Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?


I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
128x128halcro

Raul,

**Richar obviously don't take the " road "  posted here:

"  People don't know what it means anyway. Imagine a turntable going from 70dB S/N to 90dB !! You could pretend to rewrite the laws of physics with some doubletalk  ..... "

that IMHO is almost an " insult " to the audio community but each one can gives its opinion in this " free world ".**

It seems my joke/sarcasm went over your head, but that's understandable given a previous post:

**Lewm, just think this:

suppose that your unit, before the mods, was running on manufacturer specs. Example 92db on SN ratio: what if after the mods that " figure " gone down to 84db?**

You were talking to Lew about Richard's mods. Before this post I would have guessed that everyone on this thread knows those S/N figures on a turntable are impossible. 

S/N ratio on a component like a preamp is referenced to an output voltage level. S/N on a turntable is a rumble figure and is limited by the dynamic range of a record. Maybe you'll tell us you meant something else, but that was the topic.

I deleted an earlier post which I thought might be too harsh.

Happy holidays,


I own two technics sl1200mk2 silver, and one sl1200mk2 black. Still use them, 25 years still perfect.  Silver ones stored for 15+years, unboxed, opened up, cleaned spindle, added fresh oil, plugged in, and pressed start, and still perfect.....they don't make me like this anymore, that's for sure. 

Halcro,

One thing I've been meaning to ask you, do you know why your 101 sounds better without the metal cage around the motor unit?

I don't have a plinth or stand alone design for my 81 yet so I can't try it, but I also can't come up with a reason why this should be so. 

Regards,

Fleib,
Congrats on your TT-81. Any ideas on how you're going to mount it?

Can only speculate on the reasons, supported only by my empirical observations.
I now know that the motor unit and electronics of the Victors put out RFI/EMI as the metal cage definitely acts as a Faraday Cage in neutralising and dissipating these when in a restricted enclosure.
I can only surmise that when mounted fully 'nude'.
http://i.imgur.com/jJoTuv4.jpg
The electrical waves dissipate quickly into free air.
The differences at any rate were quite subtle and are easily supplanted by the improvements made with the 'mass loading' onto the granite plinth.
At any rate the question for me is now 'mute' due to the necessity for the grounded Faraday Cage in my new arrangement.
http://i.imgur.com/msMbfXy.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/UAEMFj7.jpg
We may not have to rely on vintage DD turntables anymore.
There appears to be a distinct revival....
http://www.monoandstereo.com/2016/01/technics-grand-class-sl-1200-turntables.html#more

http://www.monoandstereo.com/2016/01/grand-prix-audio-10th-anniversary.html#more

Could it possibly be that the Linn counter-revolution against the Japanese DD decks in the 70s was motivated by production costs alone.....❓👅