What turntables do you use? Pictures would be nice as well :-)

[godofwealth]

I have several turntables, but I'll display my cheapest, and in some ways, the most elegant design. The only turntable on permanent display at the Museum, of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. This is the Technics SL-10, which really addressed many of the issues that plague vinyl replay. The linear tracker of course solves the alignment problem, but here the arm is so short, it almost doesn't exist. So, arm resonance is nada. To simplify the set up of a cartridge, it only takes P-mount. No tracking force adjustment, since it's preset for 1.5 grams. Changing a cartridge is like 2-3 minutes, if you are really slow. But we are just getting warmed up in terms of what is innovative about this design. It has a built in clamping mechanism. The arm is dynamically stabilized so this is probably the only turntable in the world that can play LPs just fine if you hang it up on the wall (or perhaps even upside down, although that would make it hard to change records!). Of course, being a Technics, it's direct drive, and the rumble noise is really low. I have several MM cartridges, but my favorite is the hard to get Shure V15 LT, the legendary Shure cartridge made for this turntable. I haven't found a record that it cannot track. There are some records that my SME 20/12 with the V12 arm has trouble with. This little guy? Breezes through such hard to track records. It's easy to fix if it breaks, once you watch a few videos of how to repair it. Simple things like the belt can break, and that's happened to me once. The arm needs a bit of tuning once in a while. In short, this is a legendary turntable that takes up very little space, costs very little since you can only buy it used, and if you are lucky, you might get one in mint condition. Technics made a lot of them, so it's not hard to find. Don't get the other SL models, which are a bit cheesy compared to this solidly built one. Measurements by Hi Fi News shows that this challenges state of the art turntables even today. An oldie, but a Goldie. Best of all, its automatic play, so put on a record, sit back and relax with a glass of wine, and when the record ends, the arm lifts and glides back so quietly and softly, you won't even hear it.

Technics SL-10 turntable Lab Report

Lab Report Because the SL-10's four-pivot, gimbal-suspended linear-tracking arm is servo-driven in response to the lateral force exerted upon it by the cartridge, the scope of each incremental adjustment is very largely influenced by the eccentricity of the LP in play. Spectrum analysis reveals...

www.hifinews.com

 

[Loheswaran]

Here's my Kuzma Stabi R, moved to this after using a Garrard for the last 25 years. This Kuzma used to belong to a fellow forum member and right now I am using it with a 4point 9" arm and a Schroder 11" CB. There are 2 Lyra Etna's, both non lambdas, the one on the Schroder is a Mono and the Kuzma has the stereo....I also have a 4point 11" and go back and forth between the two Kuzmas trying to find which one I like better, one needs to be sold....I tend to favor the 9", it's faster and most explosive and lighter on it's feet...the 11" has a more weightier sound but sounds a little slow and dark to me in direct comparison......decisions!!!.......View attachment 139771View attachment 139772View attachment 139773View attachment 139774

Nice - I also am impressed with how you used ur own ears and brains to choose/prefer the shorter arm over the longer one. Many get drawn into the debate over length without making their own critical judgement. I stay out of the length debate myself - more how one uses it

 

[christensenleif@msn.com]

