, while hardcore audiophiles like Vinyl Eyezzz recommend you buy a $450 Fluance turntable with several $100 amplifiers. Not all of us can afford that. Turntables like a Fluance, Denon, and the most expensive Audio Technica, all come with an even sturdier, higher quality needle than the red plastic ones found on the affordable turntables. People who compare vinyl to digitally remastered music, have remastered the music themselves (For The Record has explained this about his audio setup in a video of his) on their high end pre amps. I love my records and want them to sound good, but I don’t need them to sound THAT good. I currently am happy with my $290 TEAC turntable.
The Fluance is probably made by the same company that makes the Denon and Teac turntables. The Fluance brand has been for years associated with home theater speakers. It's owned by a Niagara Falls based marketing company called Circus World Displays, who also sells under the Citizen, Electrohome, First Alert, and other brands. And, BTW, they do sell those plastic Chinese players, as Citizen and Electrohome.
@@dougbrowning82 Yahorng Electric is the OEM that makes current Fluance, Teac and Akai turntables. Denon (except for the VL12 Prime) and most Audio Technica turntables are made by Hanpin Electron.
@@OldMusicOnVinyl1 Yahorg Electric is based in Taiwan. They make turntables, mixers, blenders, choppers, coffee makers, deep fryers, food processors, and juice extractors. Hanpin Electron, also from Taiwan, makes audio equipment, musical instruments, and business machines.
@@dougbrowning82 Yahorng is so fascinating. I just unintentionally learned about their kitchen products by looking up _their_ turntable patents, in a similar effort to trace the lineage of certain turntables by companies such as Numark. Yahorng has several factories making turntables: one in Taiwan, one in mainland China, and another in Malaysia.
Just played a record I got Xmas 1975 and it still sounds great. So much for all the hammer it took on the BSR decks back in the day 🤣 Didn't know Pioneer used a carousel cd player, thought they stuck to their load upside down cartridge mech. Excellent video cheers 🍻🎄
And strangely enough, it still sounds the best out of all those demonstrated! It was using a better cartridge with the Tetrad... cleaner and more accurate bass and treble than the Japanese/Chinese clone had - untill the last example of the 202 version which sounded pretty decent; but not as good as the '84 model.... Even though in 1984 it was very far from 'high end'!! At least it was better 'low end'... ;-)
BSR actually started making mini players in the late 1960s, only back then, they were auto changers with BSR's own SC 12A ceramic cartridge, They moved to Tetrad in the late 1970s. Radiotvphononut has a few. One was featured in a recent video where he compares it to a modern Crosley.
@@dougbrowning82 : BSR continued through the 70s with the BSR SC-12M cartridge in the music-centre all-in-one systems that were made by folks like Ferguson, Thorn, Fidelity, etc, and into the early 1980s... These Ferguson Music centres were my teen age years when I really started getting into music, and I loved them.... Those BSR decks; built to a budget, still performed well, and sounded great! That BSR SC-12M cartridge sound has a place in my heart... and the stereo separation from a decent ceramic cartridge sounds dramatically wider than with a magnetic cartridge!
@@stevesstuff1450 I actually thought the 1984 model sounded the worst, with the treble being more recessed. I thought the 1988 version sounded superior, the 2002 sounded the worst, and the 2020 sounding comparable to the '84 and '88 models.
BSR is a very unfavorable name here in Berlin. It stands for "Berliner Stadtreinigung". The garbage collection service. I guess it's just a coincidence.
Great video :-) That was a fascinating dive into the history of these cheaper turntables... I was quite surprised to see that they originated with BSR though! Nice one! :-)
The Tetrad cartridge sounded the best. Those Chuo-Denshi (and clones) cartridges have always had a hollow tone with that scratchy trebly high end like we heard in the video, especially with the all-plastic stylus. I once had a mid-80's Fisher combo that had an all-black variation on the 1984 mechanism but with the Chuo-Denshi cart rather than the Tetrad. I've had several other players over the years from the early 90's through 2010's that use that same cart, and they all sound exactly the same.
I've come across a few cheap, all-in-one stereos from the 90s that feature these turntable mechanisms. I'm surprised I didn't notice their resemblance to cheap contemporary units until you pointed them out!
I have never really bought into the whole “cheap modern needles will destroy your records within a few plays”. My two biggest gripes with these newer players is that the motor speeds often are either be too fast or slow … or there is too much flutter. On the “vintage look” players, what gets me is that makers like Crosley go to such extremes reproducing the cases to look genuinely like a 50-80 year old machine; only to open them up to be met with a black plastic turntable that look like 1990!
The 1984 sounds the best. I was fascinated by this as I had a BSR based record player in my Hitachi all in one as young music buff from the mid to late 70's
Got an Ion turntable with that mechanism and adding a banpa cartridge (per your video) really classes up the sound. I also do the old-school trick of glueing a few coins off the back to lower the tracking force. The only thing I can't solve is needle talk. Some of my cheapies are so noisy I can listen to an album in a quiet room without the amp plugged in.
It all adds up now. It also explains the later Stack-O-Matic record changers of the mid-2000s. In addition to low-cost stereo systems under their own brand. Capetronic was also an OEM for other companies, including the famous Brother Domino II stereo (as well as my Brother Impact 33 which I sold a while ago). It makes sense that they would acquire BSR's patents for their record changers and record players. Before that acquisition, they tended to use BSR record changers (and when Glenburn was around, they used Glenburn). They also made the chassis for low-cost tabletop and freestanding console stereos. Makes me wonder if they changed their name during the 2000s, since I can't find much info on Capetronic nowadays.
That TEAC system you showed had many variants. It was very popular in the UK under names BUSH and goodmans, sold through Argos catalogue shop. My family had three.
BSR produced changers used to be everywhere in the 70's - and they were never well regarded. Here we have BSR's non-changer legacy: still everywhere and still not well regarded! Thanks for this; a refreshing change from the mostly mindless Crosley/Victrola/etc reviews found on UA-cam.
My grandparents Phillips stereo system, which they bought brand new in 1988 uses the second design, and they played their records nearly every day until they died about 2 years ago. Can confirm it doesn't destroy the records.
Who would have thought that cheap turntables and entry level cassette decks would have such interesting histories. It should come as no surprise that my first stereo (Soundesign) had pretty much the same mechanism. My first record player was a Fisher Price, I wonder how it compared...
