Miracord Elac users
- Thread starter fdrennen
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Got several 50H's three years back
Sold 'em new in the seventies. Always liked the look of them. Got the bug to get one three years ago. Ended up with three. The first was trashed due to poor packing. The seller was a nice old guy who collect AR speakers and even had some displayed in several museums. I did not have the heart to slap him with a neg feedback on Ebay
It ended up being a "parts" table. Still had the bug and bid on a second one on the 'Bay that I picked up locally. The seller had a 2nd one with a cool wood base AND wood dust cover. Both for $60!! So now I am down $160 for two working ones and a trashed one.
Got lucky. A customer where I work wanted a turntable. He said he take it when he got his Social Security check. The guy was 80 years old and wanted to spin vinyl. No problem. Now I am down $60. Got a really nice one with a nice base and dust cover plus the cool base with wood dust cover. The later needing a little TLC. Never did get around to working on it. Gave it to a guy on the Audio Asylum site whose name I forgot. He may be an AKer too. Send it to him. Shipping was $35 and he was so happy he sent $75. Happy ending. I owned a cool 50H for $20
Then gave it away with one of my systems to a friend.
Overal the 50H and the 760?? are very well made. The tone arm isnt quite as good as my Dual 1229 though. Had to clean out some of my stuff when I moved in with Marilyn though. Down to two systems but hey I have a shop in the basement with a complete setup down there. Its a fun place to work on stuff:thmbsp: Sometimes I wished I kept it. The one I had was good as new. Very quiet motor. I usually take 'em apart, clean and oil them. It came with a Shure M91 cart. Good sound. Have fun wirh it
Eric
Sold 'em new in the seventies. Always liked the look of them. Got the bug to get one three years ago. Ended up with three. The first was trashed due to poor packing. The seller was a nice old guy who collect AR speakers and even had some displayed in several museums. I did not have the heart to slap him with a neg feedback on Ebay
It ended up being a "parts" table. Still had the bug and bid on a second one on the 'Bay that I picked up locally. The seller had a 2nd one with a cool wood base AND wood dust cover. Both for $60!! So now I am down $160 for two working ones and a trashed one.Got lucky. A customer where I work wanted a turntable. He said he take it when he got his Social Security check. The guy was 80 years old and wanted to spin vinyl. No problem. Now I am down $60. Got a really nice one with a nice base and dust cover plus the cool base with wood dust cover. The later needing a little TLC. Never did get around to working on it. Gave it to a guy on the Audio Asylum site whose name I forgot. He may be an AKer too. Send it to him. Shipping was $35 and he was so happy he sent $75. Happy ending. I owned a cool 50H for $20
Then gave it away with one of my systems to a friend.Overal the 50H and the 760?? are very well made. The tone arm isnt quite as good as my Dual 1229 though. Had to clean out some of my stuff when I moved in with Marilyn though. Down to two systems but hey I have a shop in the basement with a complete setup down there. Its a fun place to work on stuff:thmbsp: Sometimes I wished I kept it. The one I had was good as new. Very quiet motor. I usually take 'em apart, clean and oil them. It came with a Shure M91 cart. Good sound. Have fun wirh it
Eric
archie2
Addicted Member
I have a Miracord Elac 46 I bought sometime in the 1970's. Used it for about 5-6 years then stored it for 20+ years. I recently revived it, cleaned and lubed it, installed a new Shure M97xE cartridge and she plays sweetly and flawlessly. Mine has the solid wood plinth and wood soft cover.
shocley
Well-Known Member
I got a 40H at a thrift store. It might have been made for Radio Shack, but the turntable itself is solid and seems like a high-quality unit for its day. I'd like to use my 40H for 78's; right now it has an interim Empire 2000 E/III cartridge on it. What seemed appropriate to play on it was an old Bert Kaempfert album...Music From Far Away Places, I believe.
The base is plastic pseudo wood, though, with an ugly logo; that's one thing I really want to replace.
My other concern is VTA. It looks like the tonearm rides with a pronounced downward angle with one LP on the platter - I guess the manufacturers counted on several LP's being stacked on it, for a night of Mood Music & Romance and all. Possibly a Masonite disc between the platter and the mat might help....unless the whole thing was expressly designed for proper VTA with the arm riding low.
The base is plastic pseudo wood, though, with an ugly logo; that's one thing I really want to replace.
My other concern is VTA. It looks like the tonearm rides with a pronounced downward angle with one LP on the platter - I guess the manufacturers counted on several LP's being stacked on it, for a night of Mood Music & Romance and all. Possibly a Masonite disc between the platter and the mat might help....unless the whole thing was expressly designed for proper VTA with the arm riding low.
fdrennen
Organist in Residence
My TT also has the plastic base, which I would love to change,although I notice no feedback or ringing from it but I am sure there is some. I compesated by using a concrete paving slab as a base and would like to use a sound absorbing mat on the platter such as a drummers practice pad. I think that will also compesate for the VTA.shocley said:
See http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=94306
Got a headshell....
