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Nice turntables. Attached picture is an absolute requirement.

Frank Dernie

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Another one from me: a Garrard Synchro-Lab 75, with an Empire 990 C/X cartridge.

As Winnie-the-Pooh might say, the old Garrard has a rumbly in its tumbly. I can tell that the stylus on the cartridge has seen far better days.

But I'm enjoying the heck out of the ol' thing . . .
That was my first turntable saved up for and bought in 1968 when I started my engineering apprenticeship.
I had very little money and I used a ceramic cartridge connected in mono into the microphone input of my valve reel-to-reel tape recorder. At least I had music.
 

antcollinet

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I really like non-square turntables. Perhaps this is the moment to actually ask if any of these two are actually good devices, because my eyes love them, but the performance may be terrible.

This one from Pro Ject.
pro-ject-rpm-3-carbon.jpg

And this other one, from Avid:

ingenium2.jpg
Like you, I like the aesthetics.

I don't like the way the tonearm (and stylus) is parked out in mid air, just asking to be damaged.
 

Vacceo

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Like you, I like the aesthetics.

I don't like the way the tonearm (and stylus) is parked out in mid air, just asking to be damaged.
I guess there are covers for them, but you're right, it looks flimsy.
 

Thermionics

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This is a Japan 100v Technics SP10 Mk2 that @JP completely rebuilt and then sold to me at a very fair price. Plinth is from Moldova via eBay, arm is a Fidelity Research FR24 Mk2, and cart is a Denon DL103r with an aluminum cap. For mono LPs, I have a Lyra Helikon Mono cart I (also) bought from JP. He's apparently my Analog Pusher Man. ;)

View attachment 175665

I also have an SP15 + Sumiko FT3 arm + potted Denon DL103r with a line contact stylus in the home theater and a Technics SL10 + EPS 310mc at the office that I found for $35 about 10 years back.

What can I say, I've got a thing for Technics DD turntables.
Update - replaced the Denon DL103r with a low-use secondhand Lyra Delos. Much lower noise floor.
 

Risto_H

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Since no one has posted this one yet, here's my Denon DP-51F that I bought new in 1985. I have bought a Shure V15 Type IV in the previous year and got it installed in a Yamaha TT but moved it to the Denon when I got it. Later on I upgraded the needle to MR version which I still use. I bought a CD player right after that and did not use it much so I'm pretty sure the MR needle has only 100 - 200 hours on it. The TT was stored for almost 20 years until I took it back to use a couple of years ago.

In the pictures there's a prototype RIAA of my own design that I built in 1989. The tonearm is really something that you cannot get any longer, anywhere unless you find a Denon or perhaps a Sony from this era. It has active damping, tracking, anti-skating and stylus force with linear servos. These servos also lift and move the arm gracefully and silently.

Oh, this seems to also be my first post here although I have followed ASR almost three years now. :)

IMG_20180923_203201.jpg


IMG_20180923_203739.jpg


IMG_20180923_203753.jpg


IMG_20190104_233754.jpg
 

cgallery

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I'm going to take the average down some. :)

Somewhat DIY turntable with entirely DIY tonearm. Somewhat on the table, because the motor/drive is pulled from a Technics SL-6 (linear tracker). I ordered one of these on eBay and the tonearm carriage had a stress fracture on plastic part that holds the linear bearing. Ordered a replacement part (a used part of course), same break. So pulled the platter/motor, figured out the wiring/voltages, and built my own.

Made my own arm. Started as a pretty typical unipivot. I tried a couple methods of restraining the roll, ended up with elastic bands, which also provide a degree of damping. Latest wand design has the counterweight attached directly to it. Counterweight is Sorbothane, which provides some damping of energy that makes it past the cartridge and into the arm, if you look closely, you'll see it is the same as the 3x Sorbothane feet. :)

Wiring is shielded, which makes for a nice quiet background, I just took the resistance of the shield/jacket into consideration when determining anti-skating. The switch controls 33/45-RPM. I actually don't have any 45-RPM music, but do have some 45-RPM test records.

Right now I'm mostly using the Realistic 42-2109 phono preamp I modified, removing the on-board power supply components save for the final cap, and I run an external 24vdc linear/regulated wall wart. It was pretty darn quiet to start, it is very quiet now. This 42-2109 has also had the parts upgrade from eBay to swap all the old components (caps, etc.) with newer stuff. I like the sound a lot.

Not pretty like all the other stuff posted in this thread, but it is nice to listen to.

20220626_100527.jpg
 

Thermionics

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I'm going to take the average down some. :)

Somewhat DIY turntable with entirely DIY tonearm. Somewhat on the table, because the motor/drive is pulled from a Technics SL-6 (linear tracker). I ordered one of these on eBay and the tonearm carriage had a stress fracture on plastic part that holds the linear bearing. Ordered a replacement part (a used part of course), same break. So pulled the platter/motor, figured out the wiring/voltages, and built my own.