Very interesting! I think that the 1984 one gave the most pleasing audio quality. Piezo Pick-Up Cartridges don't really lend themselves to being used with Solid State Amplifiers and some cheaper Midi Systems have been sold with poor matching and sound tinny as a result when playing Records. Improving these is not difficult however as all you need to do is to add a Resistor of about a couple of Megohms in series with the Cartridge output and add a One Transistor Amplifier Stage after that to make up for the loss of amplitude across the Matching Resistor and there you are. You will have to do it twice for stereo equipment of course but the improvement is worth the time,effort and money.
Came via Techmoan. I remember in the mid 80's mum having one of those tower systems (Binatone) you know the all in one systems pretending to be separates built into a 'hifi' cabinet with a glass door. I did its job well for general music playing on a budget but not what I would call real hifi. I was a kid recording the charts from UK radio using cheap ferric cassettes, fine for that. Sound quality wise now I would re name it Bin-A-Tone 😁 I don't think it destroyed my records but I don't think it did them any favours either. Also seems the early one at least tried to offer a simulation of a more expensive item and then over the years everything has been stripped back to make it even cheaper to produce. Interesting history and Good review 👍 Subbed.
I have a very interesting variant of of this mechanism up in my attic right now. It is most similar to the 1984 version but marked Capetronic on the bottom. It actually has a magnetic cartridge on it and a built in pre-amp. Dates to around 1988-1989 and is basically new in box. When I tried it had a lot of wow and flutter so probably needs a new belt. Anyhow what makes it interesting is it’s a full changer. Has a bizarre looking spindle. It’s a Realistic Lab 89 if you want to look it up. Anyhow I was just going to throw it out at some point, but if you’re interested and would pay the shipping cost I’d give it to you. If not no big deal. Just thought I would mention it.
Capetronic AFAIK was at least at one point a division of BSR. I know they made more than turntables and did contract manufacturing for lots of companies.
I remember they also had a brand called ADC, who specialized in graphic equalizers and phono cartridges - they were more high-end though, they sold the crap under the BSR name and the better stuff under ADC.
If anyone is wondering what happened to BSR they changed their name to ASTEC and manufactured computer parts. www.cbronline.com/news/astec_bsr_reckons_rationalisation_will_feed_through_in_1991/ Just about every British Designed home computer made in the 1980s had an Astec RF modulator. IN BBC computers they made the PSU as well. I recall reading at the time that BSR was the company behind the name.
It's a shame they do not make these BSR"a anymore I grew up with these TT's I did not appreciate them at the time I went by what audiophiles said that these automatics were sub par. older I have gotten that I sometimes think of my young days and started watching videos on how to repair these TT's if you take a good look at them the way they function is almost like watching a fine time piece especially the earlier Bar's from early 60'&70's the platter was metal and platter had rubber on top , and watching how they go down onto record precisely is fascinating I always loved these automatic TT's just did not know it till I fixed 2 of them from early 70's these were built like tanks the last one I fixed had a magnetic cart and an adjustable counter weight which I did not know they made them till I bought this one. I think they do a fairly good job at placing stylus onto record with out missing been using manuals for several years getting tired of trying to carefully place needle down and getting up just as record finishes ,I do not see what damage they can do to a record JRo
@@jro7075 BSR started making record changers in 1951. They had the Monarch series, which included the Magidisk intermix automatic record size indexing system. In the late 1960s, they switched to the McDonald series, with manual size selection, but gaining auto repeat play. Monarch was the name of the street where the factory was located in Birmingham, and McDonald was the founder's name. Their biggest competitor at the time was Swindon based Gerrard, which was originally a clock maker. BSR was also in the home automation business. making remote controlled outlets and light switches that could be controlled from a central console. Hackers figured out how to produce the control codes on an Apple II computer, and home automation was born. The Dansette record players, produced in London, were designed around BSR Monarch changers.
It's ludicrous that they even make turntables for tens of thousands of dollars. A Technics for $20K, a Clearaudio Master Innovation for $28K...the Vyger Indian Signature IV is priced at $65,000 USD. I haven't bought an album since the 80s but I remember the hardest part was getting one that wasn't outright warped, or cupped, or had a wave in it. They ALL had something wrong with them and you had to pick your battles with the record store, which led me to keeping quite a few records with a slight wave in them. Then, no matter how clean you kept them with that little felt disc cleaner and fluid, you'd get snaps, crackle and pops, just from household dust (microscopic rocks) floating around and landing in the grooves. When CDs came out, though the sound was as clear as a bell, I too somehow perceived the difference in sound. I told someone that, I just don't enjoy my music like I used to, what could it be? I guess I got over that, but music still doesn't do it for me like it used to when I was young and listened to albums, all other things being equal.
Very interesting to see the ceramic cartridge as such having this manufactor initiated comeback. It have these "build-in features" of first delivering an almost line level output and secondly attenuating the output as the frequency goes up, eliminating the need for a RIAA preamp. The end result might not correspond perfectly with RIAA and may very well be several dB off, but then again it's good enough for non-critical everyday listening purposes.
Those are based on a unit by Tanashin, a Japanese company. Though a simple design, it can work well when done right. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of knockoffs of them, and they are most certainly NOT done right.
While these cheap turntables won't destroy records, they do cause severe damage after 100 playbacks. It all comes down to physics. A sharp needle vs soft vinyl. More tracking force and less than optimal shape of the tip = more damage over time. Check out the great video by jimboblivesforever. He actually tried it. So no, the "audiophiles" are not wrong, but they often exaggerate the problem.
I think this actually speaks to the testament of the evolution of technology. Instead of paying $80-$100 for one of these cheap ones in fancy housing, I could buy one of these and dip my totes into the world of LP’s. I know it’s not going to provide sound of even a decently cheap one, but I also believe part of the experience is the LP’s themselves. Love your videos and thanks for this deep dive I would’ve otherwise never known about
Hello to Westlife this is by far an excellent video I've already seen it 3 times including now love history on things like this , I can see how these cheap plastic TT's came to be. ,I can see how easy it will be to remember his name mine being James also it's a shame cause of the changing audio format during the 80's they had to cheapen the record player , I will say this was the best video on the history of these kinds of record players thank you for this Looking forward to your next video ,have. Happy and safe New Year JRo and I almost forgot the last song you play as you end the video is a song from my child hood it originally was from a Spanish group it was a very popular song and a dance song a meringue if I remember my father had the album it was a Dominiquen group , that song brought me back home to when my father played these songs especially during the Holidays THANK YOU !!!! JRo
*UPDATE:* I found another patent from Mr. Dennis that *exactly* matches the 1988 mechanism I showed in the video, including the unusually rapid auto-return feature: freepatentsonline.com/4788676.pdf
I have to say I don't know how you do this VERY GOOD DETECTIVE WORK!!!! I am still flabbergasted on how you found this info I loved this so much I seen it 6 times so far I love history and this is good history JRo
I am very pleased that you feed the audio directly and do not record the speakers as some fancy audiophile channels do...
