klipschaholik Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I've always had a fascination with Empire turntables though some may say they aren't that good but to me they look like a fine piece of machinery. I remember seeing the adds for these in the seventy's audio mags and wishing I could afford one, but that never happened. After running into a good find on about 200 albums I got the bug for another turntable and started lurking the auction sites for a new one. That's when I came upon the old Empire tables that I always wanted so I started watching for a deal. Well I managed to pick up this 698 for a great price. The seller was listed in the US but he had a UK email address which sent up all kind of red flags. After thorough questioning him I was satisfied that the deal was real and paid him through Paypal. Then the waiting began. I was relieved when he sent me the Fedex tracking numbers so I at least new he was shipping me some rather heavy boxes for my money if nothing else. Well after a week they finally arrived. I was acting like a kid at Christmas opening up the boxes to see what was there and here is what I found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klipschaholik Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 But there's more. Inside all this packaging that must have taken me an hour to carefully unwrap I found this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JJkizak Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Well, hell, it sure looks nice. Does it work? JJK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
filmboydoug Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Looks great. How does it sound? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klipschaholik Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 Here's a closeup. Everything was carefully wrapped. the arm was removed and packed away as were the platter pieces and dust cover. All the lights are working properly I just need to mount a cartridge. I have an Empire 5000 or a Grado that I'm going to start out with to see if all is well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwhaples Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Wow! Looks nice! Must have been hard not knowing if it was coming. Enjoy the new to you TT. Larry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klipschaholik Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 I am going to mount the cartridge this morning and see how things go from there. Hopefully in a few hours I'll know for sure. I had to search around for a copy of the setup instructions and found someone on the left coast who had scanned the 698 manual. He was kind enough to send it to me so I've got the original instructions to go by. We'll see what happens next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 NNNNNiice ...698 .....[] I have had both, the 598, and the 698.... great tables ... tho the 698 is prone to problems with that electronic cue system .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 That's a georgous 'table...gotta love all that real wood and metal, and that tonearm's sharp! Glad it arrived in one piece from its long journey. Looking forward to your review later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colterphoto1 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 very elegant looking tt, congrats Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lostinozz Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 When ya gonna take it outa the wooden shipping crate?[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klipschaholik Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 Yep Duke, the cue isn't raising enough to lift the tonearm but everything else seems to be AOK. Probably need a new stylus, but for now I'm happy with the results. I'll start the tinkering and overhauling later to see what it's capable of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 that "pot" ... has some kinda silicon juice in it .... i don't know if it evaporates, or the heater that makes it expand get's weak ... or, is it a solinoid, lubricated by the silicon juice .. took mine back to the Factory in Garden City NY, back in '76 .. they fixed ..no charge .. guess that's not an option these days ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 that's a GREAT table .... and yours is in REALLY nice shape .....[] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheEvan Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Wow, that's a wicked thick plinth. It looks properly heavy. Belt or DD? Appx. year of mfr? I think it's just beautiful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duke Spinner Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 belt drive, cotton fabric insulated windings on the motor 698's ... late '70's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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