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TT Pain


MC39693

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6 minutes ago, ILI said:

 

That Denon is Class A and has both mm/mc phono stage. It is a beast. Its power transformer alone weighs 6.3kg.

My advice, keep the Akai, buy both the HK PM665 and the Denon PMA-890DG. Much better investment than putting your money on the bank or investing in stocks.

 

Couldn't see the wpc but, would purchase either myself.

 No remote

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2 minutes ago, billybob said:

Couldn't see the wpc but, would like to purchase either myself.

 No remote

Denon: 

Output power (20Hz - 20kHz) 130W+130W (6ohms)
110W+110W (8ohms)

 

I can understand that a remote would be handy, but since we are talking about turntable pains, I think a remote is less relevant. Unless you know of a remote that also puts the album on the platter and can turn it from side a to side b. 😉

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@ILI, and @billybob, ... yes, I am toying with the idea of... Akai, HK and Denon in one setup for both HT (using Oppo 103 5 channel out) and for 2 channel music including the TT, music server (digital out) and CD/DVD/etc via Oppo. 

 

I can test test the theory as I have the Parasound, the Akai and a low budget chip amp... all 2 channel. If it works, I can eliminate (eventually sell) Denon x4300, Parasound and maybe my Cambridge Audio Dacmagic. 

 

Overall volume to be be driven by the Oppo, with a remote! Crazy?

 

Or, one vintage integrated out of the 3 listed plus one, 3 or 4 channel class D power amp? 

 

Winter time fun project.  I have to be cash neutral in all the changes, that might be the real determining factor.

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Well, within about 1 hour of my last post, the seller of the HK PM665 dropped his price on Kijiji by 25%!  And, he did not repost it so only people, like me, who have it in a favourite list will see the change.  I think it is "hidden" ... I'll wait a while and perhaps offer close to his current listing price subject to a demo.

 

An nearly the same time, the Denon PMA-890DG came off of Kijiji.  It could have sold, likely, or just been removed by the seller.  He seemed eager to sell so my guess is he would not remove it unless he sold.

 

 

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  • 1 year later...

Resurrection time!

I've decided to get a TT as well. I'll go down vintage road and will have a look at a Dual 1218 on Tuesday. " Ready to set up for audition", we'll see how that goes. I already made up my mind to rip the whole thing apart and do a revision. There's a german forum ( dual-board.de ) i signed up to with lots of help. If there's interest, i can post about progress, once i get to details. The 1218 seems to be an upper-level player for beginners these days, for me anyway. Really wanted a Thorens but was too slow (again) to get a reasonably priced TD 160 (200€). The Dual will be 55€, and i will have to work on it, but once it works it might be more fun than just plug and play.

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40 minutes ago, AndreG. said:

Resurrection time!

I've decided to get a TT as well. I'll go down vintage road and will have a look at a Dual 1218 on Tuesday. " Ready to set up for audition", we'll see how that goes. I already made up my mind to rip the whole thing apart and do a revision. There's a german forum ( dual-board.de ) i signed up to with lots of help. If there's interest, i can post about progress, once i get to details. The 1218 seems to be an upper-level player for beginners these days, for me anyway. Really wanted a Thorens but was too slow (again) to get a reasonably priced TD 160 (200€). The Dual will be 55€, and i will have to work on it, but once it works it might be more fun than just plug and play.

Well done André , hope you´ll don´t get a TT Pain 😉, yes I´ll think that the german Dual Forum can help a lot .

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  • 1 month later...

@AndreG. any update on your TT?

 

@billybob sorry for long silence re how to do multiple receivers in HT... I switched to Luxman R-117, really like it, including phono preamp. I just bought my second R-117. Will buy a 3rd. Should be able to drive all their volume simultaneously from the one remote, Logitech universal.  I seem to recall you’ve had R-117 so you know the sound and it has a remote control... and pre-out to my Velodyne subs.

 

Will use the Oppo 103 to extract 5 channel audio from HDMI and feed the 3 R-117. Hoping to finish the setup in 2022.

 

Had my first R-117 completely updated, ouch a bit expensive but it’s good for a long time now... 108 caps replaced including power caps, new binding posts, cleaned lubed and set to factory specs. It sounds very good.

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Well, sort of. The 1218 is still on the work bench, I've been busy with other stuff. But i got a second Dual that was so cheap i couldn't pass it over. It's a 1214, that was a higher level entrance at the time.

 

IMG_1920.thumb.jpeg.0adaab8fd1ae6bb2af9091afd3a58286.jpeg

 

It plays well, it just won't turn off the motor once the record has played, have to pull the plug. So while the big brother is getting fixed, i can listen to stuff with this one and then fix this. Another plus, the mechanics on both are the same, so if i get lost i can compare to see what goes where.

So, I'll be getting there, i guess.

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13 hours ago, MC39693 said:

@AndreG. any update on your TT?

 

@billybob sorry for long silence re how to do multiple receivers in HT... I switched to Luxman R-117, really like it, including phono preamp. I just bought my second R-117. Will buy a 3rd. Should be able to drive all their volume simultaneously from the one remote, Logitech universal.  I seem to recall you’ve had R-117 so you know the sound and it has a remote control... and pre-out to my Velodyne subs.