Thank you for your research Kevin - getting more knowledgeable every day! I've been following you for 11+ years, and have seen your evolution and improvement as a UA-camr - while I'm largely above these cheap turntable mechanisms, it is very interesting and informative to see their evolution and origins.
Tremendous knowledge, dry humor, zero b.s. Vwestlife, you are a treasure.
We must protect him at all cost!
yes
@@shoppinglions9056 Is that your affiliate link?
@@shoppinglions9056 Sneaky.
@@shoppinglions9056 Oh come on. Don't give me that pretend-ignorance. You knew what you were doing. You were trying to make money on the back of someone else's video, by being the first out the gate with an affiliate link to grab those Amazon affiliate dollars for yourself.
And apparently someone with mod powers agrees with me that that's not the done thing, because it seems your affiliate link comment has now been deleted.
I find it fascinating that the same man who invented budget record changers invented budget CD changers 20 years later!
The Glaser-Steers GS-77 wasn't originally a budget record changer, it was fairly expensive. They made a simpler model GS-400 which didn't have the platter atopping during the change cycle or the automatic speed selector, but it wasn't a budget changer either, it was still more costly than the very popular V-M 1200.
General Electric took over Glaser-Steers in 1963 and further simplified the design for use in their portable record players, then came out with a totally new design in 1965.
I know the factories(s) where the units are made. I was there a few times in the last years. They are all in Guangdong province in South China. I live there.
The outer metal ring has a fuction. Normally it goes a little bit stronger around the plastic platter. The metal ring keeps the plastic platter in shape to reduce the altitude stroke (hopefully I use the right word, I am a native German...). This is working very well. If you want to know more you can ask me. The man who produces the cheap needles became very rich. He lives in a big villa. The smaller record players (suit case and so on, with the smaller platter) uses lower voltage. I made the suggestion years ago that run with a 5V USB power supply. In before the smaller units uses 9V. It seems they are all run with 5V now.
a german, living in china, speaking english, on a youtube video made by a man in the US. a true Mr Worldwide, lol
_"The metal ring keeps the plastic platter in shape to reduce the altitude stroke"_
Sounds kind of like the metal ring serves as reinforcement to help prevent the plastic platter from warping.
I used to live there and I'm so glad I don't anymore.
I have vivid memories of playing my parents records on their all-in-one Amstrad stereo back in the late 80s/early 90s that had a plastic turntable/orange cartridge just like these. If its cheap/affordable and works, that's enough for most people.
I’m here after watching Techmoans video 👍
That cheap and nasty mechanism.and screechy ceramic cartridge. They were around for ages as stated in the video. Audiophiles also avoided them back in those days it seems.
@@robredz for some reason i have always had a love for the ceramic cartridge (that's what i was brought up with and all i could afford, use to try and go for a Sonitone 9TAHC, they were slightly better) , (i use a magnetic on my main deck now ) but it dose amazes me that you can make them sound pretty good, most of the problems with modern players, why they sound so crap is that these these decks have a rubbish amp in them, a ceramic cartridge needs a good 2M Ohm load to approximate the RIAA equalization or massive attenuation and a phono preamp. but like you said still never 'Audiophiles' quality. Considering most people used to have 'Hi-FI' systems with 'full range' single speakers with no more than a 2W output, a magnetic cartridge would not have made much difference.
@@priddystrains5660 Yes the Sonotone was alsoused in many DJ decks as were rugged and didn't sound too bad, a really good sounding Ceramic was the Decca Deram, but they had a low output voltage for a Ceramic, howeverin times gone by the 2 Watt hifi, the audiophile might be a Leak valbve amp with 10 watts a channel fed into Tannoy dual concentrics that wouldn't take more than 20 watts, but would fill a dancehall big beasts like Tannoy Westminster's.
@@robredz Agree completely, the Decca Deram was a good ceramic, I had a friend who had one, who would continuously rip into me about my Sonotone's...... On the note of the Tannoy's i once had a set i used when i first started DJing in pubs (they were wood but painted them black to make them look 'professional' ha) , used to use a couple of Garrard SP25 decks, they were built to last back then, when they said 20W they meant 20W not like some speakers or amps today, '100W' is almost like 10W with a good old amp and speakers :). I once brought one of them moden cheap 'suitcase' players about £30, said on the specification 5W RMS per channel (never believed it ) , on taking it apart the IC used in the amp is from the 80s for walkman casset playes no more than 500mW per channel. Always wondered how they get away with saying things like that, then i realised the built in speekers have 5W rms stamped on them :)
Techmoan can get a bit toxic..
Some detective work went into this one.
I had a suitcase Crosley and you know it was never a GREAT player, but it also didn't mess up my records and what it lacked in quality it allowed me the space to dip my feet into the world of vinyl collecting to know if I wanted to make a more worthy investment. These days I have a much more advanced (though still fairly "mid range") setup and I wouldn't have spent that money without exploring the scene with the Crosley first, and I think that's worth it.
This is what I tell people when they're always giving crap to newcomers into vinyl world. We need the cheap little dink to let us know if this is something real to us. Then, we can explore the world and spend time and money when we are hooked! I know that's what I did. :)
Here in the UK almost every turntable I encountered during the 70s was a BSR. My very first record player was a Fidelity stereo with a BSR deck just like this. I loved it. It played my records fine and was within the financial reach of my parents. Thank you BSR.
So the main reason why record players with this kind of mechanism usually sound so bad is the impedance mismatch, since they don't have a pre-amp designed for a ceramic cartridge.
Yup, and that design flaw has a long history, too. My sister had a 1992 Sanyo stereo system and its record player sounded horribly tinny because they didn't properly match the impedance, even back then.
@@vwestlife Then why don't just make a full job instead of a half job, match the impedance once in the construction and then produce thousands of players that sound decent for years?
@@timweber4318 lazyness and greeding for money maybe?
Those aren’t pre amps. The output of a ceramic is near line level, it doesn’t need true preampfification.
But they still add a lot of rumble, wow (very noticable in piano music) and an unacceptable amount of tracking weight. A good turntable applies 1,25 - 1,75 grams of weight. These things do 5 - 7 grams. That they already existed back in the 1980's doesn't mean they don't harm or wear down your records. They did back then, and they still do.
