The feet are maglev.
Sell Me Your Women, Your Children, Your Vintage Turntable...
Ok I’m trying to understand the appeal of buying something like an old Garrard 301 or an elderly Technics all trussed up in a shiny new plinth, versus something manufactured in the 21st century by people not wearing clogs.
Surely modern gear has to perform better, dollar for dollar? It isn’t like these restored Garrards are exactly cheap, i was looking at one for almost $11k yesterday on Reverb. The internals looked like something out of a Meccano set.
I ought to be more in tune with the past, I’m almost 60 and wear bell bottoms, but the style of the older TTs just doesn’t do it for me. Now then, my Dr. Feickert Volare had a look that was hardly futuristic, but that’s about as retro as I’d prefer to go.
All that said... I will buy one of these old buggers if it genuinely elevates performance.
With $10k available for table and arm, on the new or used market, how would you splash the cash?
Rooze
Surely modern gear has to perform better, dollar for dollar? It isn’t like these restored Garrards are exactly cheap, i was looking at one for almost $11k yesterday on Reverb. The internals looked like something out of a Meccano set.
I ought to be more in tune with the past, I’m almost 60 and wear bell bottoms, but the style of the older TTs just doesn’t do it for me. Now then, my Dr. Feickert Volare had a look that was hardly futuristic, but that’s about as retro as I’d prefer to go.
All that said... I will buy one of these old buggers if it genuinely elevates performance.
With $10k available for table and arm, on the new or used market, how would you splash the cash?
Rooze
- ...
- 95 posts total
OP I go with the SME, Never heard a Woodpecker. Buddy is a BIG SME fan, that and Colt. LOL He says they are close in build quality.. They are.. Serious QC there. Soundsmith and SME, peas and carrots... NEVER heard a Garrard rule the roost.. The closest is a 401.. there is a BIG difference between the two 301 vs 401. I’ve hear quite a few Triangle Art units too.. The guy use to use the same speakers I use. RMx Elixirs.. https://www.google.com/search?q=vmps+rmx+elixir&sxsrf=ALeKk00-tDINoxmfm5IDNg9b7b5GC4xoTg:1623265... |
@millercarbon Did you sell your Illustrious? Resolution? If not then moving OL arm to a SOTA would be one way to go.Yes, I just sold it on the weekend. I'm thinking of staying with OL products and moving up a couple of notches, but I'm waiting on some ideas/suggestions from OL's Mark Baker. The Illustrious arm is a fantastic device. I'd love to try the Enterprise. |
@pgaulke60 (2) Looks do matter to me. Aesthetics are important to me. They are not the first criteria, but they certainly are one of the criteria. Couldn't agree more with the above. Particularly #5. I'm a frustrated woodworker/artist/inventor who can't assemble a cupboard from IKEA without bursting a blood vessel. Kudos to those with the skills and patience to pull off some of these restos and plinth builds. |
I searched for years for a great rebuilt Garrard 301. Ever since my old friend, the late Winston Ma, told me that he used his 301 as the source for one of his $50+ gold CDs (FIM). I finally found a beautiful Woodsong 301 with an Ortophon RS 309D arm. Getting the 301 in my system brought about an extreme upgrade of every component to match the beauty and quality of the 301. Replaced the arm with a Triplanar and now have a Lyra Atlas SL. The drive and life-like physicality of the 301 appeals to me beyond any belt drive. There is a solidity to the unit and the sound. I think there are many good reasons why the 301 and other idler wheel TTs are so popular and sought after. Aside from the arm and cartridge, two upgrades were excellent: A 220v 50hz Long Dog Audio (LDA) power supply and an Ohio Class Silent Running Audio (SRA) platform. For anyone with a 301 or 401, I would highly recommend. The PS allows the motor to run as designed with 220v and the platform also transformed the performance. |
- 95 posts total