Upper Level Vintage DD Strenghts and Weaknesses


All of these tables have been discussed in some form or another here over the years. I have read quite a few threads on them, but its a bit difficult to nail this point down.

Basically I am looking for a non-suspended table to install a Dynavector DV505 arm on, and these tables can fit the bill.

The most widely available is a Denon DP 75 or DP 80 in a Denon plinth, and they are perhaps the most affordable also. Are there any of their plinths that are desirable, or are they just a veneered stack of MDF or plywood?

While more expensive I can find a Sony TTS8000 in a Resinamic plinth although shipping from HK is expensive. There is one thread I came across here where a member who restores tables says two of the three TTS8000 he has done had play in the spindle assembly which looked to be wear in the brass bushings of the motor. That does make me pause in concern.

The JVC TT101 is not only difficult to find, its apparently a bit of a bear to get serviced, so its not high on the list.

The Technics SP 10 MK II I have owned, and its a nice table but to be honest I had a Denon DP75 that I felt actually sounded better. Also the models that are out there are either abused or have a premium price tag attached to them. Also I don’t need instant torque, and I think the bi-servo designs might offer better speed control.

As I write this the Denon and Sony seem to be at the top of the list, unless there is another I should be looking at.
neonknight
The desision to decline the TTS 8000 if there is not access to somebody to assist with some of the known issues will leave you with one less hurdle to climb over, if a purchase did show the known conditions that can develop.
A Spindle Housing Bush is not a Direct Exchange with a Off the Shelf Bush Part.
The ID is 11mm and OD 16mm. 
A of the Shelf Bush with a close match will be ID 11.11mm.
The Platter connection to the Spindle will need a complete rethink as to how to overcome the unsuitable coupling and wobble that can be detected on certain Models.
A Worn Bush can be explained with a few descriptions, but the Platter connection to the Spindle seems to be born from Machining Tolerance issues, as it is not realy exposed to any wear during usage.

It looks like your First Choice of TT is a complete Curve Ball to the original inquiry, and looks like a nice piece of kit.
It is a New Model to myself and I am liking the aesthetics of the design.

The DP80 as a Second  Choice is a product with many followers much of the previuous post will be related to this model, as it is a DD.

Additional Information might need to be supplied to assist with getting the best support set up under theFirst Choice that is a Belt Drive.

Keep on with your updates they are appreciated         
Actually I have had a history with these kinds of tables in the past. In the late 90s I ended up being an early adopter of the Teres Audio turntable, and I had a pretty nice one with an Eminent Technology II air bearing tone arm. In a moment of temporary insanity I thought I could be happy with a digital only stereo. Utter foolishness, and I sold my analog stuff. 

About 6 years later I re-entered vinyl, and I did that with a Townshend Rock MK III but it really was not on par with my Teres. I ended up buying a Galibier Serac and was quite happy with it for a number of years even though it was a somewhat homely table. I used a Riggle Engineering 12" Woody arm on it. 

The common thread connecting these two tables is they were designed by Chris Brady and Thom Mackris, who were both founding members of the Teres Project. The table that inspired that project and their initial model was....The Scheu table. So I enjoyed both of those tables immensely, and I really should have kept the Teres. This purchase allows me to reach back to the genesis, to get the TOTL table from the company that inspired them. 

There is an added benefit that this table does not take up a lot of room. I have a credenza that hold my gear, and I have a SOTA Cosmos Eclipse on it and a Well Tempered Reference next to it. The amount of room available for a third table is a bit limited. The Scheu will fit that space, and other tables make everything quite cramped. When I had an Amazon Reference on here I had literally no room between the tables. So this is an added benefit for me. Additionally it can accept another arm board, so if I want to adding a second arm is pretty easy. 

Finding an isolation base for it would be a bit challenging as its somewhat monolithic. Weight is 38 KG, so just shy of 80 pounds. Finding a platform to handle that level of weight might be a bit of a challenge. 

Its getting ready to ship. Coming UPS from Warsaw. So i don't expect to see it for at least a week. Waiting is always the toughest part. 

It looks like your plan has a Solid Foundation from experiences enjoyed.
The acquisition of a TT built with today's technologies, that has been a inspiration in the past, is surely an exciting venture.
This is a approach, I seem to get caught up in, investigating and pursuing using modern technologies on TT's.  

Very much looking forward to your user evaluations when you are ready to report on them.
Picked up an Ortofon MC200. Has a fine line stylus, boron cantilever, samarium cobalt ring magnet, and Ortofons WRD damping system. Output is low...


Do you like it?
It's Concorde MC200 ?  

Rare model, most people forgot the Concorde was an MC and not for DJs :) Because later the Concorde MM became the most significant model and the best seller (but not for audiophiles) on professional market. 
@chakster 

This is the Ortofon MC200U, which is the 1/2 inch version. They did make one with an integrated head shell. This integrated design also was sold under the Concorde name, and they had a T4P version called the CMC I believe. The one I have looks like the OM body cartridge, but its silver and has a non user replicable stylus. 

This is a cartridge I have owned before. I remember thinking it was respectable but not really a wow moment. But I wanted a cartridge for casual listening to keep the hours off my main cartridge so I grabbed this one again. I installed it on a Zupreme headshell with stock cartridge wires, and while this is probably too much mass for it, its what I had at the time. I think I will order a carbon fiber head shell to use with this cartridge. I got the pleasant but a bit unexciting presentation, and I also had a bit of low level hum. So I swapped in some silver litz cartridge wires I had recently bought, and that did the trick. No noise, and more open presentation. I am enjoying this cartridge, and even as we speak its playing at this moment. The sound is interesting, its somewhat effortless with good flow, a bit fuller than many modern cartridges, but still well detailed but the truth is its not as resolving as my ZYX or Transfiguration. But this cartridge is just meant for casual listening, and one where i will use the hours up and then send it as a trial to a new retipper to see what he is capable of. 

This led me down memory lane and thinking about the vintage moving coils I have liked in the past, and in some ways wish I still had here. I enjoy listening to the Denon 103M which reminds me a lot of the Denon DL304. But the output voltage is .12 mV, and also the Fidelity Research MC202 with an output voltage of .13 mV. These are tough output voltages to work with, but I wonder if the low number of coil windings is what contributes to the wonderful sound of those cartridges. At that time you likely had to use step up transformers. In my case I have an Esoteric E-03 phono stage that can handle those low voltages. I prefer the sound of an active phono stage over a two piece set up using a SUT in the first gain stage. 

The Ortofon MC200 is even worse with an output voltage of .09 mV. But it uses some pretty snazzy technology for a cartridge this age. Boron cantilever, fine line nude (line contact) stylus, samarium cobalt ring magnet, and Ortofons WRD damping system which is still found on their higher level cartridges today.

So all in all its a nice cartridge, and I am getting very good sound and I bought it very inexpensively.