“So they made the whole DAMN PLATTER the strobe marks”
A sudden burst of passion! Excellent and entertaining video sir! Awesome 😎
I always thought that was cool
@@bradygiltz5160 It's not like this video came out 10 years ago, lol!
Wouldn't the speed change with the added weight of the record making the marks on the platter inaccurate?
Have to admit, these videos are way more useful for people getting into records than the videos of audiophiles claiming you need to spend $1000 on a cartridge made by nude virgins, and $3000 on a turntable and stereo or you'll never enjoy your records (which is utter rubbish.) The truth is the majority of people would be happy listening with a cheaper turntable and stylus, like the ones shown in this video.
And if 6 grams of tracking force bugs you, I'd be willing to bet money that most of the used albums on the market today were generally played on turntables with higher tracking force back in the day, and sound perfectly fine today. A lot of tube records players and old changers tracked at 6+ grams. Vinyl is a lot tougher of a format than some people on the internet think. The blemishes in records are what make them attractive. It's not a format for people wanting crystal clear reproduction that sounds the same every time, digital formats are much better suited at that.
Yeah. I’ve had the same turntable which tracks at 5.5 grams for a little over a year, and have used it at least once or twice a day. All my records sound fine still.
Meanwhile the audiophile is preaching about his $2,000 turntable with 8,500 records in the background that he's never listened to.
“Nude Virgins”?!!! Bruh I’m laughing like crazy over that comment.😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 you just made my day
I remember back in the 80', we used to put a coint on the pickup lifter to add more weight, And it didn't ruin the record's
Don't forget that you also can't enjoy music if the platter mat isn't made from Unicorn hide, all the cables aren't diamond encrusted, gold plated platinum, and if you didn't insulate the player by placing it on a 2.27356 inches slab of African Blackwood with brass, air suspended feet.
The only thing these cheap turntables ruined was the idea that vinyl sounded better. But it sparked my desire to get a proper setup for a much better sound experience. I say they're a decent intro turntable with the right expectations.
. Thank you again for the subtitles. You have already a very good speech, easy to understand and a pleasing voice. But the subtitles helps me to get those words I'm still not able to understand by just hearing it 👍👍👍👍😀
I never heard anyone not from Jersey find the accent pleasing. lol.
This is the best video you've ever made,those 1980's players bring back memories of Sears and K-Mart stereos.
I've said it once and I'll say it again. In a weird way your videos are like therapy. ESPECIALLY in these messed up times of 2020.
Wow that is VERY TRUE ,after a hard day at work or listening to depressing news I like to watch VWestlife It can take me away from worrying about things I wish I could control but cannot JRo
@@jro7075 Yeah........ Life was GREAT when we had our cassettes and Walkman's. NOW look at us!! 😆 Our phones took over EVERYTHING. Eliminated so much we used to love. CRAZY TIMES. ⏲️
Great find! And amazing to see the connection between a single man and millions of cheap record players.
I know next to nothing about turntables and thoroughly enjoyed the video. Great work.
I'm no fan of basic tuntables, not one bit. That said, I appreciate that you don't speak ill of anyone who does, unlike so many other channels I've seen out there. Great work as usual!
Luckily i've got an LP60X for christmas 😅
Nice!
I had an LP60, but I could never really get the timing right on it, so I grabbed an LP120USB (or whatever the model is) with the quartz locked direct drive. It makes a world of difference, but it is pricey in comparison.
Its a great tt I bought 1 in 2011 and after a year i thought more expensive tt's are better, well, i can tell u from my experince, after buying $400 Dennon dp 300f and now $ 1.3k music hall 7.3. Sound difference is not that big ( if any).
I own the Sony version of it, the PS-LX250H. I had one for almost 20 years, and it finally broke. I found another one used for $40. Very good unit for the money.
just don't post that on r/turntables
more power Vwestlife! we need your very informative audio reviews. i enjoy watching your videos its really very informative. keep it up.
So after watching a many videos on the subject of cheap turntables, I concluded the following: 1. They don’t ruin you records (the tracking force is well within the normal spec’s.) and 2. If the table is spinning at the correct speed, and the impedance is correctly matched, the TT can be made to sound better with a good set of powered speakers. 3. That you can get into records for a lot less money. Just make sure the above is true, and you are going to have a decent listening experience. Of course you have to go down the rabbit hole of expensive gear if you want to hear all the lovely warm sound the better gear can provide. Great video I learned a lot!
Every time I see that clip of Michael Fremer, I die a little inside lol.
Love the video as always, didn't know these mechanisms went back that far. You learn something new every day.
My parents had that same Panasonic model. It got a lot of use.
Ignore that reply, I think its a scammer.
Interesting and informative with nice close up camera shots showing everything in detail - Well Done Sir !!
I want to get a Crosley Cruiser and play Dark Side of the Moon five times in a row to spite Michael Fremer
OUTSTANDING!
Does playing a fresh Boston album six times or more on a Cruiser count? The album is still fine by the way.
Yes I agree I don't like Michael Fremer he is the audiofool I used to be cause of people like him they don't make great automatic TT's like I remember
Michael Fremer is not completely wrong. Each time you play a record the groove stretches out of shape a little. Back in the 70's and 80's the rule Hi-Fi boffins like me went by was never play a record more than once in 24 hours so the vinyl had time to return to shape. We also went to great lengths to use cartridges that tracked well under 2 grams in order to minimise record wear, with top of the line cartridges from companies such as Empire, Stanton and Sure tracking between 3/4 to 1& 1/4 grams.
@@macxpert3588 Not everyone can afford those kinds of setups. I can't afford it. I own 2 Technics TTs, both outfitted with AT95E P-mounts. There's no way I can afford to replace those when the time comes. For that reason I don't use those TTs often but the Cruise I own I can afford to use. Diamond styluses are only $8 average for three replacements. And I'm speaking from personal experience...regardless of what others think or believe my Crosley Cruiser is not and has not damaged my records whether old or new. My first TT was an all in one Panasonic, 1980's model, and tracked a bit heavier than my Cruiser. Those records played fine, no damage, all the years I grew up. As long as you keep the vinyl and stylus clean and well maintained there is nothing to worry about.
