Another Pioneer man here. Use a PL 530 that I bought new. Hundreds of albums. Went CD but records and turntable remained with the rest of the systen nothing went to a attic or basement, records always stood up. Treated properly equipment can last a long time.
I wanted to thank you for making this video. I appreciate your sincerity and your apparent desire to simply be helpful. Great job, keep enjoying the hobby. Regards, Dave
I liked the video and I have some of the same experiences. I have bought more than turntables over the past 5 to 6 years. The prices varied from about $10,- for a Dual 1009, to over about $700,- for a Kenwood 5021 (with idler wheel and belt). They all needed repair, and once repaired they will break down again. When I buy them now, I often go straight for the broken ones. At least the seller is more realistic or honest. All in all it is a great hobby and the repairing is part of it.
This could be a coincidence but I doubt it; belt drive turntables in my experience always have a bit better sound quality. A dorect drive motor connected directly to the platter is not ideal! The ultra delicate process of a cartridge navigating a record groove should not be compromised by extraneous vibration. MICRO vibration from the motor can cause MACRO degradation in sound quality. Of course high end turntables with 20 pound platters are harder to vibrate than 2 pound platters. But how many of us have REALLY high end turntables. True physicists who get into turntable design like Arthur Khoubesarian in the U.K. traditionally design belt drive turntables. I'm sure some of the motor vibration still transfers from motor pulley to platter, but much less, as the belt being elastic, filters a lot of that out before it reaches the platter. Modern higher end turntables, built with space age non-resonant materials to unbelievably precise tolerances, do generally have better sound quality than spring suspended turntables from the 1970s and 1980s. But they cost.
I have been lucky so far I have always loved the Dual TT's so I to bought me the 1009sk for about 89.00 the owner said it was lubed and cleaned out few months before and he was right the only problem with the Duals is the audio they are notorious for rca plugs to go bad or the contacts that where the cart sled get hooked up to the contacts get corroded once you maintain a dual they work like clock work ,my 1237 and 1246 work fine just recleaned all the grease and re greased the moving parts but like the other dual my rca plugs are messed up but ordered new plugs and soon will replace them anf you do what I have done usually the TT i look for is not working or they will say motor turns but tone arm does not work if it is a dual I know what it is and sometimes the price is ok like the 1246 it was not working well tone arm would not move and switch wasd sticking so I got it for 50 .00 amf 18.00 for shipping ,base was good cover scratched up but after a good polishing it looks and works fine even got it to work with a stacking spindle ,at first it did not work but finally after a minor tweaking of a adjustment nut it started to drop records ,good luck with your turntables JRo
Thanks, for the vid! My wife kept all her vinyl she acquired over the 80s and 90s and I kept most of mine (maybe >600 albums) so I bought a new ProJect Debut III about 15 years ago and we were disappointed with the result. It just couldn't match the sound quality from digital sources so we only played records occasionally for nostalgia reasons. About five years ago, I bought a near top of the range Music Hall MMF7 (second hand) to try to fix the problem. That wasn't any better. Finally, I accidentally bought a Technics SL1100 for next to nothing in a Yahoo auction (I put in a cheeky low bid and got it) mostly because I've always been curious about direct drive tables and I loved their look. It didn't come with a cartridge so I also bought an old AT13e cartridge on a Technics head shell. The deck was not in great condition so I didn't have high hopes but I backed myself to be able to fix or replace components. I'm glad I did. I replaced the electrolytic caps and the bulb and tested it out and things sounded promising (ie better than my other deck). So then I upgraded the cartridge to a near new AT150ea (nude elliptical stylus). Now, the sound quality is so good we've found some vinyl albums in our collection are better sounding than the digital versions (though a few are clearly worse) and we are back to playing and enjoying records easily as much as digital sources.
Wash your records, and that'll push them over the top. I'm overdue for a big washing session. If you're not sure you want to commit to the effort or expense (it's one or the other), find an old favorite that's barely worth listening to because of surface noise, and take it to someone, like a local record store that offers the service, to have it cleaned. The difference can be night and day and will likely sell you on cleaning. For me, it was an old, seemingly worn-out copy of Rumors. After thorough washing, it sounded like new!
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi - mate, I tried washing a few that would otherwise have never been played and the results were so good I've never looked back! It is amazing how just the odd finger mark can turn into a disgusting spreading, cloudy mould over a couple of decades! It's equally amazing how just a small amount of mild detergent and warm water can wash it away!
Great video! I own a 70's Rosita T6500 set with a Dual 1214 full automatic record player. I restored the set over a 5 month period. I really enjoy putting on a record on a lazy sunday afternoon and listen to some old jazz or blues. So it's vintage for me.
I Hope this story makes you smile, I,m 60,when I was 4 ,I could not leave my parents stereo be, absolutely enthralled , we had a record playing night most Saturdays ,where we would play my parents records, artists such as Pet Clarke, Sounds Incorporated, Cyril Stapleton, Joe loss....As time went on,and despite me finding their records no matter how they hid them,they ended up giving me all their records and the stereo, around early 70,s...........The rest is history, at my peak[1990,s] I owed over 5000 lp,s and 45,s.
Having been born in 1965 I can relate to most things you said in your video! I got the bug back around 10 years ago. Me I’m a JVC man through and through. My dad had a tv and radio shop when I was a youngster and sold a lot of JVC so I find myself today collecting the high end stuff I could only drool over as a kid. Drives my partner wild 😂 Nothing can beat the electromechanical experience of playing a piece of vinyl. Great video👍
I think it's worth mentioning that although you need a turntable that is solidly made, holds steady, accurate speed and has a good tonearm, the thing that matters a lot more is the quality of the cart and stylus you use.
"Those were dark times" - Love your dry sense of humor. I love my mid-70's family-owned, fully automatic Kenwood KD-5070 with quartz plinth. Oroton Bronze stylus and cartridge.
You and I have much in common with regard to electronics, audio and a mutual enjoyment of music done well. I own DSM Labs and do a lot of work with tube receivers but also micro-controllers to keep my digital skills steady. Enjoy your channel. !
I love my Phillips 212 Electronic belt drive suspended sub chassis turntable. I removed the original tone-arm and designed one of my own. Straight tube ultra low mass. I used the "Cart -a- lign" protractor to mount the cartridge! 1.5 gram tracking force!
I had a 212 also bought it in 74 I believe wish I still did but I loaned it out to a friend when she passed away I never saw it again so two losses at once anyway glad to hear I'm not the only fan of the philips line.
Fully or semi manual turntables do have the advantage of being much more robust and durable, and often with less negative mechanical influence on sound. AFAIK, even big Audio companies like Technics & Denon don't build automatic and electromagnetic damping tonearms anymore. On one hand they 'lost' the ability to reinvent that technology and after all it would be too expensive to manufacture in todays commercial situation. After all, I am pretty sure there had been much discussion if it makes sense to restart "vinyl". And I am pretty sure this will be an exception in the audio industry. There will be no revival of MC, DAT, MD or even R2R, I am pretty sure.
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi that joystick is recognasable as one see´s it, must sound great to whatever power amplifier you have it in use, i have a system from phase linear series two and it´s amazing good, it as a parametric equalizer but never felt the need of using it, for how good it sounds
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi if i need money i just sale some 70´s components or even records that i have without any noise bought in late 60´s and early 70´s, one buys a new car with the money, but a good one
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi today all want a phase linear system , mine was a series two and the power amplifiers are in the back written "made by Carver" this in late 70´s and more the cassette deck 7000 model ,but i won´t sell it as i do with all components i buy since i was 20, trade a cassette deck for a BMW and sold a receiver from pioneer 97 model the SX-604RDS also a yamaha deck in 86 i had bought in 82 but i should not had sold it but all i got , bought or ofered i have it all today ,i call it a hi-fi component colection as my father did and now all his mine, turntables i have 32 and none is cheap or bad sounding also 48 cassette decks because i sold 5 of them in 2019, it were too much, my mother tells me to open a store to get rid of all, but i prefer hi-fi to stamps
I love this guy's condescending style! Seriously, it's a little off- putting at first but it grew on me and 5 min into it I get it...quite entertaining and full of good advice.
Still using my Philips 212... had it cleaned and refurbished several years ago and it is still going strong plugged into my same era Marantz 2226b receiver. Not one of their most powerful receivers but for a girl who saved her babysitting money in high school to get it, it was awesome. And it still does the job
No, but I'm working on some turntables that will be for sale at a local record store, Preatomic Records. In particular, I did a Technics SL-1301 that's really nice: direct drive, quartz timing, fully automatic, suspension, dead-on speed and low wow & flutter.
I haven't worked on a Denon, but in general, old grease gets crusty and inhibits proper functioning of automatic functions; old plastic cracks, especially where it's under stress, like where plastic cams are tightened onto metal rods with metal set screws; old platter bearings become worn, especially when TTs are transported with platters in place; old belts wear out, and finding high quality replacements is difficult these days; motors and platter bearings may need cleaning and re-lubrication; old integrated circuits can fail, and new replacements may not be available; old speed adjustment pots get corroded and need cleaning; old microswitch contacts get corroded and need cleaning.
Keeping your Pioneer alive, I would replace the electrolytics and tantalum caps. Faulty caps can cause damage to other parts. I liked your record cleaning. I do mine when needed normally I clean used LP's, I always try to keep the label dry. Do you ever damage them from submersing them in liquid? I started out on a turntable very similar to the cheap one you have. Mine was red and had a 1 tube amp. I was in 2nd grade and spent a lot of time playing records. Great video!
I've replaced all those caps in my first round of work. In the second round, I replaced the rubber boots on the suspension springs. In the third round, I'll replace the belt for the tonearm motor.
The effect of soaking is, maybe, noticeable on some of the labels, at least for a while, and I'm probably the only one who would notice. I don't think the ordeal of keeping the labels dry is worth it. Washing is already a PITA. (Ultimately worth it, though! )
I've had a Linn LP12 since 1991. But I keep looking at those fancy direct drive beasts. I stopped buying new LPs back in the early 2000's as they were mostly terrible, but there's some great pressings being released again, so I'm back to buying vinyl.
I have used turntables all my life and still do. I have several old and newer ones and the big thing is how light they can track a record accurately. The heavier you have to set the tracking weight the more wear you cause on your Lp's. I have a couple direct drive Technics turntables, a Marantz 6300, a Denon DP51, AR XB, a Scott 710 Stroboscopic and a new Rega P6. Another thing is a good record cleaner. I have a vacuum record cleaner as well as another washing setup. You'd be surprised how good an old record can sound once properly and fully cleaned. I guess that since I was a kid when IKE was president I have used records and still do. I also use CD's as well as some streaming but I actually still use my turntables more then any other source for music.
I have a PL-630. It was my first good TT, and it's still my favorite. I wouldn't recommend it unless you can work on it yourself or find one already restored. They're not easy to work on. I recently did some work on a Technics SL-1301 and was really impressed with it. Very accurate and steady speed.
Good video! I love my PL-518, but it has developed a problem I haven't been able to fix. The motor has an oscillation that results in a vibrato that is very noticeable on longer sustained notes, chords, etc. I only discovered it because I got frustrated with it 15+ years ago and retired it. The speed adjustment pot was having problems, but last year UA-cam came to the rescue with several videos about servicing the 518. Once I had the speed control pot issue fixed, and replaced the deteriorated feet, bought a new cartridge, and finally got to check it out, there it was. I disassembled it again and checked for obvious motor issues. I've replaced capacitors on the power supply board. Everything works, but that oscillation is still there. The way the motor control board is mounted to the bottom of the motor has me a bit spooked, even though I have caps and resistors to replace there, too. Have you ever come across this issue on a Pioneer direct drive turntable? Do you think my only option is to risk taking the motor control board off the motor and do the pars replacement? I have a good selection of 1970s albums that keep calling my name! Thanks!
