Have a look at the B&O products, in particular the Beogram 4004, designed by Jacon Jensen as featured in MOMA here: http://www.fullstars.cz/en/2012/04/jacob-jensen
Most representative TTs of all time
- Thread starter prabie
- Start date
malden
Lunatic Member
As I stated, they were the first of their type.
How many Magnavox consoles were sold after stereo was common, with Collaro changers, and many other consoles with many other changers including Zenith
and Voice of Music.
I still love to watch my Magnavox changer check out record diameter, tracks 2.5 g wth Stanton 500.
marcmorin
RIP 1953-2020
That is correct. however the OP is wanting to build a 70's-80's museum. That was from the late 50's
Schmidlapper
Super Member
Empire 598 would surely qualify as a 1970s iconic turntable.
muovimies
Super Member
I guess it depends what is the focus. Like should be common items, or innovating turntables, even if they didn't quite nail it on the execution or succeed on the market. Anyway here's a few ideas.
AR XA though from the 60s seems like an obvious choice for basically being the first TT with a suspended subchassis, at least a commercially successful one. Of the same theme there are others, Thorens TD-150 & TD-160, original Linn LP-12 or Ariston RD11. Linn LP-12 would be an obvious choice because it's still being made with the same basic design & looks, but pretty much everything else has changed during the years. A very iconic table.
Something like Pioneer PL-12 (or the bit later PL-12D version, which at least over here seems more common) would be an excellent represantive of a cheap and cheerful Japanese made quality belt drive of the era.
Direct drives, Denon DP-3000/5000/6000/7000 series with their rather futuristic flying saucer looks are attractive and perfect museum material IMO
Also Technics, SL-1200mk2 and you could follow it's roots and heritage to original SL-1200, SL-120 (armless version) and SL-1100. Also Dual 701 for being an European take on the DD and coming from a line of idler driven turntables.
For a bit more obscure, check Mitchell Transcriptor for example or other models from the company, a Mitchell table was seen in Clockwork Orange for their futuristic looks. Early linear trackers is another are to possibly explore.
Also Rega would be obvious choice, maybe starting with the original Planar with the Japanese made R200 tonearm, then an early model with the Rega made arm and end with a current model (2016) Planar 3. Would be pretty cool to see all three side by side.
As you head to the 80s, something to represent the high-tech microcontrolled stuff, like the Denon DP series with the electronically damped "servo tracer" tonearm. Technics SL-10 for an attractive small footprint linear tracker.
I could keep going on and on, especially from the 80s onwards you could get into the whole "high-end" audiophile tables, where it started to take off as a niche market.
AR XA though from the 60s seems like an obvious choice for basically being the first TT with a suspended subchassis, at least a commercially successful one. Of the same theme there are others, Thorens TD-150 & TD-160, original Linn LP-12 or Ariston RD11. Linn LP-12 would be an obvious choice because it's still being made with the same basic design & looks, but pretty much everything else has changed during the years. A very iconic table.
Something like Pioneer PL-12 (or the bit later PL-12D version, which at least over here seems more common) would be an excellent represantive of a cheap and cheerful Japanese made quality belt drive of the era.
Direct drives, Denon DP-3000/5000/6000/7000 series with their rather futuristic flying saucer looks are attractive and perfect museum material IMO
Also Technics, SL-1200mk2 and you could follow it's roots and heritage to original SL-1200, SL-120 (armless version) and SL-1100. Also Dual 701 for being an European take on the DD and coming from a line of idler driven turntables. For a bit more obscure, check Mitchell Transcriptor for example or other models from the company, a Mitchell table was seen in Clockwork Orange for their futuristic looks. Early linear trackers is another are to possibly explore.
Also Rega would be obvious choice, maybe starting with the original Planar with the Japanese made R200 tonearm, then an early model with the Rega made arm and end with a current model (2016) Planar 3. Would be pretty cool to see all three side by side.
As you head to the 80s, something to represent the high-tech microcontrolled stuff, like the Denon DP series with the electronically damped "servo tracer" tonearm. Technics SL-10 for an attractive small footprint linear tracker.
I could keep going on and on, especially from the 80s onwards you could get into the whole "high-end" audiophile tables, where it started to take off as a niche market.
