Direct Drive TT...vintage era....sleepers....

Back in 1976 I bought a Hitachi P38, and it had great synergy with the top end Grado cartridge of the day (Z1+ or something like that), which today would be represented by the Grado Gold. This modest Hitachi had (with the Grado) amazing imaging and soundstage for the time, and also a great sense of pace and timing.

As much as I like my very tweaked up Technics SL1210 M5G, I haven't been able to get tbe wide soundstage and holographic imaging that the Hitachi had right out of the box--as I remember it.

Johnnyb53,
A few months ago I purchased an SL1210 M5G in order to use my moving magnet cartridges more easily. It became a major PITA mounting and dismounting these cartridges on my more expensive fixed headshell tonearms.

In any case it's a very good table but the arm is simply average even with the KAB tweaks. Sadly it will never be anything more so relax and enjoy the music.

However, I love the 60 second cartridge changes. :-)

Violin, The Micro is an excellent set-up, but I would say that the value of that tonearm puts the combo out of the "budget" category for many, and the 505 is hardly undiscovered. None of this matters to your enjoyment, of course.

You should check out the vintage Kenwood DDs. The KD500 and 600 were giant killers back in the day. I used to see them with Black Widows, SMEIIIs and sometimes heavier arms more suited to MCs. This is the era that produced the LO7D. The ones with the white base that looks like corian, have a big advantage over the most wood base tables. It's a composite material with limestone and I think polyester resin. Whatever it is, it works.

The KD550 and 650 came with arms. They look like decent med mass arms but I don't have much experience with them. There are also a couple of less expensive ones with that base material. One is the 5070 I believe. It might have auto functions. I have a KD500. At the moment I have an Alphason 100S on there. I also have a 770D which is a nice table w/arm, but I had to modify the wood base.

I guess you can tell that I'm a DD freak. I used to have a Goldmund Studietto/Zeta. Anyway Kenwoods are pretty cheap and have great potential. If you find a 550 or 650 and don't like the arm, just put something else on there.

+1 for the Kenwood KD-500.

*3 for the JVC QL-7. Demonstrably better than the equivalent Technics or Denon.