Made my own arm. Started as a pretty typical unipivot. I tried a couple methods of restraining the roll, ended up with elastic bands, which also provide a degree of damping. Latest wand design has the counterweight attached directly to it. Counterweight is Sorbothane, which provides some damping of energy that makes it past the cartridge and into the arm, if you look closely, you'll see it is the same as the 3x Sorbothane feet. :)

Wiring is shielded, which makes for a nice quiet background, I just took the resistance of the shield/jacket into consideration when determining anti-skating. The switch controls 33/45-RPM. I actually don't have any 45-RPM music, but do have some 45-RPM test records.

Right now I'm mostly using the Realistic 42-2109 phono preamp I modified, removing the on-board power supply components save for the final cap, and I run an external 24vdc linear/regulated wall wart. It was pretty darn quiet to start, it is very quiet now. This 42-2109 has also had the parts upgrade from eBay to swap all the old components (caps, etc.) with newer stuff. I like the sound a lot.

Not pretty like all the other stuff posted in this thread, but it is nice to listen to.

View attachment 214859
Could you post a photo with the platter removed (or a shot from underneath) so we can see the whole SL6 motor & drive setup?
 

Angsty

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The current objects of my audio desire are the Luxman PD-171 and the little stablemate PD-151. Plotting to get one when the circumstances are right. I love the simplicity and solidity of these designs.


main.jpg
 

Fazeshift

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I enjoyed looking through the various turntables in this thread. I discovered my love for music early, thanks to my parents playing a lot of music in our house. The audio equipment always intruiged me as well. My dad had a decent mid-70's setup - Dual 1229, Sansui 771, Rectilinear III low-boys. I also grew up through the transition from analog to digital formats, and while people are very opinionated on the merits of each, I personally seek to maximize my enjoyment of the music, whatever the medium. Over the last 5 years, I have been rediscovering all the music from my parents vinyl collection. I tried a couple inexpensive modern turntables (the ones with vintage brand names, but are manufactured by Hanpin and Ya Horng) but was disappointed with overall build quality and "feel." (I say that because vinyl is definitely a tactile experience, and that tangible aspect is probably why there is such a resurgence.) I upgraded to a Technics SL-1200GR in 2018, which is my main turntable. It isn't exotic, nor do I have any artisic photos, but in keeping the spirit of this thread...

IMG_20180713_165502.jpg



I have also acquired [too] many vintage turntables over the last couple years. Most were thrift finds and in "for parts" condition. I have an engineering/electronics background, so it has been an enjoyable challenge for me to restore/refurbish them. Some repairs required 3D printing replacement parts/gears, etc. Many of those get rotated into my setup for personal listening, which lets me experience their pros/cons and overall feel. Again, nothing exotic, but a few of those:
  • Technics SL-1600mk2
  • Technics SL-1300mk2
  • JVC QL-F4
  • JVC QL-7
  • Denon DP-37F
  • Mitsubishi LT-22
  • Onkyo CP-1046F
  • Pioneer PL-L800
  • Technics SL-Q3
  • Technics SL-J33

Could you post a photo with the platter removed (or a shot from underneath) so we can see the whole SL6 motor & drive setup?

I think I found the OP's build thread while looking for the DD motor photos:
https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/repurpose-technics-sl-6-turntable-motor.340497/

This is the flat-coil and PCB-based FG (Frequency Generator) design that Technics used in many linear trackers and mid-80's P-mount tonearm turntables (E.g., Q200, Q350, QD33, etc). The motor in the modern SL-1200GR, SL-1500C, and SL-1200mk7 appears to be an evolution of this design.

In my testing, even the non-Quartz-locked motors (SL-5 was my test subject) measured significantly better than many modern turntables, making it an excellent choice for DIY builds.
 

Angsty

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Despite >30 years passing since the peak of vinyl unit sales, turntable and playback technology has likely retrograded from the peaks then. A lack of R&D and manufacturing volume finds us with many higher end products that may be no better performing than mid-priced products of yesteryear. There still is no one producing a product comparable to the Nakamichi Dragon CT or TX1000, even at >$100,000.
 

anmpr1

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There still is no one producing a product comparable to the Nakamichi Dragon CT or TX1000, even at >$100,000.
An operation called DS Audio makes an add-on Disc Rotation Interociter that is supposed to allow manual adjustment in order to cure disc eccentricities. It cost more money than you'd expect to pay for a high performance Japanese motorcycle, and is one of those things that half way through the measuring process you'll likely begin to ask yourself, "Why am I doing this?"

But it's there if you need it. Frankly, I'd be looking for a refurbed Nak...

nak.jpg
 
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