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Anyone interested in 78 rpm records ?


Sancho Panza

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This will play 78's. It's a Rek-O-Kut L-37, Audio Technica AT1007 arm, and Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge with a 3 mil. stylus for 78's. 78's sound fine when played with a stereo cartridge. 78 grooves are wider than 33 and you need bigger stylus. I got my 3 mil. at lpgear.com.

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I use an Empire 598-II with a Stanton 500AL. Works superbly. I've 78s going back to the 20s, even some accoustic ones, that are mind blowing. Clean, later 78s have a very wide dynamic range and frequency range as well.

Never heard a transfer that was as good as the real thing.

Fact of the matter is that the Empire is overkill. The high speed of a 78 and high tracking force means that virtually any decent turntable and arm with the speed will do a very good job.

Theres a 70.00 or so preamp at phonopreamps.com that does an excellent job. Of course, you'll want to spend more if you really get the bug as there are more expensive ones that allow you to adjust to the variety of curves in use before RIAA. However, that one is plenty hifi for all but the real equipment freak.

Dave

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I use an Empire 598-II with a Stanton 500AL. Works superbly. I've 78s going back to the 20s, even some accoustic ones, that are mind blowing. Clean, later 78s have a very wide dynamic range and frequency range as well.

Dave

Shhhhhhh

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While I really don't have the opportunity (or gear) to properly play 78's, I will pick up interesting ones on occasion. I do have an old Victrola in storage but I'd have to really draw down the mass of audio gear I have before my wife would allow such a thing in the house. I have about 150 disks that came with the Vic - mostly classical. I will flip through 78's and pull nice, clean examples of jazz vocalists, jazz, bluegrass, rockabilly and blues records but they have to be clean(able). A few months back, I happened upon a few boxes of 78's and actually found a handful of blues records. Some were in pretty good shape but it broke my heart to find that a few great records - T Bone Walker and Leadbelly immediately come to mind, were cracked or otherwise played to hell. I almost bought them anyway (what's a $1 after all) but I've heavily curtailed my collecting by forcing myself to only those records that I can take home and play (although I do take a cleaning into account with ancient 78's). I don't bring boxes of records home anymore but I've left behind some great albums that still haunt me....Oh well.

Thanks and please list your records as a few of us may have an interest. Also, do not clean 78's with alcohol based fluids (like many cleaners for vinyl). The newer cleaners will damage shellac and quite possibly ruin the record.

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While I really don't have the opportunity (or gear) to properly play 78's, I will pick up interesting ones on occasion. I do have an old Victrola in storage but I'd have to really draw down the mass of audio gear I have before my wife would allow such a thing in the house. I have about 150 disks that came with the Vic - mostly classical. I will flip through 78's and pull nice, clean examples of jazz vocalists, jazz, bluegrass, rockabilly and blues records but they have to be clean(able). A few months back, I happened upon a few boxes of 78's and actually found a handful of blues records. Some were in pretty good shape but it broke my heart to find that a few great records - T Bone Walker and Leadbelly immediately come to mind, were cracked or otherwise played to hell. I almost bought them anyway (what's a $1 after all) but I've heavily curtailed my collecting by forcing myself to only those records that I can take home and play (although I do take a cleaning into account with ancient 78's). I don't bring boxes of records home anymore but I've left behind some great albums that still haunt me....Oh well.

Thanks and please list your records as a few of us may have an interest. Also, do not clean 78's with alcohol based fluids (like many cleaners for vinyl). The newer cleaners will damage shellac and quite possibly ruin the record.

Yeah I would have bought them anyway as they are rare as hell. I would have glued them and framed them.

I will say finding clean 78's is 1000 times harder than finding clean LP's. That is why I usually concentrate on the 78 books.

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I use an Empire 598-II with a Stanton 500AL. Works superbly.

Dave

I have been tracking empires and lencos for some time, but just have not pulled the trigger for fear of buying the wrong thing... I would rather pay a little more up front the first time than have to buy something all over again later.

do you guys have a dedicated (1) speaker for mono playback?

I have a couple hundred 78's that have been in the family since new... I have never heard them.

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do you guys have a dedicated (1) speaker for mono playback?

Nope. The mono image appears dead center between my K'horns such that I have to make people put their ear right in front of a driver on the center Cornwall to prove it isn't working.

I find mono sources an excellent, if counter-intuitive, test for stereo imaging. If it's right, you'll get an uncanny phantom source dead center.

Dave

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This will play 78's. It's a Rek-O-Kut L-37, Audio Technica AT1007 arm, and Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge with a 3 mil. stylus for 78's. 78's sound fine when played with a stereo cartridge. 78 grooves are wider than 33 and you need bigger stylus. I got my 3 mil. at lpgear.com.

Beautiful setup. Did you build the plinth?
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do you guys have a dedicated (1) speaker for mono playback?

Nope. The mono image appears dead center between my K'horns such that I have to make people put their ear right in front of a driver on the center Cornwall to prove it isn't working.

I find mono sources an excellent, if counter-intuitive, test for stereo imaging. If it's right, you'll get an uncanny phantom source dead center.

Dave

You got me in stereo, too, Dave; I was commenting on how awesome the Cornwall was keeping up with the Big Horns, until you told me it wasn't even on!

Rick

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