• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

I'd appreciate some turntable advice

jimdandy said:
Since money is not the issue for you, I say go for the new Technics 1200. There's a chance after a couple years of spinning vinyl you'll get the itch to upgrade tables if you get one of those used versions.

You only go around once, get the new one.
Click to expand...

Get the Wal-Mart SL -1200 from their internet store.
You will have a warranty.

I own a SL1300, nearly the same as the 1200 except analog speed control and fully automatic, bought new in 1974. So a new 1200 should last at least 35 years like my 1300. Call me in 2044 and tell me how it's doing.
 
I am addicted as others here are with Turntables (Well, that and cassette decks, speakers, receivers...Oh where does it all end:sigh: ) and currently have 7 TT's in my 1 bedroom apartment. All are working well. The youngest is 29 years old (Pioneer PL-500) and the oldest is 39 years old (Dual 1209). They all sound great to me. I'm saying this to the reliability concern you have. The only one that is not 100% is my Technics SL-1300MK2 which has the infamous cueing issue (Do a search on AK or Google)but it works great as a manual table. As Howard said, the Pioneer you asked about is manual so there is little to go wrong. But even in the full auto tables, my Dual and Pioneer fall into here, fully work. On 1 of my tables, I need to pick up a belt (inexpensive for the SL-23) and it will be back up to speed. New is always good ofcourse because of reliability but most of the 70's and 80's tables are tanks :)
 
Thanks, guys.

I'm starting to lean towards going for the sansui TT. I know the technics are real warhorses but I like the idea of owning something unique and it would match nicely with my sansui amp. And at least I know the 1200's will always be around if I feel like upgrading at any time.
Plus I can then spend the extra cash on buying more records. :D:music::D

again thanks for everyone's help and input. Finding this forum has been great. It helped me decide on my vintage amp (as a lurker) and now it's helping with my TT. It's great to see all these passionate audio people helping to keep this stuff alive.
 
Welcome to the forum! Good call I'm a fan of Sansui TT's myself, I think it will serve you well! Enjoy your new addiction:D
 
And do remember this will not be your LAST turntable:nono:--only your most recent acquisition! :thmbsp:It never ends!

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

Richard
 
If you're not an audiophile and want to keep it simple, you might think about a p-mount turntable... or a Dual with the ULM. Unless you don't mind having to tweak cartridge geometry or can afford to pay someone to do it for you.

Also, you might like full auto rather than semi auto (ie auto return). Altho on some decks that isn't exactly the reliable option.

With any decent table and new cartridge, the only thing left to ruin your records is lack of proper cleaning/care. Lots of threads on here about that.
 
boonie said:
Thanks, guys.

I'm starting to lean towards going for the sansui TT. I know the technics are real warhorses but I like the idea of owning something unique and it would match nicely with my sansui amp. And at least I know the 1200's will always be around if I feel like upgrading at any time.
Plus I can then spend the extra cash on buying more records. :D:music::D

again thanks for everyone's help and input. Finding this forum has been great. It helped me decide on my vintage amp (as a lurker) and now it's helping with my TT. It's great to see all these passionate audio people helping to keep this stuff alive.
Click to expand...

Hey Boonie , welcome to AK. Now unplug your computer and don't come back :D I picked up an old Sansui table(FR4060) about this time last year and came on here for advice . Well the boys here fixed me up and even provided spare parts and I was real happy , for a bit that is .It's a real bad place to come and look at all these vintage and new spinners , always something you GOT to have !!
btw , my Sansui is a very decent table and sounds very good for the price it cost me . Yours seems to be from the same era , different arm but similar suspension . Happy hunting
 
That's good feedback, John. Thanks.

That will be the other bonus of going vintage for a good price, it means I can keep my eye out for anything else that takes my fancy and not feel guilty. If I grab a technics I'd kind of feel obligated to stick with it for a good while at the price it would cost me.
And the hunt is half the fun. :D
 
New to forum

Hi, I am new to the forum and thought I'd just tag onto this thread rather than starting a new one.

I'm looking to get a decent quality turntable, probably a Rega P1. I have a cheap, fully automatic turntable I bought from Radio Shack, but I'm afraid it is not set up properly and is damaging my vinyl.

As far as preamps are concerned, I stumbled across the Firestone Korora, I read a good review somewhere and it is fairly inexpensive.

I am also looking at getting a new receiver for my TV setup, how much does the power amp influence overall sound? Will a good turntable and preamp sound better through an average amp, or will it reduce the quality to near CD sound? I don't want to spend the money on a TT and preamp if I'm not going to get any better sound than playing a CD.

Also, with these high end TT's, when the needle approaches the end of the record, what happens? On the automatic ones, it lifts and stops. On a Rega P1, would it just continue to spin?

