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Vintage Direct Drive turntables 'by reliability'

heinza1983 said:
looking at various threads on the QL-Y3F around the web many are reporting issues with auto features etc.
that's my only worry. it does seem like a nice TT otherwise, but I'd hate to recommend to him a piece of equipment that can potentially cost him more in repairs than the cost of the actual TT in the long run. in saying that it comes out of a lab serviced with a 1-year warranty, so it might still be worth considering..
and it could be collected in person unlike all my other findings so far, which would have to be shipped in from other countries..
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Serviced and with a warranty and with easy pick up I'd give this a go.

I have the '5' version still going strong and a similar Denon.
 
heinza1983 said:
Hello all,
I'm new to the forum. I'm hoping you can help with this:

Just as an example, I've seen a few decent Denon ones, but then I've read that they can be very good TTs as long as everything is working fine.. but as soon as something goes wrong with the electronics etc they're pretty much ready to go in the bin because they are hard, if not impossible, to repair, or spare parts are hard to come by and so on.

So, are certain models/brands to be preferred/avoided based on their simplicity/complexity of build and/or availability of parts/ease of repair etc.? If so, which ones?
Thank you very much for your help.
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Welcome to the AK turn table forum.

There are good reliable Denon turn table that do not have the troubles that you referred to. :thumbsup:

The Denon DP-1200 (L) is an auto lift that uses "frequency detection servo system" instead of the quartz lock.
https://www.vinylengine.com/library/denon/dp-1200.shtml

images
 
heinza1983 said:
Thanks for the insight. Would you say QL is a feature I don't need to worry too much about then? This would open up a quite a few more options out there..
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That Pioneer PL-630 I mentioned has the option of turning QL on or off. I confess that I usually leave it on.

But I’ve had numerous DD’s with no QL and once speed was set, it did not deviate. Unless the speed adjust pots needed cleaning.

Personally, I would not make QL a “must have” feature.
 
All electronics will eventually have some sort of issue that needs repair. A great many of the direct drive turntables will run well for decades, however, the one that blows a speed chip becomes toast. I read about Technics 1200's doing that and they seem to be, from an outside observer's point of view, one of the most reliable. Would he consider belt drive. For that money in Europe, you should be able to pick up a used Thorens that will last decades, needing only gentle handling and the occasional belt. The 125/126 frequency controlled models are exceptions to that as they have frequency generator and amp circuits to go bad, but the models using synchronous motors are good candidates for very long life and perform great. I got a Thorens TD150 new in 1974 and still have it, still use it, it still performs flawlessly. The only parts that could likely need would be a new belt and eventually, the phase shift capacitor it has.

Just a suggestion to provide what I think would be the best in reliability.

Shelly_D
 
shelly_d said:
All electronics will eventually have some sort of issue that needs repair. A great many of the direct drive turntables will run well for decades, however, the one that blows a speed chip becomes toast. I read about Technics 1200's doing that and they seem to be, from an outside observer's point of view, one of the most reliable. Would he consider belt drive. For that money in Europe, you should be able to pick up a used Thorens that will last decades, needing only gentle handling and the occasional belt. The 125/126 frequency controlled models are exceptions to that as they have frequency generator and amp circuits to go bad, but the models using synchronous motors are good candidates for very long life and perform great. I got a Thorens TD150 new in 1974 and still have it, still use it, it still performs flawlessly. The only parts that could likely need would be a new belt and eventually, the phase shift capacitor it has.

Just a suggestion to provide what I think would be the best in reliability.

Shelly_D
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thanks for your input. i'll pass it on to him.
 
62vauxhall said:
That Pioneer PL-630 I mentioned has the option of turning QL on or off. I confess that I usually leave it on.

But I’ve had numerous DD’s with no QL and once speed was set, it did not deviate. Unless the speed adjust pots needed cleaning.

Personally, I would not make QL a “must have” feature.
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thanks for pointing this out.
 
Just a thought. You might want to see if you have any 1970s Hitachis over there in Europe. I have 2 direct drive full auto units, from 1977. Both have been flawless performers. The UniTorque DD motors are about as bullet proof as you can get with electronically commutated DC motors. They are Quartz Lock types. I have the HT-463 and HT-460 models. These tables fly under the radar, but have nothing to apologize for. Great build quality, great arms, and very well designed.

I also have the JVC QL-Y5F, its my avatar. Great table. I have the Denon DP45F also. Both of these perform flawlessly, but the JVC had issues when I bought it for $40 from Goodwill.

HT-463:

IMG_4560 (5).JPG
 
Can't help ya there. I've never found a Japanese DD that simply wasn't completely reliable, even after 30 or 40 years. Outside of the Japanese DD, then you might be having some issues. Have many, all work flawless. Only one recapped.
 
Repair technician's viewpoint. I service turntables and have for many years. Japanese DD and AC motor equipped model belt drives tend to be the most reliable, and least expensive to repair of turntables. Thorens TD 150 and TD 160 tend to be reliable (finicky on belt choices, use genuine, AR is reliable. Duals are finicky often. Especially those which weren't used regularly and maintained as called for by the manual.
 
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heinza1983 said:
Awesome. I have come across the JVC QL-Y3F. Is it any good? I'm just worried about the auto-features failing and that kind of stuff...
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I have one of these that I'm trying to sell. It was picked up by a family member at an estate sale and given to me to check out and sell it. It performs quite well. Not as elaborate as the JVC QL-Y55F I used to own, but all in all, a very good deck. All of the auto functions work flawlessly.
 
There were many brands of direct drive TTs in the 70s and 80s. Among many others, Micro Seiki, Luxman, Denon, Technics and Pioneer seem to have been highly regard back then. What of those brands were considered most reliable?

Thanks
 
I think that most of the earlier DD tables were likely to have been well engineered and that the top models quite possibly were specified and equipped with decent quality parts. Better known brands - better quality DD table. One brand long known for reliability is SONY.

Here’s not only their top model offering - but also their first direct drive. One of the few DD tables with a suspension.
From 1971 or ‘72, the SONY 2251:

IMG_5756.jpeg

Still going strong!
 
My Sony PS-212 30Euro, an adjustment of the potentiometer for the speed( hole under bottom of the table ) made the speed spot on. Runs fine.Sonys entry level DD.

I would stay away of vintage belt drives, hard to get good belts these days..
01E889FA-5764-4F4A-906C-06B265D1740D.jpeg
 
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