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Help choosing a new turntable?

B

Bailey P

New Member
Hey there everyone,

i've been using this forum for a while but have never posted. I need some help though... It's time to replace my technics SLD4 linear tracker (it's too light so i get acoustic feedback, and it's having problems with a humming noise and grounding it). On my local kijiji, i've found 3 options:

Sanyo TP 626 with a new grado cartridge - 110CAD

Technics SL 3300 that needs a new cartridge - 40CAD

Dual 621 with unknown cartridge - 100CAD

I'm wondering which would be the best option? I need something nice and heavy to minimize acoustic feedback (my floor is terrible for that), and i want the best quality table out of these three.. Help me choose!!

Thanks everyone.
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Welcome to Audiokarma!
I don't have any experience with the other models, but I've had an SL 3300 since 1978.....bought it new. It hasn't missed a lick in all the time I've owned it. It isn't the heaviest TT around, but mine has always been relatively stable. Isolation can always be added later....a wall shelf, sand box, inflated bicycle tube, etc. And...for 40CAD, you could get a new cart,...the Shure M97xe is around $100, and would work well on the SL......
OR......you could go to Vinyl Engine, register (it's free) and download the service manual for your SLD4, repair the ground, and work on isolating it .....
At any rate.....have fun and enjoy the music

KJR
 
KRab said:
Welcome to Audiokarma!
I don't have any experience with the other models, but I've had an SL 3300 since 1978.....bought it new. It hasn't missed a lick in all the time I've owned it. It isn't the heaviest TT around, but mine has always been relatively stable. Isolation can always be added later....a wall shelf, sand box, inflated bicycle tube, etc. And...for 40CAD, you could get a new cart,...the Shure M97xe is around $100, and would work well on the SL......
OR......you could go to Vinyl Engine, register (it's free) and download the service manual for your SLD4, repair the ground, and work on isolating it .....
At any rate.....have fun and enjoy the music

KJR
Click to expand...
Isolation is one of the problems my current table is having... it's too light! Would the dual or sanyo be better in regards to this? I was thinking if i get the 3300, i'd either put a grado black or at95e on it. It seems to be a great table, but honestly, it's looks are kind of turning me off.... the others are so pretty!
 
Freddymac2 said:
The 3300 is the best table by far, if it is working properly.
Click to expand...
I phoned the guy and he said everything works perfectly. I'm honestly a little turned off by it's looks, but a good quality table is more important. How would sound quality and isolation compare to the other two?
 
thats hogwash. ill take a technics any day over a dual. I had a dual and it was the flimsyest thing you dould imagine. cheaply made.
but you get what you like best.
 
Both today and in the past some tables relied more on their looks than performance to attract buyers. I'd say the SL-3300 is the SOUND choice.
 
Bailey P said:
I read once that dual vs. technics is like german vs japanese cars... This 3300 seems to be a honda civic in that regard!
Click to expand...

Interesting analogy, the German car would have been the Volkswagen Beetle.

Still highly regarded in Japan. :thumbsup:
 
The sanyo guy isn't answering my calls, so i've ruled that one out... down to the dual and technics. Would it be completely crazy to go for the dual? It has a shure v15 cart on it, the guy said the stylus is fairly new. I'm really attracted to the looks and the fact that it's a suspended design and probably isolates better than the technics.
 
First of all, we don't know what condition the turntables are in. That makes a big difference depending if any work will be needed. I really think the sleeper in this list will be the Dual 621.

ferninando said:
thats hogwash. ill take a technics any day over a dual. I had a dual and it was the flimsyest thing you dould imagine. cheaply made.
but you get what you like best.
Click to expand...

I disagree with your statement that Duals are flimsy turntables. I have a 1219 idler drive and a 721 direct drive. The build quality and craftsmanship is superb and they are built like a tank. A Dual that has been properly restored will last you the rest of your life and possibly your children as well.

If you decide on getting the Dual and if you need help in any way you have two choices. In Canada, there is Doctor Dual, and in the US there is Fix My Dual. If the problem is an easy fix, they could walk you through on how to repair it without sending the table in for repair. Bill Neumann of Fix My Dual is an AK member (Bohhey), and I prefer dealing with members. Bill is a first class gentleman and I enjoy doing business with him.

Do not count out the Dual. Contact the seller and ask what condition the Dual is in, and if you could audition the table before buying. This way you will know if the Dual is worthy.

EDIT:
I forgot to mention that Fix My Dual has the largest parts inventory for Dual tables in the US.
 
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Bubbalouie said:
First of all, we don't know what condition the turntables are in. That makes a big difference depending if any work will be needed. I really think the sleeper in this list will be the Dual 621.



I disagree with your statement that Duals are flimsy turntables. I have a 1219 idler drive and a 721 direct drive. The build quality and craftsmanship is superb and they are built like a tank. A Dual that has been properly restored will last you the rest of your life and possibly your children as well.

If you decide on getting the Dual and if you need help in any way you have two choices. In Canada, there is Doctor Dual, and in the US there is Fix My Dual. If the problem is an easy fix, they could walk you through on how to repair it without sending the table in for repair. Bill Neumann of Fix My Dual is an AK member (Bohhey), and I prefer dealing with members. Bill is a first class gentleman and I enjoy doing business with him.

Do not count out the Dual. Contact the seller and ask what condition the Dual is in, and if you could audition the table before buying. This way you will know if the Dual is worthy.
Click to expand...

The technics is in almost perfect condition, all it needs to play is a new stylus/cart. As for the dual, it has a shure v15 cartridge, the guy said it's a fairly new stylus. He said he doesn't know when it was last lubed/serviced, but that everything is working just fine on it. it looks very clean from the pictures.

I'd love something that doesn't really require maintenance, but there's just something about the dual that i love.....
 
Bailey P said:
The sanyo guy isn't answering my calls, so i've ruled that one out... down to the dual and technics. Would it be completely crazy to go for the dual? It has a shure v15 cart on it, the guy said the stylus is fairly new. I'm really attracted to the looks and the fact that it's a suspended design and probably isolates better than the technics.
Click to expand...

Depending on the stylus on the V15, the cartridge could be worth two to three times as much as the Dual. Definitely a worthy contender.
 
Bubbalouie said:
Depending on the stylus on the V15, the cartridge could be worth two to three times as much as the Dual. Definitely a worthy contender.
Click to expand...
I just emailed him, asking for more info on it. If i end up buying this one, i probably wouldn't have the money for a while to replace the stylus, so that could be a deciding factor.
 
I guess all you Dual Lovers didn't ever look or cared about Noise Figures, and speed acuracy, they are important to me. Duals perform very well but they do not work as well sonicly, as you move to better equipment.
 
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