Thanks for any info!
 
I'd take a slightly different tack. I say you need two. Ther are number of reasons, but having a second table with 78 allows you to spin anything that comes along. I use an AT PL120 for that. It's my used vinyl and shellac preview and mess around table. They may be cheap enough, even in Oz? For actual 33 rpm transcription work I use a JVC QL Y5F with magneto controlled arm and usually a more expensive cartridge.

I'd look for a nice used table for my serious driver for recording or ripping. Just make sure both TTs accept universal headshells so you can cartridge swap as needed. It'd be nice if they shared the same overhang so you could just move from one to the other, but if not that's OK too. Seems that I don't put expensive or delicate cartridges on the work horse table and I don't put low end carts on the better table so it works out.

The thing is that you'll need a modest cartridge library to get the most out of LPs. Each LP is mastered and engineered slightly differently. Then pressed in a different plant with mixes of vinyl, etc. OK, the medium is mostly the same, but LPs with thin bass lines and over emphasized vocals really benefit from a nice Grado or older Shure like a Hi-Trak. Whereas an LP that was well mastered and is balanced, but has a lot of detail in the top end like a nice Jazz piece with quality snare brush work can really benefit from an AT 440MLa, AT 150MLX, or Shure V15, or the like. Some LPs just mate better with some carts.

Why subject a $300 cartridge to a thrift store LP until you know what condition it's in? What if you get a cool 78 blues disk from a yard sale? 78's can be so brutal at their higher speed that they can eat a delicate stylus. Get a cheap conical to test spin LPs. Put your Deno DL160 on the better table.

The big thing for me would be a nice arm, and since you are already comfortable with direct drive, I'd sure be looking for Quartz Lock (usually shown as Q or QL in the model). You can switch it off if you need to vary the speed, but it's nice to have. Also nice to have arm lift at the end of the recording (sometimes listed as L in the model number). Especially if you are recording or ripping. It's one less thing to juggle while you are handling the controls on your tape deck or PC. So get the Sansui if it's in nice shape? But, maybe think about a utility table too? All the better tables will run longer than we will with minor maintenance :)
 
Last edited:
Welcome Spitfire:)

Another part of the equation is the cart. The higher up the cost ladder, usually the better the sound. The Rega is a nice table though entry level so the cart would benefit from an upgrade.

As for the end of the record, on a manual table, the record continues to spin. If you forget and comeback 3 days later, it will be spinning. Not a big problem other than more wear on the stylus.
 
For all those manual TT's with no end of record lift off.
I don't know if this is still available.
Audio Technica AT6006 Safety Raiser
Found this one on Audiogon. I think the price is a mite high!
http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.pl?accstwek&1240628240&/Audio-Technica-6006a-Safety-Ra
I found this DIY lifter. The one pictured looks rather agricultural. It shouldn't be too hard to make one that looks a little better.
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/messages/65/655061.html

I've never concerned myself with one. Getting up at the end of a record is well needed exercise. It also gives me an opportunity to empty my pants monster and grab another beer.
 
Hey guys,

I ended up grabbing the sansui fr-1080 and it sounds alright to me. Doesn't knock my socks off but sounds nice enough for what I paid for it.

I do have a couple of additional questions now though. The guys I bought it off had never set it up properly, so I balanced the tone arm but the the only tracking weight seems to be a little weight attached to a line with 7 notches that you can adjust up or down (but no numbers). Here's a photo (apologies for the poor quality - bad light and crappy camera):

ssa40329.jpg


Now the problem I have is that when I have the arm balanced, no matter what notch I set the tracking weight on the needle will not track on the vinyl as it is too light and bounces up/skids. However when I set the tonearm counterweight heavier than level the needle tracks alright. If I then move it up slightly heavier again albums with a bit of surface crackle sound cleaner.
So what am I doing wrong and am I damaging my vinyl playing it this way?

The other question I have is that I'm thinking of buying a Shure M97xE for it soon. The TT has the original sansui headshell. Will the Shure cartridge fit this headshell? And will this cartridge upgrade add some dynamics to the sound?

