I AM a certified “mechanical enthusiast”!! I FEEL you!! Wish I could find a Dragon for sale!
Anyone remember the lateral tracking Bang and Olufsen record player from the 80’s??
I remember going to my local HiFi Buys in the 80’s, and they were demoing a Bang and Olufsen laterally tracking record player. The stylist arm was straight, and followed the record grooves, moving left to right. He started banging hard with his fist on it, and the needle refused to jump!! I was REALLY impressed! I also wonder why there are not any lateral tracking LP players today? It made sense, the needle was always tracking straight In the groove, as it played the LP. Not curving slightly as it gets past the middle of playing the LP, as conventional record players have the stylist arm on a corner. So, the needle slightly turns inward as the record plays. No idea how he was able to bang on it while it was playing, and the needle didn’t skip. I was truly impressed! Maybe they do make players like this still, I’ve just not seen them. B&O really made/makes some really cool stuff!! And great designs. IMO.
Another audio product for the 80’s that blew me away was the: Nakamitchi Dragon cassette player!! WOW! What a stunning design! Wish I’d bought one back in the day!! Of course, try to find an audio cassette to play in it today! My sister’s teenagers had no idea what a cassette was, when I showed them one. I think very young kids today won’t recognize a CD disk! Forget about LP’s or 45’s. Any of you remember a stunning audio piece, from the past, that blew you away? I was also thinking of reel to reel audio players as well. Man, they sounded SO good!! SO expensive today! Thank god for music! Can’t watch the news without my BP spiking! And so little to do, everyone scared to meet in person. Too much free-time. Music keeps me sane. Crazy times we live in!
Another audio product for the 80’s that blew me away was the: Nakamitchi Dragon cassette player!! WOW! What a stunning design! Wish I’d bought one back in the day!! Of course, try to find an audio cassette to play in it today! My sister’s teenagers had no idea what a cassette was, when I showed them one. I think very young kids today won’t recognize a CD disk! Forget about LP’s or 45’s. Any of you remember a stunning audio piece, from the past, that blew you away? I was also thinking of reel to reel audio players as well. Man, they sounded SO good!! SO expensive today! Thank god for music! Can’t watch the news without my BP spiking! And so little to do, everyone scared to meet in person. Too much free-time. Music keeps me sane. Crazy times we live in!
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Nobody , except ericvm6, has mentioned any audio product that blew them away in their teens, or college years. I mentioned the Dragon cassette player. I also STILL cherish my 30 y.o. Still working, looks brand new, SONY D-EJ1000 CD Diskman. NOBODY would dare make a portable CD player with the quality it has now. Wouldn’t sell. Zero plastic, all magnesium body and aluminum construction, except the cool blue-backlit remote. Love to play it, just needs an external amp as the headphone jack puts out only 5 milliwatts. I’m leaning towards Fiio’s portable headphone amp for it to drive my B&W P7 headphones. BEAUTIFULLY designed Diskman. I really think it’s a work of design art. SONY at its best! 😊😊😊 At my age, these are my “happy years!” No worries, happiest years of my life so far! Got to play with a Lamborghini Countach in 1997, seats were horribly uncomfortable! Smelled SO GOOD! Couldn’t see ANYTHING behind me! But it HAD the OEM ALPINE cassette player! I thought THAT (the ALPINE Lamborghini Countach poster) was a sexier poster than any swimsuit model when I was a teenager!!! And another iconic product (not really audio) but my still working Motorola RAZOR cellphone! Another design icon. Still works, the “Tron movie” blue backlight keypad. Will never sell it. Motorola just came out with a new one, but it sadly has been panned for many design flaws, and SO expensive!! $1500.00!! No thank you. Motorola BLEW IT!! Sad, I wanted one 😞. |
So funny how this topic came up when I was just talking to a friend yesterday about the Beogram RX TT that I still have. I bought the Beogram in 1985 and it still works fine---I have a MMC3 cartridge on it. About a year ago, I did a system upgrade and got a VPI TT which I love. So yesterday, a younger friend of mine inherited a 1990s Technics receiver and TT with some speakers. The TT is a little shotty and doesn't sound that well. While he was talking to me on the phone, I glanced over at my old Beogram sitting in the corner and wondered if I should 'pass it along' so someone else can enjoy it. I think it's wonderful to see young folks getting into audio. Should I do it??? I had a Nakamichi 3-head deck in the 80s and early 90s but never got the Dragon. Great stuff and great memories. |
Oh yeah, as a starving college student in the 60’s, and a long time afterward, I remember watching the B&O TT (any B&O product), wondering if I would ever be able to afford such a marvelous thing. I am so lucky to have just successfully restored a Mitsubishi Vertical Linear Tracking TT, LT-V5, for use on top of a 12" deep bookcase where a horizontal TT will not fit. I am using my Reel to Reel player vertically now, they look awesome side by side. DIATONE version is Japan Only, USA model is Mitsubishi LT-5V , see the very cool see-thru photo here along with the Japanese Diatone version’s specs: https://audio-heritage.jp/DIATONE/player/lt-5v.html 3 belt kit readily available, $16. https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-3-BELT-SET-for-MITSUBISHI-TURNTABLE-LT-5-LT-5V-LT-640-X-10-X-12/152375190799?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649 It plays with zero tracking error, and sounds excellent. Any 1/2" cartridge that does not exceed maximum height to stylus tip of 18mm, Provided shims, or your shims are used to properly position smaller height cartridges. I’ve got an AT440ml on, the perfect height it turned out. Belt drive. Just like my Thorens TD124, after letting it’s motor warm up a minute, speed is very steady, not needing re-adjustment, just a minute wait. Researching while overhauling, I found it is a serious TT, much unique engineering, including the surprising fact that the platter is very slightly concave, I guess down about 1mm at the end of playing grooves, the headshell correspondingly and minutely angled for correct azimuth. I read an article mentioning 3mm edge to spindle, I find much less than that, I would have never realized the concave platter unless reading these http://www.soundfountain.com/mitsubishi/mitsubishi-lt-5v.html https://www.whatsbestforum.com/threads/the-story-of-my-mitsubishi-lt-5v-turntable.1349/ A spring loaded record clamp holds the LP against that very slightly concave platter. The clamp is pre-positioned by it’s horizontal arm, however the clamp is completely free of the arm when pressed/locked onto the spindle. Very clever.This long video was invaluable in preparing for my attempt https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5XO51leGzU Some members know I had been chasing a Technics Vertical Linear Tracking TT, SL-V5. https://www.vinylengine.com/library/technics/sl-v5.shtml Disappointed as I was, I got lucky not getting the Technics, and Bill (a member here) having a pair of LT-5V’s project. He lives only 1 hr 20 minutes away, and his willingness to swap with me. |
curious about relative costs of these units. I found this conversion/inflation chart https://www.inflationtool.com/japanese-yen/1980-to-present-value?amount=70000 so, 70,000 yen 1980 is 101,000 today is $940. usd today anybody know the exchange rate in 1980, i.e. 70,000 yen in 1980 was _____ usd in 1980? |
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