This is absolutely fascinating. Great video! 😁
This is the second time I've seen that Michael Fremer clip and it doesn't get any less melodramatic
He made it seem like a cheap turntable would murder your family & burn your house down, while also stealing your hopes and dreams. 🤣
Sure, if I could listen to his stereo system instead of mine, I would. The problem is, his stereo is worth multiples of my house! He's got Wilson speakers, like $200K in monoblock amps, etc. I think his tone arm and cartridge was something nuts - like $15k when he did a room tour. Those items are a far cry from what most of us can afford, or even aspire to.
If you're enjoying your music on a thrift store setup, I'm happy for you. Whatever helps you experience and enjoy the music is all that really matters. Recently I recommended a cheap $30 pair of wireless earbuds on Facebook, because for the money, they sound great and if all you have is those and a phone - you can still have a good listening experience. 😁👍
I have yet to see a cheap record player destroy vinyl like it’s peeling a potato
Getting all up in the history. You're like the New Jersey Techmoan. 🤣
Michael Fremer has some decent album recommendations, but since his turntable costs more than my car (and the pre-amp); and the amps and speakers more than my house... suffice to say he's a bit out of touch with affordable gear.
I prefer the music first audiophile concept. If I can enjoy my music on a piece of equipment, I don't care if it's 'cheap'. Cheap can sound good with the proper pairings and knowing the limitations of your equipment.
For some people it's just a "name game" and bragging. If something SOUNDS good, It's good. END of story. I have $45 "in the ear" Bluetooth Sonys that SOUND better (with my music, Largely Classic Rock, Blues and Jazz..) than the "Beats by Dre" version (similar price, BTW). But because of the NAME, the "Beats" have more "cred"...WHAH?!? IDC about STATUS, I Care about SOUND.
@@idkanymore3382 Absolutely correct on Sony's wired cans. (I'm not making this up) I have a pair of wired Sonys that I got I bought at friggin FAMILY DOLLAR for $8 that are every bit a match for my TASCAM TH-03s that were THREE TIMES the price, LOL. -The Sony's are a *bit* better at the low end, And the Tascams are a *bit* better at the high end, But over all Same... For $8!!
You can buy a vastly superior turntable, that has a tonearm counterweight for less than £200 or $200 brand new. Alternatively, you could buy a second hand one for half that amount. Are you really telling me that is unaffordable to the majority of people?
@@qsxdr7 The OP didn't imply that you should get a Crosley. He said that he put music first, not price. I agree. I have a vintage Dual 510 that I bought in the 80s for about $50. No need to spend $1,000 for a decent turntable.
@@idkanymore3382 worse than the Beats are Apple's new Airpod Max or whatever the hell they're named. $600 and to put them to sleep in the battery saver mode, you've got to carry that silly 'bra' tote.
Fascinating! Informative! Educational! This made me take another look with a different perspective at all these cheaply made turntables with a ceramic cartridge. Though I do still think the genuine Chuo Denshi cartridge made in Japan sounds better than the clone from China, the sound quality you were able to get from each of these iterations was very pleasing!
I've been binging your turntable videos for the whole day and I just ran out, so this video couldn't have appeared at a better time!
I saw the Picture on Twitter :). I have a Victroa cruiser but now have a Sharp RP-113 from a Salvation Army thrift store.
Ignore that reply, I think its a scammer.
@@marionharrisfan2988 are you new? I was going to get a Vornado and new battery.
My first ever "HiFi" system was an Amstrad branded all in one designed to look like a separates system I got for Christmas in around 1983/1984, it even came built into a cabinet with a glass door and record storage underneath. It had almost exactly the same mechanism as the BSR one but was branded Amstrad rather than BSR. I still have albums I played on that system back then and they still sound fine today on decent turntables because I have always looked after my records.
This was so helpful! I was able to find the speed adjustment “screws” on my Soundesign turntable b/c it was playing the records too slow and it would play 45’s but I cleaned the contacts on the switch and does now! By the way, your advice on turning a meh sapphire into a wow diamond was also super helpful!
Wow, didn’t expect them to have such a long history! thanks for the video!
Loved seeing what looks like a Tandy 1000 TX in the background. Had one of those for years, was my first "PC Compatible." Great box.
Thanks. I'd love to get a 1000TX, but the one I have now is a 1000SX.
Wow! Great history lesson, man! Crazy to think this record player mechanism has been around for over 30 years.
I got so much from viewing this very interesting.
I like your chosen variety of music during this discussion. Makes for a much better video on modern record players! Super entertaining my friend!
It's worth mentioning that your videos are of professional quality with regards to editing, in my opinion!
My brother got a new turntable for Christmas and he gave me his old one (both with this mechanism). The one I have is a suitcase style with the odd design of stereo speakers firing out the left side and Philco branded. It needed the volume control cleaned, but works.
Your videos are great... always learn something new.
Hey man, I have been watching your videos for a long time now and I have noticed a big jump in quality. You have always had interesting videos, but it so nice to see how far you've come. Keep it up!
If you want to verify the history of this mechanism, a great place to look is the Radio Shack catalogs. They seem to have been using BSR mechanisms on their budget turntables all along, and you can see when they switch from the older style BSR mechanism (the 70s style record changers with the start/stop lever in the corner, usually with a silver bulls-eye pattern on top) to the newer cost reduced version you had from 1984. There was also an in-between version for awhile.
The 1982 catalog exclusively has the older 70s style BSR design for budget models, and more bespoke designs up the range. No hint of the newer mech yet.
The 1983 catalog is slightly more interesting. The cheaper all-in-one tables (Clarinete 104, Clarinete 90, etc) still use the 70s BSR mech, same for the very cheapest standalone LAB-59, but the slightly more expensive LAB-75 and LAB-77 use a changer that looks like it's an in-between of the older design and the 1984 design. It borrows some elements, like the flusher style off/play switch from the older BSR, but has a minimalist footprint more similar to the newer model. It uses more fake chrome than the 1984 design but less than the older units. I think this might be a missing link in crappy turntable evolution.
1984 soldiers on with the same lineup on the lower end, so nothing of note here.
1985 replaces the LAB-75 and 77 with the LAB-79 and 85 changers. These look exactly like your 1984 style BSR, but configured to be a changer. They also included a platter mat. I did read somewhere that this was a BSR table rebadged as a Realistic product, so it seems that the 1984 BSR variant was also available as a changer. The 70s style BSR table was finally bumped off of the standalone LAB tables, making the new BSR the new bottom end, but it remained on some of the all-in-one Clarinete tables. Notably, the very cheapest Clarinete, the 116, has your non-changer 1984 BSR turntable mech at last.
Given that they probably started manufacturing these a little before release, this date lines up, and these machines most likely first hit the market in '85.