Most of these turntables have so-called microswitches that power to the motor must pass through. If they've never been replaced or serviced, then those are what I'd check first. Finding exactly the right replacement can be a pain, but they're not to hard to clean, and that's generally all they need. You have to get the plastic shell open without breaking 50 yo little tabs, but that can often be done without disconnecting them. Once you've got them open, a little DeoxIT D5 and some 2000 or higher grit sandpaper, or even regular paper with some D5 on it, and you can get those contacts polished up. There may be other issues, but cleaning the switches is a good place to start. I've fixed speed variation issues that way, but usually they're not as regular as you're describing. If you haven't, you could try dismantling the bearing that the player rides on, polishing up the metal, and putting in some fresh oil. I have some 3-in-1 oil for that purpose (but not the most generic variety; check out the subject on Audiokarma.org ). Of course, make sure there is a bearing that takes oil! Direct drive motors work by generating several impulses per revolution. Every turntable has cyclic speed variation, but a good, lubed bearing and a massive platter generally keep those variations too small to hear.
@lancasterhi-fi3935 thank you! I did check the motor bearing, and it is in fine condition. I suppose the worst that can happen is I break a microswitch. Sounds like the better option to replacing components on the motor. I appreciate your reply and advice! Wish me luck!
Good luck! And I'm not familiar with the motor on that one. Is it one of those super-flat motors mounted directly to a relatively large board? Or is it a chunky motor with a round board mounted on one end, under a plastic cover? If it's the latter, do be careful. I had to remove such a board several times from the motor of my Realistic LAB-400, and the traces were easily damaged. But it had several bad caps, including a couple of tantalum capacitors, which are known for explosive failure.
I wouldn't call it chunky, but it does have a round board attached to the bottom of the motor. The board would need to be detached from the motor to replace components, and the connections from the motor to the board look to be very fragile. I have a photo of the motor but not showing the board. I couldn't figure out how to attach it.
I have a Thorens TD320 with a Denon DL103D, connected to a Yamaha C45 preamp :) Love it. Everything is vintage now, but so am I. I was an electronics service engineer, radio/tv repairman, for many years. And still likes fiddling with equipment from the "golden age" Greetings from Norway
Hi, I enjoyed your video… thanks, I’m wondering what your take is on any of the vintage Marantz turntables? I recently purchased a Marantz 2235 Receiver and I would like to buy a Marantz turntable, so as to have a matching system. Your thoughts? Thank you, Chris
They're pretty and say "Marantz" on them, but they're way overpriced these days. The 6300 is popular but might cost more than a Pioneer PL-630, which is insane. The 6300 is CEC made and, under the hood, probably the same as a Realistic LAB-400, which you could get for about 1/10th the price. If you're ready to spend over $1000 on a turntable, there are so many better options.
5 years ago, my brother sent me his Pro-ject spare turn table to help get me back into the 'hobby'. I'm very thankful to have a turntable back in my life again, but I do miss my old BIC from my youth. It was fully automatic, and you could even que up multiple records and it would drop them one at a time (when it worked). I'm re-discovering my old collection, and finding a few surprises along the way, like the wrong record stuffed into an album, and empty albums. I've even found a note from my brother written decades ago- "Stop stealing my records, you owe me this one". I didn't like the Kim Carnes very much, so I never found his note until now!
In the past 3 years I have bought 15,000 records, and sold about 11,000. Each of those I inspected for grading and cleaned. I have discovered SO MANY notes and journals and tbh it has been an absolute delight. There is treasure in the spirit of those messages that transcends the value that a record alone could ever possess. Btw, 90% of the time the note stays in the record for the next owner.
Personally i like my semi automatic Technics SL-1700 mk2 . I like to put the stylus down myself but don't want to get up every 20 mins to pick up the stylus. Its just my preference.
I don't see how a fully automatic turntable keeps you from dropping the record. But I am with you with at least some automatic features. Really, having salvaged and repaired several vintage turntables which I currently own: if I had to choose any set of features, all that I really need is a toned arm lifting lever that gently sets the needle down and auto-stop where the tone arm lifts at the end and the record stops. I have to get up and walk to the turntable to flip the record anyway. It only takes one second to move the tone arm out of the way to flip the record over. However, when the auto return functions stopped working on some of my turntables, It took a lot more work to get them going again and then I didn't even have the auto stop function until then. If turntable is left for a long time, if you were automatic features there are means that there are many fewer places where the lubrication has turned to glue. It's much easier to clean or two spots rather than an entire, complicated cam and lever system (I'll just so you don't have to spend the one second pushing the tone arm back before the next record). I totally agree with everything else you said though 🙂
I agree with your assessment of new budget and vintage record players. Ive watched the record revival and the new turntables of this age are built the cheapest and easiest way to build a turntable. It's so obvious and I ve never wanted a new one for that reason. I like a fully automatic record player and the two I have are beautiful and play records beautifully. The cost of a budget manual turntable with a fixed headshell on the arm and a platter mounted to a piece of mdf particle board with a rubber band from platter to cheaper motor is just going to disappoint you when you have the chance to listen and operate a well engineered fully automatic direct drive workhorse. Keep up the good work
I have a small collection of vintage turntables each with their own issues but the one that has been the most reliable is my Acoustic Research AR XB which unlike the XA has a cueing lever. Also, my Marantz 6300 is still working but gets a little temperamental switching back and forth between 33 and 45 rpms.
I think those are similar to Realistic LAB-400's under the hood. If so, the speed switch actuates a pair of microswitches, and those are often where the trouble lies. The contacts need to be cleaned. It's a PITA to do it, but it's not really difficult, just fiddly, since you have to take apart the outer cases of the switches.
I buy LPs because they're the cheapest way to collect the entire classical standard repertoire. Box sets of entire symphony cycles, the complete chamber music, or complete piano sonatas of the major composers are dirt cheap on the used market in Germany. Live 2km from the border and have a post box there, postage is ridiculously cheap too. Just got the entire organ works of Bach on 20 LPs for Eur. 11.95 including postage. CD remasters of the same recordings are actually quite more expensive (even though still affordable). And the reason for that is that the original owners of LPs are dying from old age in droves, and their heirs want to get rid of them quickly so they'll sell them for absolute bargain prices to record traders who then put them for sale on Discogs. My Technics SL-D3 is also automatic so that helps, and apparently it has a similar signal-to-noise ratio as the best of present-day high end turntables the price of a small car.
I enjoyed your video a lot Thank you I own a mint PL630 and i LOVE it Have it hooked to a McIntosh Pre-amp and amp I have about 700 albums and 900 45's from my younger years
For the record, carbon fiber brush. Makers often claim they're "antistatic"; ha! For the stylus, either the small brush that comes with the cartridge or stylus or a densely, finely bristled brush that I got back in the 80's. I also use a stylus cleaning solution sold by Audiotechnica. I got mine in the 80's, but they still sell it.
Speaking of idler. I have a Lenco L75 and L78. Modified with a carbon fibre wand 👌 and a centre platter bearing with a plinth, it's a great sounding turntable. Lenco only has a capacitor. The servicing of the vblocks and the idler wheel 🛞 is fairly straightforward.
I really appreciated your video! I went through a phase wher i started collecting vintage and used turntables...i had up to 22-3 before we moved...the brands and models ran a gamut (
I grew up listening to my dad's Garrard semi-manual, LaFayette amp and tuner and EMI speakers. My first records were 'Sing along with the Chipmunks' and 'Christmas with the Chipmunks', which I still have, complete with crayon scribble on the sleeves. I still have the Technics SLD-202, and the Onkyo TA-630D cassette deck that I bought in college (late 70s). They survived 9 Navy/personal moves and I just finished replacing belts and a few bulbs in the tape deck. Phonograph's been fine all along. I still have 200+ records I've acquired over the years, and a bunch of my dad's, all in near perfect condition!
My first time here and I stayed until the end. I couldn't agree more regarding manual versus automatic. Recently I restored a Pioneer PL-707 Fully Automatic Direct Drive (1985?) I got for next to nothing and I like it much better than my new $600 Pro-ject EVO manual I bought last year. The Pioneer looks and sounds so much better and now I see they sell for up $1000 on E bay. My Pro-Ject is for sale.😁
I sold my AR turntable a couple of years ago and boy do I regret it, now I have a Glenburn that was thrown away after my neighbor died, it's basically a BSR idler wheel driven it has an adc cartridge but the stylus broke, I'm debating on whether to get a whole new cartridge or just the stylus, the stylus is around 25, I had an old audio technica but I can't find it, before the stylus broke the glenburn didn't sound too bad, I put a couple of drops of oil in the motor and cleaned the idler wheel with teac rubber cleaner I use for my teac reel to reel, the stuff stinks but it works good. My friend hoards vintage equipment and says he has a.turntable for me but it's buried under piles of junk in his garage, one turntable he bought came with a slab of marble that you're supposed to mount on the wall to prevent vibration and noise but he dropped the slab and it broke in half, most of the equipment he bought over the years is rotting away in his basement it's now moldy including the 10 or so reel to reel decks along with the couple hundred thousand records he has, every room in his rather large house is full of records CDs cassettes reel to reel precorded tapes, he has literally spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past 30 or so years and the sad part is that he has no room to set anything up, he doesn't even know if any of the stuff he has even works, I didn't mention the many pairs of speakers he has also.
I bought four Sony PSX55 turntables a few years ago. Three of them are working, one I bought for the cartridge that was on it. I put Audio Technical 14SA cartridges on the three working ones. All of these were high end but forty years old. I probably could have bought a Rega PL3 for what I put into these. I am a very happy person. These turntables sound great with a good cartridge.
Why is my Pioneer PL12D Mk1 which I bought new in 1972 and still in use today called a "vintage turntable" but my copy of Deep Purple's Fireball which I bought new in 1971 Is just known as a record?
My first recordplayer is a Philips portable stereo recordchanger type Philips 22GF245 from 1967 and i still used it , but i have for HiFi devices an Akai ATT05USB turntable , and i have a Dual 1224 to
Liked your video, one make I would have mentioned was Micro Seiki, similar to CEC, they made their own and other companies turntables and are good quality and worth buying.
Hello there. I just snagged a 1966 Elac Miracord 50H. It was all the rage at the time at a whopping $149.95! Perfect working condition. Cycles as it should. There’s a cheap $25 Audio Technica cartridge on it and I’m replacing it with an Ortofon 2m Blue. I also have a Garrard Lab 80. It took a lot of donors to get it right, however there is too mass and friction in the arm so it’s just a museum piece. Otherwise the other equipment is modern. I’ve got a Rega Planar 8 coming and I’m having an Ortofon 2M Black on it.
Semi-autos, with a cuing lever, are a bit more simple and relieve the clumsiness you spoke of. And I am partial to Technics because they last and last and last while sounding great doing it.
Wow a Phase Linear intergrated. We used to use Phase Linear power amps for PA here in Oz. 400 rms and boy did they clip when driven hard . And long live records ❤
Cleaning weed with a gatefold album, that really cracked me up. I have a Sonographe SG3 fully manual turntable made by Conrad Johnson in the early eighties. I like putting the tonearm down but wanting a turntable that picks up the tonearm at the end. So a semi-auto, but fully auto would be fine too, something around the 500 dollar mark, lots of looking to do.
