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Marantz Linear Tracker

classic carl

classic carl

Without Music, Life Would B FLAT.
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I recently picked up a Marantz TT530 turntable for $30. :D It's nothing special, but it's a linear tracker and everything works. It's from 1983-84 and has an ADC P-mount cartridge. I'm going to use it in my bedroom system with my other Marantz gear. For a third TT, it's pretty cool. I wasn't looking for a TT, but stumbled across this one and thought, what the hell, for thirty bucks, I can't go wrong. It has a strobe, pitch control and all electronic buttons on the front of the plinth. I can cue up and select another track without raising the dust cover and it's fully automatic. Has anyone else had one of these or ever seen one? I had no idea that Marantz ever made linear tracking tables.
 

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It is cool, and from that time period it's probably decent, too. I think just about all of the mfrs sold linears. As to actually making them, I don't believe Marantz made any of it's tts. I would have picked it up, too. I love that slick automation.

Just beware that styli on used turntables can't be trusted. Better to replace it or the whole cart. There are dealers selling the AT-92ECD on ebay for $25 shipped. Pretty decent cart and certainly will serve the purpose for a bedroom system. Congratulations on a good score! :thmbsp:
 
I was thinking about replacing the stylus or buying a new cart. It sounds pretty good though. I don't want to chance ruining my records, so I'll check out the AT. Chances of finding a replacement styli for the ADC are probably pretty slim. I don't know the model number of the cart. Thanks for the heads up.

The guy I bought the TT from removed the cart and re-installed it right in front of me, but I'm not sure how he did it. There is a thumbwheel on the arm next to the cart. I gave it a spin and tried to pull the cart out without any luck. I didn't want to pull too hard. Any ideas about removing this thing? I may just not have pulled hard enough or does the thumbwheel need to be removed completely first?

This guy had about 10 turntables in his basement and according to him, 30,000 records. he had another 700 for sale for 1, 2 and 3 bucks each. I bought 7 records for $15 and they're all in great shape. I asked him if he belonged to AK and he responded that he didn't even own a computer.
 
classic carl said:
I was thinking about replacing the stylus or buying a new cart. It sounds pretty good though. I don't want to chance ruining my records, so I'll check out the AT. Chances of finding a replacement styli for the ADC are probably pretty slim. I don't know the model number of the cart. Thanks for the heads up.

The guy I bought the TT from removed the cart and re-installed it right in front of me, but I'm not sure how he did it. There is a thumbwheel on the arm next to the cart. I gave it a spin and tried to pull the cart out without any luck. I didn't want to pull too hard. Any ideas about removing this thing? I may just not have pulled hard enough or does the thumbwheel need to be removed completely first?

This guy had about 10 turntables in his basement and according to him, 30,000 records. he had another 700 for sale for 1, 2 and 3 bucks each. I bought 7 records for $15 and they're all in great shape. I asked him if he belonged to AK and he responded that he didn't even own a computer.
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Amazing. Typically the p-mount arms had a horizontal screw holding the carts in. This may have used some other gizmo to enable faster swaps. Any chance of a close up shot of the thumbwheel and that area on the arm?
 
No photo for now. I'm at work. The thumbwheel is a screw on the arm. I just didn't remove it completely the first time I tried to remove the cart. I'll try again later.

I need to replace the cables too. A previous owner cut the original cables and added a longer set by splicing at the end of the OEM's. I discovered the Petra thread this morning and will be ordering a set of those to try.
 
classic carl said:
No photo for now. I'm at work. The thumbwheel is a screw on the arm. I just didn't remove it completely the first time I tried to remove the cart. I'll try again later.

I need to replace the cables too. A previous owner cut the original cables and added a longer set by splicing at the end of the OEM's. I discovered the Petra thread this morning and will be ordering a set of those to try.
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Okay then that explains it. Unscrew that completely and the cartridge should come out.

Don't know how difficult this tt is to get apart. If you don't want to solder in new cables you could just put inline jacks on the ends of the original cable where the previous owner spliced in the cable. That way you could use/swap any cable. Even if you do that, the Petras are still worth it, and are low enough capacitance that using the 6' cable wouldn't be a problem.
 
The splicing was done at the long end of the OEM cables, not near the base of the TT. The original cable is about 30" long and the additional piece is at least 4' long. I haven't really looked at how this table comes apart yet. I'm hoping that there is a plate at the bottom that is easily removable. If not, then I'll do what you suggest and cut the original cable somewhat close to the base.

By the way, my daughter lives in Philly and is coming home this weekend for the holiday. She is supposed to be bringing either her headshell, cartridge or stylus with her because the stylus needs to be replaced and I'm not sure what cart she has. What part of Philly do you live in?
 
Okay, so his intention was to lengthen them. One wonders why he didn't just use an extension patch cord since I doubt what he spiced on was any great shakes.

Yes, exactly, if you can't achieve access then cut close to the base.

