Sansui FR-D25 sounds better than it should...

[epimt3]

I just picked up a Sansui FR-D25 from a thrift shop and I'm very surprised how good it sounds! It has an AT71E stylus mounted to an unknown cartridge. I didn't expect much from a belt-drive turntable with no anti skate but... I'm enjoying it more than my Dual 1229Q, my Realistic Lab 440, and my Technics SL1500. I've spent a lot of time over the years fussing with my other tables aligning the cartridges, different mats, different cartridges and styli, etc. but never satisfied with results.

This one has rock solid speed and no rumble. Silent passages are black and the soundstage is wide. Even bass is clean and deep. Maybe my ears are starting to play tricks on me. Anyone else have experience with the lower end Sansui tables?

 

[jd-audio]

The FR-D25 does have anti-skate (small weight on a stick at the base of the arm, that gets "pulled" up while the arm moves forward to the center of the disk).
I also get surprised sometimes with the sound quality of some of these "plastic crap 80-ies" turntables.
The Sansui FR-D.. series was introduced at the beginning of the "plastic crap era". So actually build quality was not as flimsy as seen on later models and sound quality was probably still an important factor in the design.

Have fun
-John-