I have a thing for vintage turntables, and switch them out every few years or so. These days I'm using an AR from ~'84, and I have Sota Star II (vacuum model) that I hope to make space for in the next several months. Over the years I've owned Dual (idler, DD and belt models), Denon (DD), and Technics (DD) tables. I guess if I were to buy a new model I might go for a Rega.
I got a atlp60xbt. Fully automatic, so I won't drop the stylus, with my arthritis fingers. Only problem I do have with it, when someone walks heavy on the floor, the cartridge or stylus jumps. I think I must buy some damper feet. Other than that, I am satisfied with my atlp60xbt, I use it with edifier Active speaker's I had a stereo system in the 80s, in 2009 my mother suggested I get rid of it all, she said everything is on cd. Haha. Lost some money there, giving away all my records, I did however keep 3 records, but not the most valuable ones, I kept Zappa, Hendrix and Joplin. Back in 2022 I started over again. I still have my CD collection, but I only have a player in the car.
Settled on a 72 Toshiba, really nice bones, typical white plastic auto return rubbish. Tossed the return mechanism in the trash, rebuilt the motor and cleaned it up. Was using a 80s technics the Toshiba had much better sound and half the wow. I could never afford that kick ass table you are sporting there. Cart is a basic audio-technica with upgraded stylus. All in the stylus and new belt cost more than the table. Really ya don't a bundle to get a nice sounding table, if ya use care in the decisions.
I bought my first record in 1973 - it was a new copy of K-Tel's FANTASTIC. I listened to it on something not much better (or worse) than a modern Crosley. My parents had a Curtis-Mathes console TV with a stereo in it (from the early 1970's, IIRC) but we weren't allowed to touch it until it was already broken (makes sense to me...) but then my Dad discovered he lighted 8-Track tapes, and he got a Pioneer H-R100 deck, so my next bunch of records were 8-track purchases (less than 15, I'm sure). I found I hated 8-track because the songs were often broken up between programs - which sucks. I shifted to cassettes (no split-up track issues there). By this time I was in 7th or 8th grade, and some of my friends older siblings had stereos with record players and tape decks. We'd buy cassettes and copy the LPs, so even if they sounded crappy, we still had them. I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole of talking about taping the songs we wanted off a transistor radio with a condenser mic-equipped portable tape recorder held up to a 3" speaker, which is a story all it's own. By the time I was in 11th grade, my Dad decided to buy a family stereo, comprised of a Pioneer PL-400 turntable, Technics M8 cassette deck, Technics SA-404 receiver, and some store-brand speakers. It was fine and worked for years - I started buying records when I could afford them. By the time I went to college, I had my own system - a Mitsubishi X-10 Interplay system (with really cool vertical turntable) and Polk Audio Monitor 5's. Bought and listened to tons of records in college. CDs came along while I was in college, and a couple of guys in the house had Sony CD players. I was impressed with how they sounded, and I knew I'd get a player as a soon as I could afford one. I still had my records, but my purchases shifted mainly to CDs at this point (just like everyone else) - but I didn't get rid of all my records. In 1987, I bought a Carver DTL-50 CD player, and while it sounded good, I discovered that CDs COULD IN FACT PLAY POORLY - skips, catches, fast repeats, etc. and the DTL-50 was bad at this. Maybe I had a bad one, but I got a Sony CDP-C10 (with the 10-Disk cartridges) and found out that THEY could jam with mass-produced CDs. While this was in the shop getting warranty work done, I went back to records. I now have about 3000 LPs, 1500 CDs, 800 Cassettes, and 0 8-Tracks. I have shifted back to collecting CDs because of the relative used prices compared to that of used Record Albums. I like music - always have - but I'll try to accumulate music I like through the least expensive way I can. My two turntables that I use are: Technics SL-1350 (essentially an SL-1200 with fully automatic features and an optional stacking spindle - I don't stack records - just personal preference) and a JVC QL-A75 (manual start with auto lift-and-stop at the end) - purchased them both used - one in 1992 (The QL-A75) and in 2005 (The SL-1350) - both before LPs came back as "the trendy thing." I also have a few CD players, A bunch of spare turntables, amps, receivers, speakers, and tape decks. It's amazing what one can find at a thrift store. I just picked up a Pioneer PL-115D (broken dust cover and no head shell or cartridge and some of the vinyl veneer is peeling) with an "okay" belt for under $20.00. It works, but I had to clean it and supply my own cart and head shell. The cue is weak, but the auto return works fine. It's serviceable and I think a good deal for $20.00. Great Video.
Some advice on buying second hand turntables out of experience I do not recommend buying online unless it has the original packaging ! Too many turntables get damaged in transport better buy in person or a new one. At this point in time I would not recommend buying a turntable unless you already have a good record collection. A word on DUAL idler and belt drive turntables most motor bearings are by now worn out and replacements hard if not impossible to find so be aware when thinking of buying one. If listening to music is the most important buy CD´s a good CD transport and a good DAC you will be surpriced it might even sound better than LP records. Thanks for the video
Totally agree. Nothing is more annoying than having to walk over and lift the tonearm at the end of a side. I only want to think about the music nothing else. So much so that I'm upgrading from a semi auto Technics sl-1400 to a full auto Technics sl-1600 mk2
I am a brit in his late 60's which means I purchased a whole heap of LPs during the late 60s and early 70s. I listen to music via Tuner, CDs, Streaming, LPs, MP3s and cassette. To me - "and that is the crucial part" it is my peculiarities that makes me enjoy vinyl - not any weird thinking that one format is better than another. Oddly I like music playing while I am doing something and Tuner, CD, MP3 or streaming fill that requirement. But to sit in a quiet dark room and just listen to and focus on the music I prefer the vinyl format "and recently Cassettes". Is it because it sounds better - well not really more that I engage better with an LP you invest more time and effort setting it all up from removing from the card outer sleeve and inner paper sleeve to clamping the record to the deck and assisting the initial turn as you start to spin up the deck, Then follows the cleaning with an anti-static fabric or soft bristle cleaner before queuing the tone arm and lowering. Then you realise you cannot easily skip tracks via a remote but hear the album as the artist put it together and wanted you to listen to it. I have one CD player, one Cassette player, one tuner and 5 Turntables which probably says more about my audio preferences than anything. One point to note - something that blew me away and that was I was listening to a 1987 CD "Cirrus - An Introductory Sampler" Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - John Gavin Scott, St Paul's Cathedral Organ. Which sounded pretty good with lots of deep bass but when I put on a similar aged cassette playing same piece but from Bon Cathedral - it blew me away I could feel the bass just as if I were there. It really did open my eyes to the fact that a well mastered and produced analogue piece of music can compete with 24 bit lossless whatever. and yes I played both on my 20 year old plus main system of NAD C370 integrated amp coupled with matching C270 power amp through my mix of four speakers (most from the 1980s) - it really has opened my mind (and my ears). Bottom line is if you like what you are hearing, whatever your choice of music from whatever medium through whatever system - then you are onto a winner and it need not cost a fortune or need constant tweaks and upgrades.
I've got a video about that turntable, a Realistic LAB-400. I've replaced the old vinyl veneer with real cherry wood veneer, and the dust cover is new.
I bought the Kenwood KD 650 back in 1978 still works perfectly and sounds amazing. Cartridges I use are the Stanton EEE 681 and the Grado Prestige silver. dbx 3bx DS instead of a phone amp.🎶
Exactly!! Get a vintage turntable from the 70's or 80's. They often have more capabilities and features than a modern $600, $700 upwards of $800 turntable. Its crazy what they've neglected to include, namely simple 'START' button! Too many modern "premium" turntables will auto-shutoff, but too many neglect to Auto-Start. Too many modern manufactures focus too much on is the cliché of "putting the needle down YOURSELF"! To Hell with that...just give me a damn START button!
Old turntables are even better if you rewire the tone arm with premium copper wire and contacts and upgrade the RCA jacks .......... Crosley ''Grinder''' tone arms have at least 6 grams or more of tracking force so if you have no other choice for something better to get a better table put two dimes on the back of the tonearm and put a bit of tape on it and the tracking force will be much better with about 1.5 to 2 grams of force ..
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi I have only rewired two and that was back in 2007 and I think I got the wires from Turntables Needles ste but I have no receipt with a set that I still have and cannot remember if was them or another place ..A UK site Tonearm Wire | HIFICollective seems to give off high quality vibes with brand name CARDAS silver and copper wires .. Ebay could be great as well with certain sellers ...
Important lecture, and valuable demonstration video on your UA-cam channel; thumbs up, and I subscribed. And thank you for the added information about a Direct Drive turntable; even though a DD Turntable is not noted, and recognized in the category of Audiophile Standard, or Level. I have up to four "vintage turntables" as you call them, from the early 1980s. Back then in the 1970s, and the nineteen eighties, turntables were precise, and good quality; besides the music that is from my favourite eras. Those "eras" for me start from the very late 1950s, and 1960 rock, and pop music; and mostly my favourite music of the 1970s, and nineteen eighties. Soon I'll have up to three DIFFERENT turntables connected to my main hi fi audio system; now a used Cambridge Audio AXR100 Receiver, in very good condition. I've got a Harmon Kardon T25 semi-automatic belt drive connected to an Alva Duo Phono Preamplifier (new). A used Sony PS-LX3 Direct Drive T. is connected to a Rolls VP29 Phono Preamp via Blue Jeans Cables, made in the USA, for the most part. By the way, according to makers of manual turntables they explain that there is far less Resonance in a simpler design, and is also very sophisticated; such as a Rega Planar, or NAD, or Pro-Ject turntable. Such turntables mostly have primary essential parts, and components that are important mainly for the sound of music! And are specifically designed, and correctly engineered to play back a record with very low resonance as possible, or any such noise. I restored, repaired, and later upgraded Rega Planar 3 T. with a new Audio Technica AT95E MM Cartridge; it is connected to a used harman kardon 490i Receiver. Previous owner drilled a large tonearm post hole, so I had to hunt around, and I installed a Linn Basik Plus Tonearm. By "upgraded" I am referring to the new Rega 24V Motor Upgrade. All turntables that I have great sound, and effective function; for me the HK T25 belt drive with a Denon DL-80A MC, is has the best function. Later I'm going to mount an hyper-elliptical nude stylus on the original And the PS-LX3 Direct Drive turntable - that arrived terribly broken - has a slightly more preferable sound for most music. I mounted an Ortofon LM 15 replacement Black Diamond Nude Stylus on an Ortofon LM 15 MM cartridge. My next turntable is going to be connected directly to my Receiver; a LINEAR TRACKING turntable, a Sony PS-FL77 Biotracer Direct Drive. Furthermore, what I notice from vinyl is that there is a bit more detail, especially if played back from an Elliptical Stylus on a very good Cartridge! And the music tends to flow; mostly my right opinion, and yes it is mainly subjective, and a personal listening observation.🔉🎵🎶
All good points, nevertheless I've been scarred by automatic mechanisms since the day my old turntable's auto-return feature returned... without lifting the arm first... Right across my record. I first started to try to get it repaired, and I couldn't easily find someone who would, but deep down inside I couldn't get the image of what that table had done to my record. So I gave up. I've since had an amazing vintage manual turntable that's literally made of stone, but I only drop the needle using the arm lifter, I never drop it haphazardly with my fingers!
