Looking for my first turntable

[denzong]

i bought my replacement OME5 cart for half the indian price from ebay.com
it took me a while to get it here cause of shipping but it was worth the wait.

i also dont buy vinyls from india as they are absurdly priced. there are many international sites selling records which fall much cheaper after landing.

there is no point in buying mediocre new TTs. rather buy a vintage, use it till you get the hang of it. once fully utilised and you understand the TT world then go for a high end one. no point in the 10-20k range for a new one.

lot of times it so happens that people get in this enthusiastically but leave half way cause they cannot get vinyls or find it a hassle to listen to the music in this form as you dont get remotes and cant play songs for elongated times.

my 2 cents

 

[reubensm]

i bought my replacement OME5 cart for half the indian price from ebay.com
it took me a while to get it here cause of shipping but it was worth the wait.

i also dont buy vinyls from india as they are absurdly priced. there are many international sites selling records which fall much cheaper after landing.

there is no point in buying mediocre new TTs. rather buy a vintage, use it till you get the hang of it. once fully utilised and you understand the TT world then go for a high end one. no point in the 10-20k range for a new one.

lot of times it so happens that people get in this enthusiastically but leave half way cause they cannot get vinyls or find it a hassle to listen to the music in this form as you dont get remotes and cant play songs for elongated times.

my 2 cents

I second Denzong, no point buying expensive western music albums on vinyl in India. Anything over Rs.100 for a mint LP is over-pricing. Go with ebay.com and other international sites, you'll get better deals. I've written about this in a different thread.

 

[haisaikat]

Okay so based on feedbacks received from here I have now started considering TECHNICS SL-1700 DIRECT DRIVE TURNTABLE awesome hifi record deck | eBay via a friend coiming back from UK. So will the SL1700 be a good deal 150 GBP?

 

[reubensm]

Purchases on eBay UK are generally expensive due to the exchange value of the British Pound. 150 GBP would be like 15k + around 1k currency service charges on your credit card. Then, your friend also runs the risk of being picked at airport customs (another 3-4k). If you are positioning your budget in the 16k (INR) bracket, with an additional 2 or 3k, you'd be able to import a Lenco L75 or High end Dual from Germany (with shipping included). Buying Technics turntables in the US market is the best, but there you'd need to ensure that you get a dual voltage piece (110v/220v).

 

[sachu888]

You can get very good L-75 in less price on ebay.uk.150 Pounds for Technics Sl-1700 is too much in UK.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[haisaikat]

Okay so L75 is what I should be looking for then. Will it have upgrade options for catridge? Also please suggest I good phono with this one.

 

[haisaikat]

I think what I learnt here is that for US editions the main problem is the 50 60 hz difference than 220 110.

 

[reubensm]

You can get very good L-75 in less price on ebay.uk.150 Pounds for Technics Sl-1700 is too much in UK.

Regards,
Sachin

L75s with cart usually sell in the 60-80 euro bracket on ebay.de (the ones with plinth may be more expensive, crossing the 100 euro bracket). Shipping is normally in the 70-90 euro range, so you are looking at around 150 euro on an average inclusive of shipping. Add another 3k to that for customs (if you unluckily bump into them) and you'll be playing in the 15-17k range with cart and stylus (and that too, for a 50 Hz 220volts model).

Paying 150 pounds for the Technics TT is, as ruthless as it may sound, a complete waste of money. If you are bent on Technics, there is a lovely SL3200 available (not sure if it is, now) on quickr, which I am sure is as good, if not better than the model you are targeting. I can vouch that it is good for sure, as I use this very model.

TECHNICS SL-3200 PERFECT WORKING TURNTABLE FOR SALE WITH SHIPPING FREE THROUGH OUT INDIA. in Mumbai Used Music Systems - Home Theatre on Mumbai Quikr Classifieds

Kindly note that I have no affiliation with the seller or any other related interest whatsoever. The only intention is to give you a lead.

 

[sachu888]

There are some god option on Lenco L-75/78 on ebay.co.uk Average price for decent Lenco is 100 pounds in UK.You should build a new plinth with better tonearm.It will sound better than Technics even in stock condition.
There are some good DIY Phonostage options like CNC,easy to build and sounds great.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[jls001]

I would like to tamper and dampen the advice on buying Lenco L75 with a reality check. To enjoy its potential,

1) you need to build a heavy mass plinth. This requires willingness, time, effort and money. This is a primary requirement. See if you have this issue licked. Else, don't proceed.

2) you need to invest in a better arm to replace the stock arm. This requires further hunting for the right arm, and of course more investment. This is almost as important as point 1 because the stock arm cannot keep up with the turntable.

3) fine tuning it to extract better performance from it takes lots of learning, effort, time, and one goes through one's share of frustrations. But to ease the pain, there is already a rich resource of step-by-step guidance already available online for free. You need a DIY mindset. Nothing is readymade. But the labour of your own hands will be rewarded.

 

[sachu888]

I would like to tamper and dampen the advice on buying Lenco L75 with a reality check. To enjoy its potential,

1) you need to build a heavy mass plinth. This requires willingness, time, effort and money. This is a primary requirement. See if you have this issue licked. Else, don't proceed.

