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.
halcro
@lewm nice, my Micro CU-500 belong to SP10mk2 and i’m looking for another Mat for technics SP20 deck i’ve bough not so long ago. Have you tried Micro CU-500 ? I’ve bought Saec SS-300 recently, waiting for postman. Actually my SP-20 coming with the mat that looks exactly like Boston Audio Mat on photos. Waiting for delivery. I will be happy if it will be BA Mat2. If so, i can check ’em all.

BTW Technics SP20 is something between SP10 and SP10mk2 ?
The platter looks exactly like SP10mk2 (not like cheaper SP10 first version).
How do you guys rate this turntable ? I like the design and this special black finishing.
There is no external power supply and of cource it is not in the same league as sp10mk2, but anyway...
that's why i'm looking for EPA-100 MK2 

Chakster, I had never heard of an SP20 before your post.  My Googling shows a photo of something that looks like a black SP10.  No outboard PS is shown in the photo, but that wouldn't necessarily mean that none was ever supplied.  Does yours have an outboard supply?  If yes, then it seems the SP20 was a black SP10 Mk2.  If no, then I would liken it to an original SP10, not quite as great as a Mk2.

I've never tried a Micro CU500 platter mat. Nor do I even know anything about it, except that by name it would seem to have been made by Micro Seiki, out of copper.  Does the "500" indicate weight, in grams? I tend to think that metal mats are of a kind, in terms of sonics.  Except maybe copper sounds different from whatever alloy is used in the SAEC SS300, or stainless steel, used on the Kenwood L07D.  Weight of the mat might be a factor, because one TT101-user reported that his TT101 did not like a heavy metal mat.  (Perhaps the motor needed calibration; a motor that is out of calibration will exhibit subpar torque. I know this from JP's work on my TT101.)  However, 500g is rather light for a metal mat.  Some monsters made of copper by TTW were as heavy as 4 lbs, nearly 2 kg.

Got my Technics SP10Mk3 finished, well almost still need to install JP's IC when it arrives.  This is one amazing table


https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/4923#&gid=1&pid=2



Good Listening


Peter 
Thanks, RW. So maybe SP20 is a black version of the original SP10.

Peter, On your system page, I see the SP10 Mk3 in a beautiful wood plinth reminiscent of Albert Porter's plinths.  Is that your new one or is that an older photo?

How's it going with the TT101?