First High End Turntable

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
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How many of you remember you remember your very first high-end turntable? I can still remember the joy of UPS delivering it and setting it up. My first 'table was a Rega Planar 3, glass platter and all, outfitted with the JVC 7045 arm that Peter Aczel raved about in Audio Critic. Mounted in that arm (incredilbly with VTA) was a Grace F9E. I also remember calling the people up about some sort of overhang gauge and they responded to me like I was from Mars (this was back in 1980).
 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Hi

IN my youth I was exposed at home to several TT designs TT that were High End in their time : Rabco , Lenco, Mitchell GyroDec , etc and a slew of arms Transkriptor, Grace, etc.. My first table was a Linn Sondek Clone whose name I can't rememebr wasn't a Rega with a Linn Basik arm around 1987~88 .. Cartridge was Sumiko Oyster Bluepoint and some $15 Grado whose model escapes me

Frantz
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
Hi

IN my youth I was exposed at home to several TT designs TT that were High End in their time : Rabco , Lenco, Mitchell GyroDec , etc and a slew of arms Transkriptor, Grace, etc.. My first table was a Linn Sondek Clone whose name I can't rememebr wasn't a Rega with a Linn Basik arm around 1987~88 .. Cartridge was Sumiko Oyster Bluepoint and some $15 Grado whose model escapes me

Frantz

Systemdek? Pink Triangle?
 

FrantzM

Member Sponsor & WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
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Systemdek!!!!!! Damns you're good !!

Frantz
 

soundofvoid

WBF Founding Member
Apr 22, 2010
173
11
365
Athens/Greece
First good turntable was a Denon DP-45 (direct drive)with a Grado Gold MM cartridge.
Moved up to used DP-72 with a Van den Hul MC-2.They don't make them like this any more!
Then I fell in love with parallel tracking arms (RABCO),Clearaudio etc.
My resident turntable is a Mitsu LT-5V derivative, vertical standing,all metal construction,twin external motors,
ouboard power supply,and parallel tracking arm with parts from Diatone LT-1 (mainly the titanium armboard and the tracking mech.)
Weighs around 65 kilos (turntable), around 85 with motors and PS. Sitted on custom granite plate makes a whopping 105 kilos total weight.
Cartridge is a Van den hul "The Condor" 0,55mv output ,special order with lighter body and silver coils.This is the end for me!
 

Jay_S

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
309
5
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San Francisco - East Bay
My first non-changer was a Thorens TD-165 with Shure M95ED. But it really wasn't high end. I then had a Thorens TD-125 II and an Ortofon VMS-20E, which was somewhat better. But I sold that and bought a used early Linn LP-12 with Grace 707 tonearm and MC cartridge. That upgrade was astonishing -- I 'd love to have that ancient combination again in good condition!
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
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New York City
My first non-changer was a Thorens TD-165 with Shure M95ED. But it really wasn't high end. I then had a Thorens TD-125 II and an Ortofon VMS-20E, which was somewhat better. But I sold that and bought a used early Linn LP-12 with Grace 707 tonearm and MC cartridge. That upgrade was astonishing -- I 'd love to have that ancient combination again in good condition!

I don't think you were alone owning a Thorens. I'll be you a lot of fledgling audiophiles had at one time or another a Thorens turntable. Tell people you have a turntable nowadays and I'll bet you the only name they know is Thorens. But somehow the revolution they started passed them by.

A used Linn LP12 pre-Valhalla mod was my 2nd table. And I also used the Grace F9E on it until the bearings wore out a year later. The Grace was replaced with the Basik (yuck) and eventually I mounted a ETII (quite successfully since had the best Linn setup guy around in NY do it) quite successfully despite people saying it couldn't be done :)
 

JackD201

WBF Founding Member
Apr 20, 2010
12,308
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Manila, Philippines
I made my lunch, date and beer money DJing in high school and college. While my folks had a TD 165 MkII and a Revox linear tracker. My mistress was a pair of SL-1200s. I still have a pair of 1210 M5Gs today.

