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New to the forum and to vinyl...just found a treasure....maybe?

techkiller80

techkiller80

Member
So i've been looking to get into vinyl, i'm old enough to remember back when it was mainstream. I've been asking everybody i know if they happen to have an old record player as i've been told vintage can sound as good if not better than the new tables. My mother in law told me she has a unit they bought never used still in the box.....an AKAI AP-A2. I am having a hard time finding much info on Akai let alone this particular unit. Anybody own one? Opinion? Here are specs for it I found online.

Type: semi automatic direct drive

Motor: dc servo motor

Platter: aluminium alloy diecast

Speeds: 33 and 45rpm

Wow and flutter: 0.03% wrms

Signal to noise ratio: 73dB

Tonearm: static balanced straight type

Effective length: 220mm

Overhang: 15mm

Dimensions: 440 x 346.5 x 94mm

Weight: 3.8kg
 
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Its a direct drive P mount cartridge or TP-4 type cartridge.

basic lower end TT . But If new looks like it be a nice starter table. Whats the cartridge on it?

Nashou
 
It could! Don’t be discouraged by a p-mount table! Advantages are that you will get very good alignment with no fuss, and there are many great P-mount carts to be had today. Don’t settle for a run-of-the-mill Audio Technica cart just because they’re cheap and easy. The great cart makers made some very fine units, such as Shure, Empire, ADC, Stanton, Pickering, yes Audio Technica, and others. Decent aftermarket styli are available too.

This is a JVC p-mount unit I bought for $30. Near mint, and flawless. Fully automatic unit, Quartz Lock dc servo, Direct Drive. It had an Audio Technica 331LP cart, Line Contact Stylus. Shown is an elliptical stylus I was playing to compare it too. It was a very good sounding table. Adjustable speed and strobe.

8994C4E4-57B9-4624-B39B-672F25CFEB0E.jpeg
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Wolfie62 said:
It could! Don’t be discouraged by a p-mount table! Advantages are that you will get very good alignment with no fuss, and there are many great P-mount carts to be had today. Don’t settle for a run-of-the-mill Audio Technica cart just because they’re cheap and easy. The great cart makers made some very fine units, such as Shure, Empire, ADC, Stanton, Pickering, yes Audio Technica, and others. Decent aftermarket styli are available too.

This is a JVC p-mount unit I bought for $30. Near mint, and flawless. Fully automatic unit, Quartz Lock dc servo, Direct Drive. It had an Audio Technica 331LP cart, Line Contact Stylus. Shown is an elliptical stylus I was playing to compare it too. It was a very good sounding table. Adjustable speed and strobe.

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Thanks for the encouragment Wolfie :) I was super pumped just to find a vintage unit untouched. If i can get a good replacement cartridge then that will be great.
 
techkiller80 said:
I see some of these are quite expensive.....i'm a newb is it worth spending $200+ on a upgraded cartridge? At that point should i just invest in a new table?
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Personally, I'd start with an elliptical cartridge around $30-50. You might be able to just replace the stylus if there's a cartridge on the table already.

Get used to it and if you like vinyl, you can jump down the rabbit hole of upgrades later.

Have fun!
 
Decent looking unit from the google image search

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Several on YouTube to see. Looks very decent, and will give you a good first experience. I recently bought a packaged deal of 43 carts. There are 5 or 6 good p-mount carts in the mix. Lots to be had at very good prices, very good carts!

Several in the photo below. The Shure M110HE is a solid performer. There are more in the mix.

0B6A772D-6C37-4472-8FC2-D9A3DB1A225F.jpeg
 
If the unit is new, in the box, why do you need a new cartridge? It probably came with some variation of entry level Audio Technica cartridge, which arent bad.

Can you do better? Sure, but before you start spending money on a new cartridge, listen to what you have and make sure vinyl is for you. Spend your money on records. A properly aligned (by design) cartridge tracking at 1.25g isn't going to damage your records.

Once you are sure vinyl is for you, and this is the table you want to keep long term, then you can invest in a better cartridge, and it doesn't have to be expensive. There is a seller on eBay selling NOS AT 450 p-mount carts at a very fair price. It comes with a very nice 0.3 x 0.7 mil nude mount elliptical stylus.
 
MCM_Fan said:
If the unit is new, in the box, why do you need a new cartridge? It probably came with some variation of entry level Audio Technica cartridge, which arent bad.

Can you do better? Sure, but before you start spending money on a new cartridge, listen to what you have and make sure vinyl is for you. Spend your money on records. A properly aligned (by design) cartridge tracking at 1.25g isn't going to damage your records.

Once you are sure vinyl is for you, and this is the table you want to keep long term, then you can invest in a better cartridge, and it doesn't have to be expensive. There is a seller on eBay selling NOS AT 450 p-mount carts at a very fair price. It comes with a very nice 0.3 x 0.7 mil nude mount elliptical stylus.
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Thanks for the advice.
 
techkiller80 said:
Thanks for the advice.
Click to expand...

Also, when you you have a chance to look at it, let us know what cartridge is on the table. Who knows, you may have a hidden gem. Last fall, I picked up a little Technics SL-5 linear tracker for 10 bucks off Craigslist. At that price, I didn't even check to see if it had a cartridge installed. When I got it home, I discovered it had a like new Audio Technica ATN132EP, a very nice cartridge that was worth more than the table it came on.
 
Will i need anything but speakers with this unit?
MCM_Fan said:
Also, when you you have a chance to look at it, let us know what cartridge is on the table. Who knows, you may have a hidden gem. Last fall, I picked up a little Technics SL-5 linear tracker for 10 bucks off Craigslist. At that price, I didn't even check to see if it had a cartridge installed. When I got it home, I discovered it had a like new Audio Technica ATN132EP, a very nice cartridge that was worth more than the table it came on.
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Will do. Thank you to everybody for your input and being patient with the newb.
 
You'll need a receiver or amp/premp/tuner combo. If you look for the AKAI components that match the turntable, you can put together a nice system relatively inexpensively.
 
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