Thanks. Yes, I was checking out some of those headshells on the bay. I ended up going with the XLM MK III, but thanks for the info on TVOM. Will look them up next time.There are some Technics style headshells on the Bay that are cheap and work just fine. The Ortofon ones are nice but mucho $.
The ADC is a very nice cartridge and one of my favorites. I use XTIV stylus on mine. It was about the TOTL styli. Check at TVOM and see what Gary has for the XLM MK 11. He had some nos ones a while back. ( TVOM = the voice of music )
Well once again, I am deeply impressed by the generosity of the followers of this forum (AK in general, and the Turntables sub-forum in particular).
Ironically, the main reason I am moving away from the new Pro-Ject Debut III is the need to spend hundreds more to upgrade it the way I want it. I've heard needeldrops of the Denon DL-110 and loved it nearly as much as an Ortofon 2M Black, but since the Pro-Ject has a steel platter, I'd need to spend $129 to upgrade to the acrylic platter. Then another $129 for the Speed Box, plus $139 for the Denon - that's more than I spent on the turntable!
So here I am, once again looking to upgrade??? :headscratch:
Hey, who said this pursuit was RATIONAL!
I think you've all given me some very sage advice. I was tempted to overspend on upgrades, while the reality is that if I was going to spend that kind of dough, I should have gone for a better table - otherwise I'd be spending money foolishly.
So I'm going to grab the DL-110, I'll look into a wall mount (might not be feasible in my tiny room), I'll re-use the aftermarket mat I bought for my Pro-Ject and compare it to the stock Technics mat. I'm intrigued by the o-ring suggestion, but I think I'll need some pictures to figure it out. I'm going to let my trusted local tech to assemble and configure everything.
Then I'll listen for awhile. And maybe later I'll get a 2nd headshell for the Nagaoka MP-110 as a nice contrast to the Denon, and for use with noisier records (which apparently the Nagaoka is known for dealing with particularly well).
Again, thanks very much! I'm eager to get this new old turntable up and running.
Welcome to AK, :yoda!
You've made a great pick with the SL-D2. Which cartridge are you going to use on it? The Denon DL-110 has gone way up in price since I posted this in 2014, not long after I joined the community here. And the generosity STILL blows me away! Let us know if you need any advice.
By the way, since I posted this, I have acquired a Pioneer PL-707, a Technics SL-7, plus two other tables I'm going to sell. I have vinyl rigs in 3 areas of my home - tiny man-cave where I build airplane models, my office and living room. And I have a nice collection of vintage receivers and amps from most of the major names from the Golden Age of audio, the late 60s to early 80s.
Thanks for the prompt reply. Well, i really have no knowledge about cartridges.. But as far as I know the TT has a Shure M97xE phono cartridge. But more importantly, the TT comes with an amp as a package. I'd like to know which one I should go for. There is a Technics SU V450 or a Denon (of the same age I'm guessing.. I don't quite know the model. Kind of looks like the one in the image). Which one would you suggest..?View attachment 820956 View attachment 820957 View attachment 820958
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The Sorbothane feet were purchased from an eBay seller. They are 2" 50D half spheres. The spring feet were the first to go..... I also believe that replacement of the spring feet has further decoupled the base from the upper housing since there are no more screws on the outer 4 corners..... Now I can have ladies dancing in my living room and they never make the record skip.
As for the clay........ I will say this...... How and where it is applied is completely up to you.
Also, please make sure you are getting modeling clay that wasn't designed for kids.... The first store I went to had modeling clay that was somehow scented so I went to another with different clay that didn't smell.....
Started by softening the clay on the hood of my car until it was very pliable.
I started packing clay into the corners of the "upper half" of the plinth, basically pressing it into place where the plastic ridges are, trying to cover as much of the internal plastic surfaces as possible while avoiding coming too close to all internal components. Once I had a thin layer applied I just began to "fortify" the corners and "empty space" with more clay. Keep the level of the clay well below the ridge for the base...... Pardon the different colors.....Had to get what was on the shelf.
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On the base, I used rope caulk and packed it into the valleys. I probably could have covered the area that I left blank, but it is right below the auto return gear which I did not want to interfere with. YMMV.............
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It doesn't look pretty but it sure as heck deadened an otherwise "hollow" turntable.
Just joined this group for the sl d2. I was able to pick it up a few weeks ago. Had to replace the stylus and the mat. Total investment was about $75. Tried to find something new with the same qualities and the best deal I could find was $300. Hope to give the o rings a try soon. Thanks for all the great info!