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SL-1700 MK1 worthy upgrade over SL-B30?

S

Scotty.gh

New Member
I'm in need of a new receiver and set of speakers, as I am moving my records/turntable to a different room from my current A/V setup with cheap preamp. In my searches of the local marketplaces I came across someone selling a Technics SL-1700 MK1, Yamaha RX-596, and a pair of Polk speakers (unsure of model #) all as a package deal.

My question is, would the SL-1700 be a worthwhile upgrade over the SL-B30 I am currently using or should I just put the money towards a nicer receiver?

I've done a decent amount of reading and research on both the turntable and the receiver. But can't find any decent information on how much they normally sell for. What would your general ballpark be for this setup. The seller doesn't have much information other than it works.
 
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Yes, the 1700 would be a significant upgrade.
HiFi Shark is a good website to find a unit's value. Look at sold units, not just asking prices.
Remember dollar value doesn't always equal sound quality.
 
The 1700 is a more substantial table, and accepts standard carts, which should give you a much better selection. It's worth putting a good cartridge on.
 
It sounds like a decent package.

Price often depends on the market where you are. Ebay sold listings can help too but hifishark.com as mentioned searches multiple sites. That can be good or bad as you see what they were selling for in yen, kroner and rand etc. Has the seller given a price or are they expecting you to make an offer?
 
Jeff449 said:
Yes, the 1700 would be a significant upgrade.
HiFi Shark is a good website to find a unit's value. Look at sold units, not just asking prices.
Remember dollar value doesn't always equal sound quality.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll be checking out HiFi shark from now on.

knotscott said:
The 1700 is a more substantial table, and accepts standard carts, which should give you a much better selection. It's worth putting a good cartridge on.
Click to expand...

Being able to use standard cartridges vs. the p-mount is one thing I am definitely interested in.
 
Montycat said:
It sounds like a decent package.

Price often depends on the market where you are. Ebay sold listings can help too but hifishark.com as mentioned searches multiple sites. That can be good or bad as you see what they were selling for in yen, kroner and rand etc. Has the seller given a price or are they expecting you to make an offer?
Click to expand...

$300 for everything. Seems about right maybe even a bit low for prices in my area (northern Utah, USA) I messaged them to try for more information and to see if I can go by and run a record on it. One big thing is there just isn't a lot available used (or new) in my area without driving for an hour or 2 and this is located in my town. Big plus for me!
 
The SL-16/17/1800 tables are really good decks, when everything is working properly. I have a pre-MkII SL-1800, full manual. The servo speed controls rarely need adjustment. The tonearm, tho lacking VTA adjustment, works very well with the Ortofon 2M series carts, or most any other, for that matter. I paid $175 for mine a couple of years ago, and have never thought that I might have done better, whether for price or performance!
 
Scotty.gh said:
I'm in need of a new receiver and set of speakers, as I am moving my records/turntable to a different room from my current A/V setup with cheap preamp. In my searches of the local marketplaces I came across someone selling a Technics SL-1700 MK1, Yamaha RX-596, and a pair of Polk speakers (unsure of model #) all as a package deal.

My question is, would the SL-1700 be a worthwhile upgrade over the SL-B30 I am currently using or should I just put the money towards a nicer receiver?

I've done a decent amount of reading and research on both the turntable and the receiver. But can't find any decent information on how much they normally sell for. What would your general ballpark be for this setup. The seller doesn't have much information other than it works.
Click to expand...

Yes, all day long if in excellent working order, and set up correctly. The SL-1700 is one of the best semi automatic DD turntables ever built by anyone. And very reliable, and high performance in top condition. A no brainer. Should last you many years of reliable operation serviced and sorted.
 
As many others have mentioned, the 1700 is a nice table. I got mine in 2019, I think. I went from a SL-D2 and a MCS 6602 to the 1700. I paid $225 for mine and haven't looked back. Still like the D2 and 6602 but, as far as I'm concerned, I've got my 'forever table'. Now I just look to try better cartridges along the way.
 
Here's an update.

Picked everything up Friday. I have family in town so not much chance to mess with it. Set it up temporarily and played a few songs on a record. I haven't cleaned or adjusted anything.

$250 for everything:
Technics SL-1700
Yamaha RX-590
Polk R150

Took a little fiddling to get the speed to stablize but seems to hold fine, will need to test this more later.

Has a Pickering V-15 Series 2

20220116_152603.jpg

Like I said I haven't messed with anything yet but I did notice some fuzz/static on cymbal/hard 's' type sounds and this was at low volume. I'll probably take everything apart to clean and inspect this week.

I've done a quick search on the cartridge, but if anyone has any more info on it, please do share.
Any tips or tricks on cleaning and set up of both the turntable and reciever is also welcome. (I know there is a main SL-1700 thread, and probably an endless amount of others so I will do some searching and reading)

Only two things that I noticed right away, one hinge is missing and the tone arm rest is broken so it slides off whenever it returns but doesn't drop all the way to hit the stylus.
 
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Certainly good for the price! And worth making right, that's a very capable deck. You can get an aftermarket stylus easily enough, a hinge might be a little harder to find. I've never sourced a tonearm rest, KAB might be able to help. I'm sure someone here knows of another possibility, or two...
 
justjed2 said:
Certainly good for the price! And worth making right, that's a very capable deck. You can get an aftermarket stylus easily enough, a hinge might be a little harder to find. I've never sourced a tonearm rest, KAB might be able to help. I'm sure someone here knows of another possibility, or two...
Click to expand...

I have access to a 3D printer so I should be able to make a new rest and possibly hinge pieces.
 
How broken is the arm rest? The swing over clamp part is just held in place with a tiny pin so might be replaceable easily.
 
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