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TT-101 turntables…or any DD decks

It’s funny how in audio…..I’ve had many mishaps over the years which have led to ‘forced’ improvements in my system…..

The latest happened just 3 days ago when the ‘Power’ switch on my 35 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 turntable failed to ‘turn-off’ when pressed……leaving the unit ‘powered up’ with three diodes continuously on……
I thought to myself……time to have the unit serviced and all the capacitors replaced (at least)…..

I have thus been listening over the last three days and nights and have been struck by the perceived improvement in ‘sound’?
Everything seemed better….the timing….the solidity…the noise-floor….the subtlety…..the transparency…..
And then it hit me……
With solid state gear…..I have always kept them ‘powered on’.
My Halcro DM-10 Preamp is always on ‘Mute’ (as was the valve Kebschull before it and the SS Electrocompaniet before then).
My Halcro DM-58 Monoblocks are always ‘on’ (as was the Perraux PM-1850 power amp before them).
Most DD drive turntables I know of are all solid state……
Why should they be any different?
Why would they not benefit from the capacitors being fully charged with the transformer/power supply, PCB, transistors and resistors fully ‘heated’?

This for me…has been a more significant improvement than ‘nakeding’ the ‘nude’ Victor which I recently accomplished…

It’s such an easy thing for anyone to try out….there is simply no ‘down-side’……other than the diodes burning out? :-)

Happy listening…..and Happy New Year….
128x128halcro
lewm
13,175 posts
 
I am kind of regretting sending off my TT101, because I feel like I could have figured it out. And Bill would have been glad to help. He still does not even know that I've had problems since its second visit to his shop. He didn't even charge me the second time around. So far as I could tell by visual inspection, every single one of those through-hole eyelets had been re-soldered, by the time I got finished with it, and after Bill had already done most of them.

The weird thing was how it worked well in Bill's shop after the FIRST round of repair. I took it home and it had problems. I took it back, and after he did the above mentioned soldering, it worked fine again in his shop. You know the rest. Bill and I joked about an evil spirit in my house, because my Beveridge amplifiers also had a similar strange set of geographically dependent symptoms, for a while. The Bev amps are totally up and running now, however, with no problems at all.
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Sorry to hear about your persistent problems Lew.....
Bummer :-(
I'll keep my fingers crossed for this 'virgin' guru of yours...?

Glad to have helped with your problem Banquo....and funny you should mention it?
Two days ago after a listening session.....I forgot that the 'Power' button on my TT-101 had stopped working.....and I unthinkingly pressed it!
Lo and behold it started working again :-)
I quickly switched it back on however as I really do believe it is better for the circuitry as Aigenga also seems to confirm.
If you compare the videos of the TT-101/Timeline with three tonearms that are posted on Peterayer's Thread.....you will notice that the latest one with 'music' keeps better consistency with the Timeline....
I believe this is due to being 'powered-up' continuously?
At any rate.....to me....it definitely sounds better as well :-)
lewm
13,175 posts
 
Fortunately for me (i) I was careful to pay only the value of the 7045 tonearm and plinth, when I bought the QL10 ensemble. So if I never fix the TT101, I am out only the cost of the service, and (ii) I have a Denon DP80, Kenwood L07D, and Technics SP10 Mk3, not to mention my Lenco, to console me while I await a verdict.

So, "Don't cry for me, Argentina".
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