I'm in Delaware County in Drexel Hill (Upper Darby Twp.), a suburb just west of West Philly. Where is she?
 
Patch cords? That would have been too easy. :D The piece he added looks cheaper than the OEM cable.

She's in West Philly, near Black Oak Park.
 
You want the real thing, go find a Marantz SLT-12. That's a real TT. Howard, they made the SLT. Designed under Saul's rule and produced just at the end. Went for $495 back then. An AR was like $70.

The TT530 looks interesting. Looks like it took some cues from B&O. Is the plinth plastic? Looks like a candidate for some mods.
 
Hey Brian, I checked out the SLT-12 on the internet. That's a wild looking table. Very cool but probably impossible to find.

I've been looking at replacement carts for the 530. Not many choices out there for P mounts. Howard recommended the AT92ECD, which is elliptical, a Shure M92E, which is biradial or an AT3482P which is conical. :wtf: The first 2 carts are universal mount and the last one is a P mount only.
Which one is the better stylus shape and why? :scratch2:
 
The conical is usually for mono records. Elliptical and biradial would be better for stereo. I'd not get too hung up on which of the 2 shapes are better. The other relevent shape is the Shibata that came during the quad era and as it rides in the groove at a different set of points would be the other consideration as it may mean it is riding in the groove where it is less worn.
 
This is a timely thread! Since Joining AK, I've been thinking of looking in my attic to see what I still had from the early 80's.

Yesterday, I found my old Vector Research VT-300 turntable. At the time I bought the Vector Research, I remember seeing an identical (except for minor cosmetics) Marantz branded version. I was just wondering what model Marantz it might have been, and I think the one in this thread might be it. They both appear functionally identical.

I think I paid just over $200 in 1982, and included an Empire OP135 cartridge to go with it at the time. I hooked it up today to my second system, and it still sounds good. I haven't used this TT since going to CD's in 1987.

TT003.jpg


I also found my old AR XA from 1971, but it needs a little work.

Edit to add- I found 117 LP's at the same time!
 
That VR does look identical. :thmbsp: They must've been made by the same manufacturer. Does yours have a dust cover, Demondog?
 
classic carl said:
Does yours have a dust cover, Demondog?
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Yes it does, but I haven't located it yet. It looks just like the one on that Marantz of yours.

I remember when buying, I looked at both brands, but I liked the sound of the name "Vector Research" better than Marantz. Stupid reason, but I knew they were the same machine. And I was using a Marantz 2270 reciever at the time????

I can't seem to find any info about the Empire OP 135 cartridge. I do remember it was a bit of an upgrade over the one the shop was featuring with that TT at the time.

I wonder what company actually built the TT. I'm pretty sure it wasn't Vector Research. I imagine it was probably sold under more brand names than just these two.

The engineering is pretty tricky. The low mass tonearm is on a pivot that allows it to swing horizontally about 15 degrees to the left or right . As it nears the limit of the swing, it trips a light beam, an optical switch, that moves the pivot slightly in the direction of the swing. This cycle continues all the way across the record. Seems like a very low mass/low friction design.
 
11 years after this thread, I found one of these today at a local shop for $45. I swapped out the original blue cart with an old Technics P mount that I'd replaced on my Technics SL-QL1 with an AT450. I gotta say, while this table doesn't compare in build quality to the old Technics, it's a helluva table compared to most of the cheaper vintage tables out there. Made in Japan for Marantz by ?? Detailed, accurate speed, direct drive with a pitch control and it's dead on.

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The SLT-12 was Marantz's first TT, a somewhat fussy development effort that helped sink Marantz Mk-1 in red ink. I saw pix of another later Marantz TT (CEC?) with a Swiss Linatrack arm, apparently before ReVox acquired the rights. Dunno if it was a proto or test mule by Marantz or Linatrack.
 
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Pio1980 said:
The SLT-12 was Marantz's first TT, a somewhat fussy effort that helped sink Marantz Mk-1 with red ink. I saw another later Marantz (CEC?) with a Swiss Linatrack arm, before ReVox acquired the rights. Dunno if it was a proto or test mule.
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I just Googled the SLT-12 and there is one for sale on Reverb for $1250 plus $100 shipping. Looks nice, but no dust cover. There is another on a Japanese auction site that started yesterday and has a high bid of 1100 yen ($10 USD). Looks a bit rough in photos, no mention of whether it works or not.

BTW, I sold the TT530 to a college kid a year or so after I found it. It wasn't getting used much. He was delighted to have it.
 
I moved it off the amp after testing it and moved it next to the amp. One thing I notice is that the case seems microphonic (if that's the correct term). When playing a record, if I tap on the case (plinth if you'd prefer), the sound is amplified through the speakers. This didn't happen if the turntable was merely powered up. I double checked the connections and all were secure. Odd. If the specs for this table on VinylEngine are correct, the rumble was listed at something like 63db! Perhaps they forgot the -.
 
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