1986 was mostly the same. By this point only one model was left with the 70s style BSR mech, the Clarinete-115. Some of the others like the 114 had more cut back designs reminiscent of the older model but without a changer. The slimmer profile, cheaper Clarinetes had the newer '84 non-changer variant.
1987: Realistic still marketed the changer style of the '84 variant, consolidated to just one table, the LAB-89, and somehow the 70s style BSR limped on in the highest end Clarinete. (I had no idea changers were still around this far into the 80s.)
1988: The LAB-89 changer is till there. The 70s style BSR is finally killed off in the Clarinete series, and it looks like they actually regressed to an even cheaper looking table for a bit. Notably, this time it recognizably has a red Chuo Denchi cartridge.
1989: That plucky LAB-89 changer is still holding on, and I must know if it survived into the 90s. The Clarinete series is reduced to one lonely model, the 122, which has the "even cheaper than BSR" mechanism with Chuo Denchi cart.
1990: The LAB-89 makes it one more year! Changers officially made it to the 90s, though I wonder how many actually sold. Maybe they had so much stock left over that they kept them in the catalog until they finally sold out, who knows. The Clarinete holds on with one last model, the 124, which has a mech that looks much closer to the 1988 style you have, but still slightly different; the table and tonearm are separated.
Finally, in 1991 Radio Shack stops marketing changers for good. Only a handful of sad looking black plastic turntables remain. By 1993 there's only two left and they're getting shoved farther back in the catalog with tinier pics. It's down to a single lonely table in 1997 until the Realistic line was finally killed off, but they kept marketing budget tables even after this under the RCA badge. But at this point we're well into the age of Crosley tables.
I haven't had a turntable since the 80s even though I have a LOT of vinyl albums from the 70s in varying states of wear. When a newlywed in 92, my bride, bless her heart, bought me a Radio Shack turntable for Christmas. With skepticism, I put an album on and put the stylus in the track. The tracking weight must have been about a half a pound. It was torture letting it even go half way through the first song of my precious album, and that was it. It's still sitting in the storage room. One day maybe, I'll buy a good turntable, but honestly I don't see it. I listen to CDs exclusively and most of my vinyl that I would still listen to has been replaced with a CD version.
Thanks for shedding light on this. More audio dogma shattered 👍
BSR was a British company, formed as Birmingham Sound Reproducers in 1908. It was responsible from the 1950s onwards for the decks in the iconic British Dansette brand of record players, so BSR decks brought rock and roll to the receptive ears of British teenagers - along with the other main brand Garrard. Inevitably production disappeared to the far east in the 1980s, the remnants eventually being taken over by Emerson. Source - Wikipedia.
Your knowledge base is so enviable. Thanks for sharing what you know!
Very interesting video. I've got here in the UK a Philips midi system from 1988 with this type of turntable. I was really easy to track down a replacement diamond stylus for it, and it sounds great.
Incredible knowledge and great presentation yet again. All of your videos are very interesting and so well presented. I've been a follower of your channel for a number of years now. You have one of the most interesting channels on the whole of UA-cam. Great work again.
'they realized people were complaining about the bad visibility of the strobe marks.. *so they made the whole damned platter the strobe marks*' one of my favorite quotes of all time
I am so greatful for all knowledge you share thank you.😍❤
The thing about these turntable mechanisms is that they have an authentic “vinyl sound”. From the cheapest Crosley or Victrola unit to turntables from quality brands like TEAC, you are going to hear a crisp and crackly reproduction of your records. This is normal and very common, especially in affordable turntables. Some people love the crackles and pops that vinyl offers because it seems more retro, while hardcore audiophiles like Vinyl Eyezzz recommend you buy a $450 Fluance turntable with several $100 amplifiers. Not all of us can afford that. Turntables like a Fluance, Denon, and the most expensive Audio Technica, all come with an even sturdier, higher quality needle than the red plastic ones found on the affordable turntables. People who compare vinyl to digitally remastered music, have remastered the music themselves (For The Record has explained this about his audio setup in a video of his) on their high end pre amps.
I love my records and want them to sound good, but I don’t need them to sound THAT good. I currently am happy with my $290 TEAC turntable.
The Fluance is probably made by the same company that makes the Denon and Teac turntables. The Fluance brand has been for years associated with home theater speakers. It's owned by a Niagara Falls based marketing company called Circus World Displays, who also sells under the Citizen, Electrohome, First Alert, and other brands. And, BTW, they do sell those plastic Chinese players, as Citizen and Electrohome.
I believe I have a nearly identical Onkyo turntable, looking online. I'm very happy with it.
@@dougbrowning82 Yahorng Electric is the OEM that makes current Fluance, Teac and Akai turntables. Denon (except for the VL12 Prime) and most Audio Technica turntables are made by Hanpin Electron.
@@OldMusicOnVinyl1 Yahorg Electric is based in Taiwan. They make turntables, mixers, blenders, choppers, coffee makers, deep fryers, food processors, and juice extractors. Hanpin Electron, also from Taiwan, makes audio equipment, musical instruments, and business machines.
@@dougbrowning82 Yahorng is so fascinating. I just unintentionally learned about their kitchen products by looking up _their_ turntable patents, in a similar effort to trace the lineage of certain turntables by companies such as Numark. Yahorng has several factories making turntables: one in Taiwan, one in mainland China, and another in Malaysia.
Doing what you do best Kevin, I love your TT videos!
Just played a record I got Xmas 1975 and it still sounds great. So much for all the hammer it took on the BSR decks back in the day 🤣
Didn't know Pioneer used a carousel cd player, thought they stuck to their load upside down cartridge mech.
Excellent video cheers 🍻🎄
Fantastic and informative, as always. Thank you, vwestlife!
New video, awesome content about record players that is a subject that I love+subtitles, I can't ask for more cuz I love it ^^
The 1984 mechanism is trying so hard to look high end.
It's trying to look 1984-high-end ;)
And strangely enough, it still sounds the best out of all those demonstrated! It was using a better cartridge with the Tetrad... cleaner and more accurate bass and treble than the Japanese/Chinese clone had - untill the last example of the 202 version which sounded pretty decent; but not as good as the '84 model....
Even though in 1984 it was very far from 'high end'!! At least it was better 'low end'... ;-)
BSR actually started making mini players in the late 1960s, only back then, they were auto changers with BSR's own SC 12A ceramic cartridge, They moved to Tetrad in the late 1970s. Radiotvphononut has a few. One was featured in a recent video where he compares it to a modern Crosley.