2) you need to invest in a better arm to replace the stock arm. This requires further hunting for the right arm, and of course more investment. This is almost as important as point 1 because the stock arm cannot keep up with the turntable.

3) fine tuning it to extract better performance from it takes lots of learning, effort, time, and one goes through one's share of frustrations. But to ease the pain, there is already a rich resource of step-by-step guidance already available online for free. You need a DIY mindset. Nothing is readymade. But the labour of your own hands will be rewarded.

+1 what Joshua says,buy Lenco only if you have mindset to DIY and invest for a better tonearm.

Regards,
Sachin

 

[haisaikat]

So Technics SL3200 should be the choice? Can it be used from stock option to get good performance?

Lastly does it have cartridge upgrade options?

I also found this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rega-Plan..._HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables&hash=item20da671b27 will a vintage technics still sound better in stock condition as compared to such newer items. Of course they have better build but wondering about the age versus performance.

 

[reubensm]

I've heard the Regas, Projects, Music Halls and a few other new TTs and have been tempted to buy them (as budget was not a constraint in my case). However, when I heard the Technics SL3200 (with its stock cart) playing Michael Jackson's Thriller on a NAD 306 through a pair of KEF Codas, I was hooked. I had not heard a better TT till that point. Haven't heard too many better ones, since.

 

[shafic]

+1 what Joshua says,buy Lenco only if you have mindset to DIY and invest for a better tonearm.

Regards,
Sachin

Hi Sachin and joshua,
Interesting discussions about Lenco L75 plinth and tonearm.Are these conclusions arrived at, on the basis of personal experience or theory?
Even i am thinking about changing stock tonearm and plinth, but will it really make a HUGE difference? Has anyone heard both the versions?

 

[jls001]

Hi Sachin and joshua,
Interesting discussions about Lenco L75 plinth and tonearm.Are these conclusions arrived at, on the basis of personal experience or theory?
Even i am thinking about changing stock tonearm and plinth, but will it really make a HUGE difference? Has anyone heard both the versions?

The ideas I mentioned are from Jean Nantais. He is the guy who found out that heavy platter Lenco idler drive turntables need high-mass plinth to drain the vibration from the high-torque motors. This is perfectly logical. The stock tonearm is simply no match for well-made, modern ones. So it is also logical to change to something better. Like many others across the world, I have proven for myself the truth of the above advices.

If you have the patience to lug your L75 to my place, we can do a comparo with mine (my plinth is massive and very heavy so lifting it is not possible). To make sure that we have only two differences (namely, heavy plinth versus stock box plinth, and stock arm versus a modern arm), we can use the same cartridge.

In any case, we can use this as an excuse to finally meet up (after the postponed meet up).

 

[kuruvilajacob]

The advantage of a Technics and similar TTs is that it comes almost ready to play.
For a beginner it makes sense to go for a solid Japanese player in good working order rather than go for players like Lenco L 75 and DIY route . I have just shifted my Lenco L-75 from original plinth to a heavy DIY plinth and fitted two arms for the same. The second arm was a rare Ortofon arm which was used separately in an arm pod earlier. Unfortunately, there appears to be a break in one of the tone arm wires inside and unlike other S arms, this appears to have no provision to remove the arm wire as is common in similar arms. There is no screw near the front of the arm and there are no locks anywhere . So i am confused and anxious as to how I can fix this problem.

 

[anujmishra]

It is everywhere unclear that how much SQ improves with heavy plinth & tonearm up gradation in Lenco. Everywhere users highlights they did the modification of TT but failed to compare the SQ compared to old or other TT like Technics etc.

I read many threads in different forums, but at the end it is inconclusive.

Why not we try the similar setup in different TTs with same demo song and compare the sound quality? We can compare 3 - 4 well known TTs with same carts, same phono, same amp & same vinyl. We can have detailed comparison without any bias.

We can make playing room different than listening room and randomly select between 3 - 4 TTs to find out the difference in SQ. Reviewers have to fill the form based on listening impression.

 

[sachu888]

Few Fms recently compared three good TTs Thorens TD-150,Technics1210,Lenco -L75(stock position with crushed V block)with same cart(Denon Dl-301) and Phonostage(Pearl2).
There was no competition between L-75 and 1210,only Thorens 150 sounded marginally better,because of good tonearm(Rega 301)and overall in very good condition.That doesn't mean that 1210 is not good,but was nowhere near to L-75(stock condition).

Regards,
Sachin

 

[jls001]

malvai had written a brief but concise comparison of the sounds of different types of turntables. I can't seem to find it right now.

 

[reubensm]

I just noticed and forgot to check before commenting - we must first keep in mind haisaikat's current rig (his TT starting points). In view of this, I would not suggest the L75. For him, the best upgrade would be a Technics Direct Drive. Before one ventures out with customization and DIY, one must have enough experience with the format and its nuances. I think Joshua and Mr. Kuruvila have got it correct. I suggest a locally procured Technics DD with a Shure cart in good shape. This can be used over a period of say a year-and-a-half to two years and then upgraded.

My 2 cents based on my 35 years of exposure to TTs and their sounds.