I believe some of the new Duals are fully automatic and they were the automatic turntable kings back in the day, so should know how to build a reliable fully automatic table.
I think you're right (about the automatic Duals). A friend of mine wanted to give me his and sent me a picture of the innards. Lots of clockwork! I didn't know better and declined his offer. On the bright side, he did have it restored for his own use.
@@Lancaster_Hi-FiI currently have three vintage idler wheel drive Duals. Can be a bit intimdating when you look at the mechanisms, but there are lots of youtube videos on maintenance and fixing. Usually all that is needed is a bit of cleaning and relubing to get a non working table up and running again.
My newish turntable is a "made in China" Pioneer clone Audio Technica AT-LP 120-USB direct drive which has it's own pre amp built in. It's all manual even with no auto return but i prefer it that way "It also doesn't put extra strain on the motor". I play records very rarely but when i do it's more like an event and there's that little extra quality about it. I play it through a Sony Midi Hi Fi "Cassette/Radio" player and it sounds pretty good although i'd much prefer a valve/tube set up. I've noticed that modern equipment doesn't have the same quality components ie transisters, resisters etc and that will alter sound quality.
Yep, I agree with you on the higher end Pioneer TT's. I love my Pioneer PL-518 and my Sansui FR-5080 (which is in a rack with with other Sansui equipment from the mid/late 80's.
gave up on vinyl in early 90's last turntable was an Ariston RD40 Mission 774lc arm Nagaoka mp11 boron cartridge, used cd ever since & streaming to check out new music, if i like it i'll get the cd where available if not i'll download it
Well,to be honest,i advice any young person who discovers that music means more to her/him personaly than to a average person to choose a physical medium. And the more the musical taste strays from the average the more records become a choice. Simply because especialy older music above and beyond the average taste is still more available on records than on cd for example. Although in past decades a lot was rereleased on cd. So cd is at this point in time at least the more economic decision.
I like records but recently picked up reel to reel and found it has many advantages over records. At 7.5 ips it sounds just as good or sometimrs better (some old pre-recorded Zeppelin and hendrix is mind blowing) than it's album counterpart. If it has autoreverse you can set it and forget it (no flipping sides need). Once you're used to it I don't find it takes any longer to thread a tape. You can record your audiophile 45 rpm at 7.5 IPS when new without pops, etc. and it sounds identical to playing back said records with no side flipping. With 10 inch reels you get much longer play time. Some R2Rs are really cool looking! It's actually like the ultimate vinyl accessory! I'm in love with mine. Really a shame they went away. I gave away my 500 classic rock record collection back in 90s like an idiot so now I only buy specially curated albums at way too much money, preserve them on tape and stream or cd everything else. We are truly in a golden age of music listening, but I really regret giving away my old vinyl collection cause most albums sound great from that era and special masterings, remasters, etc. are rarely as good as the OG's which are not cheap and mostly a waste of money unless near mint.By some miracle, I recently scored an original UK Physical Graffiti that's seems almost never played and quieter than any new album I could get in a store so I can die happy now if I never buy another album
Beside the Technics 1210 DJ Set I owned a Sansui SR ...can't remember the modelnumber I think it was 535 but I'm not sure 😁 and a Fisher MT 6225. I liked both. So Sansui SR series and Fisher MT 6200- 63** series are worth a look IMO. I like 'big' turntables and wouldn't buy a 'slim' one but thats preference. Got my 1210 in 1989. Used it at parties in the 90s/00s. Yes it does have some optical flaws but so do I and it runs just like back in the days 😁.
I have 2 comments, today's automatic turntables like my Thorens TD-240-2 only come with belt drive and I wish they would bring back linear tracking turntables!!
The Pioneer PL-530 you show is a lovely machine! I got lucky a few years back and found mine at a flea market for $35, complete with cart, stylus, 45 adapter and dust cover. I do my own work, so I was able to give it a clean, new cart and stylus and have enjoyed it many times over the years. I think it is worth mentioning that record changers are also worth a look. Models like DUAL, ELAC, PE and even from Technics featured an "umbrella" stacking spindle as well as a single play spindle, so you have a choice of how to play. These tables often take much better care of records than the plastic BSR type tables we may remember from the '70s. Also, the JCPenney brand called MCS had models of tables that were made by Panasonic/Technics, the one I have being a changer/single play type of table. These were built to a lower price point than the Technics counter part, but they are good and may be more approachable to someone new to the hobby.
I Love your content. Your story is similar to mine. BUT..... a bit different too. I am an audiophile (I kind of hate that word now because it has a bad connotation.) I am also trained in the music arts from a conservatory *I won't mention which one because I don't want to add to the snobbery some may be reading. I was born deaf. I grew up sickly and poor. But in the 60's when my hearing was restored, I was drawn to vibrations and music. I became a professional musician and eventually was a session musician in some major label studios. When my ears became restored, I was trained in aural skills in music school and eventually developed perfect relative pitch. From the late 60's to the early 90's I kept my record collection and enjoyed my Dual turntables. When the CD boom started, I also bought a CD player- I am on my 3rd. NAD and a Rotel. I still have my Dual tables set up- I still have my records and I still listen to my CD's. I believe there is nothing that sounds any better than a CD with the right gear. I love CD's. They are much superior to records in so many ways. But I prefer records and players. Why??? Hmmm, don't really know how to answer that. I guess because it means more to me than just "sound." I live the albums. I like the artwork. I like the stupid cartridges and changing the syli on the carts. I like the stupid little dust covers and watching the crappy black plastic spin around the foolish space that this huge piece of furniture takes up. But more than anything; last weekend I put on an old Yes album. It was "Going for the One." My first live Yes show. When I put it on side "B" and just sat in the sweet spot with the sound stage going way beyond my speakers, and that click click and pop pop, there was a moment when the music was just so magical, just so outside of any rhyme or reason and I was inside the zone with Jon Anderson's voice and Steve Howe playing his Portuguese guitar- and guess what? I wept. For real. No one was around (Thank God) my wife and daughter would have had me committed. But it was pure religion. No CD has ever done that. And truth be told, that was not the first time. Records are inferior to CD's...but I would take my way too much plastic and way too big medium of a machine to play them on over anything else in the audio world. Par none.
Yeah, I can relate. Stevie Ray Vaughan makes me cry, especially when he covers Hendrix. But the first time was the first time I played Texas Flood, which was one of the first records I bought when I started buying records again in 2020.
I bought my first CD player not long before CDs were becoming secondary to streamed music , so I’ve been someone who likes to hold on to something that works and skeptical of the new thing. I admit CDs do sound great now that players have seemed to iron out the first little quality problems and probably own almost as many cds as LPs . I never have caught up with streaming or paying for music online that I cannot hold in my hands . Vinyl , has always seemed more than the sum of its parts and the process of buying a 12in LP with great cover photos or art and putting it on a beautiful , well designed deck can’t be bested . When my plastic cd covers have snapped and broken apart I know my LP sleeves will still be there even if occasionally mended with some paper glue . The incredible engineering of record decks still amazes me and I can feel this when I play my music .this engineering has advanced and even incorporates formula one hi tech materials in the bearings honing the pivot to as little as 1 micron ! Materials too have been advanced and the scope for more and even greater development is more than ever I think . As for belts, we like what we like and I agree motors have advanced massively in the isolation and quieting of the rumble that interfered into the stylus pickup of the sound grooves , I love the way that engineering and aesthetics can incorporate the old style belt to become almost a piece of engineering art . It’s nice to see the mechanical movement as if it’s a living thing .( I may be over doing it , being an artist for a living ) I’m pleased vinyl has regained some contemporary appreciation and its long held place in music , perhaps not as high as it once had but a steady place that new tech can circle around and help develop even more . It’s good to not discard things that work well and look good just because some new tech arrives . Some things have a soul and a part of ourselves in them , like a classic car , or motorbike , a piece of furniture .fashions come and go but classic design and engineering is always worth keeping and slowly improving upon in small ways . I grew up listening to the Pistols and Clash , etc now along with these still, I listen to everything from Jazz, old traditional British folk songs and Portishead and Nick Cave and Bad Seeds and more. What else can give us the range and direct connection of emotion and history than that of music through a medium like vinyl and record players ?
My experience is the same as yours. I have vinyl, CDs and I have gone back to my old JVC turntable of the 80s. I have inherited vinyl. I have inherited my parents mid 60s Kriesler Multisonic Stereo 6 radiogram. Records sound better to me. I wash the old records too! 😊👍🏻
Sadly I went out and abought a new turntable. I don't have a problem with vintage gear, have some, dumped others. Some people don't what physical listening media is.
Another Pioneer man here. Use a PL 530 that I bought new. Hundreds of albums. Went CD but records and turntable remained with the rest of the systen nothing went to a attic or basement, records always stood up. Treated properly equipment can last a long time.
Same here, sx 850 and sx950
+ sg9500 Eq and CT F21 deck...
Yup Pioneers r great, an SX850 and SX950 great lookin an wrkg vintage rcvrs. Goin into CV SL-15s glad u like Pioneer!
I wanted to thank you for making this video. I appreciate your sincerity and your apparent desire to simply be helpful. Great job, keep enjoying the hobby. Regards, Dave
I liked the video and I have some of the same experiences. I have bought more than turntables over the past 5 to 6 years. The prices varied from about $10,- for a Dual 1009, to over about $700,- for a Kenwood 5021 (with idler wheel and belt). They all needed repair, and once repaired they will break down again. When I buy them now, I often go straight for the broken ones. At least the seller is more realistic or honest. All in all it is a great hobby and the repairing is part of it.
I'm with you on the broken gear. It's cheaper, and I don't have to wait until it actually breaks to restore it!
This could be a coincidence but I doubt it; belt drive turntables in my experience always have a bit better sound quality. A dorect drive motor connected directly to the platter is not ideal! The ultra delicate process of a cartridge navigating a record groove should not be compromised by extraneous vibration. MICRO vibration from the motor can cause MACRO degradation in sound quality. Of course high end turntables with 20 pound platters are harder to vibrate than 2 pound platters. But how many of us have REALLY high end turntables. True physicists who get into turntable design like Arthur Khoubesarian in the U.K. traditionally design belt drive turntables. I'm sure some of the motor vibration still transfers from motor pulley to platter, but much less, as the belt being elastic, filters a lot of that out before it reaches the platter. Modern higher end turntables, built with space age non-resonant materials to unbelievably precise tolerances, do generally have better sound quality than spring suspended turntables from the 1970s and 1980s. But they cost.
I have been lucky so far I have always loved the Dual TT's so I to bought me the 1009sk for about 89.00 the owner said it was lubed and cleaned out few months before and he was right the only problem with the Duals is the audio they are notorious for rca plugs to go bad or the contacts that where the cart sled get hooked up to the contacts get corroded once you maintain a dual they work like clock work ,my 1237 and 1246 work fine just recleaned all the grease and re greased the moving parts but like the other dual my rca plugs are messed up but ordered new plugs and soon will replace them anf you do what I have done usually the TT i look for is not working or they will say motor turns but tone arm does not work if it is a dual I know what it is and sometimes the price is ok like the 1246 it was not working well tone arm would not move and switch wasd sticking so I got it for 50 .00 amf 18.00 for shipping ,base was good cover scratched up but after a good polishing it looks and works fine even got it to work with a stacking spindle ,at first it did not work but finally after a minor tweaking of a adjustment nut it started to drop records ,good luck with your turntables JRo
My SL-1800 disagrees@@sidesup8286
Yep, no shame in fully auto. My Dual 1219 works perfectly, every, single, time.