@@dougbrowning82 : BSR continued through the 70s with the BSR SC-12M cartridge in the music-centre all-in-one systems that were made by folks like Ferguson, Thorn, Fidelity, etc, and into the early 1980s...
These Ferguson Music centres were my teen age years when I really started getting into music, and I loved them....
Those BSR decks; built to a budget, still performed well, and sounded great!
That BSR SC-12M cartridge sound has a place in my heart... and the stereo separation from a decent ceramic cartridge sounds dramatically wider than with a magnetic cartridge!
@@stevesstuff1450 I actually thought the 1984 model sounded the worst, with the treble being more recessed. I thought the 1988 version sounded superior, the 2002 sounded the worst, and the 2020 sounding comparable to the '84 and '88 models.
BSR is a very unfavorable name here in Berlin.
It stands for "Berliner Stadtreinigung". The garbage collection service.
I guess it's just a coincidence.
Does the garbage man do that bad of a job in Berlin?
@@shuttlethefox6042 No, they do a good job....
@@ChristianKoehler77 Then why would it be an unfavorable name???
Great video :-) That was a fascinating dive into the history of these cheaper turntables... I was quite surprised to see that they originated with BSR though! Nice one! :-)
I didn't know you were still making vinyl videos anymore! What an incredible early new years present!
The Tetrad cartridge sounded the best. Those Chuo-Denshi (and clones) cartridges have always had a hollow tone with that scratchy trebly high end like we heard in the video, especially with the all-plastic stylus. I once had a mid-80's Fisher combo that had an all-black variation on the 1984 mechanism but with the Chuo-Denshi cart rather than the Tetrad. I've had several other players over the years from the early 90's through 2010's that use that same cart, and they all sound exactly the same.
I've come across a few cheap, all-in-one stereos from the 90s that feature these turntable mechanisms. I'm surprised I didn't notice their resemblance to cheap contemporary units until you pointed them out!
I have never really bought into the whole “cheap modern needles will destroy your records within a few plays”. My two biggest gripes with these newer players is that the motor speeds often are either be too fast or slow … or there is too much flutter. On the “vintage look” players, what gets me is that makers like Crosley go to such extremes reproducing the cases to look genuinely like a 50-80 year old machine; only to open them up to be met with a black plastic turntable that look like 1990!
A turn table design that is both used and scorned around the world that was designed by a guy in OKC? Very interesting indeed!
Ignore that reply, I think its a scammer.
Loved this video. Good research. I learned a lot.
Frank
The 1984 sounds the best. I was fascinated by this as I had a BSR based record player in my Hitachi all in one as young music buff from the mid to late 70's
Nice work Columbo! Very informative! Excellent video.
I used to work for BSR (Birmingham Sound Reproducers) making turntables at their factory in East Kilbride, Scotland in the 1970's.
Those were solidly made decks as I recall
Got an Ion turntable with that mechanism and adding a banpa cartridge (per your video) really classes up the sound. I also do the old-school trick of glueing a few coins off the back to lower the tracking force. The only thing I can't solve is needle talk. Some of my cheapies are so noisy I can listen to an album in a quiet room without the amp plugged in.
Great research! Gives the 'crosleys' a progeny.
It all adds up now. It also explains the later Stack-O-Matic record changers of the mid-2000s.
In addition to low-cost stereo systems under their own brand. Capetronic was also an OEM for other companies, including the famous Brother Domino II stereo (as well as my Brother Impact 33 which I sold a while ago). It makes sense that they would acquire BSR's patents for their record changers and record players. Before that acquisition, they tended to use BSR record changers (and when Glenburn was around, they used Glenburn). They also made the chassis for low-cost tabletop and freestanding console stereos.
Makes me wonder if they changed their name during the 2000s, since I can't find much info on Capetronic nowadays.
That TEAC system you showed had many variants. It was very popular in the UK under names BUSH and goodmans, sold through Argos catalogue shop. My family had three.
BSR produced changers used to be everywhere in the 70's - and they were never well regarded. Here we have BSR's non-changer legacy: still everywhere and still not well regarded! Thanks for this; a refreshing change from the mostly mindless Crosley/Victrola/etc reviews found on UA-cam.
looked over at the used crosley I bought a while back, and yup, it has that exact mechanism.
Very interesting video, thank you! Lot of interesting history 😊
My grandparents Phillips stereo system, which they bought brand new in 1988 uses the second design, and they played their records nearly every day until they died about 2 years ago. Can confirm it doesn't destroy the records.
What a nice little stroll through time. Thank you.
Any bounce on this vid today from Techmoan's discussion of this mechanism?
I love your turntable/record player videos. Wishing you a very Happy New Year.
This has been boh fascinating and informative. Thaknks, and Happy Holidays to you.
Fascinating stuff! Very well researched and demonstrated.
Who would have thought that cheap turntables and entry level cassette decks would have such interesting histories. It should come as no surprise that my first stereo (Soundesign) had pretty much the same mechanism. My first record player was a Fisher Price, I wonder how it compared...
Thank you for this informative video, and the history of cheap plastic turntables.
There have always been cheap turntables with heavy tracking cartridges and tonearms
Very interesting!
I think that the 1984 one gave the most pleasing audio quality.
Piezo Pick-Up Cartridges don't really lend themselves to being used with Solid State Amplifiers and some cheaper Midi Systems have been sold with poor matching and sound tinny as a result when playing Records.
Improving these is not difficult however as all you need to do is to add a Resistor of about a couple of Megohms in series with the Cartridge output and add a One Transistor Amplifier Stage after that to make up for the loss of amplitude across the Matching Resistor and there you are.
You will have to do it twice for stereo equipment of course but the improvement is worth the time,effort and money.
lol@midi systems
I love when people try to sound knowledgeable.
@@denizenofclownworld4853 It is an improvement which I have proved in practice.
Do you have any better ideas?
@@michaelrobertson575 ...and comes a response to a statement I never made.
Came via Techmoan.
I remember in the mid 80's mum having one of those tower systems (Binatone) you know the all in one systems pretending to be separates built into a 'hifi' cabinet with a glass door.
I did its job well for general music playing on a budget but not what I would call real hifi.
I was a kid recording the charts from UK radio using cheap ferric cassettes, fine for that.
Sound quality wise now I would re name it Bin-A-Tone 😁
I don't think it destroyed my records but I don't think it did them any favours either.
Also seems the early one at least tried to offer a simulation of a more expensive item and then over the years everything has been stripped back to make it even cheaper to produce.
Interesting history and
Good review 👍
Subbed.
