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Turntable recommendations


The Dude

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Why not go for the Technics SL-1200. I'm talking about the new incarnation of this classic turntable with features to reduce acoustic feedback and less motor feedback?

And for you older guys (are there any women in this community? not sure) your hearing is not as acute as it was in your 20s when you could not afford this equipment. So stop pretending to be so discriminating.

Edited by JerryC
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Careful purchases after research has always worked well for me too, so I hear you. 
 
As far as reusing one of your Shure cartridges for your "new" turntable, well they need to be matched to the tonearm (as you may already know).  The cantilever on the cartridge has compliance rating that must be taken into consideration when mating it to a tonearm.  A higher mass tonearm, just for example, a 16.5 gram all aluminum (not graphite) Thorens TP16 MKI tonearm will demand a less compliant cartridge cantilever vs a 7.5 gram graphite Thorens TP16 MKII.  Think of it as buying shock absorbers for a motorcycle vs an F350 diesel truck; a motorcycle shock will be much more compliant vs the F350 shock.  Neither shock is necessary better than the other, just suited to different applications.  It would be ridiculous putting an F350 shock on a motorcycle and vice versa.  Likewise, it would be ridiculous putting a high compliance Shure V15 V on a 16.5g tonearm; it will mercilessly bounce up and down riding the groove (think of a motorcycle shock on an F350) and sound lousy, but would a reasonable choice for a 7.5g tonearm.  Ideally, the tonearm cartridge combination should resonate around 9 to 11 cycles per second (this can be seen on a test record and is cool to watch).
 
So to answer your question and reiterate:  It depends.  Your cartridge should match your tonearm.  I personally like medium to higher mass tonearms to accommodate moving coil cartridges, which typically have lower compliance vs moving magnet types.  I want that "magic midrange" from my set-up for lifelike vocal reproduction - both cartridge types can do it, but some of the moving coils speak to me.  Your mileage may vary, of course.
 
There are volumes that could be written on this subject; perhaps others want to chime in.  Many audio people (ahem...present company excluded, of course) do not understand the cartridge can not be thought of independent of the tonearm it is to be used on.  The marriage of the cartridge and tonearm is critical to proper set-up and good sound. 
 
Andy
Well when you put it that way, it makes it easier for me to let them go.

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My brother's mother-in-law got rid of a B2 several years ago.  I had to clean the switches as best as I could and get a new belt, but it does an OK job in the remote second system.  I still have to mess with a switch every now and then to get it back to steady speed.  The medium mass tonearm will match well with that Shure.  What I miss most is the rock steady speed the direct drive provides.  If the servo is in good shape you will be fine.

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On 3/18/2020 at 11:22 AM, The Dude said:

I have always eyed the SL1200s.  But aren't those completely manual? 

 

Yes, SL-1200/1210s are completely manual, but there are aftermarket devices that will lift the tone arm as the stylus reaches the inner grooves.  They're pretty simple, and cost under $50, IIRC.

 

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17 hours ago, The Dude said:

I see alot of head shells out there. Are most of these universal? I would like to pick up a second one to mount this Shure V15 type 3 to be able to swap out.

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Yes, you can pick up a second headshell, a stock one or a supposedly better one.  They are a standard type.  As well, most models of SL-1200 have a socket toward the rear of the top deck for you to park a second headshell and cartridge, so you can keep both your cartridges handy and unlikely to get lost.

 

BTW, Jico makes styli for V15 cartridges, so if your styli are really old, and you can't find original Shure replacements, the Jico models are considered to be upgrades over the stock styli.

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On 3/20/2020 at 4:08 PM, The Dude said:

I am always slow to purchase, I spend a lot of time researching and waiting these days.  Here is my goal as of now, especially considering how life is right now.  I have a Technics in the basement I am going to see how it works, if it can get me by, I will see about selling everything I have and see what I can come up with.  Maybe doing this I can up my budget.

 

Big question is, should I keep one of the two Shure carts or are some of these tables with newer carts better?  

Hi,

 

For me

It is important to respect and save the groove of your discs. For this you must use a Fine Line stylus or equivalent (Microline, SAS, Shibata, ...)

 

For Shure II or III at LPGear SAS or NeoSAS from Jico or their Vivid Line from LPGear: https://www.lpgear.com/category/SS3.html?CatListingOffset=24&Offset=24&Per_Page=12&Sort_By=price_desc

 

example Shure V15 type III

https://www.lpgear.com/product/SHVN35HEL.html

https://www.lpgear.com/product/SHVN35HESAS.html

 

At home I use a ViVid Line from LPGear on a Stanton 881S with great success, the sound is very beautiful.

 

In new I recommend the Microline or Shibata from Audiotechnica

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/cartridges/e7a3d4bc8b248b64/index.html

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/cartridges/e798922daa95de6d/index.html

 

For the plates the new Audiotechnica are very good for their price and the advantage and that they are supplied with an Audiotechnica cartridge, it is enough just to buy a replacement sylet Microline or Shibata

https://www.audio-technica.com/cgi-bin/product_search/turntables/turntables.pl?lang=eng

 

The majority of the current turntables are manual, so for disc ends I recommend an Audiotechnica arm lifter

https://www.audio-technica.com/cms/accessories/398e4995e9bfe926/index.html

 

:)

 

 

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On 3/20/2020 at 11:29 PM, JerryC said:

I also wanted to say that Technics made the lathes that incribed the master discs.

 

I don't think so. Neumann, Scully, I think Westrex were probably the big names used.

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Going down this rabbit hole, if I already have a Technics and considering what alot are recommending, I might end up with a higher end version. If so, do they take a lot of maintenance? I may consider one with an arm lift. Also, if I go this route with multiple headshell setups, I assume a good protractor is in order. I do have one for the Thorens, but is there a decent one recommended for Technics?

Thanks

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7 hours ago, The Dude said:

Does anyone have any input of the sure V15 11 over the 111? I am contemplating selling one to fund this project.

 

There's a market for them?  I've got a type IV, but it's 40 years old.  I think they sold both it and the type III concurrently for a while, but the type II is surely older than mine.  I haven't used it in over 30 years and wouldn't have expected to be able to even give it away!

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7 hours ago, The Dude said:

... I assume a good protractor is in order. I do have one for the Thorens, but is there a decent one recommended for Technics?

 

If the one you have didn't work (it might), isn't there one usually molded into the flipside of the rubber platter mat?

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