I dunno about what folks would consider high end but what I consider my first "high end" table was a VPI Aries 2 with a JMW 10.5 and SDS. As time went by I just found the darned arm to be a dog to set up. No anti-skate and getting azimuth right using the drop weight was a nightmare. A never ending ping pong match between VTF and Azimuth is not my idea of fun. I moved up to an HRX with a Graham Phantom L. The L meaning Long otherwise you wouldn't be able to use the darned periphery ring. The Graham is perfect for me. Idiot proof and immune to my sausage fingers. I heard the TW AC-3 in January of 08, sold the HRX, kept the arm and got another one (actually a first run of the Phantom II, you can tell because it still doesn't have the little bubble level found in the current run) :) I'm not itching for any upgrades at this point. Seems I found the combination that best suits my current tastes. Now if only Tri Mai can hustle up and roll those Ultimates out so I can get my hands on my brothers VII for my Koetsu, I think I'll be very happy.
 

kach22i

WBF Founding Member
Apr 21, 2010
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Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.kachadoorian.com
I like how Jay_S stated it, my first non-changer was in 1978-79 a Sanyo belt drive, S-shaped tone arm with an Empire 500.

Then around 1987 picked up a a Dual Cs503-1 (plastic body), and as the saying goes; anything better than a DUAL is high-end. Well I still have the $250 turntable but it's been modified like crazy with at least $1,000 of goodies added and plus hundreds of hours worth of experiments/tinkering put into it. I could not have had more fun if I just bought a better table, in fact the experience only makes me want to build my own from scratch.

Upside down view
http://www.martinloganowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10139
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
12,349
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Manila, Philippines
Hi folks, my first turntable that I would consider high-end was the Ariston RD110 Superior. Very heavy (in those days) and the tonearm base is well isolated from the external vibrations. I have fond memories of it.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
Hi folks, my first turntable that I would consider high-end was the Ariston RD110 Superior. Very heavy (in those days) and the tonearm base is well isolated from the external vibrations. I have fond memories of it.

Yeah there's blast from the past :D
 

jadis

Well-Known Member
Apr 28, 2010
12,349
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2,810
Manila, Philippines

cjfrbw

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
3,323
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Pleasanton, CA
I guess mine was the original AR with its integrated arm and a Dyna Pas 3 preamp from the 70's. Relied on my R to R tapes of vinyl for many years while wandering in the digital desert, mercifully returning to vinyl several years ago.
 

Alex Plache

New Member
Apr 28, 2010
19
0
0
My first "high end" turntable was a French turntable called ERA which had a Stax UA7 with a Sonus Blue Label cartridge. I still have the turntable and arm but the cartridge was included in a trade for some Magneplaner MG2s. This was back in my college days in Ithaca, NY in the year that the Grateful Dead played at Cornell. That was a great concert. For the money, I believe the best budget turntable is the Project III which comes with a good arm and an Ortofon cartridge.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
My first "high end" turntable was a French turntable called ERA which had a Stax UA7 with a Sonus Blue Label cartridge. I still have the turntable and arm but the cartridge was included in a trade for some Magneplaner MG2s. This was back in my college days in Ithaca, NY in the year that the Grateful Dead played at Cornell. That was a great concert. For the money, I believe the best budget turntable is the Project III which comes with a good arm and an Ortofon cartridge.

Do you actually remember the Dead concert :)
 

Alex Plache

New Member
Apr 28, 2010
19
0
0
I don't remember much about the concert itself, but the recordings of the show do bring back some vague memories that it was a very good concert (May 8, 1977 - Barton Hall).
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
1,725
New York City
I don't remember much about the concert itself, but the recordings of the show do bring back some vague memories that it was a very good concert (May 8, 1977 - Barton Hall).

LOL...me too. Went to see the Dead (and Allman Bros/Band) at Watkins Glen in '73 and don't rememember whole lot :D

Myles
 

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