A budget turntable exploration

Hey all!

Let's see how long politics will stay out of this seemingly innocuous discussion.

A few months ago I decided to get a vinyl system for my classroom primarily so my students can play their vinyl on something other than the Crosleys most of them have.

I found a Technics SL-B30 on craigslist for $45, brought it home and realized it had never been cleaned or serviced (though it had been kept in good condition). So I found the service manual online and started taking it apart. Degunked all the ancient grease, cleaned the contacts and resoldered some of the pins that looked a bit flaky. My wife said I looked a bit flaky and tried to solder me but I managed to wrangle the soldering gun back and return to the task at hand. 

The belt was as ancient and stretched as an octogenarian pole dancer and I know the P-mount Ortofon 10 was original and probably had 275000 years on it. A new belt and an AT85 cartridge quickly appeared. A close cleaning and polish and the thing looked like it had just come out of the box!

Actually, it didn't. The dustcover was seriously scratched and smudged and no amount of soft scrub or plastic polish made a demonstrable difference. Plus, one of the plastic hinges was missing and so the cover cannot maintain an up position. But whatever. The proof is in the sound and performance. 

I let the AT85 play several spins of Analogue Productions Ultimate Analogue Test LP to serve as a break in for the cartridge and then put on a familiar and sonically pleasing LP, Bruce Cockburn's Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws (1979), followed but Janelle Monae's virtuoso production Dirty Computer (2018), finished up with Heifetz' even more virtuoso performance off Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major (RCA Red Seal,1958; cond. Reiner). Wow! This bargain basement set up was surpassing my much more expensive and well-built main rig!

Of course it wasn't. I mean, the total cost of turntable and new cartridge and belt was less than 10% of my Maestro Ebony V2 cartridge alone. But that's not the point. The sound from the Technics SL-B30 and the AT85 running through a Schitt Mani into a Schiit Raggie 2 and then Reference 3A de Capos was quite good. A full and enveloping soundstage, great instrument separation, and a a balanced spectrum projection with only the high frequencies seeming rolled off. The Technics and Mani are bound for my classroom in the fall where, with a pair of Audioengine A5 powered speakers, it'll show my students what their vinyl can sound like on an inexpensive but good system within their financial reach - should they want to pursue it. 

Good, satisfying sound can be had for far less than some feel you have to spend in order to be satisfied.