Nice turntables. Attached picture is an absolute requirement.

[Bland_username42069]

Welcome to the linear tracking side of things! Good to have another one.
This is what I have (built from 1984-1986) and this one is shown without the lid.
Check out the tracking error angle the third line down (after it says: Commentary).
Mine also has a rather rare (for the time) 120/60 HZ-240/50 HZ voltage switch, so can use in the same locales as yours.
There are other specs that I cannot compare, as I could not find them for yours.
Audio Database

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• Technics SL-M3​

• 
  
• ¥ 99,800 (around 1986)

Commentary​

A full-auto player with linear tracking system.

It is equipped with a unique linear tracking arm that can make tracking error, which causes distortion during playback, and inside force, which causes channel imbalance, close to 0.
The tracking error angle is within ± 0.05 ° by detecting the arm deflection angle with an optical sensor and obtaining a high-precision detection signal.

The tone arm uses a unique dynamic balance system, and the arm bearing uses a 4-point support system gimbal suspension system.
In addition, the arm has a low mass design with an effective mass of 13g including the cartridge.

Diameter 32.5 cm, Weight 2.5 kg, Inertial Mass 427 kg / cm2Large and heavy aluminum die-cast turntable has been adopted.

Continuously variable pitch adjustment within ± 6% is possible.

Equipped with an electronically controlled full auto mechanism.

Equipped with plug-in connector system MM type cartridge.

TNRC and high-density particle board are used for the cabinet.

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• 
  
• 

Model Rating​

Type	Quartz DD full auto player system
<Turntable portion>
Drive system	Direct drive
Control system	Quartz control
Number of revolutions	33 1/3, 45 rpm
Wow flutter	0.022%W.R.M.S(JIS C5521) 0.008% W. R. M. S (Rotating Part Only)
Signal-to-noise ratio	82 dB (DIN-B, IEC98A weighted)
Cartridge Section
Type	Plug-in connector MM type stereo cartridge
Exchange needle	EPS-P205ED4(¥15,000)
<General>
Pwer	100 VAC, 50Hz/60Hz
Power consumption	22W
External dimensions	Width 526x Height 202x Depth 426 mm
Weight	13.5kg

a beauty.

I keep flirting with the idea of a linear tracker. The last one I had died in a greasy disintegrating mess but when it did work it sounded great.

 

[EJ3]

a beauty.

I keep flirting with the idea of a linear tracker. The last one I had died in a greasy disintegrating mess but when it did work it sounded great.

Greasy, disintegrating mess: that was it begging you to cremate it.

 

[Buck_Rogers]

Did someone mention, Linear Tracking Tonearm's?

Machined and modded tons of pivoted arms in the 70's and 80's then made a few dozen of these Air Bearing tonearms.

Made my daily driver table/arm still in use today in 1997, Just a little ahead of our time...

https://imgur.com/Qer6gHQ

https://imgur.com/Qer6gHQ

 

[JRowland]

Did someone mention, Linear Tracking Tonearm's?

Machined and modded tons of pivoted arms in the 70's and 80's then made a few dozen of these Air Bearing tonearms.

Made my daily driver table/arm still in use today in 1997, Just a little ahead of our time...

https://imgur.com/Qer6gHQ

https://imgur.com/Qer6gHQ

No compressor noise for the air supply?

 

[Buck_Rogers]

The GAST Linear air pump is very hard to hear at 10 feet. Used for fish ponds of all things.

Design is a thing of beauty! A floating iron core suspended in a coil using rubber diaphragm's.

Don't remember if it was 7,000 hours or 10,000 hours MTBF but I found a bunch of them on the bay for 75$.

Also by matching the output CFM to any Air Bearing, No regulation is required and water build up is eliminated!

 

[JRowland]

The GAST Linear air pump is very hard to hear at 10 feet. Used for fish ponds of all things.

Design is a thing of beauty! A floating iron core suspended in a coil.

Don't remember if it was 7,000 hours or 10,000 hours MTBF but I found a bunch of them on the bay for 75$.

I wondered if it was an aquarium unit, beautiful turntable and super cool air bearing!

 

[Buck_Rogers]

Always been surprised that no one has copied it in the 30 years since I designed and built them.

Perhaps the manufacturing is beyond the capabilities of most master machinists.

My friend who has one lets his 9 yr old daughter use his table because it's so easy.

I'd be a little worried about his 5K$ cartridge...

This is the full size table. With an amazing 48 pole Alinco Synchronisis Hystersis motor.

Last item, The "Fluid Damped" tonearm is in a different league, So clean and clear sounding!

 

[DVinylfan]

Always been surprised that no one has copied it in the 30 years since I designed and built them.

Perhaps the manufacturing is beyond the capabilities of most master machinists.

My friend who has one lets his 9 yr old daughter use his table because it's so easy.

I'd be a little worried about his 5K$ cartridge...

This is the full size table. With an amazing 48 pole Alinco Synchronis Hystersis motor.

Last item, The "Fluid Damped" tonearm is in a different league, Shocking!

Wow. But one motor, round profile belt?
Tweaks incoming

 

[JeffS7444]

I hope to take delivery of a new Rekkord M500 aka Dual CS 800 later this week. Wasn't sure whether this venture from the Pro-Ject folks was still a going concern, as stock appeared to be dwindling, so I decided not to delay any longer. Think I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

 

[Buck_Rogers]

Wow. But one motor, round profile belt?
Tweaks incoming

Custom 46" Flat belts for turntables are now common, Not available in 2005.

