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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
dgarretson
2,612 posts
 

Chakster, The only differences between those PD444 armboards is the top plate that covers the locking frame that clamps the armboard to the turntable rails.  It's a simple job for a machinist to make interchangeable top plates from 3/8" to 1/4" thick and with holes of varying size to accommodate pretty much any tonearm.  For a particularly tall tonearm(like the Kuzma 4P), I needed to remove the top plate entirely and mount the tonearm directly down into the locking frame.

The PD444 is definitely a top performer.  You might try replacing the stock elastomer feet with Stillpoints or Audio Points.    

chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@dgarretson I've noticed that yesterday, hope i will find the right person who can do that for me if that's cheaper than original armboard.

BTW which metal can be good to make a custom one?  
dgarretson
2,612 posts
 
I've used brass for ease of machinability and stainless steel should be good as well. 
totem395
390 posts
 
lewm

Totem,
Yes, I thought about it. But the evidence of any wear at all on the thrust pad is so minimal.

Nor I, as hardly any wear. Likely both relatively moderate usage.
audiolabyrinth's avatar
audiolabyrinth
4,555 posts
 
Hi everyone,  I was going to start my own thread,  but this one is as good as any,  with the resurgence of vynl,  I have decided to jump in, I've only owned 1 turntable back in 1982, so I've went and bought 3 turntables, lol!, I've also been buying and selling audio to good effect the last two months,  I bought the 3 tables to flip to be honest here,  however,  when me and the wife found out what one of the tables was worth on ebay,  we decided to keep that one,  it's the technics sl 1600 mk2, was not working,  the wife is an audiophile,  a true diy fixer to say the least, she has indeed fixed the technics sl 1600mk2,  at the moment,  that was the automatic tone arm belt, costed  $.48 cents 😊, we have more to do I'm sure,  however,  the table is fully functional at this moment,  the other two tables are technics sl 1500 mk1, and the sl d303 table  we are going to go through and fix if anything is wrong,  I  own a $65,000.00 main system now,  but the analog turntable system we are building,  we will call it,  the vintage system,  after testing many various vintage speaker monitors and book shelf speaker's and receivers of the sort,  we hand picked out the best sounding receiver I've heard in my lifetime,  any way,  in the last 5 weeks,  this is where the vintage system is , sherwood all silicon S-8800 140 watts/fet in perfect like new condition,  the legendary Advent/3 speaker's,  Nakamichi RX- 505 cassette deck,  new phono pre-amp,  the Vincent pho 700 mm/mc with outboard power supply tube/solid state hybrid ,  Audiotechnica AT-OC9/3 micro coil cartridge, flagship moving coil cart of Audiotechnica,  I  haven't gotten to cable's yet,  but I've got my picks for brands,  I  may trick out the technics sl 1600mk2 turntable?, anyway,  this is my current building system,  I enjoy learning from all, although I've been building systems for 36 year's,  I'm only 49 years old,  lol, my mother bought my first system at 13, I've never looked back since,  I do want to learn,  maybe recap the sl 1600mk2?, are there capacitors in the signal path,  this table is full of capacitors , all opinions I welcome with,  the vintage system 🖒
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