Audiolabyrinth, Unless your turntables have a known history of having been serviced recently, I suggest you may want to replace all the electrolytic capacitors in both, and then have a competent technician calibrate the drive systems. That's the only way you can be sure you are getting the most out of them, although if they operate without noticeable issues, you're probably OK. One thing I've observed is that the market values of mid-level vintage DD's like your two is not much below what you would have to pay for the really top quality ones. For example, you can find Denon DP80s or DP75s for less than a thousand dollars. Another good one is the Kenwood KD550, which seems to be easy to find for around $500. You might also luck out and find a Victor TT101 for under $1000; that would be a great bargain, but they are rare outside of Japan. Yamaha GT2000 is another one to look for. Between one and two thousand $, you can hope to find a Technics SP10 Mk2. I'd actually rank the DP80, TT101, and GT2000 slightly ahead of the SP10 Mk2, certainly its equal. Well, you said you were "collecting"...
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.
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.
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"I didn't know kenwood made a good turntable". The KD550 is a fine one, on par with the DP60L, perhaps. I didn't mention the L07D, which is up there in the pantheon of the really great vintage direct-drives, like the SP10 Mk3, Pioneer Exclusive P3, etc, but those are way up in cost. You can find a very nice L07D for between $3K and $4K. The good news is that it is sold as a unit with a very advanced plinth, even by today's standards, and a very good tonearm, designed for and specially adapted to the L07D. Kenwood made a whole series of components in the L07 series (amplifiers, preamplifier, tuner) that were very high end (and expensive) in their day, comparable to the Pioneer Exclusive line of gear. |
audiolabyrinth, The Kenwood KD-500 was more popular than the 550, at least around here. It was sold minus an arm, allowing the owner to choose their own. SME, Grace, and Infinity were popular choices at the time. http://liquidaudio.com.au/kenwood-kd-500-kd-550-direct-drive-turntable/ In addition their 600 and 700 series were decent players as well. As lewm mentioned, their L07D was/is one of the top tables so don't sell Kenwood short. |
Hi lewm and pryso, I'm new to the vintage turntable's, speaking of kenwood, I don't believe I would sell them short, I currently have a kenwood kr 9600 reciever in mint condition that embarrasses my friend's Rega osiris integrated amplifier that retail's for $10,000.00 in my opinion, in every imaginable audiophile way, I'm looking for the best possible vintage table for the kr 9600, mmm, this is excellent news kenwood made some exceptional table's, to have you gentleman laugh, I've never listened to another vintage table better than my technics sl-1600mk2. |
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