I have several turntables, but I'll display my cheapest, and in some ways, the most elegant design. The only turntable on permanent display at the Museum, of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. This is the Technics SL-10, which really addressed many of the issues that plague vinyl replay. The linear tracker of course solves the alignment problem, but here the arm is so short, it almost doesn't exist. So, arm resonance is nada. To simplify the set up of a cartridge, it only takes P-mount. No tracking force adjustment, since it's preset for 1.5 grams. Changing a cartridge is like 2-3 minutes, if you are really slow. But we are just getting warmed up in terms of what is innovative about this design. It has a built in clamping mechanism. The arm is dynamically stabilized so this is probably the only turntable in the world that can play LPs just fine if you hang it up on the wall (or perhaps even upside down, although that would make it hard to change records!). Of course, being a Technics, it's direct drive, and the rumble noise is really low. I have several MM cartridges, but my favorite is the hard to get Shure V15 LT, the legendary Shure cartridge made for this turntable. I haven't found a record that it cannot track. There are some records that my SME 20/12 with the V12 arm has trouble with. This little guy? Breezes through such hard to track records. It's easy to fix if it breaks, once you watch a few videos of how to repair it. Simple things like the belt can break, and that's happened to me once. The arm needs a bit of tuning once in a while. In short, this is a legendary turntable that takes up very little space, costs very little since you can only buy it used, and if you are lucky, you might get one in mint condition. Technics made a lot of them, so it's not hard to find. Don't get the other SL models, which are a bit cheesy compared to this solidly built one. Measurements by Hi Fi News shows that this challenges state of the art turntables even today. An oldie, but a Goldie. Best of all, its automatic play, so put on a record, sit back and relax with a glass of wine, and when the record ends, the arm lifts and glides back so quietly and softly, you won't even hear it.

Technics SL-10 turntable Lab Report

Lab Report Because the SL-10's four-pivot, gimbal-suspended linear-tracking arm is servo-driven in response to the lateral force exerted upon it by the cartridge, the scope of each incremental adjustment is very largely influenced by the eccentricity of the LP in play. Spectrum analysis reveals...

www.hifinews.com

View attachment 139777

it can also run on 12 VDC...actually thought about hanging it up on a wall in my sailing boat.....ha-ha.....now my son uses it and prefers it to KD500 with Black Widow and Shure V15 IV

 

[mtemur]

I have several turntables, but I'll display my cheapest, and in some ways, the most elegant design. The only turntable on permanent display at the Museum, of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York City. This is the Technics SL-10, which really addressed many of the issues that plague vinyl replay. The linear tracker of course solves the alignment problem, but here the arm is so short, it almost doesn't exist. So, arm resonance is nada. To simplify the set up of a cartridge, it only takes P-mount. No tracking force adjustment, since it's preset for 1.5 grams. Changing a cartridge is like 2-3 minutes, if you are really slow. But we are just getting warmed up in terms of what is innovative about this design. It has a built in clamping mechanism. The arm is dynamically stabilized so this is probably the only turntable in the world that can play LPs just fine if you hang it up on the wall (or perhaps even upside down, although that would make it hard to change records!). Of course, being a Technics, it's direct drive, and the rumble noise is really low. I have several MM cartridges, but my favorite is the hard to get Shure V15 LT, the legendary Shure cartridge made for this turntable. I haven't found a record that it cannot track. There are some records that my SME 20/12 with the V12 arm has trouble with. This little guy? Breezes through such hard to track records. It's easy to fix if it breaks, once you watch a few videos of how to repair it. Simple things like the belt can break, and that's happened to me once. The arm needs a bit of tuning once in a while. In short, this is a legendary turntable that takes up very little space, costs very little since you can only buy it used, and if you are lucky, you might get one in mint condition. Technics made a lot of them, so it's not hard to find. Don't get the other SL models, which are a bit cheesy compared to this solidly built one. Measurements by Hi Fi News shows that this challenges state of the art turntables even today. An oldie, but a Goldie. Best of all, its automatic play, so put on a record, sit back and relax with a glass of wine, and when the record ends, the arm lifts and glides back so quietly and softly, you won't even hear it.

Technics SL-10 turntable Lab Report

Lab Report Because the SL-10's four-pivot, gimbal-suspended linear-tracking arm is servo-driven in response to the lateral force exerted upon it by the cartridge, the scope of each incremental adjustment is very largely influenced by the eccentricity of the LP in play. Spectrum analysis reveals...

www.hifinews.com

View attachment 139777

I’ve had the chance to hear the Technics SL-10 many times and even tinker with it, as a couple of my friends used to own one. There’s no denying that it’s a sleek, stylish turntable. It sounds decent, but to say it resolved many of the issues that plague vinyl playback would be a stretch. In reality, the format that truly addressed those issues was the Compact Disc.