I just bought a Technics SL-1410 mk2 .....really enjoying it and it looks classic
Thanks, for the vid! My wife kept all her vinyl she acquired over the 80s and 90s and I kept most of mine (maybe >600 albums) so I bought a new ProJect Debut III about 15 years ago and we were disappointed with the result. It just couldn't match the sound quality from digital sources so we only played records occasionally for nostalgia reasons. About five years ago, I bought a near top of the range Music Hall MMF7 (second hand) to try to fix the problem. That wasn't any better.
Finally, I accidentally bought a Technics SL1100 for next to nothing in a Yahoo auction (I put in a cheeky low bid and got it) mostly because I've always been curious about direct drive tables and I loved their look. It didn't come with a cartridge so I also bought an old AT13e cartridge on a Technics head shell.
The deck was not in great condition so I didn't have high hopes but I backed myself to be able to fix or replace components. I'm glad I did. I replaced the electrolytic caps and the bulb and tested it out and things sounded promising (ie better than my other deck). So then I upgraded the cartridge to a near new AT150ea (nude elliptical stylus). Now, the sound quality is so good we've found some vinyl albums in our collection are better sounding than the digital versions (though a few are clearly worse) and we are back to playing and enjoying records easily as much as digital sources.
Wash your records, and that'll push them over the top. I'm overdue for a big washing session. If you're not sure you want to commit to the effort or expense (it's one or the other), find an old favorite that's barely worth listening to because of surface noise, and take it to someone, like a local record store that offers the service, to have it cleaned. The difference can be night and day and will likely sell you on cleaning. For me, it was an old, seemingly worn-out copy of Rumors. After thorough washing, it sounded like new!
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi - mate, I tried washing a few that would otherwise have never been played and the results were so good I've never looked back! It is amazing how just the odd finger mark can turn into a disgusting spreading, cloudy mould over a couple of decades! It's equally amazing how just a small amount of mild detergent and warm water can wash it away!
I had a Debut III for a week. Very disappointed with it so exchanged it for a Rega Planar 2....
Great video! I own a 70's Rosita T6500 set with a Dual 1214 full automatic record player. I restored the set over a 5 month period. I really enjoy putting on a record on a lazy sunday afternoon and listen to some old jazz or blues. So it's vintage for me.
I Hope this story makes you smile, I,m 60,when I was 4 ,I could not leave my parents stereo be, absolutely enthralled , we had a record playing night most Saturdays ,where we would play my parents records, artists such as Pet Clarke, Sounds Incorporated, Cyril Stapleton, Joe loss....As time went on,and despite me finding their records no matter how they hid them,they ended up giving me all their records and the stereo, around early 70,s...........The rest is history, at my peak[1990,s] I owed over 5000 lp,s and 45,s.
You OWNED over 5,000 LP's and 45's
Having been born in 1965 I can relate to most things you said in your video!
I got the bug back around 10 years ago.
Me I’m a JVC man through and through.
My dad had a tv and radio shop when I was a youngster and sold a lot of JVC so I find myself today collecting the high end stuff I could only drool over as a kid.
Drives my partner wild 😂
Nothing can beat the electromechanical experience of playing a piece of vinyl.
Great video👍
You got good style man, thanks for these fun videos
I think it's worth mentioning that although you need a turntable that is solidly made, holds steady, accurate speed and has a good tonearm, the thing that matters a lot more is the quality of the cart and stylus you use.
"Those were dark times" - Love your dry sense of humor. I love my mid-70's family-owned, fully automatic Kenwood KD-5070 with quartz plinth. Oroton Bronze stylus and cartridge.
The Rock! I want one.
You and I have much in common with regard to electronics, audio and a mutual enjoyment of music done well. I own DSM Labs and do a lot of work with tube receivers but also micro-controllers to keep my digital skills steady. Enjoy your channel. !
Would anyone know were I could get a turntable repaired in Pa. ? Thank you for your videos.
I love my Phillips 212 Electronic belt drive suspended sub chassis turntable. I removed the original tone-arm and designed one of my own. Straight tube ultra low mass.
I used the "Cart -a- lign" protractor to mount the cartridge! 1.5 gram tracking force!
I had a 212 also bought it in 74 I believe wish I still did but I loaned it out to a friend when she passed away I never saw it again so two losses at once anyway glad to hear I'm not the only fan of the philips line.
Sorry for both of your losses @@larryh.4629
I liked the auto lift mechanism on those that light bulb with the slice window tripping it off. That head shell release mechanism not so good.
Thank you, I have PL630 turntable along with other direct drive automatics, totally agree with all your points.
Fully or semi manual turntables do have the advantage of being much more robust and durable, and often with less negative mechanical influence on sound.
AFAIK, even big Audio companies like Technics & Denon don't build automatic and electromagnetic damping tonearms anymore.
On one hand they 'lost' the ability to reinvent that technology and after all it would be too expensive to manufacture in todays commercial situation.
After all, I am pretty sure there had been much discussion if it makes sense to restart "vinyl". And I am pretty sure this will be an exception in the audio industry. There will be no revival of MC, DAT, MD or even R2R, I am pretty sure.
Love the Phase Linear 4 channel Preamp behind you...Well deserved...
I'm pretty pleased with it so far!
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi that joystick is recognasable as one see´s it, must sound great to whatever power amplifier you have it in use, i have a system from phase linear series two and it´s amazing good, it as a parametric equalizer but never felt the need of using it, for how good it sounds
So: I sold the Phase Linear. I just figured it wasn't my end game, and I got several times what I paid for it.
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi if i need money i just sale some 70´s components or even records that i have without any noise bought in late 60´s and early 70´s, one buys a new car with the money, but a good one
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi today all want a phase linear system , mine was a series two and the power amplifiers are in the back written "made by Carver" this in late 70´s and more the cassette deck 7000 model ,but i won´t sell it as i do with all components i buy since i was 20, trade a cassette deck for a BMW and sold a receiver from pioneer 97 model the SX-604RDS also a yamaha deck in 86 i had bought in 82 but i should not had sold it but all i got , bought or ofered i have it all today ,i call it a hi-fi component colection as my father did and now all his mine, turntables i have 32 and none is cheap or bad sounding also 48 cassette decks because i sold 5 of them in 2019, it were too much, my mother tells me to open a store to get rid of all, but i prefer hi-fi to stamps
I bought a manual Technics Sl 1800 MK2 last year. Very similar to the famous 1200 mk2, but has suspension. Sounds very good.
I love this guy's condescending style! Seriously, it's a little off- putting at first but it grew on me and 5 min into it I get it...quite entertaining and full of good advice.
Er, uh, thanks!
What do you think of kenwood kd650 turntable
I would love to get my hands on one! Synthetic stone plinth? I'm all in. They are highly prized, but I've never played with one.
I have a Kenwood KD650 bought on eBay for several hundred dollars. The stone plinth is far better than the plastic plinths on cheap DD's.
Still using my Philips 212... had it cleaned and refurbished several years ago and it is still going strong plugged into my same era Marantz 2226b receiver. Not one of their most powerful receivers but for a girl who saved her babysitting money in high school to get it, it was awesome. And it still does the job
Do you have any refurbished turntables for sale
No, but I'm working on some turntables that will be for sale at a local record store, Preatomic Records. In particular, I did a Technics SL-1301 that's really nice: direct drive, quartz timing, fully automatic, suspension, dead-on speed and low wow & flutter.
I love my Denon Dp-45f... What kind of problems should I expect?😢
I haven't worked on a Denon, but in general, old grease gets crusty and inhibits proper functioning of automatic functions; old plastic cracks, especially where it's under stress, like where plastic cams are tightened onto metal rods with metal set screws; old platter bearings become worn, especially when TTs are transported with platters in place; old belts wear out, and finding high quality replacements is difficult these days; motors and platter bearings may need cleaning and re-lubrication; old integrated circuits can fail, and new replacements may not be available; old speed adjustment pots get corroded and need cleaning; old microswitch contacts get corroded and need cleaning.
Love that you have Cracked Seed and 5 by Monk by 5 - great taste! My story is similar to yours but I’m a few years older. Love your channel!!
Thanks!
Keeping your Pioneer alive, I would replace the electrolytics and tantalum caps. Faulty caps can cause damage to other parts. I liked your record cleaning. I do mine when needed normally I clean used LP's, I always try to keep the label dry. Do you ever damage them from submersing them in liquid? I started out on a turntable very similar to the cheap one you have. Mine was red and had a 1 tube amp. I was in 2nd grade and spent a lot of time playing records. Great video!
I've replaced all those caps in my first round of work. In the second round, I replaced the rubber boots on the suspension springs. In the third round, I'll replace the belt for the tonearm motor.
The effect of soaking is, maybe, noticeable on some of the labels, at least for a while, and I'm probably the only one who would notice. I don't think the ordeal of keeping the labels dry is worth it. Washing is already a PITA. (Ultimately worth it, though! )
I've had a Linn LP12 since 1991. But I keep looking at those fancy direct drive beasts. I stopped buying new LPs back in the early 2000's as they were mostly terrible, but there's some great pressings being released again, so I'm back to buying vinyl.
Ah, Linn!
Excuse me, but what's that vintage amp behind you mister? Early Bob Carver's?
Yes, that is a Phase Linear 4000 preamp designed by Bob Carver. Good call!
I have used turntables all my life and still do. I have several old and newer ones and
the big thing is how light they can track a record accurately. The heavier you have to set the tracking
weight the more wear you cause on your Lp's. I have a couple direct drive Technics turntables,
a Marantz 6300, a Denon DP51, AR XB, a Scott 710 Stroboscopic and a new Rega P6.
Another thing is a good record cleaner. I have a vacuum record cleaner as well as another
washing setup. You'd be surprised how good an old record can sound once properly and
fully cleaned. I guess that since I was a kid when IKE was president I have used records and
still do. I also use CD's as well as some streaming but I actually still
use my turntables more then any other source for music.
Which pioneer model would you suggest? Say, semi auto table. I also like the sl series of technics but sellers are asking ridiculous money for them
I have a PL-630. It was my first good TT, and it's still my favorite. I wouldn't recommend it unless you can work on it yourself or find one already restored. They're not easy to work on. I recently did some work on a Technics SL-1301 and was really impressed with it. Very accurate and steady speed.
Good video! I love my PL-518, but it has developed a problem I haven't been able to fix. The motor has an oscillation that results in a vibrato that is very noticeable on longer sustained notes, chords, etc. I only discovered it because I got frustrated with it 15+ years ago and retired it. The speed adjustment pot was having problems, but last year UA-cam came to the rescue with several videos about servicing the 518. Once I had the speed control pot issue fixed, and replaced the deteriorated feet, bought a new cartridge, and finally got to check it out, there it was. I disassembled it again and checked for obvious motor issues. I've replaced capacitors on the power supply board. Everything works, but that oscillation is still there. The way the motor control board is mounted to the bottom of the motor has me a bit spooked, even though I have caps and resistors to replace there, too. Have you ever come across this issue on a Pioneer direct drive turntable? Do you think my only option is to risk taking the motor control board off the motor and do the pars replacement? I have a good selection of 1970s albums that keep calling my name! Thanks!
