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HELP, Pls - re Automatic Turntables, Vintage/New

Am new to Audiogon but most impressed with the expertise reflected in these posts... Hope you can help me. I'm looking to replace a vintage Denon DP-52F turntable (fully automatic), owned by my 90-year old father.

My dad is an avid audiophile who has traded well over the past 50+ yrs... System includes Audio Research receiver (no model # on face but its '80s-era combination tube & transistor unit), McIntosh MC2505 Power Amp & a McIntosh 2100 amp, McIntosh MR-67 FM tuner (tubes), 2 original Altec-Lansing VOTT speakers (A7s), and 2 Tannoy speakers, one being the classic GRF Corner Horn.

Turntable has been the weakest link... In part because, as he's aged, hands have become unsteady; he needs an automatic table to position the arm for him.

Would be MOST grateful for suggestions on possible replacements for his DP-52F Denon. Have thought to look for other vintage/automatic Denons, but parts availability seems to range from spotty to nil. Have also considered Technics, such as SL-1300MK2/1600MK2... But apparently they have common problem with cueing & auto-lift(costly fix).

Any thoughts on other makes/models to look for -- vintage or new -- would be appreciated. We have a modest budget (up to perhaps $600, give or take)... But dearly hope to find something that will sound as good as that old Denon.

Many thanks!!!
jarthur
jarthur OP
7 posts
 
Thanks very much for additional thoughts on the Thorens, perhaps I should relook it as a prospect... But I think you've hit the big issue on the head, "they just don't make 'em like they used to"... And I'm afraid my dad would find that disappointing.

I did look at the 52-F currently listed on Audiogon, but its operational condition sounds questionable. Do-it-yourself repairs are beyond me... So we might be trading one inoperable 52-F for another that could soon be in similar shape.

Used market may be the best bet though, and the only way to get something close to the quality we'd like for what the budget allows. Again, thanks for sharing your thoughts!
jarthur OP
7 posts
 
Comparing one "don't make 'em like they used to" table with another -- how would you say the old Denons (like the 52-F) compare with the old Technics, like the SL-1300MK2/1600MK2...?

Are these pretty much comparable tables...?
tubes108
153 posts
 
Speaking of auto 'tables. My dad has a Markel turntable that plays both sides of an LP automatically, without flipping over the LP. It can stack up to 6 records enabling listening to 12 sides without leaving your chair. Get one of these and you can still use an automatic 'table. Alas this beautiful mechanical marvel from the 1950s, which as I recall also plays 78s, will not improve the sound of that fine system you have.

How do you like your Tannoy speakers?
armstrod
606 posts
 
If your budget is $600 and you're looking at Technics, you can buy a new Technics 1200 from KAB:

http://www.kabusa.com

I haven't heard one, but a number of users here have them and seem very happy with them, claiming that with mods they can compete at a very high level.
jarthur OP
7 posts
 
Tubes108 --

Thanks for sharing that info about the Markel... It does indeed sound like a mechanical marvel! Don't know what the odds are of finding such a thing in operable condition, but one never knows.

As for the Tannoys, they are wonderful. They are very rich & mellow-sounding... More subtle, less "bright" than my dad’s two Voice of the Theatres. The massive old GRF Corner horn deserves its reputation as a classic; I can't remember the model # of my dad's other Tannoy, but it is also a big cabinet... Not certain, but I think it has the same 15" dual concentric horn as its larger (and older) brother.

I read a comment recently from someone who once owned a pair of the GRF Corner horn cabinets – said, "I had to sell them to buy a house! I should have rented instead."

Along those lines, glad my dad still has his original Altec-Lansing VOTT A7s... Noticed that A-L is now selling "replicas" of these for more than $12K a pair.

Armstrod --

Thanks for the lead on Technics 1200, I'll check it out. Is it an automatic though, or manual...? My dad's need for auto-functioning is a big constraint, sound quality-wise & in terms of choices... But at 90, I'm just glad his audiophile’s ear has held up better than the steadiness of his hands! Thanks for suggestion--
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