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It was Thursday, and I had no turntable...

T

tin_ear

Active Member
So I had been looking, all the usual places...GW, SA,CL, local papers; dont wanna deal with shipping, so no 'bay stuff. Anyway, a CL listing on Thursday, success, but for some inexplicable reason, I don't stop...I really should stop looking, ya know? Saturday its an estate sale, then a thrift shop, then there's just enough time to get into the SA as they're locking the door...they always lock it early, don't you know. So, as of Thursday, I had no turntable...as of Saturday evening, I have:



$20
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$100
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$33.33
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$5.41
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They have these carts:

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So now, there's the dilemma:
I need your opinions because I am a newbie to this. I had a couple of tts back in the day (70's) that IIRC were Kenwood/Sanyo/a whatever. My interest in the vintage thing is on the rise now so i need your help.

Here's your assignment, should you choose to acept it:

First, let us assume that these are the ONLY machines we have to choose from AND:
Second, let us assume that they are each in as-new condition (just for comparative purposes).

Third: you've been given the mandate by the Boss: throw one out immediately!

Fourth: You are going to setup a Main room, plus a garage system but there's no extra storage, so now you'll have to toss another!

Of the two that are left, one is going into the garage.

So now, the King of this hypothetical heap is?
Which did you toss first?
Second?

Were the choices difficult or obviously simple?
 
I'm partial to the very light tracking B&Os. That being said, an MMC5 isn't the best place to start from - so if we're assuming the existing cartridge isn't changing it wouldn't be my choice. I'd first consider the Dual, but I'd need to also consider the cartridge. I'd Frankenstein the best cartridge combination with the Dual and sell off the difference.

If you get an MMC3 or lower (better) I'd consider the B&O.
 
If it were me, I'd keep the Dual for my daily runner. I'd look for a new Ortofon ULM cartridge on ebay and use that. I'd sell the B&O and Technics, rob the fairly decent Shure off the Garrard and literally throw the TT away.
If I had to call it, I'd bet the Technics is worth the most money. It is very popular these days with the DJs, though it is not one of the professional models. Still, a very nice table, though.
You certainly had a VERY good weekend! That's awesome!!
 
To clarify:
The Technics is an SL-1600 MKII
Dual is 714Q
Garrard is SL-95
B&O is a Beogram RX

I cant tell what the cart in the Dual OR the Technics is.
Someone tell me the proper way to remove the cart from the Dual? I don't want to break anything; is the tonearm removed first? If yes, How?
 
The Garrard looks exactly like a SL-95 that my girlfriend found at an estate sale for $10. It wasn't worth it, except it had a Shure V15 Type II cartridge. The TT itself was very poor, all moving mechanisms had frozen solid (the factory oil turns to solid glue and this is common from what I've read). The tonearm had no bearings for moving horizontally, and the anti-skate is bizarre....not to mention the cartridge mounting plate doesn't lock in place, it just slides in and is held by friction (barely). I could go on and on, but the Garrard is just a poor design.

The Dual on the other hand is similar to my Dual 721. A very good TT and the #1 in my household (over a Dual 1225 and a Technics SL-5 linear tracker).

So my vote: keep the Dual, Technics, and B&O, and toss the Garrard. Oh, there is one use for the Garrard: cut off the power cord, take the neon bulb out of the switch, wire it to the power cord, and you now have a portable strobe for checking turntable speeds (once you print off the little strobe disc).
 
Very Nice Haul...

Hi,

Nice Haul, you now have Turntables.. Good luck enjoying them.

Let us know how they sound when you have them all cleaned up.:thmbsp:

John.:music:
 
Hey tin ear!!
To remove the cartridge, simply push the finger lift of the headshell toward the back of the table. The cart should drop a little and you should be able to remove it by pulling it slightly forward. Good Luck!!
 
I would keep the Dual, the cartridge is a Dual/Ortofon ULM series cart. You can get a nos ulm cart or stylus or just get a new ortofon cart, just make sure it will work in the arm before buying. The technics is not bad either though.
 
Removing the cartridge from the Dual is simple. Hold the cartridge with your left hand. With your right hand,turn the little silver lever (above the cartridge) to the rear, the cartridge plate comes off.
 
There is a saying: Less is more!

Of the four, the Garrard needs to go first. Definetly the king of the trash can. But before it goes, keep the headshell and Shure cart. It's a decent cart for old worn out LPs. Such carts and needles actually pick up much less hiss and pops from worn records than better carts.

The B&O is definetly the cutest find, but not the necessarily the best player. If that stylus is worn out or broken, you might have a very hard time getting another, let alone at a decent price.

The Dual 714 is a good TT but not a very succesful Dual design.

The Technics was a very decent TT.

Sincce these aren't NOS, I would listen to all three for half an hour or so and decide which two to keep.

From their looks, I would say Technics and Dual are probably keepers.
 
As others have noted earlier in the thread if one has to go it would definitely be the Garrard. I had a lower end Garrard model of the same vintage and it really trashed any album I played on it.
 
pilotputz said:
You certainly had a VERY good weekend! That's awesome!!
Click to expand...

Pilot, YES! I have! And to quote the annoying Billy Mays and all the others of the infommercial world, "But wait!, There's More!!!"

You've only seen the TTs! Here's the 'other stuff':

some furniture:
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Yes, thats a Mac in there
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Quadraphonic, anyone?
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Fraziers (horns! Yes!)
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and some software:
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I really must stop!
(not too shabby,tho, for $425)
 
Unreal.. you got it bad if that was a couple day run.. some really nice stuff for decent prices though..

As far as the TT's I'd keep the Technics for the daily driver, and the Dual in the garage..

The problem I have with the B&O is those aren't cheap and easy to find carts for when you need to replace it..
 
similost said:
As far as the TT's I'd keep the Technics for the daily driver, and the Dual in the garage..

The problem I have with the B&O is those aren't cheap and easy to find carts for when you need to replace it..
Click to expand...

Agreed. The Technics is an auto version of the SL-1200MK2. Sell the B&O on ebay. You'll easily make a nice profit. If you ever had the hankering to play 78s, you might want to hold onto the Garrard. (In addition to the Technics and Dual, that is).
 
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