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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 
128x128rooze
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
Improvements is the illness of audiophiles, there are vintage turntables like Luxman PD-444 with ZERO requirements for improvement! There is NOTHING like than made today for reasonable price, nothing. Read about it. The market value today is probably at least $3-4k. I’m a lucky user of a pair in my system. When you say "dollar for dollar" it’s NOT about modern turntables, they are all overpriced (even the lowest quality turntables are overpriced compared to much better vintage classics).

Garrard cult is very BAD example of vintage turntables in terms of price, they are definitely overpriced when refurbished by professionals. 
rooze's avatar
rooze OP
640 posts
 
@chakster Beautiful looking system. Points taken about value.
lewm
13,308 posts
 
Before I chose an idler for my array of turntables, I auditioned Garrard 301, Thorens TD124, and Lenco L75 or GL78. (I think they’re the same.) Lenco won. Did not like the TD124 at all. Belt driving an idler seemed to combine the problems of both. Apologies to TD124lovers. Lenco was just a little less noisy than Garrard but with similar effortless drive. I’ve no doubt the Garrard can be made to outperform the samples I heard. My current Lenco is highly tweaked. Slate plinth, PTP top plate, dampened platter, graphite mat, enormous custom bearing and spindle, Phoenix Engineered drive, Dynavector tonearm. I love it. What might set the Lenco apart from the typical idler is the vertical orientation of the idler wheel and its tiny contact patch. These features might make for less side force on the bearing and much less potential for rumble. For more info go to Lenco Heaven. Or google PTP Lenco.
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
@lewm , I owned a Td 124II and in comparison to a modern turntable it was brutal. Even with an SME on it the AR XA easily out performed it. But, what does a 16 year old know. I bought it used at one of the local HiFi stores and was pleased as punch to start with. No apologies needed.
I have never used a Lenco and undoubtedly never will. But you seem pleased as punch with it which is all that counts.
terry9
2,354 posts
 
Taste is idiosyncratic, but ...

Do you need a suspended table? You do unless your floor is a concrete slab far from a freeway. If you don't need a suspended table, don't pay for it. Like my choices. 

Air bearing is mine. Once you've heard air, there's no going back. IMO. Sometimes used air bearing TT come up.

An alternative with exceedingly quiet bearings and low motor noise is Nottingham Analogue, which I also own. NA doesn't have much presence here, so you may need to go to the factory. NA doesn't advertise nearly as much as some - but, do you want to pay for advertising or quality product? Occasionally a Dais comes up used.

For tonearm, consider the Trans-Fi Terminator air bearing tonearm, which IMO is the best buy in high end at about $1k, and competes with anything costing less than a new car.

For cartridge, wait until you've sorted out everything else. That's what has worked for me. YMMV
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