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Turn a DJ Table Into a Home Unit?

5

5th beatle

Active Member
Can a professional DJ table become a nice home unit? Have a Gemini PT-2000 high torque direct drive. Serial #GT8210076. Currently has a Stanton Trackmaster II AL cart on it. Fell into this one so working on house money.:banana:
 
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Any of the usual "DJ-type" turntables can be used as hi-fi home units, as long as you buy a "normal" cartridge & stylus package. You could try a Stanton 500E MKII for about $35, which includes a .4x.7mil elliptical stylus that tracks up to 2 grams & will sound very nice for most "home hi-fi" Lps.

Really, the only two things going against "DJ" cartridges for hi-fi use are that they usually track heavy(3-7 grams) & usually have a conical stylus tip(not great for end-of-side tracking on the Lps-will sound harsher & a tad more distorted than an elliptical stylus on same disc). Other than that, if your Gemini runs at true steady speed & produces no hum or buzz from poor grounding I'd say you're halfway home to using that turntable for home hi-fi purposes.
 
If your budget permits it, go up a notch to a HE stylus (hyper-elliptical).
If it is available for that cartridge.
 
Well,

The Thorens TD-124, the Garrard 301 and 401, the Technics SP 10, 12, 15, and 25, and the SL-1200 are actually accepted as broadcast turntables and respected equally as home audiophile units. Many broadcast grade idler wheel turntables are actually used at home as well. The only drawback with a Gemini is their tonearms aren't up to a SL-1200 for audiophile cartridges.
 
It will work fine but you will want to change the cartridge to anything that has at least an elliptical stylus. I would never recommend a conical stylus to anyone just doing home listening...the sound is better and it is kinder to the vinyl. I noticed Ortofon recently started selling a $30 cartridge with an elliptical, the Omega. It tracks at 1.75g which is way less than a DJ cart. If you can spend more, getting one with a hyperelliptical stylus like Balifly said is worth it too.
 
From what I've read, the real caveat to some of the dj tables is that some weren't designed with correct tonearm mounting geometry in mind, meaning that some won't allow you to set overhang correctly which can become even more of an issue when upgrading from a conical stylus.
 
I googled this and the very first entry was the owners manual. Complete specs are given, and the arm dimensions are identical to Technics, so the Technics alignment tool or the 52mm measurement will work fine. This is not current junk--it's from 2001 and apparently the specs are quite good.
 
hakaplan said:
Complete specs are given, and the arm dimensions are identical to Technics, so the Technics alignment tool or the 52mm measurement will work fine.
Click to expand...


I´m just wondering if the arm´s quality is similar to Technics´s.

A couple of companies in the UK are getting a lot of good press with replacement arms for TT´s just like the one you own.

Here´s one of them:

http://www.audiomods.co.uk/technicsarm.html

Origin Live sells an armboard for the Technichs TT to mount a Rega arm:
http://www.hi-fi-accessories-1.com/dj-armboard.htm
 
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deanoo said:
Hi just read this thread, I too have a gemini pt-2000 TT, Im a complete novice on this stuff so do forgive me. I was wondering if either of these to cartridges/stylises would do the job? and which would be better?


Thanks!
Click to expand...

They are similar to this one - Audio Technica AT 95E.
http://www.lpgear.com/product/ATC95E.html

It will do a very good job, either one will do.

The stylus can also be upgrade later if you like.
http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGAT95VL.html

Enjoy the music!:music:
 
I played around with a TOTL (the same model used to win the DJ "world championship" competition a couple of times) Vestax "DJ" table for a while. The table itself --the platter, bearing and motor assembly-- were fine. Even the base was excellent at damping resonances. When you think about it, it probably had to be, if used in a typical "clubbing" environment. A LOT of vibration and potential feedback in those places!

The weak spots, from an audiophile standpoint, were, of course, the cartridge and stylus; the requirements for "scratching" are completely different from those of accurate reproduction. BUT also --albeit to a lesser extent-- the tonearm was also something of a weak link. The tonearm in the Vestax was made to be a bit "rubbery", a bit loose in the base, so to speak. Presumably this was part of the "extreme" isolation system, and perhaps it provided some kind of "shock absorber" function when scratching... but it wasn't the best idea for ultra-refined "audiophile" sound.

My guess is that your Gemini would be similar. Consider changing not only the cart+stylus, but also the entire tonearm, if you're really aiming at making the proverbial hi-fi silk purse out of the DJ sow's ear.

One nice thing about converting a DJ table like that is the speed control --you can have some fun speeding up and/or slowing down your records! :D (One song that got a lot of play in clubs some years back, "Ride on Time" by Black Box, actually sounds BETTER when speeded up around 8 percent. I found this out when I bought a cassette recording of it in Thailand. It had been made fast, and sounded so good that way... I don't care for the song at the regular speed, but can enjoy it at the faster speed. I got it on CD and will only play it on the Denon deck, which allows me to speed it up like that cassette!)
 
bikehorn said:
I would never recommend a conical stylus to anyone just doing home listening...the sound is better and it is kinder to the vinyl.
Click to expand...

What makes you say that an elliptical is kinder to vinyl than a conical? Assuming you follow the mfg's recommended VTF and your overhang is aligned correctly, I do not see any reason why this would be true.
 
musichal said:
From what I've read, the real caveat to some of the dj tables is that some weren't designed with correct tonearm mounting geometry in mind, meaning that some won't allow you to set overhang correctly which can become even more of an issue when upgrading from a conical stylus.
Click to expand...

You are referring to the straight-arm tables that Numark and Stanton market.

stanton_turntable.jpg
 
Well, guess what. Many a Japanese high end fanatic listens to conical stylus equipped moving coils. They love their Ortofon SPU, Denon DL 102 and 103, and similar. Not all conical styli are garbage. The Shure V 15 Type III and IV-G is an example of one of the best. I'd rather own a better conical than a cheapie elliptical from a sonic and record wear perspective. Now better ellipticals and your best line contact and Shibatas I do love. Conicals have their place. And some records do sound better with them if you love vintage discs and 45 RPM singles old and new. Even my Stereohedron II styli have their own applications and in between. P.S. The Gemini mentioned by the OP is the best they built and a very decent turntable.
 
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