2. analog
  3. 1317949815

Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
128x128halcro
hiho
451 posts
 

More observations I made earlier in the other thread.

Here's the major clue from the vintageknobs page.

Halcro did post some innards pictures of his TT81 but short of the inside of the motor. That TT81 looks awfully close to the TT71 motor.

Yes, Halcro needs to take apart his TT81 to settle the score! :-D

_______
omsed
145 posts
 
Living in the past and in denial, not dangerously.
timeltel's avatar
timeltel
830 posts
 
Regards. Hiho is correct. For a description of JVC technology in the above TTs:

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/jvc/turntable-technology.shtml

A later catalogue states ALL TTs are equipped with coreless motors.

Peace,
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Wonderful information, photos and Links from HiHo as usual.........
I really think from the descriptions of the TT-81 and TT-101 motors in their respective Service Manuals....that HiHo and Caligari are correct about the TT-81 NOT being a 'coreless' motor?
As for me taking apart my TT-81.......HaHa HiHo.....and you too Banquo....:-)

But for your collection of images HiHo......here are all the ones I have of my TT-81:-
TT-81
TT-81
TT-81
TT-81

If the TT-71 and TT-81 motors are the same......why have the two models?
The TT-71 motor is described as "12-pole, 24-slot, DC type FG servomotor with Starting Torque of more than 1Kg-Cm and Drift per hour of 0.0001%"....whilst the TT-81 motor is described as "DC Servomotor with Starting Torque of 1.3Kg-Cm and Drift per hour of 0.0004%".
These are different specifications with the added benefit of the TT-81 having quartz-locked positive and negative servo control as does the TT-101.
Perhaps the most defining clue to the differing motors is in their Power consumption...13 watts for the TT-81 and 15 watts for the TT-71.
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
HiHo,
Your interest in the Victor motors seem to have been ignited by your experiences with the TT-71.....is that correct?
Your research, photos and Links are certainly invaluable to this Data Base.
I haven't heard a TT-71...but I know the Professor (Timeltel) has one and is quite pleased......
I have more than five times the expense invested in my TT-101 over the TT-81....and would love to say that the performance difference is worth the cost....?
Unfortunately (or fortunately)...that is not the case and I can honestly say that I can hear no differences between them.
But is that really so strange?
Apart from the added complexity of the electronics and the coreless motor.....the rest of the architecture of the two TTs are identical.
Same platter....same materials...same dimensions and structure and same quality of electronic parts.
As you can see from the Timeline videos of the two TTs.....their speed accuracies and consistencies are identical....so why wouldn't they sound the same?

As they are the best sounding turntables I have heard in 40 years.....the TT-81 must be the bargain of the century? :-)
More to discover