Yes. The Linn LP12 Sondek (1973) has already been mentioned, and their first Linn-badged arm was the Ittok (1979). Rega also had long-lasting, influential 'tables from that era in the Rega Planar 2 (1975) and Planar 3 (1977). Their justifiably famous RB300 and RB250 arms came out in 1983. The Pink Triangle from 1979 and the Roksan Xerxes from 1985 were also highly regarded. Pink Triangle closed in 2003, but there is still a Roksan Xerxes in production. The SOTA Sapphire from 1981 is also a classic that's still being made.
The AR turntable actually came out before 1966. If memory serves, the first production units arrived at stores in 1962, around the same time that Edgar Villchur's two-part article on the AR's design ran in Audio. It remained in production until 1979.
Most Linnies don't appreciate this observation, but I've heard it said that the LP-12 is a demonstration of what a cost-no-object build philosophy and an aggressive marketing campaign can achieve when applied to the design of the AR XA. IMO there's a lot of truth in this statement.
malden
Lunatic Member
I guess I read into his statement below as most innovative of all time, which to me would be more 1960's than 1980's. If what he is looking for is most popular, then I guess any 1970's turntable with an S-shaped tone-arm, or 1980's with a straight tone-arm and P-mount cartridge. The outcome may be informative on some level, but it seems more like a thrift store than a museum.
Last edited:
Linn's insistence on demonstrations of a certain type and quality could be impressive to a prospective buyer. When I bought my first LP12, the dealer spent several, private, multiple-hour sessions with me, carefully setting up a few different cartridges in both his floor sample Linn and my own Thorens TD146, as well as using different system contexts of my choosing, to demonstrate how much better the Linn was than my Thorens, which I had purchased new just six months prior to that. I had actually visited the store to shop for an amplifier, not a turntable. I was very happy to end up, eventually, with both an LP12 and a Naim Nait integrated amp from that dealer (these fine demonstrations took place with the dealer knowing I was not in a position to afford the Linn turntable at that time; it was at least six months, probably more, before I could save up enough money to actually make the purchase).
I found the topic a bit ambiguous, not sure if the OP was trying to assemble a museum with 70 to 80 pieces, or if he was looking specifically for products from the 1970's and 1980's. If it's limited to two decades, that "of all time" phrase seems out of place, but it does seem as if the 'tables he gave as examples are from the '70's and '80's.
"I have been working for a couple of years in creating a 70-80 hifi gear museum and I would like to ask you to tell me which are the most representative TTs of all time.
For example, the Technics SL-1200 was the symbol of an era, the BSR that was ubiquitous in all the 3-1 of the 80´s is also a symbol. Of course they won't qualify as the best of their time but definitively they are símbols.
I can also remember the Technics sp-10, Sansui 838 and so on."
marcmorin
RIP 1953-2020
..........well, that's certainly more diplomatic than my "view" of it...........
scottyh777
Super Member
Well your the one that's now switching from representative to relevant, and that's two different things.
This is table is relevant and the vid will show you why, but it's not representative of most table top turntables.
Apolek
Well-Known Member
Representative is a relative term. Representative of who... audiophiles, or the general, music-listening public? Growing up in the Southern California suburbs in the 70s, I can't recall many Thoren, Garrad*, or Linn turntables, but did see a lot of Pioneer, Technics, Realistic, and MCS turntables.
* Okay, there was one Garrard (a 401 with unknown arm), and it happened to be in my living room. Stepfather was an old-school audiophile.
* Okay, there was one Garrard (a 401 with unknown arm), and it happened to be in my living room. Stepfather was an old-school audiophile.
AudioJag
Active Member
When I used to sell audio equipment in SF during the 70s, the AR turntable made the biggest "splash" due to it's suspended system, very basic operation, simplicity and ease of use, low price, and I guess as I remember then, fairly accurate tracking ability.....
4-2-7 .... What is your thoughts on that?
4-2-7 .... What is your thoughts on that?
ARJohn
Super Member
Would have to agree with the AR , BSR changer ( we all had one in our homes if you were born back then ) , Dual 1200 , again they were everywhere . Also the Empire cause it looked so good , SL -1200 , Linn Lp-12 and one not mentioned the Oracle Delphi . All iconic tables . My BSR changer was $40 back in the day with ceramic cartridge , put 1000's of hours on it , sounded like crap but that's what everyone had .