 

Will use the Oppo 103 to extract 5 channel audio from HDMI and feed the 3 R-117. Hoping to finish the setup in 2022.

 

Had my first R-117 completely updated, ouch a bit expensive but it’s good for a long time now... 108 caps replaced including power caps, new binding posts, cleaned lubed and set to factory specs. It sounds very good.

Well thanks for letting know. Have to admit had forgotten.

Recall your Akai receiver now.

Yes, I find my Luxman'

s phono stage to be decent with my linear TT. Yes, I was big on remote control.

Lol...

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  • 1 month later...

DFB48D06-34AC-4EF4-A973-77EAAC57057E.thumb.jpeg.f8d18648e2ed419e8d83b7fd2f55752a.jpegThread update.  Well, after moving from Calgary to Victoria with the Sony PS-T22, it met the Luxman R-117.  Both played very well and I've enjoyed the LPs, few they are, that we have so far.  Then, out of the blue, a Luxman PD-289 became available on a Canada Audio Mart listing.  Long story short it is now connected to the Luxman R-117 and I'll be selling the Sony.  The cartridge on the Luxman is a Vessel A3SE MM type. The Luxman PD289 is not as well known as other 2xx series and doesn't command the $$$, so I was able to buy it for what I felt was a good price.  The seller was excellent and packaged it up to survive Canada Post!  Very happy with the sound Luxman to Luxman to Heresy.  Lovely.

 

Perhaps my search is over for now.  Maybe a better cartridge somewhere down the road when I'm truly foolish(er).

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1 hour ago, MC39693 said:

DFB48D06-34AC-4EF4-A973-77EAAC57057E.thumb.jpeg.f8d18648e2ed419e8d83b7fd2f55752a.jpegThread update.  Well, after moving from Calgary to Victoria with the Sony PS-T22, it met the Luxman R-117.  Both played very well and I've enjoyed the LPs, few they are, that we have so far.  Then, out of the blue, a Luxman PD-289 became available on a Canada Audio Mart listing.  Long story short it is now connected to the Luxman R-117 and I'll be selling the Sony.  The cartridge on the Luxman is a Vessel A3SE MM type. The Luxman PD289 is not as well known as other 2xx series and doesn't command the $$$, so I was able to buy it for what I felt was a good price.  The seller was excellent and packaged it up to survive Canada Post!  Very happy with the sound Luxman to Luxman to Heresy.  Lovely.

 

Perhaps my search is over for now.  Maybe a better cartridge somewhere down the road when I'm truly foolish(er).

 

Looks good.  I looked at some reviews of your turntable, and it was described as "under-rated, with better than expected sound".  Good choice!

 

As for the advantages of direct drive versus belt drive, one that's often mentioned is bass response.  When the LP is turning and the stylus comes to a heavily-modulated section, on a belt-drive turntable the extra drag on the stylus will actually slow the platter momentarily, softening the leading edge of drumbeats and the like.  This is because most TT belts are made of a rubbery material that's a bit stretchy, so it stretches momentarily when the stylus encounters extra drag, and this effect is audible as slightly dull attacks, instead of the sharp attacks that are on the records.  

 

For belt-drive TTs, the "cure" is a very heavy platter (10 kilos or more, and priced to match), which pretty much reduces the softness to the barely audible or inaudible level.  Meanwhile, even with a relatively light platter, the high-torque direct drive motor and quartz timing keep the platter speed constant, whatever the stylus encounters, and it's easy to hear the difference.

 

BTW, Dual makes a DD TT, the 618Q model, which sells for around $1500 in Canada.  It has auto lift at the end of the record, and has auto Off.  As well, it has a fairly good built-in phono preamp, and it comes with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge installed.

 

That would make an alternative to the great Technics decks, which stand up well to hard use, but can be found in home use only, so you can get good deals on used ones.  In 2010, Technics stopped making the SL-1200/1210 turntables (after around 35 years and several million SL-1200s being built, the dies were worn out, and the market seemed to be fading), so they were disappearing off store shelves pretty quickly. In the end, there were none to be found here, at least none of the M5G model that I wanted.  I wound up getting mine from Axe Music in Calgary.  It arrived carefully packed and in perfect shape.  It came without a cartridge, so I took it to Sound Hounds with the Shure M97xE cartridge from my older SL, and they installed it on the new deck and set it up very carefully.  I've been listening to it happily since 2010, and I've replaced the stylus a couple of times.

 

BTW, you can find new LPs at London Drugs (they have everything, from computers to patio furniture to Dual turntables), and you can find near mint used LPs at Vinyl Envy (1717 Quadra St.).  Ditch Records on Fort Street has tons of LPs and CDs too.  There's also The Turntable in Fan Tan Alley, the narrowest street in Canada.  This is a good town for record players and their owners.

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@Islander, I had a Dual CS-608 back in the day, but sold it and a good record collection when we moved from Ft. McMurray to Calgary in 2008. Should have kept the records!

 

I have always liked DD and a straight tone arm, with a reasonable cartridge... I have no basis for this but simply feel it is a reliable sounding setup that won’t break my budget. The PD-289 being less well known fit the bill perfectly and I like Luxman.

 

thanks for the store tips, I’ll be checking them out.

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