Was going through a box of stuff and found a headshell this last Thurs. Give me your address and I will send it to you. Dont need it as I sold or gave away all my Miracords..Wife factor you know:tears: Had a single spindle and have not seen it since my move. I will keep an eye out for it though. You can have the shell no charge. One less thing to get yelled at...
Eric
mushy said:
Was going through a box of stuff and found a headshell this last Thurs. Give me your address and I will send it to you. Dont need it as I sold or gave away all my Miracords..Wife factor you know:tears: Had a single spindle and have not seen it since my move. I will keep an eye out for it though. You can have the shell no charge. One less thing to get yelled at...
Eric
jt1stcav
Up and Coming Bottlehead
My mom's got an old RadioShack/Elac Miracord 40A (looks like this eBay pic) with the cheap plastic base and nameplate that she bought new back in the day...it's stored away out in the garage. Maybe I should break it out of storage sometime and check it out. She said it worked up until the mid '80s when she packed it away.
I haven't heard this 'table play since the '70s (on my mom's very inexpensive RadioShack system of that era that IMO never sounded great to begin with). With a decent modern cartridge, would this old 'table actually sound good, as long as it's still up to spec?
I haven't heard this 'table play since the '70s (on my mom's very inexpensive RadioShack system of that era that IMO never sounded great to begin with). With a decent modern cartridge, would this old 'table actually sound good, as long as it's still up to spec?
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jt1stcav
Up and Coming Bottlehead
Maybe I will (if I can find it...LOL). I think my dad may have replaced the Shure with an audio-technica cartridge sometime in the late '70s, and as years went by, my mom pretty much stopped using the turntable in favor of cassettes, so it sat unused for years before she put it all away (now uses a modern-day Sony boombox...my mom never cared about sound; she'd listen to an AM radio all day and be happy, which she partially does now on a recently restored '38 Philco console tube radio my dad just finished for her last year)!
Not knowing the condition of the cartridge, I have an old worn RCA Victor record of the late organist Virgil Fox: Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall - 1974, that I bought as a kid and played hundreds of time...I think I'd try that LP out first before playing one of my 180 gram pressings.:yes:
Not knowing the condition of the cartridge, I have an old worn RCA Victor record of the late organist Virgil Fox: Heavy Organ at Carnegie Hall - 1974, that I bought as a kid and played hundreds of time...I think I'd try that LP out first before playing one of my 180 gram pressings.:yes:
Replace the cart! Clean and lub it too!
Your Miracord looks a lot like my 50H. They did one for Sears too. I would suggest you disasemble,clean and oil the motor. I used 30 weight oil on my Duals and they are very quiet. While your at it change the cart. As a starter, go for a Grado Black. Depending how picky you are with your LPs, the arm on the Miracords dont track below 2 grams very well. Probably will get flamed for this. I'm OK as a I run an old Dual 1009 on my bench system with a 1229 with a Shure V15. The arm on the 1009 is similar to the Miracord's,so personally I would be OK with a Miracords. It would be a good project. Enjoy.
Eric
jt1stcav said:
Your Miracord looks a lot like my 50H. They did one for Sears too. I would suggest you disasemble,clean and oil the motor. I used 30 weight oil on my Duals and they are very quiet. While your at it change the cart. As a starter, go for a Grado Black. Depending how picky you are with your LPs, the arm on the Miracords dont track below 2 grams very well. Probably will get flamed for this. I'm OK as a I run an old Dual 1009 on my bench system with a 1229 with a Shure V15. The arm on the 1009 is similar to the Miracord's,so personally I would be OK with a Miracords. It would be a good project. Enjoy.
Eric
CUlater
Member #287, thereabouts
I have two: an unrestored 760, and a 46. The 46 is actually rebranded as a Realistic. I cleaned it up and gave it to my dad a few months ago, who still raves about it. I think it has a Shure M91 cartridge in it, IIRC. I was impressed as well while working on it. Just a nice, solid piece of precision machinery! I really like the way that the platter slows as the record drops (to minimize the impact?)...cool beans.
A model 10 "Studio Series" Benjamin just followed me home today. It's dirty, but in very nice shape, especially the wood base, maybe walnut. I'm going to clean it up and see what it's like. It has a cart, but I don't see any name on it. The stylus is removeable. This thing's built like a battleship! :scratch2:
Turns out the cart is a Pickering U38/AT. It looks like it may actually still be usable. I found a replacement stylus on that big "auction" site. I'll report back with my results.
Turns out the cart is a Pickering U38/AT. It looks like it may actually still be usable. I found a replacement stylus on that big "auction" site. I'll report back with my results.