Most of these turntables have so-called microswitches that power to the motor must pass through. If they've never been replaced or serviced, then those are what I'd check first. Finding exactly the right replacement can be a pain, but they're not to hard to clean, and that's generally all they need. You have to get the plastic shell open without breaking 50 yo little tabs, but that can often be done without disconnecting them. Once you've got them open, a little DeoxIT D5 and some 2000 or higher grit sandpaper, or even regular paper with some D5 on it, and you can get those contacts polished up. There may be other issues, but cleaning the switches is a good place to start. I've fixed speed variation issues that way, but usually they're not as regular as you're describing. If you haven't, you could try dismantling the bearing that the player rides on, polishing up the metal, and putting in some fresh oil. I have some 3-in-1 oil for that purpose (but not the most generic variety; check out the subject on Audiokarma.org ). Of course, make sure there is a bearing that takes oil! Direct drive motors work by generating several impulses per revolution. Every turntable has cyclic speed variation, but a good, lubed bearing and a massive platter generally keep those variations too small to hear.
@lancasterhi-fi3935 thank you! I did check the motor bearing, and it is in fine condition. I suppose the worst that can happen is I break a microswitch. Sounds like the better option to replacing components on the motor. I appreciate your reply and advice! Wish me luck!
Good luck! And I'm not familiar with the motor on that one. Is it one of those super-flat motors mounted directly to a relatively large board? Or is it a chunky motor with a round board mounted on one end, under a plastic cover? If it's the latter, do be careful. I had to remove such a board several times from the motor of my Realistic LAB-400, and the traces were easily damaged. But it had several bad caps, including a couple of tantalum capacitors, which are known for explosive failure.
I wouldn't call it chunky, but it does have a round board attached to the bottom of the motor. The board would need to be detached from the motor to replace components, and the connections from the motor to the board look to be very fragile. I have a photo of the motor but not showing the board. I couldn't figure out how to attach it.
I made a video about restoring the Realistic LAB-400. It might be similar, so you might want to check that out.
Great job.. I just washed my Jethro Tull album today..!
Still listening to records on my early eighties Teac p9 turntable with a Nagaoka mp -110 cartridge sounds great...
I have a Thorens TD320 with a Denon DL103D, connected to a Yamaha C45 preamp :) Love it. Everything is vintage now, but so am I. I was an electronics service engineer, radio/tv repairman, for many years. And still likes fiddling with equipment from the "golden age" Greetings from Norway
Hi, I enjoyed your video… thanks,
I’m wondering what your take is on any of the vintage Marantz turntables? I recently purchased a Marantz 2235 Receiver and I would like to buy a Marantz turntable, so as to have a matching system.
Your thoughts?
Thank you,
Chris
They're pretty and say "Marantz" on them, but they're way overpriced these days. The 6300 is popular but might cost more than a Pioneer PL-630, which is insane. The 6300 is CEC made and, under the hood, probably the same as a Realistic LAB-400, which you could get for about 1/10th the price. If you're ready to spend over $1000 on a turntable, there are so many better options.
5 years ago, my brother sent me his Pro-ject spare turn table to help get me back into the 'hobby'. I'm very thankful to have a turntable back in my life again, but I do miss my old BIC from my youth. It was fully automatic, and you could even que up multiple records and it would drop them one at a time (when it worked). I'm re-discovering my old collection, and finding a few surprises along the way, like the wrong record stuffed into an album, and empty albums. I've even found a note from my brother written decades ago- "Stop stealing my records, you owe me this one". I didn't like the Kim Carnes very much, so I never found his note until now!
In the past 3 years I have bought 15,000 records, and sold about 11,000. Each of those I inspected for grading and cleaned. I have discovered SO MANY notes and journals and tbh it has been an absolute delight. There is treasure in the spirit of those messages that transcends the value that a record alone could ever possess.
Btw, 90% of the time the note stays in the record for the next owner.
Personally i like my semi automatic Technics SL-1700 mk2 . I like to put the stylus down myself but don't want to get up every 20 mins to pick up the stylus. Its just my preference.
I don't see how a fully automatic turntable keeps you from dropping the record.
But I am with you with at least some automatic features.
Really, having salvaged and repaired several vintage turntables which I currently own: if I had to choose any set of features, all that I really need is a toned arm lifting lever that gently sets the needle down and auto-stop where the tone arm lifts at the end and the record stops. I have to get up and walk to the turntable to flip the record anyway. It only takes one second to move the tone arm out of the way to flip the record over.
However, when the auto return functions stopped working on some of my turntables, It took a lot more work to get them going again and then I didn't even have the auto stop function until then.
If turntable is left for a long time, if you were automatic features there are means that there are many fewer places where the lubrication has turned to glue. It's much easier to clean or two spots rather than an entire, complicated cam and lever system (I'll just so you don't have to spend the one second pushing the tone arm back before the next record).
I totally agree with everything else you said though 🙂
Linn Sansui Yamaha tts are worth mentioning too
I agree with your assessment of new budget and vintage record players. Ive watched the record revival and the new turntables of this age are built the cheapest and easiest way to build a turntable. It's so obvious and I ve never wanted a new one for that reason. I like a fully automatic record player and the two I have are beautiful and play records beautifully. The cost of a budget manual turntable with a fixed headshell on the arm and a platter mounted to a piece of mdf particle board with a rubber band from platter to cheaper motor is just going to disappoint you when you have the chance to listen and operate a well engineered fully automatic direct drive workhorse. Keep up the good work
I have a small collection of vintage turntables each with their own issues but the one that has been the most reliable is my Acoustic Research AR XB which unlike the XA has a cueing lever. Also, my Marantz 6300 is still working but gets a little temperamental switching back and forth between 33 and 45 rpms.
I think those are similar to Realistic LAB-400's under the hood. If so, the speed switch actuates a pair of microswitches, and those are often where the trouble lies. The contacts need to be cleaned. It's a PITA to do it, but it's not really difficult, just fiddly, since you have to take apart the outer cases of the switches.
I buy LPs because they're the cheapest way to collect the entire classical standard repertoire. Box sets of entire symphony cycles, the complete chamber music, or complete piano sonatas of the major composers are dirt cheap on the used market in Germany. Live 2km from the border and have a post box there, postage is ridiculously cheap too. Just got the entire organ works of Bach on 20 LPs for Eur. 11.95 including postage. CD remasters of the same recordings are actually quite more expensive (even though still affordable).
And the reason for that is that the original owners of LPs are dying from old age in droves, and their heirs want to get rid of them quickly so they'll sell them for absolute bargain prices to record traders who then put them for sale on Discogs.
My Technics SL-D3 is also automatic so that helps, and apparently it has a similar signal-to-noise ratio as the best of present-day high end turntables the price of a small car.
I enjoyed your video a lot Thank you I own a mint PL630 and i LOVE it Have it hooked to a McIntosh Pre-amp and amp I have about 700 albums and 900 45's from my younger years
I have had a JVC for decades and still going strong. My old Dual 1218 is gone, I think I had a problem getting a new cartridge but can’t remember
I just bought a Thorens 160/moth ta3 tonearm from vinyl nirvana. I looked at an older table, but Dave refurbishes these and anyway I'm very excited.
Liked and shared on Reddit. This video deserves lots of views.
Thanks!
What do you use to clean the record and stylus before play? Thank you.
For the record, carbon fiber brush. Makers often claim they're "antistatic"; ha! For the stylus, either the small brush that comes with the cartridge or stylus or a densely, finely bristled brush that I got back in the 80's. I also use a stylus cleaning solution sold by Audiotechnica. I got mine in the 80's, but they still sell it.
Speaking of idler. I have a Lenco L75 and L78. Modified with a carbon fibre wand 👌 and a centre platter bearing with a plinth, it's a great sounding turntable. Lenco only has a capacitor. The servicing of the vblocks and the idler wheel 🛞 is fairly straightforward.
I really appreciated your video! I went through a phase wher i started collecting vintage and used turntables...i had up to 22-3 before we moved...the brands and models ran a gamut (
I grew up listening to my dad's Garrard semi-manual, LaFayette amp and tuner and EMI speakers. My first records were 'Sing along with the Chipmunks' and 'Christmas with the Chipmunks', which I still have, complete with crayon scribble on the sleeves. I still have the Technics SLD-202, and the Onkyo TA-630D cassette deck that I bought in college (late 70s). They survived 9 Navy/personal moves and I just finished replacing belts and a few bulbs in the tape deck. Phonograph's been fine all along. I still have 200+ records I've acquired over the years, and a bunch of my dad's, all in near perfect condition!
My first time here and I stayed until the end. I couldn't agree more regarding manual versus automatic. Recently I restored a Pioneer PL-707 Fully Automatic Direct Drive (1985?) I got for next to nothing and I like it much better than my new $600 Pro-ject EVO manual I bought last year. The Pioneer looks and sounds so much better and now I see they sell for up $1000 on E bay. My Pro-Ject is for sale.😁
Nice to see the Soft Boys Underwater Moonlight. One of my all time favorite pieces of vinyl.
I sold my AR turntable a couple of years ago and boy do I regret it, now I have a Glenburn that was thrown away after my neighbor died, it's basically a BSR idler wheel driven it has an adc cartridge but the stylus broke, I'm debating on whether to get a whole new cartridge or just the stylus, the stylus is around 25, I had an old audio technica but I can't find it, before the stylus broke the glenburn didn't sound too bad, I put a couple of drops of oil in the motor and cleaned the idler wheel with teac rubber cleaner I use for my teac reel to reel, the stuff stinks but it works good. My friend hoards vintage equipment and says he has a.turntable for me but it's buried under piles of junk in his garage, one turntable he bought came with a slab of marble that you're supposed to mount on the wall to prevent vibration and noise but he dropped the slab and it broke in half, most of the equipment he bought over the years is rotting away in his basement it's now moldy including the 10 or so reel to reel decks along with the couple hundred thousand records he has, every room in his rather large house is full of records CDs cassettes reel to reel precorded tapes, he has literally spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past 30 or so years and the sad part is that he has no room to set anything up, he doesn't even know if any of the stuff he has even works, I didn't mention the many pairs of speakers he has also.
Yikes!
I bought four Sony PSX55 turntables a few years ago. Three of them are working, one I bought for the cartridge that was on it. I put Audio Technical 14SA cartridges on the three working ones. All of these were high end but forty years old. I probably could have bought a Rega PL3 for what I put into these. I am a very happy person. These turntables sound great with a good cartridge.
Currently using a vintage Rotel RP-2500 and an Akai AP-207 both with NOS Shure cartridges. Couldn't be happier.
Why is my Pioneer PL12D Mk1 which I bought new in 1972 and still in use today called a "vintage turntable" but my copy of Deep Purple's Fireball which I bought new in 1971 Is just known as a record?
Call it vintage if you like! 😂
My first recordplayer is a Philips portable stereo recordchanger type Philips 22GF245 from 1967 and i still used it , but i have for HiFi devices an Akai ATT05USB turntable , and i have a Dual 1224 to
6:15 hey! I saw a Philippine pressing of Help! The PARI sign below the "stereo" proves it... Just saying because I am from the Philippines. 🙂
I am a fan of Thorens turntables. I have a TD 160 and a TD 318 (semi-auto). Would really like a TD 125 if I can find one at a reasonable price.
I bought a vintage Yamaha YP-211 at estate sale for $15. It needed a belt. It plays damn good.
Oh, that's a score! Someone locally is selling an old Yamaha, but he wants close to real money for it, and I just can't bring myself to pay retail.
