Turntables: 2 Tonearms. What do you Have or Know About?

audiomark1234

That's gotta be a nice combo. I had and loved an SME 3009II, got repair parts from SME in 1973. I wrote them with parts needed. I expected a letter saying 'send $_____. They sent me the parts with a typed invoice, trusted me to pay, class act. Different world then. Steve at VAS made me sell it to him.

My friend just bought a used 9" Moerch. He's the one who bought the JVC 3 arm plinth with the Denon Nameplate. He's going to select and add a new veneer, so it will be a while until I help him install it, and hear it.

pindac

Here’s my JVC spinner ’type’ with custom black marble base and pods. I’d hate to pay for it. No dust cover? All that precision, open to dust mites? Or my forced air system, nooooo.

Mine is a TT81, the last ’sensible’ one. That is Halcro’s (Henry) TT101. I read all about it, a VERY LONG thread here, the nightmare he went thru getting it properly overhauled. TT101 is vacuum hold down type. Pretty sure Lewm had/has a TT101.

Here’s Halcro’s Video proving all 3 arms could play without effecting the speed one bit. Happily I have more room to operate my rear arm, as easy as the right side. Left arm backwards, is a mind twist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfVk430hwU4

My friends compare cartridges, theirs, mine, stereo/mono: changing the rear arm’s headshell, playing 2 or 3 arms simultaneously, simply select which arm on my 3 arm SUT. Easy to demonstrate the benefit of playing a Mono LP with a true Mono Cartridge vs a Stereo Cartridge via preamp’s mono ’mode’.

Punishment: I compare TT101 to anyone who buys a Jag XJS with a V12 jammed under the hood, instead of a superb Straight Slant 6. btw, the 6 beats the 12 off the line, V12 only wins at top speed.

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I admire other people’s ’arms on pods’ arrangements. A lot of wonderful designs simply ignore dust covers. You need to have a designated place for the dust cover to go while listening, some custom ones are giants.

I prefer the arm mounts factory made and attached to the TT itself, essentially easy to buy, setup, mount most arms ’normally’. I prefer DD, AND a removable factory dust cover.

From your Links:

Micro-Seiki RX 1500, 3 arms

here’s a

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2 arm version

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Wave Kinetics Direct Drive, 2 12" arms

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Bergman, allows 4 arms? Post said:

"This is the new model from Bergmann Turntables till 4 arms air bearing and vacuum pump."

I have the VPI Avenger rim drive. Arms are the Schroeder CB12 for my VDH GC, Schick for SPUs, and Kuzma 4point.

The AMG Viella allows for a second arm and competes with more expensive turntables.

J Sikura Standard MAX allows 2 tonearms and may be my end game target.

Elliot, You're skating on thin ice.  The TT101 is a fine turntable.  I have been using mine for several years since JP Jones repaired its problem, with no issues whatsoever.  The difference between a TT101 and a TT81 is nowhere near like the difference between a 6-cylinder Jag E type and a 12-cylinder version.  I've driven both; you are correct in saying the 12-cylinder is a dog, front heavy and sluggish. Funnily, they are very collectible nevertheless.  I am not going to say the TT101 is superior to the TT81, because I have never heard a TT81, but the former was JVC's top of the line for a reason, notwithstanding the very limited production TT801, which is the model you're thinking of that had vacuum hold down.  TT101 does not have vacuum.  Halcro and Thuchan, two well heeled, "retired" contributors to this forum, both also own TT101s, or at least they did when last they posted here.

lewm

thanks for the clarifications, yeah, JP Jones, in that very long discussion I think he had several cracks at some people's TT101's before they got 'right'. 

I'm glad yours is doing great. My TT81 also. Sometimes I think, if I had JP Jones check mine out, some things might not be 'right' within, yet it starts like a dual motor Tesla, keeps perfect speed, stops on a dime. Dead quiet operation.

I still get tempted to buy a spare TT71 or TT81 when they come up separately at a good price. If my TT81 died, like my mx110z tube tuner/preamp, I wouldn't waste any time considering options, just get another asap!

Same thing with the xa5400 SACD player people here advised me to buy, fix or replace.

IOW, I'm soooo happy with the changes I made since joining Audiogon, I dare say, 'I'm DONE'. Hah.

The 801 with vacuum pump. I notice it had a hinged dust cover, I prefer lift-off.

http://www.thevintageknob.org/jvc-TT-801.html

https://audio-database.com/VICTOR/etc/tt-801.html