Best set up for 78's ?

I have been wrestling with this issue myself. I have been testing out several options for playing old mono LPs and 78s. I thought that I could be smart and use a single TT for both; either by using a single arm w/ removeable headshell or using a deck with two arms. Well, I was wrong - or at least I can say that it is not working out to my expectations.

I have come to the conclusion that to really play 78s to the best of their ability reqyires a dedicated TT and arm/cartridge combo. The deck needs to be heavy - really heavy, as does the weight and tracking force of the arm and cartridge. Also, tight-fitting spindles and more especially weights/clamps are detrimental; I believe because they are coupling the (quite resonant) shellac record to the deck.

I have ended up using an old Rek-O-Kut deck and Grado arm for 78s, and I think that it sounds pretty good. Now we can have a discussion about phono stages for 78s...

Hi Lost:

I can't speak from personal experience so no brand/model recommendations but I have done a little research on 78 playback. There are four areas of concern.

Cleaning - because of the shellac, do not use any cleaning fluid with alcohol. Stay with pure water or solutions formulated for 78 cleaning.

Speed - prior to about 1940, what were called 78s were recorded at speeds from high 60-something RPM to about 80. If you will be playing only post WW2 78s, a standard 78 turntable should be fine. If you find older records you will need a variable speed table.

Stylus - you will need not only a mono cartridge (no vertical pickup so it will reduce noise) but you will want at least a 3 mil tip. Serious listeners will have a selection of tip sizes to better match individual records.

EQ - the now standard RIAA was not adopted until about 1955 (and not implemented by some LP labels until a few years later) so no 78s will sound their best with a modern phono stage. Some vintage preamps included a few selectable EQ settings but those were mainly for LPs. 78 records had an even wider range of EQ so for best results selectable turnover and rolloff will be needed.

Here is the single best reference I've found -
http://geocities.com/midimagic@sbcglobal.net/mixphono.htm

Have fun.

The comment to get a 78 variable speed table, cartridge is right on. All else will be disappointing. To do justice to the playback, you need something like the new VAS pre-amp which is a knock off of an old HK Citation I. It as all the 'curves'. The mono LP at least needs its own cartridge and that may mean a dedicated TT also. I have some LP's that I have the mono and stereo versions and the mono played with a stereo cartridge does not sound good. Hope you have space for all of these TT's

I could use a recommendation also for a specific inexpensive rig I could add to my system to play back some old 78s that have been in my family for years?

I already have the CD recorder I need to get them to CD from there, just need something to hook to my system and play'em.