Liked your video, one make I would have mentioned was Micro Seiki, similar to CEC, they made their own and other companies turntables and are good quality and worth buying.
Hello there. I just snagged a 1966 Elac Miracord 50H. It was all the rage at the time at a whopping $149.95! Perfect working condition. Cycles as it should. There’s a cheap $25 Audio Technica cartridge on it and I’m replacing it with an Ortofon 2m Blue. I also have a Garrard Lab 80. It took a lot of donors to get it right, however there is too mass and friction in the arm so it’s just a museum piece. Otherwise the other equipment is modern. I’ve got a Rega Planar 8 coming and I’m having an Ortofon 2M Black on it.
Semi-autos, with a cuing lever, are a bit more simple and relieve the clumsiness you spoke of. And I am partial to Technics because they last and last and last while sounding great doing it.
Wow a Phase Linear intergrated. We used to use Phase Linear power amps for PA here in Oz. 400 rms and boy did they clip when driven hard .
And long live records ❤
Cleaning weed with a gatefold album, that really cracked me up. I have a Sonographe SG3 fully manual turntable made by Conrad Johnson in the early eighties. I like putting the tonearm down but wanting a turntable that picks up the tonearm at the end. So a semi-auto, but fully auto would be fine too, something around the 500 dollar mark, lots of looking to do.
I have a thing for vintage turntables, and switch them out every few years or so. These days I'm using an AR from ~'84, and I have Sota Star II (vacuum model) that I hope to make space for in the next several months. Over the years I've owned Dual (idler, DD and belt models), Denon (DD), and Technics (DD) tables. I guess if I were to buy a new model I might go for a Rega.
Thx for post; I have 2 newer turntables (pro-ject & Fluance) and one Vintage JVC automatic table. Like all 3 in my different setups
I got a atlp60xbt. Fully automatic, so I won't drop the stylus, with my arthritis fingers. Only problem I do have with it, when someone walks heavy on the floor, the cartridge or stylus jumps. I think I must buy some damper feet. Other than that, I am satisfied with my atlp60xbt, I use it with edifier Active speaker's
I had a stereo system in the 80s, in 2009 my mother suggested I get rid of it all, she said everything is on cd. Haha. Lost some money there, giving away all my records, I did however keep 3 records, but not the most valuable ones, I kept Zappa, Hendrix and Joplin. Back in 2022 I started over again. I still have my CD collection, but I only have a player in the car.
Some kind of dampening can help a lot. My Pioneer PL-630 has a suspension. Makes it nearly impervious to external vibrations.
Settled on a 72 Toshiba, really nice bones, typical white plastic auto return rubbish. Tossed the return mechanism in the trash, rebuilt the motor and cleaned it up. Was using a 80s technics the Toshiba had much better sound and half the wow. I could never afford that kick ass table you are sporting there. Cart is a basic audio-technica with upgraded stylus. All in the stylus and new belt cost more than the table. Really ya don't a bundle to get a nice sounding table, if ya use care in the decisions.
I bought my first record in 1973 - it was a new copy of K-Tel's FANTASTIC. I listened to it on something not much better (or worse) than a modern Crosley. My parents had a Curtis-Mathes console TV with a stereo in it (from the early 1970's, IIRC) but we weren't allowed to touch it until it was already broken (makes sense to me...) but then my Dad discovered he lighted 8-Track tapes, and he got a Pioneer H-R100 deck, so my next bunch of records were 8-track purchases (less than 15, I'm sure). I found I hated 8-track because the songs were often broken up between programs - which sucks. I shifted to cassettes (no split-up track issues there). By this time I was in 7th or 8th grade, and some of my friends older siblings had stereos with record players and tape decks. We'd buy cassettes and copy the LPs, so even if they sounded crappy, we still had them.
I'm not going to go down the rabbit hole of talking about taping the songs we wanted off a transistor radio with a condenser mic-equipped portable tape recorder held up to a 3" speaker, which is a story all it's own.
By the time I was in 11th grade, my Dad decided to buy a family stereo, comprised of a Pioneer PL-400 turntable, Technics M8 cassette deck, Technics SA-404 receiver, and some store-brand speakers. It was fine and worked for years - I started buying records when I could afford them. By the time I went to college, I had my own system - a Mitsubishi X-10 Interplay system (with really cool vertical turntable) and Polk Audio Monitor 5's. Bought and listened to tons of records in college.
CDs came along while I was in college, and a couple of guys in the house had Sony CD players. I was impressed with how they sounded, and I knew I'd get a player as a soon as I could afford one. I still had my records, but my purchases shifted mainly to CDs at this point (just like everyone else) - but I didn't get rid of all my records. In 1987, I bought a Carver DTL-50 CD player, and while it sounded good, I discovered that CDs COULD IN FACT PLAY POORLY - skips, catches, fast repeats, etc. and the DTL-50 was bad at this. Maybe I had a bad one, but I got a Sony CDP-C10 (with the 10-Disk cartridges) and found out that THEY could jam with mass-produced CDs. While this was in the shop getting warranty work done, I went back to records.
I now have about 3000 LPs, 1500 CDs, 800 Cassettes, and 0 8-Tracks.
I have shifted back to collecting CDs because of the relative used prices compared to that of used Record Albums.
I like music - always have - but I'll try to accumulate music I like through the least expensive way I can.
My two turntables that I use are: Technics SL-1350 (essentially an SL-1200 with fully automatic features and an optional stacking spindle - I don't stack records - just personal preference) and a JVC QL-A75 (manual start with auto lift-and-stop at the end) - purchased them both used - one in 1992 (The QL-A75) and in 2005 (The SL-1350) - both before LPs came back as "the trendy thing."
I also have a few CD players, A bunch of spare turntables, amps, receivers, speakers, and tape decks. It's amazing what one can find at a thrift store. I just picked up a Pioneer PL-115D (broken dust cover and no head shell or cartridge and some of the vinyl veneer is peeling) with an "okay" belt for under $20.00. It works, but I had to clean it and supply my own cart and head shell. The cue is weak, but the auto return works fine. It's serviceable and I think a good deal for $20.00.
Great Video.
ABSOLUTELY, I own 3 vintage TTs, Yamaha DD, Technics DD, and a BIC 980, they've always worked for me, but then I'm not a beginner.
Some advice on buying second hand turntables out of experience I do not recommend buying online unless it has the original packaging ! Too many turntables get damaged in transport better buy in person or a new one.
At this point in time I would not recommend buying a turntable unless you already have a good record collection.
A word on DUAL idler and belt drive turntables most motor bearings are by now worn out and replacements hard if not impossible to find so be aware when thinking of buying one.
If listening to music is the most important buy CD´s a good CD transport and a good DAC you will be surpriced it might even sound better than LP records. Thanks for the video
Totally agree. Nothing is more annoying than having to walk over and lift the tonearm at the end of a side. I only want to think about the music nothing else. So much so that I'm upgrading from a semi auto Technics sl-1400 to a full auto Technics sl-1600 mk2
Try working on a 1962 micromatic
Love my PL560 Pioneer turntable. I have others, agree, I much prefer fully automatic. Hate my full manual Thorens.
I'm still using my Technics SL-Q3 that I got in 1981, with a Technics Receiver and Speakers.
I am a brit in his late 60's which means I purchased a whole heap of LPs during the late 60s and early 70s. I listen to music via Tuner, CDs, Streaming, LPs, MP3s and cassette. To me - "and that is the crucial part" it is my peculiarities that makes me enjoy vinyl - not any weird thinking that one format is better than another. Oddly I like music playing while I am doing something and Tuner, CD, MP3 or streaming fill that requirement. But to sit in a quiet dark room and just listen to and focus on the music I prefer the vinyl format "and recently Cassettes". Is it because it sounds better - well not really more that I engage better with an LP you invest more time and effort setting it all up from removing from the card outer sleeve and inner paper sleeve to clamping the record to the deck and assisting the initial turn as you start to spin up the deck, Then follows the cleaning with an anti-static fabric or soft bristle cleaner before queuing the tone arm and lowering. Then you realise you cannot easily skip tracks via a remote but hear the album as the artist put it together and wanted you to listen to it.
I have one CD player, one Cassette player, one tuner and 5 Turntables which probably says more about my audio preferences than anything. One point to note - something that blew me away and that was I was listening to a 1987 CD "Cirrus - An Introductory Sampler" Toccata and Fugue in D Minor - John Gavin Scott, St Paul's Cathedral Organ. Which sounded pretty good with lots of deep bass but when I put on a similar aged cassette playing same piece but from Bon Cathedral - it blew me away I could feel the bass just as if I were there. It really did open my eyes to the fact that a well mastered and produced analogue piece of music can compete with 24 bit lossless whatever. and yes I played both on my 20 year old plus main system of NAD C370 integrated amp coupled with matching C270 power amp through my mix of four speakers (most from the 1980s) - it really has opened my mind (and my ears).
Bottom line is if you like what you are hearing, whatever your choice of music from whatever medium through whatever system - then you are onto a winner and it need not cost a fortune or need constant tweaks and upgrades.
Do you mind if I ask what the turntable is that's behind you? It looks a lot like the one my dad had when I was growing up.
Nevermind, just got far enough into the video to see you looked at it, my dad's was a Kenwood he got in the 70s.
I've got a video about that turntable, a Realistic LAB-400. I've replaced the old vinyl veneer with real cherry wood veneer, and the dust cover is new.
I bought the Kenwood KD 650 back in 1978 still works perfectly and sounds amazing. Cartridges I use are the Stanton EEE 681 and the Grado Prestige silver. dbx 3bx DS instead of a phone amp.🎶
Exactly!!
Get a vintage turntable from the 70's or 80's. They often have more capabilities and features than a modern $600, $700 upwards of $800 turntable.
Its crazy what they've neglected to include, namely simple 'START' button!
Too many modern "premium" turntables will auto-shutoff, but too many neglect to Auto-Start.
Too many modern manufactures focus too much on is the cliché of "putting the needle down YOURSELF"!
To Hell with that...just give me a damn START button!
Old turntables are even better if you rewire the tone arm with premium copper wire and contacts and upgrade the RCA jacks .......... Crosley ''Grinder''' tone arms have at least 6 grams or more of tracking force so if you have no other choice for something better to get a better table put two dimes on the back of the tonearm and put a bit of tape on it and the tracking force will be much better with about 1.5 to 2 grams of force ..
I recently got a Dual 1219 that needs new tonearm wires, so I'll be doing that at some point. Do you have recommended wires?
@@Lancaster_Hi-Fi I have only rewired two and that was back in 2007 and I think I got the wires from Turntables Needles ste but I have no receipt with a set that I still have and cannot remember if was them or another place ..A UK site Tonearm Wire | HIFICollective seems to give off high quality vibes with brand name CARDAS silver and copper wires .. Ebay could be great as well with certain sellers ...
Important lecture, and valuable demonstration video on your UA-cam channel; thumbs up, and I subscribed. And thank you for the added information about a Direct Drive turntable; even though a DD Turntable is not noted, and recognized in the category of Audiophile Standard, or Level.
I have up to four "vintage turntables" as you call them, from the early 1980s. Back then in the 1970s, and the nineteen eighties, turntables were precise, and good quality; besides the music that is from my favourite eras. Those "eras" for me start from the very late 1950s, and 1960 rock, and pop music; and mostly my favourite music of the 1970s, and nineteen eighties.
