Topic: Turntable Part 2

[Lord Foo]

I never planned to get a TT right now...may be later, i thought, when I've studied the subject matter.

But i found a technics sl1300 in a thrift shop this morning. I passed up a dual 502-2 and a pioneer pl 5something... i hope i did right.

I really don't know anything about TTs. I was hoping i'd get it by luck the first time. At home, i hooked up the TT to my sansui aud707xdecade.

There was an old Jim Croce record somewhere in the house...powered up the TT... pressed tha start lever...The arm just skidded rightwards..no sound just hum from the amp, then the arm went back to home base.

Now i don't know what to do next.

[Narayan]

lordfoo,

bro, i use a technics 1310. its an identical model except that the color is gray. i can only guess that the settings on your table are improper. i live in q.c. (batasan area). maybe you can bring over your unit to my place and we can hook my cartridge to your unit using my unit's settings as reference and see if it plays properly. hope this helps.

you can pm me or text at 09189007773.

[Lord Foo]

Sir narayan,

thank you for the help offer. I also got posts from Audio Karma extolling the virtues of the the Dual 505.2 vs the SL1300. So... I went back to the thrift shop and exchanged the SL1300 with the Dual 505.2.  Happily for me, the Dual 505 started grooving. Now i gotta look for discs.

Foo

[Narayan]

congrats on your new table bro

[sandawa]

Sir narayan,

thank you for the help offer. I also got posts from Audio Karma extolling the virtues of the the Dual 505.2 vs the SL1300. So... I went back to the thrift shop and exchanged the SL1300 with the Dual 505.2. Happily for me, the Dual 505 started grooving. Now i gotta look for discs.

Foo

back in the '80s, Dual is a favorite TT brand among audio enthusiasts here. not anymore these days, since new Pinoy hifi converts prefer new production turntables, including vintage Japanese models. got no problem with that, but curiously, Dual, Garrard, BSR and other vintage brands and equipment are still highly regarded by audio enthusiasts worldwide, especially in the US.

me? i'm probably a bit biased in favor of our Jap neighbors. got 3 Technics and 2 vintage Duals - best of both worlds. 

[Lord Foo]

5 Turntables? collector ka talaga Sir Sandawa....
OT... my brod replaced the capacitors of the KEF 104ab. he says its like a lower end version of the AR90. its impressive at low volumes and small rooms.. i still have to check it out.

[sandawa]

not 5, i got 10 total but would be reduced by two this month - my Thorens 320 and Technics SL-1200 are already committed to my brother in Manila - so, 8 na lang.

[s2kov]

Hi sandawa,

Are you familiar with this Pioneer MC stylus?



Maybe you can help me identify on what compatible cart can be used and where to get it.

[Lord Foo]

ten turntables? whoa!! instead of discarding the two units, you should get two more to make it an even dozen. 

Hey Mr. Sandawa, I saw a Pioneer pl630 being sold as is for 3500 php. Walang cartridge. di naman mukhang dilapidated. Seems like a high price for an As is unit. I tried to lift it...it didnt budge an inch... Man! It felt as if it weighed like a 100 watt vintage amplifier.

Is this a good model? 

addendum:

I found the model at the vintage knob
http://www.thevintageknob.org/PIONEER/PL630/PL630.html
it weighed 12 kgs.

[sandawa]

Hi sandawa,

Are you familiar with this Pioneer MC stylus?



Maybe you can help me identify on what compatible cart can be used and where to get it.

andy,

not familiar with that Pioneer stylus but check at Raon, bring it there. i wonder if it's really an MC, kasi, moving coil cartridges usually have fixed stylus assembly, hindi puwedeng tanggalin, pag nasira tapon na ang buong cartridge. but that could be an exception.

foo,

neither am i familiar with that Pioneer turntable, but if its very heavy and it's working fine - buy it if it's not priced like gold. better if you could test it, bring your own headshell and cartridge - standard naman 'yan.

[s2kov]

Hi nani,

Thanks. It is indeed an MC stylus and it was confirmed to me by turntableneedle when i was inquiring for compatible cartridge. Instead, they offer me to swap it with their complete MM cartridge and record cleaning accessories.

[sandawa]

oo nga, nakita ko rin. mukhang rare/collectors' item yang nakuha mo.

[Lord Foo]

Mga sirs,


Please advise naman what "shell", "needle", are available locally that I can use for my Pioneer Turntable pl630. I acquired it yesterday with just the arm and without the dust cover also. I'd go for 2nd hand, or surplus as long as maganda tunog and matched sa turntable ko po.  Post advices na rin po re: my PL630.  I am barely a few weeks into the Turntable hobby.

regards,
Foo

[sandawa]

sir, of you can wait till January, i can give you a Pioneer original headshell in exchange for a can of cold Coke Diet. if you immediately need one badly, check out Raon, especially the old Pioneer shop (nasa loob 'yan - you can ask oldtimers from the other shops for direction) between Evangelista and Avenida. don't say you're installing your headshell on a PL630, otherwise mamahalan ka ng mga 'yan. 

[Superman]

hi sir sandawa and foo!...i'll be in davao sept. 15 to 25, if this is just a small item, i may be able to bring them back to manila, and foo may just pick it up from me at my office...thanks!

[ramble_on]

sir foo, check the area beside and in front of the deeco building (raon side). i saw a a couple of stores that were selling carts and stylii. yung stylii were packed in transparent cases; some had stickers indicating the models that they were supposed to serve as replacements for while some had none.

try not asking the sales personnel that you're looking for turntable stuff; in my experience, chances are you'll just get blank stares. go straight to the display counters instead.

during my last foray there, i was able to buy a NOS nagaoka cart. there were still a couple left.

hope this helps.

[ramble_on]

hi sir sandawa and foo!...i'll be in davao sept. 15 to 25, if this is just a small item, i may be able to bring them back to manila, and foo may just pick it up from me at my office...thanks!

sir supes, pwede magpa bili ng cd player? 

[gob]

what brand would you recommend, that has a very good quality, sound and specially affordable price?

i know theres alot to choose from like technics, denon, panasonic etc.

pls share your views

[Superman]

you can check these links:

http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=6552.0

http://pinoydvd.com/board/index.php?topic=29835.0

[synchro_01]

if you are into pre-owned T/T's then try to look out for Technics TTables.  Parts availability, easy to service and not to mention that it is built to last. you can tailor its sound by changing the cartridge to better ones that are readily available in the market.  My Technics T/Table is already 22 years old (had it since new) and it still provides great sound and performance up to now.

[ramble_on]

i had the good fortune of acquiring a technics turntable (circa 79) a couple of months ago through the kindness of sir sandawa. solidly built and in very good condition.

bang for the buck (more so for the higher-end models).

[Jagner]

If you're not limited on the above brands, you may want to try the Pro-ject Debut III or the Goldring GR1:  Both are just entry-level turn tables but highly rated and comparable to their higher-priced counterparts

Cheers.

[Jagner]

sir foo, check the area beside and in front of the deeco building (raon side). i saw a a couple of stores that were selling carts and stylii. yung stylii were packed in transparent cases; some had stickers indicating the models that they were supposed to serve as replacements for while some had none.

try not asking the sales personnel that you're looking for turntable stuff; in my experience, chances are you'll just get blank stares. go straight to the display counters instead.

during my last foray there, i was able to buy a NOS nagaoka cart. there were still a couple left.

hope this helps.

One of them is SOLID Electronics.  The carts and stylii are at the left display cabinet near the door.

[gob]

tnx guys for all the replys,  well i heard a lot good news about technics

ill try to research more specially with this brand

[Lord Foo]

Hi Sir Sandawa and sir superman...maraming salamat sa offer of help. Who am i to check a gift horse in the mouth? Sirs kung di makakaabala masyado...the original pioneer needle will be very much appreciated...

In the meantime i will try to find time to check out the raon sites mentioned. I am very hopeful that the PL630 will be okay when I've acquired the shell/needle  for the unit. The store helper and another buyer said that they used to crank up the unit play 33 lps until somebody, stole the shell.

Also the past week, i have been using a Dual 505.2 and have already acquired about a dozen LPs. Di pa ako marunong mamili ng LPs but I noticed that those made in the US seem to sound better than the locally pressed one. Is this a general situation? Any pointers in looking for good LPs?

I found a pristine Manhattan Transfer album (the one with A nightingale sang in berkeley square), a few Rayconnif Singer albums, Queen, etc.

I just washed the album with soap and faucet water  before playing avoiding soaking the paper label. Is this alright?

BTW i inspected the arms of the Dual and the Pioneer PL630 hoping that I can transfer the Duals shell to the the pioneer for testing purposes. No dice. They do not seem to have the same design.

also BTW, the dual sounded very good.

Hmmm... Offhand, can you guys mention brands of shells that I should lookout for? i really have no idea which brands to look out for?

[ramble_on]

you can try the bang-for-the-buck audio-technica head shells at audiophile, cost me around php 380.

a trip to raon would be highly recommended...you'll never know what 'treasures' you might find there.

[sandawa]

Hi Sir Sandawa and sir superman...maraming salamat sa offer of help. Who am i to check a gift horse in the mouth? Sirs kung di makakaabala masyado...the original pioneer needle will be very much appreciated...

the only thing i can give you is a Pioneer headshell. using an Audio Technica, or Shure, cartridge would be an upgrade from using an original Pioneer cart/stylus for your PL630. ramble_on is correct, check sources in Raon, but Audiophile should be an option.

[gob]

guys i have some few questions regarding TT, im still newbie in analog. im just using an old TT built-in our compo.  can anybody tell the difference in Belt Drive Turntable Systems, Belt Drive Linear Tracking Turntable Systems, Direct Drive Turntable Systems & Direct Drive Linear Tracking Turntable Systems?

and which of the four is commonly use and available here?

last is it possible example a technics TT with curved style tonearm be replace with straight tonearm like in gr1?

[Lord Foo]

the only thing i can give you is a Pioneer headshell. using an Audio Technica, or Shure, cartridge would be an upgrade from using an original Pioneer cart/stylus for your PL630. ramble_on is correct, check sources in Raon, but Audiophile should be an option.

I went to Deeco. I even lugged the heavy pioneer turntable with me. We checked a box of needles and shells. Wala. Nada.
Meron pioneer ang tatak na needle pero walang shell.

I wonder, do i just mention the model of the turntable when i look for shell and needle? What about replacement kaya? How do i know if the audio technica or shure cartridge will fit the arm of my turntable?

[ramble_on]

sir foo, sorry to hear about your deeco sojourn.

anyways, probably the first thing to check is if your tonearm accepts universal headshells (baka proprietary pioneer headshells lang, which will further complicate the situation).

cheers.