If you still prefer the sound of vinyl, it’s clear that CDs surely didn’t deliver on their promise, nor did the SL-10 eliminate all the challenges of vinyl playback. That said, it’s a great turntable for the price and offers excellent value. Just keep in mind that, (and people plan to own one) you may need to visit a skilled technician, as many of its plastic parts are prone to breaking.

By the way, the SL-10 isn’t the only vertical-playing turntable from the ’80s. Here’s an example of a similar model by Mitsubishi:


I’ve heard this turntable as well, and it sounds great. Here’s the post about it: The Story of My Mitsubishi LT-5V Turntable.

I know a thing or two about turntables, tonearms, and alignment. If an SME 20/12 with an SME V tonearm isn’t tracking well, I can confidently say the issue isn’t with the tonearm or the turntable. You’ll need to look elsewhere for the problem—it’s certainly possible.

 

[Argonaut]

I’ve had the chance to hear the Technics SL-10 many times and even tinker with it, as a couple of my friends used to own one. There’s no denying that it’s a sleek, stylish turntable. It sounds decent,

The SL-15 was a fun turntable also , especially at party’s for obvious reasons … start the vid then fast forward to 4mins and see the machine end of track 2 then auto skip track 3 and play the next selected track 4 .

 

[Tangram]

Nice - I also am impressed with how you used ur own ears and brains to choose/prefer the shorter arm over the longer one. Many get drawn into the debate over length without making their own critical judgement. I stay out of the length debate myself - more how one uses it

I’ve been noodling on adding another 4Point 11 or a 9 to my Stabi R for about a year. Setting aside the arm tube length debate, on the fly VTA is a REALLY nice feature for dialing things in.

 

[kozzmo]

I’ve been noodling on adding another 4Point 11 or a 9 to my Stabi R for about a year. Setting aside the arm tube length debate, on the fly VTA is a REALLY nice feature for dialing things in.

It is a nice feature but honestly me personally, I'm a set it and forget it kind of guy, it's not hard at all to use the screw VTA on the 9"

 

[kozzmo]

Nice - I also am impressed with how you used ur own ears and brains to choose/prefer the shorter arm over the longer one. Many get drawn into the debate over length without making their own critical judgement. I stay out of the length debate myself - more how one uses it

I would love to say that my brain could definitively say keep the 9" yet at the moment it's screaming but you LOVE the weight and heft of the sound of the 11"!!!

 

[PeterA]

I would love to say that my brain could definitively say keep the 9" yet at the moment it's screaming but you LOVE the weight and heft of the sound of the 11"!!!

Is there a 10 inch arm? Maybe it’s a silly question, but I wonder if that length and whatever in the two designs lead to their individual characteristics might somehow make it into a 10 arm that gives you close to the best of both.

 

[Tangram]

Is there a 10 inch arm? Maybe it’s a silly question, but I wonder if that length and whatever in the two designs lead to their individual characteristics might somehow make it into a 10 arm that gives you close to the best of both.

No, but there’s a 14 inch!

 

[Loheswaran]

I would love to say that my brain could definitively say keep the 9" yet at the moment it's screaming but you LOVE the weight and heft of the sound of the 11"!!!

I remember talking to Max Townshend for about 30-40 minutes a month before he died. In that discussion (this is condensed BTW) he took the view that shorter is better - I think the guy that makes the SAT has the same view. Geoffrey Owen from Helius said 10.5 and Breuer settled on that too. In short I’m fairly confident that each arm has its own optimum length but market force determines an awful lot

 

[godofwealth]

My fully restored Garrard 301 (grease bearing) with a SME 312S that has mounted a Miyajima Zero Infinity mono cartridge. What is about the Garrard that makes it so compelling to listen to, particularly for mono LPs? After listening to this system, my SME 20/12 table sounds a bit sleepy. The 301 has drive and panache. The Miyajima tells you why in vinyl, mono is king. Stereo sounds like a pale imitation, which is why The Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Coltrane and many artists hated stereo versions of their albums, around the time record companies were starting to thrust the newfangled stereo on everyone because they made a few more cents per record. As the great violinist Jascha Heifetz put it so well, “high phooey and hystereo”.

