thoughts on a technics tt - help a noob

the schwartz

the schwartz

New Member
hey - i'm considering buying a turntable off ebay and wanted to ask for advice.
the seller is local to me so i'm considering offering a bit less and trying to pick up in person. how much would you pay for either of these?

NOT MINE: https://www.ebay.com/itm/153249754997?ViewItem=&item=153249754997
$75 TECHNICS Quartz Direct Drive Automatic Turntable System SL-QD33 w/TC236EP cart

update: same seller also has (also NOT MINE) https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TE...wners-Manual-Dust-Cover-New-Belt/163359001277 for $70
$70 VINTAGE TECHNICS SL-B20 Turntable With Owners Manual/Dust Cover/New Belt


[other info worth factoring in: i current have a non-working yamaha tt400u. it needs a new stylus at least, possibly a new cartridge. i think i'm better off buying a used TT that has a decent cart and works. but if the TT i'm looking at is worse or equivalent to the one i already own, i'd rather put any new money into a better cartridge as that's probably a smarter approach...]
 
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Balifly said:
This should be a good buy. :thumbsup:
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Thanks for the reply! How come that one? does it have the better Cartridge, or just a better table?
Have been under the tenuous impression that belt-driven are generally preferable so was kind of leaning in that direction. appreciate your input.
 
the schwartz said:
Thanks for the reply! How come that one? Cartridge? Quartz? both?

Have been under the tenuous impression that belt-driven are generally preferable so was kind of leaning in that direction. appreciate your input.
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If you prefer the belt drive, get the belt drive.

The quartz lock direct drive may also be prefer by others. :dunno:

The cartridge stylus can easily be replaced if necessary.
 
Ok, 2 cents, either table seems reasonably priced if they work well. I’m in a similar situation as you. Have a Thorens 145 mkII needing some work. Dilemma is do i fix the Thorens now or buy a place holder direct drive till I can do the 145 up right?

I’m keeping my nickels and pennies and fixing the Thorens.

So I’m missing my vinyl for a little longer...
 
DerekSmalls said:
Ok, 2 cents, either table seems reasonably priced if they work well. I’m in a similar situation as you. Have a Thorens 145 mkII needing some work. Dilemma is do i fix the Thorens now or buy a place holder direct drive till I can do the 145 up right?

I’m keeping my nickels and pennies and fixing the Thorens.

So I’m missing my vinyl for a little longer...
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cool. except your currently-owned-but-broken tt is probably much nicer than mine - so i'm ok with chucking mine out if it makes sense to just pick up a different, working unit. =D
also i've only bought a single record <gasp!> but i do have a small stack that i inherited along with my Yamaha

i'm hopeful that either of those will work just fine - that seller acct seems to be the storefront for a small record label, so that's promising.
 
grillebilly said:
Records are a lot of fun, but like any hobby, it can become addictive and obsessive. We are mostly enablers here...be careful asking advice!! :D
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me 6 months ago: Spotify. a nice pair of headphones (M&D MH40).

me today: "honey where the crap are all my old CDs I need to rip them so I can have FLAC files"
+ JDS Labs OLD DAC > JDS OL Splitter > a. Cavalli Tube Hybrid headphone amp > Hifiman HE4xx planars
> b. Stereo receiver > Focal JM Lab Cobalt 816s​
 
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I've owned both of those, they were my first and second TT. I paid $50 and $20 for them respectively. Check if the ground wire is included. They're removable, and use proprietary plugs, someone on ebay makes them for around $10 shipped. I still have the bd20, but only because I can't find any takers for it, and I've since stripped it of some parts to restore other TTs.

Don't believe the universal hype on the internet about belt drive's inherent superiority. In this case, it's definitely not superior. Built quality and materials between those two are pretty much exactly the same. The DD if working properly will hold speed better, and do it with more torque.
 
I have a Technics SL-Q350 straight arm Direct Drive TT with Quartz locked motor. Basic TT, but the Quartz motor puts it a level above any belt driven table. It never wavers. And it’s fully automatic.

I’ll take quart of every time.
 
Want a Technics, get a DD. Get one which is not T4p mount only (which limits your cartridge and styli choices). The DC Matsushita motor used on belt drives is not as good as other Japanese AC motor belt drive options as maintainability is concerned.
 
I happen to like P-mount very much. I don’t demand absolute perfection from my components, and they are definitely not top of the line, but there are plenty of great P-mount cartridges out there, and they’re essentially maintenance free - except for stylus cleaning that is.
 
I'd fix the Yamaha. Why chuck a turntable in the trash if it only needs a cartridge? You can get the AT3600L on eBay for like $13. With the cart installed and the machine working you could sell it for $40 if you don't like it.
In addition, you will learn a thing or two about turntables by getting that Yamaha running. Spinning vinyl is a hands on hobby and to be frank, no vinyl enthusiast worth his salt can't install a cartridge or belt.
 
likebike23 said:
I'd fix the Yamaha. Why chuck a turntable in the trash if it only needs a cartridge? You can get the AT3600L on eBay for like $13. With the cart installed and the machine working you could sell it for $40 if you don't like it.
In addition, you will learn a thing or two about turntables by getting that Yamaha running. Spinning vinyl is a hands on hobby and to be frank, no vinyl enthusiast worth his salt can't install a cartridge or belt.
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thanks @likebike23 - this answers a different question i posted on head-fi without an answer yet - what's the cheapest thing i could do to get the yammy up and running again.
i found this $20 AT knockoff on ebay, or the $13 from china version, is that the kind of thing you'd suggest? I don't want to spend real money on the yamaha, IF that money's better put towards another TT. but if i can get it working and at least start listening to my one record, well =D
 
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the schwartz said:
I don't want to spend real money on the yamaha, IF that money's better put towards another TT. but if i can get it working and at least start listening to my one record, well
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Actually, the AT3600 performs well beyond its price-point, and supposedly, folks have had good luck with the Chinese "knock-offs" that sell for <$15. Actually, you can get a "real" AT3600 from US suppliers for ~$22-23, so I'd be inclined to skip one stop at Starbuck's and order one domestically--you can have it in a couple days, rather than weeks.

Get the Yammie up and running and play your record. Once you decide upon which of those Technics best suits your needs/wants--go buy it. The working Yammie will get you at least (if not double) what you paid for the new cart--and you can advertise it as having a new cart or at least really low hours. Anytime I give away, or sell a table for cheap, I always mount a new cart--that is a big selling point for people just starting venturing into vinyl--plug n' play SELLS.
 
likebike23 said:
Why do you think it needs a cartridge?
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cause the cartridge prongs are unequal lengths and i haven't seen any like that. but maybe it's fine, i could just try a new needle first. more willing to do that following this conversation with the knowledge that i have a beer champagne setup already =)

edit: oh, and because i don't know what cartridge this is. there are no markings beyond a + - at the prongs. so i don't know which needle to buy to get it working

10197128_thumb.jpg
 
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That isn't what I was expecting to see, lol. The images I looked up for the tt400u showed a 1/2" mount. Yours looks to be a p-mount.

I agree that the pins don't look kosher on that cart. Hopefully the shorter pins didn't break off inside the headshell. I'd check to see if pieces of the pins are in there. If they are then I'd try to gently remove them. If the headshell is all clear then you could get a cheap p mount cart like this: https://www.amazon.com/Technica-AT3482P-Conical-Cartridge-Turntables/dp/B002OSWGLW
 
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