The platter is about 45 Lb on a 1" Hardened tool steel bearing with a 33 Micron precision finish.

One motor is fine...

 

[JeffS7444]

Rekkord M500 arrived today!

Removable headshell isn't as convenient as it ought to be: Where earlier models had an electrical disconnect between arm and headshell, this unit has a continuous length of very thin wire spanning the length of the arm, making cartridge installation a particularly delicate operation! For sanity's sake, I'll probably incorporate said disconnect at some point. In any event, the older style of headshell w/disconnect seems to be the only sort which is readily available.

Belt appears to be a common flat type, approx 154 mm folded length.

A single touch control turns the unit off and on, and allows for speed selection - when it works.

I hope to iron out these annoyances soon enough, but as delivered, it's not up to the level I've come to expect from brands like Audio Technica, let alone Technics.

 

[antcollinet]

Removable headshell isn't as convenient as it ought to be:

Ugh - worst of both worlds. Reduced rigidity from the mechanical connection, without the benefit of electrical connection.


Nice looking turntable though.

 

[MaxwellsEq]

Rekkord M500 arrived today!

Removable headshell isn't as convenient as it ought to be: Where earlier models had an electrical disconnect between arm and headshell, this unit has a continuous length of very thin wire spanning the length of the arm, making cartridge installation a particularly delicate operation! For sanity's sake, I'll probably incorporate said disconnect at some point. In any event, the older style of headshell w/disconnect seems to be the only sort which is readily available.

Belt appears to be a common flat type, approx 154 mm folded length.

A single touch control turns the unit off and on, and allows for speed selection - when it works.

I hope to iron out these annoyances soon enough, but as delivered, it's not up to the level I've come to expect from brands like Audio Technica, let alone Technics.

View attachment 531038

That arm bearing looks very similar to my original Dual CS505.

 

[Pauli]

Rekkord M500 arrived today!

Wow – »Made in Germany« triggers my attention. Nevertheless, I wouldn’t consider buying it instead of my recently purchased Technics SL-1500C.

 

[JeffS7444]

I made my peace with removable headshells a long time ago (they're so handy): In practice, I can't say I've noticed anything I could attribute to rigidity of a fixed setup such as Linn's Ittok versus the SME-type connection on my A-T 120 or the Rekkord's proprietary setup, save that the latter two allow a small amount of rotational wiggle room when the collet is loosened, which affects cartridge azimuth to a measurable degree. So once I've got azimuth optimized (as determined by a feature on Parks Audio Waxwing in combination with Ultimate Analog Test Record), and the collet is locked down, I don't disturb it until I actually want to fuss with the cartridge.

Plastic-and-aluminum tonearm certainly lives up to it's Ultra Low Mass billing, and seems to pair nicely with my Ortofon 2M Red. My previous project of converting a Numark portable turntable to proper MM cartridge gave me an appreciation of plastic tonearm + spring downforce - never had seen anything handle warped records so effortlessly before, even at just 2 grams VTF.

M500 "suspension" is a curious thing: No springs, just four inverted rubber cones, supplemented with a trio of surprisingly luxurious isolation feet on the underside of the base. No adjustments, nothing bounces, and yet the combo seems to filter out subsonic energy from the environment well.

Technics would have been the more logical buy for sure, but having owned a well-used SL1200 Mk II previously, I felt like trying something different, particularly a suspended design. Had thoughts of going as far as an SL1300, but oh man, figured I was going to regret the first time I had to move the thing: "Why do I own so many heavy and fragile things!?". And I thought the standard-issue 1200 was kind of heavy...

AFAIK Alfred Fehrenbacher GmbH is currently insolvent, and not for the first time.

 

[Platypus20]

I have 4 systems in the house, in 3 of them, I use a Pioneer PLX 1000, with AT-VM95ML, one feeding a Aragon 47K phono preamp and the other two feed a Schitt Skoll phono preamps

 

[Sjkrabbe]

this was my TT - Thorens TD 1601 with a Ortofon 2M Black LvB250 - But it is sold now and I bought a new TT - a Thorens TD 1601 - BUT with the new improved arm TP160

View attachment 528558

And taadaaa - this in first play on my new TT - Still a Thorens TD1601 but with an improved arm.

With an Ortofon 2M Black. A fairly new Thorens model that looks like an old model - stylish I would call it
The arm on the EMTs we had at Danish Broadcasting Corp. in the old days must have been the model for this arm - So much so that the arm on this one is almost a clone of the EMT arm in terms of design.

 

[JeffS7444]

Rekkord M500 interior with touch control PCB at upper right. Largest black object on the board is a relay for switching motor speed, and in the center is an ATtiny24A microcontroller.

On a hunch, I applied flux to all devices on that PCB, and reflowed the solder with hot air. It works! Examining the board with a thermal camera revealed no overheating devices.

 

[Pauli]

Looks kind of minimalistic. Together with the unit’s weight of only 5.5 kg it makes me wonder if a price of > 1K could easily be justified.

 

[EJ3]

Looks kind of minimalistic. Together with the unit’s weight of only 5.5 kg it makes me wonder if a price of > 1K could easily be justified.

Minimalist design engineering has it's costs, too. It's not just about parts count.