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TT-101 turntables…or any DD decks

It’s funny how in audio…..I’ve had many mishaps over the years which have led to ‘forced’ improvements in my system…..

The latest happened just 3 days ago when the ‘Power’ switch on my 35 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 turntable failed to ‘turn-off’ when pressed……leaving the unit ‘powered up’ with three diodes continuously on……
I thought to myself……time to have the unit serviced and all the capacitors replaced (at least)…..

I have thus been listening over the last three days and nights and have been struck by the perceived improvement in ‘sound’?
Everything seemed better….the timing….the solidity…the noise-floor….the subtlety…..the transparency…..
And then it hit me……
With solid state gear…..I have always kept them ‘powered on’.
My Halcro DM-10 Preamp is always on ‘Mute’ (as was the valve Kebschull before it and the SS Electrocompaniet before then).
My Halcro DM-58 Monoblocks are always ‘on’ (as was the Perraux PM-1850 power amp before them).
Most DD drive turntables I know of are all solid state……
Why should they be any different?
Why would they not benefit from the capacitors being fully charged with the transformer/power supply, PCB, transistors and resistors fully ‘heated’?

This for me…has been a more significant improvement than ‘nakeding’ the ‘nude’ Victor which I recently accomplished…

It’s such an easy thing for anyone to try out….there is simply no ‘down-side’……other than the diodes burning out? :-)

Happy listening…..and Happy New Year….
128x128halcro
hiho
451 posts
 

Here's an interesting post from a different forum about DD tables and one quote caught my eyes:
"He suggested that anyone owning any of the better 80s-era Japanese direct drives faces this problem sooner or later, and for some of the nicest models (those I mentioned above), the clock has essentially run out already, but on the good side, he said the best solution he knows of is to PLAY THEM OFTEN! Playing them frequently offers the best possibility to prolong their lives, especially in a humid climate like Hong Kong's."

I guess playing them often no only prolongs the table's life but also, in your case, its sound! :)

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lewm
13,118 posts
 
Solid state diodes won't burn out, and even if they did fail, they are very replaceable with modern superior diodes. I know of no reason not to do as you suggest, but I have never tried it, because some of my tt's go for many months without being used.

With the TT101, the Power button only activates the circuitry. I presume you still have control over whether or not the platter is spinning, using the other buttons for that purpose.

But yes, I am surprised that you have not already replaced the caps. In this case, it's more likely you've developed a faulty switch. No big deal.
lewm
13,118 posts
 
That post has been re-posted ad nauseam and influenced many to fear owning these turntables. The situation is far from being as bleak as it is described. I even suspect that the quoted dealer in Hong Kong may have had another agenda, like selling new turntables that he can actually get his hands on. I doubt he can do enough business selling Kenwood L07Ds or Denon DP80s to stay "alive".
Ag insider logo xs@2x
banquo363
371 posts
 
Ok, I'm game. Victor is now on; we'll return late tomorrow to have a listen. But I don't get why it should sound better after 3 days on (or whatever) as opposed to, say, 3 hours on?

This coming from a man whose tt101 resurrected after being left on overnight. But that was surely anomalous and due, I suspect, to the table having been in storage for, who knows, a decade or so.

Incidentally, Halcro, I managed to buy an original Victor pigskin mat. Unfortunately for me, it appears to have been lost in the mail :(.
hiho
451 posts
 

Lewm: "I doubt he can do enough business selling Kenwood L07Ds or Denon DP80s to stay "alive"."
Tommy Cheung is the owner of Hong Kong's audio store Top Class Audio Art and sells ton of used equipments and direct drive is their specialty. Since Hong Kong is close to Japan he does get a lot of Japanese goods so his "agenda" is certainly not to scare people away from DD tables.

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