I have a very interesting variant of of this mechanism up in my attic right now. It is most similar to the 1984 version but marked Capetronic on the bottom. It actually has a magnetic cartridge on it and a built in pre-amp. Dates to around 1988-1989 and is basically new in box. When I tried it had a lot of wow and flutter so probably needs a new belt. Anyhow what makes it interesting is it’s a full changer. Has a bizarre looking spindle. It’s a Realistic Lab 89 if you want to look it up. Anyhow I was just going to throw it out at some point, but if you’re interested and would pay the shipping cost I’d give it to you. If not no big deal. Just thought I would mention it.
Send me an e-mail via the "for business inquiries" link on the About page of my UA-cam channel. I'd be interested in doing a video about that model.
Awesome video, thanks so much for doing the research!!!
Capetronic AFAIK was at least at one point a division of BSR. I know they made more than turntables and did contract manufacturing for lots of companies.
Yes, I found some references to Capetronic being owned by BSR.
I remember they also had a brand called ADC, who specialized in graphic equalizers and phono cartridges - they were more high-end though, they sold the crap under the BSR name and the better stuff under ADC.
If anyone is wondering what happened to BSR they changed their name to ASTEC and manufactured computer parts. www.cbronline.com/news/astec_bsr_reckons_rationalisation_will_feed_through_in_1991/
Just about every British Designed home computer made in the 1980s had an Astec RF modulator. IN BBC computers they made the PSU as well. I recall reading at the time that BSR was the company behind the name.
It's a shame they do not make these BSR"a anymore I grew up with these TT's I did not appreciate them at the time I went by what audiophiles said that these automatics were sub par. older I have gotten that I sometimes think of my young days and started watching videos on how to repair these TT's if you take a good look at them the way they function is almost like watching a fine time piece especially the earlier Bar's from early 60'&70's the platter was metal and platter had rubber on top , and watching how they go down onto record precisely is fascinating I always loved these automatic TT's just did not know it till I fixed 2 of them from early 70's these were built like tanks the last one I fixed had a magnetic cart and an adjustable counter weight which I did not know they made them till I bought this one. I think they do a fairly good job at placing stylus onto record with out missing been using manuals for several years getting tired of trying to carefully place needle down and getting up just as record finishes ,I do not see what damage they can do to a record JRo
@@jro7075 BSR started making record changers in 1951. They had the Monarch series, which included the Magidisk intermix automatic record size indexing system. In the late 1960s, they switched to the McDonald series, with manual size selection, but gaining auto repeat play. Monarch was the name of the street where the factory was located in Birmingham, and McDonald was the founder's name. Their biggest competitor at the time was Swindon based Gerrard, which was originally a clock maker. BSR was also in the home automation business. making remote controlled outlets and light switches that could be controlled from a central console. Hackers figured out how to produce the control codes on an Apple II computer, and home automation was born. The Dansette record players, produced in London, were designed around BSR Monarch changers.
It's ludicrous that they even make turntables for tens of thousands of dollars. A Technics for $20K, a Clearaudio Master Innovation for $28K...the Vyger Indian Signature IV is priced at $65,000 USD. I haven't bought an album since the 80s but I remember the hardest part was getting one that wasn't outright warped, or cupped, or had a wave in it. They ALL had something wrong with them and you had to pick your battles with the record store, which led me to keeping quite a few records with a slight wave in them. Then, no matter how clean you kept them with that little felt disc cleaner and fluid, you'd get snaps, crackle and pops, just from household dust (microscopic rocks) floating around and landing in the grooves. When CDs came out, though the sound was as clear as a bell, I too somehow perceived the difference in sound. I told someone that, I just don't enjoy my music like I used to, what could it be? I guess I got over that, but music still doesn't do it for me like it used to when I was young and listened to albums, all other things being equal.
Very interesting to see the ceramic cartridge as such having this manufactor initiated comeback.
It have these "build-in features" of first delivering an almost line level output and secondly attenuating the output as the frequency goes up, eliminating the need for a RIAA preamp. The end result might not correspond perfectly with RIAA and may very well be several dB off, but then again it's good enough for non-critical everyday listening purposes.
It's like with the recent cassette mechanisms that are all the same today.
Those are based on a unit by Tanashin, a Japanese company. Though a simple design, it can work well when done right. Unfortunately, there are a LOT of knockoffs of them, and they are most certainly NOT done right.
Tanashin has been around since the 80's though.
But at least turntable and record player manufacturers aren't limited to the one cheap mechanism, unlike with new cassettes now.
@@michaelturner4457 unless you have vintage high quality decks...which in my case i have a few.
While these cheap turntables won't destroy records, they do cause severe damage after 100 playbacks. It all comes down to physics. A sharp needle vs soft vinyl. More tracking force and less than optimal shape of the tip = more damage over time.
Check out the great video by jimboblivesforever. He actually tried it.
So no, the "audiophiles" are not wrong, but they often exaggerate the problem.
I think this actually speaks to the testament of the evolution of technology. Instead of paying $80-$100 for one of these cheap ones in fancy housing, I could buy one of these and dip my totes into the world of LP’s. I know it’s not going to provide sound of even a decently cheap one, but I also believe part of the experience is the LP’s themselves. Love your videos and thanks for this deep dive I would’ve otherwise never known about
I have one from 1985 it was from Dixons electronics in the UK. It was branded as MATSUI. Still going strong.
Hello to Westlife this is by far an excellent video I've already seen it 3 times including now love history on things like this , I can see how these cheap plastic TT's came to be. ,I can see how easy it will be to remember his name mine being James also it's a shame cause of the changing audio format during the 80's they had to cheapen the record player , I will say this was the best video on the history of these kinds of record players thank you for this Looking forward to your next video ,have. Happy and safe New Year JRo and I almost forgot the last song you play as you end the video is a song from my child hood it originally was from a Spanish group it was a very popular song and a dance song a meringue if I remember my father had the album it was a Dominiquen group , that song brought me back home to when my father played these songs especially during the Holidays THANK YOU !!!! JRo
The turntable looks like the hull of the Enterprise
Ignore that reply, I think its a scammer.
thanks for this great informational vid. James had a nice one storey house in the suburbs. I had a GE turntable of this variation..
So the Crosley Cruiser is indeed the modern equivalent of a cheapo BSR changer. Even has its DNA!
This video made my day. Thank you.
Love the bsr turntable, my Curtis Mathes KW418 has this model shown with a red removable diamond stylus....
I got one of these 2 years ago and I don't care if it's cheap it serves me well