Here’s a motto for the vinyl lover: “Give me mono or give me death “.

 

[Loheswaran]

My fully restored Garrard 301 (grease bearing) with a SME 312S that has mounted a Miyajima Zero Infinity mono cartridge. What is about the Garrard that makes it so compelling to listen to, particularly for mono LPs? After listening to this system, my SME 20/12 table sounds a bit sleepy. The 301 has drive and panache. The Miyajima tells you why in vinyl, mono is king. Stereo sounds like a pale imitation, which is why The Beatles, Bob Dylan, John Coltrane and many artists hated stereo versions of their albums, around the time record companies were starting to thrust the newfangled stereo on everyone because they made a few more cents per record. As the great violinist Jascha Heifetz put it so well, “high phooey and hystereo”.

Here’s a motto for the vinyl lover: “Give me mono or give me death “.

View attachment 139912

Nice. Idlers from what I’ve listened to have such wonderful oomph and drive

 

[hb22]

Holbo mk2

 

[Hydrology]

Approx 47 years old now and going strong. Original except for new Karousel bearing upgrade.

 

[groovemaster]

Oh yes. Kuzma!.
I like the wood plinth, too. Connected both tonearms with the AS Phonolab PRO. The user got it from Audiospecials, a german manufacture in Cologne.

audiospecials || PHONOLAB PRO Phonostage

audiospecials PHONOLAB Pro. Phonostage

www.audiospecials.de

I am not really sure about the cartridges, but it sounded excellent.
Both tonearms are from SORANE. This vintage look with a modern touch is so beautiful.

 

[Loheswaran]

Approx 47 years old now and going strong. Original except for new Karousel bearing upgrade.

View attachment 140063

Great attitude- just play and enjoy

 

[godofwealth]

Here’s another vintage turntable: a Technics SP-10 Mk2 with the Technics EPA 100 Ruby bearing fluid damped tonearm on which is mounted a Stanton 881 Mk2 moving magnet cartridge with the famous Stereohedron tip. Each time I play this table, I’m amazed at how well built it is. Speed control is incredibly accurate. Comes up to speed in less than a second. The tonearm is a work of genius and so light it feels like an air bearing. The cartridge tracks anything at just a gram. Truly a great combo. It may be decades old, but will challenge any SOTA system.

 

[gleeds]

Here’s another vintage turntable: a Technics SP-10 Mk2 with the Technics EPA 100 Ruby bearing fluid damped tonearm on which is mounted a Stanton 881 Mk2 moving magnet cartridge with the famous Stereohedron tip. Each time I play this table, I’m amazed at how well built it is. Speed control is incredibly accurate. Comes up to speed in less than a second. The tonearm is a work of genius and so light it feels like an air bearing. The cartridge tracks anything at just a gram. Truly a great combo. It may be decades old, but will challenge any SOTA system.

View attachment 140140

I owned this table and arm and loved it! I used and sold more Stanton 881s than I can count. The Stanton was reliable but sonically no match for the ADC XLM, especially the Grace F9E. A modern-day moving iron from Peter Lederman at Soundsmith would take your beautiful setup to a new level, but you're right—this one is a keeper for life. Thanks for sharing.

 

[bonzo75]

Posted 3 here in same room with DST cartridges.

Post in thread 'Best turntable under 50k?'
https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/best-turntable-under-50k.35945/post-1010016

Best looking was this Garrard 401 with Siberian birch layered plinth. It is not in the same class but visually the best