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Old turntables... with tubes?

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These usually have good little tube amps in them, well the first one, the other is a radio/phono combo chassis. I would advise not to get these, first the price is a little steep. Second these types of turntables usually require a lot of restoration work, from the typical recap to turntable maintenance. Usually the tables are all gummed up with old grease, and the idler wheels are dry rotted. Then if the cartridge and stylus is no good then you need to redo that. If you want to get your first turntable get something with a voice of music changer in it, vm's are pretty reliable and don't need much more then an oiling, you will still have to worry about changing capacitors in the amp section.
 
Your question states that you are looking to get your FIRST turntable. I assume, then, that you are just getting into vinyl spinning, and want a player to play records on for listening enjoyment.

If that is the case, then these types of players are probably not the place to start. They can be very nice, but most of them fall more into the category of "collectible" than audio hi-fi. As cooljjay said, they usually have nice little tube amps in them, but it takes a lot of work to restore them, and you can get the same or better quality sound from tables that will not require so much work.

I would suggest that you first spend some time reading threads in the Turntables forum, to educate yourself more on which models are good, and which are not, and how to tell the difference. A "no brainer" recommendation would be a Technics SL-1200 (Mk whatever!). A lot of people have these and recommend them, because they are a time-proven well-performing TT that represents great value-for-money.

If you want to save some money, but at the risk of having to do more maintenance/repair work, look at used turntables from the seventies (and possibly the eighties, for Japanese models). The sixties and earlier models (like the ones you asked about in your post) are probably a bit too old, for best sound and performance. There were some outstanding tables in earlier years (like the Thorens 124, which dates to the late fifties), but most of them are likely to be expensive, unless you are lucky enough to find a clueless seller.

If you find specific models that you want opinions on, come back and ask here, but if you read up enough, you'll soon be able to recognize good buys when you see them. Good luck, and welcome to the wacky, wonderful world of vinyl music! :music:
 
I was given one of the ones shown in the second ad many decades ago. An RCA Victor AM-only radio, 78rpm only changer. Not recommended: lousy radio, and a pot metal tone arm that used steel needles in its crystal cartridge. :no: Don't waste your money.

You can do far better and treat your records nicely with more "modern" gear, meaning the 1970's, as Arkay says.

Tom
 
I was given one of the ones shown in the second ad many decades ago. An RCA Victor AM-only radio, 78rpm only changer. Not recommended: lousy radio, and a pot metal tone arm that used steel needles in its crystal cartridge. :no: Don't waste your money.

I have a few of those, but if your into 78's nothing sounds better then a steel needle in a crank up phonograph, because face it a 1918 record doesn't sound all that well on a stereo system from the 70's :D
 
Yes. Wrong direction.

Those are record eaters, and should not be messed with, other than for novelty value.

Post your question over in turntable forum, with a budget....I am not seein antything really good on ATL CL, other than a Dual 1218 (United audio turntable)...and I'd pass on that as a first TT.
 
Sony made some nice gear, and this is one of the good ones. Get her cleaned up (pot and switch wise) and enjoy. If you like the Sony integrated sound, and find you need more power, you can always move up to the TOTL series of the STR's which is the V7.
 
Thanks!

It's in my car now, and it's a beauty! Perfect cosmetically save for one tiny corner scratch. It's got really nice wood sides and it weighs a TON ( at least 60 lbs). I'm off to a local audio shop for some caps for my speakers and some deoxit for the Sony... Do you think I should replace some capacitors In the amp, or leave that alone? (I've got some rudamentary experience with the soldering iron, but very little with circuit boards. I'm gonna start on my crossovers, but wonder if I should pick up the parts For the Sony today?
 
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