Soon I'll have up to three DIFFERENT turntables connected to my main hi fi audio system; now a used Cambridge Audio AXR100 Receiver, in very good condition. I've got a Harmon Kardon T25 semi-automatic belt drive connected to an Alva Duo Phono Preamplifier (new). A used Sony PS-LX3 Direct Drive T. is connected to a Rolls VP29 Phono Preamp via Blue Jeans Cables, made in the USA, for the most part.
By the way, according to makers of manual turntables they explain that there is far less Resonance in a simpler design, and is also very sophisticated; such as a Rega Planar, or NAD, or Pro-Ject turntable. Such turntables mostly have primary essential parts, and components that are important mainly for the sound of music! And are specifically designed, and correctly engineered to play back a record with very low resonance as possible, or any such noise.
I restored, repaired, and later upgraded Rega Planar 3 T. with a new Audio Technica AT95E MM Cartridge; it is connected to a used harman kardon 490i Receiver. Previous owner drilled a large tonearm post hole, so I had to hunt around, and I installed a Linn Basik Plus Tonearm. By "upgraded" I am referring to the new Rega 24V Motor Upgrade.
All turntables that I have great sound, and effective function; for me the HK T25 belt drive with a Denon DL-80A MC, is has the best function. Later I'm going to mount an hyper-elliptical nude stylus on the original And the PS-LX3 Direct Drive turntable - that arrived terribly broken - has a slightly more preferable sound for most music. I mounted an Ortofon LM 15 replacement Black Diamond Nude Stylus on an Ortofon LM 15 MM cartridge.
My next turntable is going to be connected directly to my Receiver; a LINEAR TRACKING turntable, a Sony PS-FL77 Biotracer Direct Drive. Furthermore, what I notice from vinyl is that there is a bit more detail, especially if played back from an Elliptical Stylus on a very good Cartridge! And the music tends to flow; mostly my right opinion, and yes it is mainly subjective, and a personal listening observation.🔉🎵🎶
All good points, nevertheless I've been scarred by automatic mechanisms since the day my old turntable's auto-return feature returned... without lifting the arm first... Right across my record. I first started to try to get it repaired, and I couldn't easily find someone who would, but deep down inside I couldn't get the image of what that table had done to my record. So I gave up. I've since had an amazing vintage manual turntable that's literally made of stone, but I only drop the needle using the arm lifter, I never drop it haphazardly with my fingers!
I believe some of the new Duals are fully automatic and they were the automatic turntable kings back in the day, so should know how to build a reliable fully automatic table.
I think you're right (about the automatic Duals). A friend of mine wanted to give me his and sent me a picture of the innards. Lots of clockwork! I didn't know better and declined his offer. On the bright side, he did have it restored for his own use.
@@Lancaster_Hi-FiI currently have three vintage idler wheel drive Duals. Can be a bit intimdating when you look at the mechanisms, but there are lots of youtube videos on maintenance and fixing. Usually all that is needed is a bit of cleaning and relubing to get a non working table up and running again.
Great vid. I also like fully auto. Why do I want to get down there and put the tone arm on the record. I am 54 and my eyes have gone to shit! 😂.
And I don't know about you, but my hands aren't getting any steadier with age!
same
You need quite a high end modern belt TT to outperform a quarts locked direct drive from the past...
Got my turntable in the 70's and went through the same CD and digital buying in the 90's. Now I have done a full 360. Records are great!
My newish turntable is a "made in China" Pioneer clone Audio Technica AT-LP 120-USB direct drive which has it's own pre amp built in. It's all manual even with no auto return but i prefer it that way "It also doesn't put extra strain on the motor". I play records very rarely but when i do it's more like an event and there's that little extra quality about it. I play it through a Sony Midi Hi Fi "Cassette/Radio" player and it sounds pretty good although i'd much prefer a valve/tube set up. I've noticed that modern equipment doesn't have the same quality components ie transisters, resisters etc and that will alter sound quality.
Or a cabinet for your components? Hmm 🤔
Yep, I agree with you on the higher end Pioneer TT's. I love my Pioneer PL-518 and my Sansui FR-5080 (which is in a rack with with other Sansui equipment from the mid/late 80's.
gave up on vinyl in early 90's last turntable was an Ariston RD40 Mission 774lc arm Nagaoka mp11 boron cartridge, used cd ever since & streaming to check out new music, if i like it i'll get the cd where available if not i'll download it
Well,to be honest,i advice any young person who discovers that music means more to her/him personaly than to a average person
to choose a physical medium. And the more the musical taste strays from the average the more records become a choice.
Simply because especialy older music above and beyond the average taste is still more available on records than on cd for example.
Although in past decades a lot was rereleased on cd. So cd is at this point in time at least the more economic decision.
I like records but recently picked up reel to reel and found it has many advantages over records. At 7.5 ips it sounds just as good or sometimrs better (some old pre-recorded Zeppelin and hendrix is mind blowing) than it's album counterpart. If it has autoreverse you can set it and forget it (no flipping sides need). Once you're used to it I don't find it takes any longer to thread a tape. You can record your audiophile 45 rpm at 7.5 IPS when new without pops, etc. and it sounds identical to playing back said records with no side flipping. With 10 inch reels you get much longer play time. Some R2Rs are really cool looking! It's actually like the ultimate vinyl accessory! I'm in love with mine. Really a shame they went away. I gave away my 500 classic rock record collection back in 90s like an idiot so now I only buy specially curated albums at way too much money, preserve them on tape and stream or cd everything else. We are truly in a golden age of music listening, but I really regret giving away my old vinyl collection cause most albums sound great from that era and special masterings, remasters, etc. are rarely as good as the OG's which are not cheap and mostly a waste of money unless near mint.By some miracle, I recently scored an original UK Physical Graffiti that's seems almost never played and quieter than any new album I could get in a store so I can die happy now if I never buy another album
Beside the Technics 1210 DJ Set I owned a Sansui SR ...can't remember the modelnumber I think it was 535 but I'm not sure 😁 and a Fisher MT 6225. I liked both. So Sansui SR series and Fisher MT 6200- 63** series are worth a look IMO. I like 'big' turntables and wouldn't buy a 'slim' one but thats preference.
Got my 1210 in 1989. Used it at parties in the 90s/00s. Yes it does have some optical flaws but so do I and it runs just like back in the days 😁.
I have 2 comments, today's automatic turntables like my Thorens TD-240-2 only come with belt drive and I wish they would bring back linear tracking turntables!!
The Pioneer PL-530 you show is a lovely machine! I got lucky a few years back and found mine at a flea market for $35, complete with cart, stylus, 45 adapter and dust cover. I do my own work, so I was able to give it a clean, new cart and stylus and have enjoyed it many times over the years. I think it is worth mentioning that record changers are also worth a look. Models like DUAL, ELAC, PE and even from Technics featured an "umbrella" stacking spindle as well as a single play spindle, so you have a choice of how to play. These tables often take much better care of records than the plastic BSR type tables we may remember from the '70s. Also, the JCPenney brand called MCS had models of tables that were made by Panasonic/Technics, the one I have being a changer/single play type of table. These were built to a lower price point than the Technics counter part, but they are good and may be more approachable to someone new to the hobby.
I Love your content. Your story is similar to mine. BUT..... a bit different too. I am an audiophile (I kind of hate that word now because it has a bad connotation.) I am also trained in the music arts from a conservatory *I won't mention which one because I don't want to add to the snobbery some may be reading. I was born deaf. I grew up sickly and poor. But in the 60's when my hearing was restored, I was drawn to vibrations and music. I became a professional musician and eventually was a session musician in some major label studios. When my ears became restored, I was trained in aural skills in music school and eventually developed perfect relative pitch. From the late 60's to the early 90's I kept my record collection and enjoyed my Dual turntables. When the CD boom started, I also bought a CD player- I am on my 3rd. NAD and a Rotel. I still have my Dual tables set up- I still have my records and I still listen to my CD's. I believe there is nothing that sounds any better than a CD with the right gear. I love CD's. They are much superior to records in so many ways. But I prefer records and players. Why??? Hmmm, don't really know how to answer that. I guess because it means more to me than just "sound." I live the albums. I like the artwork. I like the stupid cartridges and changing the syli on the carts. I like the stupid little dust covers and watching the crappy black plastic spin around the foolish space that this huge piece of furniture takes up. But more than anything; last weekend I put on an old Yes album. It was "Going for the One." My first live Yes show. When I put it on side "B" and just sat in the sweet spot with the sound stage going way beyond my speakers, and that click click and pop pop, there was a moment when the music was just so magical, just so outside of any rhyme or reason and I was inside the zone with Jon Anderson's voice and Steve Howe playing his Portuguese guitar- and guess what? I wept. For real. No one was around (Thank God) my wife and daughter would have had me committed. But it was pure religion. No CD has ever done that. And truth be told, that was not the first time. Records are inferior to CD's...but I would take my way too much plastic and way too big medium of a machine to play them on over anything else in the audio world. Par none.
Yeah, I can relate. Stevie Ray Vaughan makes me cry, especially when he covers Hendrix. But the first time was the first time I played Texas Flood, which was one of the first records I bought when I started buying records again in 2020.
I bought my first CD player not long before CDs were becoming secondary to streamed music , so I’ve been someone who likes to hold on to something that works and skeptical of the new thing. I admit CDs do sound great now that players have seemed to iron out the first little quality problems and probably own almost as many cds as LPs . I never have caught up with streaming or paying for music online that I cannot hold in my hands . Vinyl , has always seemed more than the sum of its parts and the process of buying a 12in LP with great cover photos or art and putting it on a beautiful , well designed deck can’t be bested . When my plastic cd covers have snapped and broken apart I know my LP sleeves will still be there even if occasionally mended with some paper glue . The incredible engineering of record decks still amazes me and I can feel this when I play my music .this engineering has advanced and even incorporates formula one hi tech materials in the bearings honing the pivot to as little as 1 micron ! Materials too have been advanced and the scope for more and even greater development is more than ever I think . As for belts, we like what we like and I agree motors have advanced massively in the isolation and quieting of the rumble that interfered into the stylus pickup of the sound grooves , I love the way that engineering and aesthetics can incorporate the old style belt to become almost a piece of engineering art . It’s nice to see the mechanical movement as if it’s a living thing .( I may be over doing it , being an artist for a living ) I’m pleased vinyl has regained some contemporary appreciation and its long held place in music , perhaps not as high as it once had but a steady place that new tech can circle around and help develop even more . It’s good to not discard things that work well and look good just because some new tech arrives . Some things have a soul and a part of ourselves in them , like a classic car , or motorbike , a piece of furniture .fashions come and go but classic design and engineering is always worth keeping and slowly improving upon in small ways . I grew up listening to the Pistols and Clash , etc now along with these still, I listen to everything from Jazz, old traditional British folk songs and Portishead and Nick Cave and Bad Seeds and more. What else can give us the range and direct connection of emotion and history than that of music through a medium like vinyl and record players ?
My experience is the same as yours. I have vinyl, CDs and I have gone back to my old JVC turntable of the 80s. I have inherited vinyl. I have inherited my parents mid 60s Kriesler Multisonic Stereo 6 radiogram. Records sound better to me. I wash the old records too! 😊👍🏻
Sadly I went out and abought a new turntable. I don't have a problem with vintage gear, have some, dumped others. Some people don't what physical listening media is.
Vintage TTs are a crap shoot. I've just never had a new one, except for super-crappy new ones. 🤣