Turntable advice

Yeah, I probably would. I ran a DL103 (or 103R, I can't remember) on my 850L, and it worked well. I don't have anything to compare it, too, as my GrooveMaster has always had an SPU on it. You can probably find many impressions of the Denon/Jelco combo by googling around, as the Jelco has been a popular arm over the years.

Plus, I think the Jelco is a better visual match for the DL103. The banana-shaped GrooveMaster really cries out for an old-school pick-up head, IMO. But I'm sure it'd also work great with the DL103.

You can probably find 100s if not 1000s of posts about tweaking the head shell weight for the Denon carts or using aftermarket caps. But I'd think the Jelco would be a good start.

By no means an expert though.

 

Today while troubleshooting my flickering Sansui direct-drive in preparation for getting it out the door, I was VERY happy to have earlier watched this 28-minute repair video all the way to the end (no need for you to though - read below for spoiler):



Start at 22.09 - after the poor guy had gone through checking the power, replacing all the caps, blablabla - it was the microswitch!

Having similar symptoms, after giving the speed pots and speed switch a cleaning, this is where I started. Pulling the microswitch apart, there was some evidence of arcing (a smaller amount of soot than in the video), but it was in much better shape than his and with some scratching & sanding of the contacts followed by a good cleanout I was able to keep it.

My father would have enjoyed the story, and would have said (here comes the 'turntable advice' part): with anything electrical or mechanical, always check the simple stuff early!

The deck now works perfectly and with a polish of the cover will be ready for its new owner, who after 25+ years has unboxed her record collection.

 

Beginning to play with the idea of moving on from Sol. While it's been an amazing first TT to own, after 4 years I think I'm outgrowing it. Also, the fact that it's out of production definitely gives me some anxiety. Not really sure what's next so I was hoping to get some recommendations on what to look at.

Priorities:

• While I'd love to see a lower noise floor, I think user experience is going to be increasingly important going forward.
• In particular, I have shaky hands now so I'd like a TT with some kind of damping to protect against accidentally dropping the needle. Automatic also an option, but I don't know what's available without too much compromise.
• For the same reason, I also want to avoid having to move the belt around very often. Looking for either have a button to switch speeds or be compatible with my Cruise Control.

Budget's ~2k. Current cart's a Nagaoka MP-110 but that might get an upgrade when I'm anxious about breaking it. On my radar:

• Rega P3
• Technics SL1500
• VPI Cliffwood

What else should I be looking at?

 

The Rega arms have nice cue damping but unless you also buy a Rega Neo PSU, the P3 will require removing the platter and manually changing the belt from one pulley step to the other to change speeds (Rega motors are 24V AC, so not compatible with your 16V Cruise Control). An extra ~$575 for the 50th Anniversary P3 gets you the PSU included, and also a Rega cartridge (which you might not want but could sell).

From the options you list, I gather your budget is in the $1100~$1500 range? Not sure what else to recommend there. At least some of the Pro-Ject TTs around that range will work with your speed controller. Music Direct is selling refurbished Marantz TT15S1 units (rebadged Clearaudio, complete with Satisfy arm & Virtuoso wood cart) for $1350 (not compatible with Cruise Control though, AFAIK).

 

First, I must confess that I am squarely in the heavy platter camp. If it were me, I would find a lightly used Kuzma Stabi S with Stogi S tonearm on hifishark and never look back. But you said your hand are a bit shakey, so a unipivot probably isn't for you.

Another heavy weight that is probably just above your price range is the E.A.T. C-Dur turntable. I might like this one even more than the Kuzma.

How about a Clearaudio Concept with the Satisfy tonearm? Heavier and stiffer than most plus those magnetic bearings.

I would also be tempted by the Pro-Ject RPM 5 Carbon.

Whatever you decide, enjoy the search.

 

Thanks guys, definitely a couple more options for me to look into!

Thanks for the information! I said $2000 in the post, but I could probably stretch a bit if I fell in love with something. I'm also not against selling the Cruise Control & getting the appropriate speed controller-- I'd just assumed the Cruise Control was compatible with more things than it apparently is. Rega in particular is really appealing to me because I heard a P8 once and was absolutely fascinated by it. While my budget doesn't go all the way up to P8 territory, I'm kind of hoping that some part of that magic trickles down into the P3 or P6.

Thanks for the suggestions! I definitely like the look of the Clearaudio Concept and the RPM 5 Carbon, and they do seem to have a lot of the features I'm looking for. I'll do some research on the EAT you suggested as well, but I'll be honest-- it doesn't do it for me aesthetically.

 

D'oh! So you did, dunno how I missed that. 'Stretch(ing) a bit' gets you to Clearaudio Concept territory. Never heard one myself but they have a good rep.

The P6 comes with the Neo PSU speed controller, but other than that I'm not sure how much of a step up it'd be from the P3. It has a heavier platter than the P3 but the same tonearm; the plinth material is the same as the P8 but it's a traditional rectangle rather than the P8's skeleton.

I'm kinda with @lehmanhill here: if you're willing to consider used - despite all the caveats - it opens up a lot more possibilities. I'd be wary of anything automatic used though, unless you're mechanically minded & adept and willing to get your hands dirty.

 

I am able to buy this table at a great price, is it a good table to get back into vinyl with and is it a good table.
appreciate your thoughts
best,
Josh
Marantz TT-15S1 Belt Drive Turntable

 

follow up to above, whats an appropriate phono stage for this table. IFI ?

 

This table was made by Clearaudio. It's similar to the Clearaudio Emotion and has the same arm (Satisfy), so look for opinions on those too. Haven't heard either myself, so I'm sorry I can't add more.

If the cartridge is the stock one it's the Clearaudio Virtuoso which is a moving-magnet, giving you lots of choice with phono preamps - but if you're searching for a pre too, best not to limit yourself too much in case you want to put something else on later. The current Schiit Mani ($149) and Ifi Zen ($199) have good gain and loading options and have been well received here; the new Schiit Skoll ($399) is more flexible still and could be all you'll ever need.

 

kids or cats?

 

@Vansen , this page from Brent Jessee is a good resource: http://www.audiotubes.com/6dj8.htm

 

I recently ordered some NOS for my tube phono pre from Brent Jessee. It's worth telling him what you're looking to achieve and he'll let you know what he has in stock that would meet the need w/ a price quote. He actually recommended a cheaper 12AX7 than I had suggested, and also suggested an Amperex 6922 made for RCA that was a nice upgrade over my stock Electro Harmonix.

 

My recent (4 months or so?) acquisition of the Schiit Kara has shown me it is an excellent phono preamp; it’s (roughly) the equal/better to the Phono section in my Classe’ DR-6 that I used for 30+ years, and synergies well with it’s easy to use (remote!) impedance/capacitance adjustments. Ton’s of gain, quiet black grounds, etc. and, only $400 new. (In US).

 

Guessing you mean the Skoll here? I would agree, great little phono preamp for the price.

 

yeah, whoops, I got both and got em mixed up. LOL.

 

Anyone have any suggestions for phono stages with three or more inputs? I've just been playing around with some ideas.

Here's a partial list I've been compiling. A lot of these are above my budget, but I'm just seeing what's out there.

Luxman EQ-500
Phasemation EA-350
Lab 12 Melto2
Sugden Masterclass PA-4
Accupahse C-37 / C-27
Thoress Phono Enhancer
Air Tight ATH-2 (REFERENCE) MC Step Up Transformer
Manley Steelhead
Gold Note PH-1000
Allnic various models