Thanks again for everyone's help and suggestions so far. If anyone has anything to add it would be again much appreciated.
Thanks.
 
no problems with your camera work boonie

first check to see that the sylus/cantilever is not bent left or right...if not, breath a sigh of relief and continue

as for the anti-skate, from memory each position represents half a gram of force...i forget whether the outer or inner line is zero...ak help please.....the general rule of thumb is that the anti-skate should be the same value as the tracking force

as for the tracking force you are going to have to "re-zero" first.....a warning here...while making any of these adjustments be very, very, very careful not to damage the stylus

to r-zero first set the dial to "0"....then you will find a way to slide the weight and dial assembly back on forward along the rear of the tonearm...sometimes this is a little grub screw that needs to be loosened........with the headshell between the tonearm rest and the platter (on the play setting), slide the weight and dial assembly until the tonearm "floats" and does not want to go up or down.....tighten the assembly and then dial in a tracking force of 11/2 - 2 grams (search for the recommended TF for this cartridge

have a go at this first and then we can fine tune

Lee
 
Hey Bonnie , nice score . The black plastic part with the numbers on it should move on it's own with out moving the counter weight thing .So once you get the arm balanced then rotate the plastic part to line up to zero .Then turn both parts until your dial reads 1.5 - 2 grams(turning so that it rotates in closer towards the front of the arm that is ) . If that is the original cart on the unit I am pretty sure the stylus is shot , that's why it skips across maybe and yes it will ruin your lp's. The Sansui headshell will fit any carts with 1/2" mounting , which is most of them on the market today.
You could try cleaning the stylus with some isopropyl and a fine soft brush but I would guess that after almost 40 years the tip is a goner :sigh: We jsut need someone to figure out about the fishing line and the notches as to which one is the high and low end of the scale ?

I used Shure's , Audio Technica and Grado on the Sansui and all worked fine , I would go with a new cart over trying to find that Sansui stylus .The AT110e or Grado black go for about $60 at many on line stores or you may find a local shop carrying them also ?
Hope that helps
John
 
just going back to high school physics i remember the lever principle...the longer the lever, the easier is was to lift a weight....this gets me thinking that the inner notch must be zero while the outer must be 3 grams
 
bhundu said:
just going back to high school physics i remember the lever principle...the longer the lever, the easier is was to lift a weight....this gets me thinking that the inner notch must be zero while the outer must be 3 grams
Click to expand...

yes looking at the photo the one toward the front of the table would have the most pull ? So the back end would be zero , I count 7 notches , so first 1/2 gram each maybe ? Brain not working , early here:D
 
boonie said:
Hey guys,

I ended up grabbing the sansui fr-1080 and it sounds alright to me. Doesn't knock my socks off but sounds nice enough for what I paid for it.

I do have a couple of additional questions now though. The guys I bought it off had never set it up properly, so I balanced the tone arm but the the only tracking weight seems to be a little weight attached to a line with 7 notches that you can adjust up or down (but no numbers). Here's a photo (apologies for the poor quality - bad light and crappy camera):

ssa40329.jpg


Now the problem I have is that when I have the arm balanced, no matter what notch I set the tracking weight on the needle will not track on the vinyl as it is too light and bounces up/skids. However when I set the tonearm counterweight heavier than level the needle tracks alright. If I then move it up slightly heavier again albums with a bit of surface crackle sound cleaner.
So what am I doing wrong and am I damaging my vinyl playing it this way?

The other question I have is that I'm thinking of buying a Shure M97xE for it soon. The TT has the original sansui headshell. Will the Shure cartridge fit this headshell? And will this cartridge upgrade add some dynamics to the sound?

Thanks again for everyone's help and suggestions so far. If anyone has anything to add it would be again much appreciated.
Thanks.
Click to expand...
After reading this again , just need to be clear . the counterweight is the thing at the rear of the arm and it rotates to increase of decrease the tracking force or weight on the stylus.The fishing line is the anti-skating force .I am sorry if this comes off as stupid but sometimes people get confused with the terminology. I just checked my tonearm and they are pretty similar except for the anti skating. Is it the original Sansui Cartridge ?
Is so I checked and it calls for 2.5 gr tracking weight , seems pretty heavy ?
Your model would be a "37" series cart . You can check here
http://www.cartridgedb.com/

also a chap on flea bay AU is selling stylus for $19 A . But I would guess that there are a lot better carts for cheap to be had out there

cheers and good luck
 
Hey sorry guys, I got caught up watching House ha ha.
Thanks for the replies. And don't worry about the wording, John, I appreciate the simple and clear breakdown and I was confused. I had the arm balanced at zero but didn't realise that you turn them both again to get the tracking weight.
I checked the stylus and cart that came with it and it had no info, just a generic looking cart. The stylus was off center though so I swapped it for a Stanton 680 v.3 I'd bought and used a couple of times on my last TT,recommended by a DJ friend, (I know, I know). It says it tracks at 2-6 grams so I set up the TT at 2.5g and it sounds better and it's holding it's tracking. I will use this cart for a few weeks or so until I can stump for the M97xE cartridge.

I've read about setting up a TT before but never as clearly as you guys have just explained it. It's great for a novice like myself to have people like yourselves take the time to pass on your knowledge. Thanks heaps for all your help. :thmbsp:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom