First High End Turntable

[Robert Young]

Interesting and fun thread to follow! I’d missed the first part from 13 years ago, and just saw the newer posts today…

another Rega Planar 3 guy here, with an RB 300 arm and a Sumiko Blue Point Special, probably 1989 or thereabouts, that replaced a mid-fi but very competent Denon DP-1250 with a Denon arm snd Signet TK 5ea cartridge (turns out that was one fine bit of kit!). The Rega was upgraded with a Pete Riggle VTA on the fly, a sapphire bearing, and a Benz Micro Glider. I still have the Rega, it just dorsn’t look like one any more.
then i ran through the entire Teres family, ending with a 340 with a Schroeder Reference and Allaerts cartridge, all of which i still have (though the Teres is in a crate in the basement: it’s awesome and i can’t fathom selling it, but i don’t have the room for it in my NYC apartment). I abandoned the hobby for about 8 years, for various reasons. When i decided i missed Thelonious Monk too much, i went for a slate Lenco L75/PTP 6 with the Schroeder and the Allaerts, joined by a Bokrand 12” and sn SPU. That was soon joined by a Thorens TD 124 (very early series 1), with a load of great arms and an ever-expanding stable of classic cartridges. I really hope i can limit myself to buying orphaned mm carts on ebay, and not expand into collecting Kondo amps and TAD drivers. I’ll be broke in a week if i give in to my urges….

 

[ACHiPo]

Which Hifibuys? I worked at the first store in Muncie, IN during my college days at Ball State.

That was quite a store when it was in the house c1975. Still good when it moved to the strip mall across the street, but then sold the name or something and became just another electronics store.

 

[Another Johnson]

That was quite a store when it was in the house c1975. Still good when it moved to the strip mall across the street, but then sold the name or something and became just another electronics store.

The HiFi Buys national chain went bankrupt a long time ago. In two markets the rights to the name were sold. One is in Nashville, TN. One is in Buckhead, GA. They are not affiliated in any way except by the coincidence of the local rights to the name.

The one in Buckhead is far more “high end.” But the one in Nashville has some upper level brands, like Wilson, Harman Luxury (Levinson and Revel) … and they are the local McIntosh dealer. The one in Buckhead has ARC, Brinkman, DS Audio, Vandersteen, and many other recognized names.

 

[treitz3]

That is a shame. The one in GA was a great place. Alan was a class act. I am deeply saddened to hear of this.

Tom

 

[Another Johnson]

That is a shame. The one in GA was a great place. Alan was a class act. I am deeply saddened to hear of this.

Tom

No. The chain went bankrupt in the ‘80s. Alan is still the owner of the Buckhead incarnation. Another guy, also named Alan, owns the Nashville store. They’re independent.
HiFi Buys was the name of a national chain before the bankruptcy. The Atlanta and Nashville stores have owned the name in their market for a long time.

Edit: I guess the story is more complicated outside of Nashville.

Did You Hear? HiFi Buys is Back in Buckhead

The most accurate and comprehensive blog covering Atlanta restaurant, retail, hotel, banking, grocery, multi-family and convenience store news.

www.tonetoatl.com

In any event, the Buckhead store appears to be thriving. I enjoyed my visit there last year.

 

[Another Johnson]

Back to the topic of the thread, my first good turntable was a Garrard. My first high end turntable was a 1978 LP12. The serial number is the only original thing that remains. Not a single original part is in the current build. Linn transferred the serial number when I did the first plinth upgrade many years ago. The deck is currently Klimax level except for the Radikal 2 upgrade. It is one of four decks here that see regular use.

 

[allvinyl]

That was quite a store when it was in the house c1975. Still good when it moved to the strip mall across the street, but then sold the name or something and became just another electronics store.

Yes! The original 'house' store is where I worked. Then, as you wrote, it was moved across Wheeling to that large strip mall and over time sadly morphed into a run of the mill electronics store. The original house HFB was started when Gary and Mike took over the previous audio business in the location. Do you remember the name? (senior moment...) Any way, that house HFB had some serious characters working there in the mid 70s. Most all of us were just crazed audiophiles taking advantage of salesman accommodation...

 

[ACHiPo]

The HiFi Buys national chain went bankrupt a long time ago. In two markets the rights to the name were sold. One is in Nashville, TN. One is in Buckhead, GA. They are not affiliated in any way except by the coincidence of the local rights to the name.

The one in Buckhead is far more “high end.” But the one in Nashville has some upper level brands, like Wilson, Harman Luxury (Levinson and Revel) … and they are the local McIntosh dealer. The one in Buckhead has ARC, Brinkman, DS Audio, Vandersteen, and many other recognized names.

Not that it matters, but I’m kinda curious—Do you know if the origin of the HiFi Buys big box chain was in Muncie, IN? The HiFi Buys I mentioned above carrying high end was in a house on Wheeling close to McGalliard in the mid-70s, then moved across Wheeling to the strip mall in the late 70s-early 80s. It disappeared in the mid-80s and the big box store with the same name showed up about the same time.

 

[Another Johnson]

Not that it matters, but I’m kinda curious—Do you know if the origin of the HiFi Buys big box chain was in Muncie, IN? The HiFi Buys I mentioned above carrying high end was in a house on Wheeling close to McGalliard in the mid-70s, then moved across Wheeling to the strip mall in the late 70s-early 80s. It disappeared in the mid-80s and the big box store with the same name showed up about the same time.

The first bankruptcy was in the ‘80s.
I think it started in Atlanta in 1973.

HiFi Buys: ‘We’re Baaaack’

Atlanta — HiFi Buys, the storied Atlanta chain, is returning to it Buckhead roots next month, at least in name. Alan Jones, owner/CEO of a local audio specialty showroom called Audio Alternative, has adopted the brand for his 20-year-old business. Jones will formally re-christen the company on...

www.twice.com

 

[allvinyl]

Yes, I'm pretty sure the first store was the one in the house on Wheeling in Muncie.

 

[Another Johnson]

Yes, I'm pretty sure the first store was the one in the house on Wheeling in Muncie.

According to this Muncie based site, HiFi Buys started in Georgia in 1973 and expanded to Muncie in 1975.

Graphics - Local Business Hall of Fame - Shopping - HiFi Buys Electronics Store - Muncie Map Co LLC

munciemap.com

 

[allvinyl]

If the Muncie business hall of fame is claiming the first Muncie HiFi Buys is that shop in Northwest Plaza shown in the picture, then they're wrong. That plaza location was preceded by the location almost directly across Wheeling in a house next to the Long John Silver's.

 

[Kjetil]

I’ve never owned a current high end turntable.
My first was a Rega Planar 3 bought in 1987. In 2007 I bought a used Sota Sapphire Series II/V with a Well tempered arm, which I guess was high end in the eighties. Two years ago I bought a pristine Thorens TD 125 Mk. II from 1973, gave it a new electronics board and put a Bokrand arm on it. I consider this as high end as folks with TD 124s do with theirs.

 

[Another Johnson]

If the Muncie business hall of fame is claiming the first Muncie HiFi Buys is that shop in Northwest Plaza shown in the picture, then they're wrong. That plaza location was preceded by the location almost directly across Wheeling in a house next to the Long John Silver's.

You’ll have to dig this out for yourself. All references that I have found say that Mel Silverman founded HiFi Buys in 1973 and that the first store was in Atlanta. I was living in Atlanta in 1973, and so I personally know the store was there. If you can confirm that your “in the Muncie house” store was operating before 1973, then that would indicate it preceded the Atlanta operation. The Munciemaps site does not say that their picture is of the first location in Muncie. It is just a picture of an old, now gone, HiFi Buys.

The actual claim to being the currently operating oldest audio dealer who can trace roots back the farthest to the original HiFi Buys is the Nashville store. The Munciemaps site does not appear to be aware of that location.

 

[Another Johnson]

I’ve never owned a current high end turntable.
My first was a Rega Planar 3 bought in 1987. In 2007 I bought a used Sota Sapphire Series II/V with a Well tempered arm, which I guess was high end in the eighties. Two years ago I bought a pristine Thorens TD 125 Mk. II from 1973, gave it a new electronics board and put a Bokrand arm on it. I consider this as high end as folks with TD 124s do with theirs.

Trying to put this thread back on track from the Muncie, Indiana HiFi Buys saga, I would offer that all of the turntables you mention were/are very nice. They can be set up to sound wonderful. I expect all of them have brought pleasure.

The first turntable that I bought that was sold to me as “High End” was really not. It was a P-Mount style linear tracking Technics SLQL1. My first Garrard was sold to me as “entry level to excellence.” I wanted to buy a TT that I would not have to upgrade later. Little did I know (literally 50+ years ago). “High end” was not in common use.

I also had one of Joe Grado’s turntables with his wooden arm, which was important for its day. I’ve still got a Dual 1009 that gets used because it will run at 16 and 78, as well as 33 and 45.

 

[Another Johnson]

Back to the topic of the thread, my first good turntable was a Garrard. My first high end turntable was a 1978 LP12. The serial number is the only original thing that remains. Not a single original part is in the current build. Linn transferred the serial number when I did the first plinth upgrade many years ago. The deck is currently Klimax level except for the Radikal 2 upgrade. It is one of four decks here that see regular use.

I’ve thought about this some more, and I had a VPI HW19 mk? with Souther linear tracking tone arm before the Linn. I actually sold VPI and Souther, along with Dynavector and others, out of my house until I figured out that it was not worth the time investment to make sales. It was a side hustle by appointment.

I should have taken pictures, but in that pre digital era, even if I had pictures, it would be hard to find them.

 

[Dogberry]

My first semi-respectable deck was a Garrard SP25 MkIV bought in 1977 in Putney. I left it in the UK on moving to Canada and didn't have a turntable again until I bought a Planar 3 from Peak Audio in Halifax in 2006, with a Shure V15. A year later I bought my first SME Model 10, and then things got bad. Bought a Series V, started trying various cartridges, eventually buying a second Model 10 and a couple of Series IV arms.

 

[Dentdog]

After my hiatus from what was then a decent system, kids, divorce and relative poverty, once again down the rabbit hole. Trans fi Salvation/Terminator arm ala Marc for about ten years. Switched to a JTN Nantais Reference 3 this past year and recently had a Kuzma 4point 14 setup by Brian Walsh. Pretty sure I'm done.

 

[spiritofmusic]

After my hiatus from what was then a decent system, kids, divorce and relative poverty, once again down the rabbit hole. Trans fi Salvation/Terminator arm ala Marc for about ten years. Switched to a JTN Nantais Reference 3 this past year and recently had a Kuzma 4point 14 setup by Brian Walsh. Pretty sure I'm done.

Very interesting. I'm still in the Salvation Terminator camp, but effectively all that remains from the stock rig I bought a decade ago, is the platter. All else is changed for the better.
Good luck with the Nantais.

 

[Dentdog]

Hi Marc,
Never tricked out the Trans Fi like you have and had some problems with the bearing. WIthout Vic around to solve a couple of things decided to make the switch. I hear some thing from idlers that are my cup of tea so next logical thing was Lenco. Pleased.