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What is the fascination?

I have to ask what is the fascination with these older turntables?  I recently listened to an older SP 10 MKII with a Jelco and Older SME arm with Koetsu and Stanton cartridges.  The sound was very good I will admit but I cannot say it was better than the 1200G or even a 1200GR for that matter.  Heck even the Rega RP 8 is really an amazing sounding turntable for the money and they are brand new.   These tables are coming up on 40 plus years old.  One forum contributor said a turntable should not have any sound at all.  I agree and the newer tables get closer to that "no sound" than many of these colored (smooth,  warm) sounding turntables   I recently purchased a Pickering ESV 3000 MM cartridge that arrived in the mail yesterday and I had to ask myself, "what am I doing?"  So with that being said, why the fascination?  If one want to change the sound of the table, start with the cartridge, they all do sound different.  Nowadays the tables and arms are so good and engineered based on the earlier designs and bettered.  Also, when you buy say an older used arm, how do you know its been cared for?  Arms bearings can be screwed up pretty bad when one tries to tighten cartridges with the headshell attached to the tonearm or the tonearm mounted on the table and many people do not even know they are destroying their arms bearings so I mean you really have to know who you are getting the arm from and check the bearings etc.  There is a lot of risk with turntables, much more than with any components because of so many moving parts that do get old and break.  Why the fascination? 
tzh21y
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,820 posts
 
Just because you can't tell the difference in sound does not mean others cannot, or that none exists. No idea why you think older tables sound "smooth and warm." 
tzh21y OP
1,654 posts
 
I have not listened to the Pickering yet.  It just sort of hit me in a way when I received it that you really are taking a serious risk with some of this stuff.  I am not saying that there is not any quality gear out there from yesteryear, there certainly is.  It just that you are taking a risk, a big one in some cases as older Micro Seiki tables as some of the members have are just very expensive for a used table, especially if you do not know the owner that had it last.  Even investments of 2 to 3 k for a table going on 50 years old is taking a chance.  Motors burn out, can you still get support and parts for it? etc.
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islandmandan
1,260 posts
 
Saving money is not the only reason to refurb an older idler-drive table. Some folks just enjoy taking something old, and making it new again (relatively speaking). I restored a Garrard 401, and mounted a Dynavector 501 (also a DIY restoration) on it. Both are built like a tank, and sound, I think, extremely good.
 
A goodly part of my system was either built or modified by me, and I find that highly satisfying. Oh, and I did save some money, too.

Enjoy,
Dan 

mapman's avatar
mapman
22,295 posts
 
Unless some particular vintage gear is one’s fancy I see no reason.
For example, nobody wanted idler drive tables back in the golden age of vinyl. Now there is a cult built around restoring and enhancing them. Maybe you put enough into one and do it right it sounds great but you can keep it.


Then again my Linn Axis is over 30 years old and still going strong. When the time comes to replace it, I will consider new well reviewed models that I can afford.

Nowadays I mostly only play a record once anyhow when I get the urge and immediately convert it to digital and store it on my music server where I will go to listen to it when I want from then on.
If you are still a dedicated vinyl lover, then God bless ’ya. Heck I’d love to own a genuine Gramaphone or similar retored original device to play old 78’s on. A Blast from the past!
jperry
2,450 posts
 
You really need to listen to a Garrard 301 or 401 with a good tonearm and plinth to understand the sound and appeal. I have a Garrard 301 and now am done looking for a different turntable. I have had Technics, Thorens, Basis, Michell, Rega, and others.
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