which is the better turntable (and investment) Lord 301 vs Sir 401

[Record Player]

ok, got the logic with the aprox end of year, cumulative production numbers,

1965 - 7000 (aprox)
1966 - 14000 (aprox)
1967 - 21000 (aprox)
1968 - 28000 (aprox)

Hence my deck with serial no: 21164 may have come out of their Swindon factory by the end of 1967 or the beginning of 1968

Adding to the above:

The prevailing theory is to check the ink stamp on the rear side of the deck, which is likely to represent a single digit year + week of year date. Example, stamp reads "243"; since they were produced between mid 60s to the mid 70s, it would mean that the deck was manufactured in the 43rd Week of 1972.

I need to check my motor based on the above.

 

[G401fan]

There's some confusion about the start date of manufacture, some say '64, others '65. Approx. 7-8000 per year, until '73 (or maybe '77 by some accounts).The early units used a recessed strobe light, which is more elegant in looks compared with the later surface-mounted variant. The earliest of the 'recessed light' models needed one to press down the switch for the light to be activated. Releasing the switch would power off the strobe light. With the surface mounted models, the light would come on - and stay on - when you switched on the motor. Mine own 401 is serial no. 1382 (from '64 or '65) with the recessed strobe that needs the switch to be pressed down.

One of the problems with most of the 401s is that the black capacitor which is called the 'spark suppressor' (and wired in series with the motor) tends to get 'defective' over time, and no longer works. As a consequence, the motor starts spinning (and the strobe comes ON) the moment your mains power is activated, even tho' the platter would not be moving as you've not turned the ON knob. You may have a session of listening to CD, perhaps, not knowing that your Garrard motor is spinning away for hours maybe, if all components are on the same mains power socket. Replacement capacitors -of the original Garrard spec -are available on the 'net. The early 401s needed two of them, the later models (and also those on the 301) just one.

 

[Saket]

May be our new pets are born in the same year but the month, day and time might be different( Hospital is same). Sir RP's pet is born later, is the younger brother!!:lol:

Amar, Akbar, Anthony in making?

 

[shafic]

Amar, Akbar, Anthony in making?:lol:

That's great!!
Ha! Ha! Ha!:lol::lol: :lol:

 

[hildebrand]

Now that's what I call presence of mind. Great one Saket!

 

[reubensm]

Amar, Akbar, Anthony in making?

:clapping: that was a good one :clapping:

 

[reubensm]

here's an interesting conversation which I came across

The 301/401 vs the L75 vs the TD124

Turntable Forum • Lenco 75 vs Thorens 124 vs Garrard 301/401 Who is The King?

 

[jls001]

here's an interesting conversation which I came across

The 301/401 vs the L75 vs the TD124

Turntable Forum • Lenco 75 vs Thorens 124 vs Garrard 301/401 Who is The King?

By the 4th page, the discussion has degraded into a religious war, like most mine-is-bigger-better-than-your's threads tend to do. But there are some nuggets of wisdom to be gained from that thread.

 

[reubensm]

By the 4th page, the discussion has degraded into a religious war, like most mine-is-bigger-better-than-your's threads tend to do. But there are some nuggets of wisdom to be gained from that thread.

yes, not un-usual for such debates hyeah:

 

[shafic]

An interesting article on Sir Garrard 401!!

"Through time I was lucky enough to pick up a Thorens TD124, a Garrard 401, then finally an early silver-grey grease bearing Garrard 301, my prize possession. So the first step was to mount these turntables onto test plinths and to take a listen to hear what they had to offer. The big disappointment of the three turned out to be 301. This deck had a dark and ill-defined sound. I messed around with it for quite some time but with no luck. My mate Gerald explained that to his ears the 301 had a claustrophobic kind of sound and I had to agree. I was kinda pissed! The grease-bearing 301 is a real vintage cult item, and besides it was the only one of the three that I paid real money for (well almost real money). Add to this its drop dead gorgeous looks . Arrrghhhh!! But there was no cheating on the sonic truth. By contrast, the 401 proved to be a winner right from the start. I can still remember that first day when I plugged it in. Nothing was setup right, but the glorious character of this deck immediately shone through. There was a boldness and thrilling sense of presence, like nothing I have ever heard before, add to this a real musicality and a quiet, mysterious background. Wow, so this is the sound the Garrard freaks are always going on about. Well Im converted, amen."

Diy'ing A Time Machine

Note:- This paragraph is also the 4th para of the said article!!hyeah:

 

[reubensm]

I have a ton of audiophile friends from the western world and almost all of them told me never to buy the 301 as its an over hyped turntable, the 401 is definitely a better deck according to them. The common consensus is that people love the 301 because of its classic looks, the japanese and the BBC. Most of them reccomended the 401 when I checked with them before investing. However these are all personal opinions. Reviews suggest that the 401 is a better deck but the 301 looks better. Personally, I find the 401 a better looking deck as it looks more modern.