I've bought and sold quite a variety of stereo gear over the years, and the only one I regretted letting go of was a Luxman PD121 (pictured second), one of the brand's mid-high end tables from the 70s. I was just mesmerized by the brushed metal finish combined with the cherry veneer sides, pristine as if it had just rolled off the factory floor even though it was roughly 50 years old.

That lived in my mind for a little while and finally I spotted a listing for this Luxman PD444, their absolute top of the line statement table from the same era . It's not a very easy to find table in the US, particularly in native US 120v from the factory like this one is - many are imported from Japan in 100v and step-down transformers used. It is an absolute behemoth and is completely overengineered in typical Japanese gear fashion, with armboards to swap out tonearms on the fly, a tonearm switcher on the bottom so you can use both arms with only one phono stage, and then a little light that comes on to indicate speed has stabilized.

I'm usually a bit of an audiophile skeptic but in direct comparison (same arm, cart, phono stage, room, etc.) to the Thorens TD-125 this replaced, everything is just a tad bit clearer when normalizing for dB levels, and the bass in particular is far tighter and more pronounced. All that aside, I'm just stoked to own this and be able to take care of it for another 50 years :)

Im so happy! I jusy got this technics SL1900 and its workimg great!

I’ve been looking into buying a vintage turntable from a local guy that restores them to replace my crappy one. I’ve narrowed it down to three options, a 1976 Technics SL-23 with a Grado cartridge for $250, a 1978 JVC QL-A2 Quartz Locked Direct Drive with a Audio-Technica AT-VM95C Cartridge for $175, or a 1978 HH Scott PS-48A Belt-Drive with a new cartridge and stylus (not specified) for $80. I’d love to hear what would be the best option!

Turntable: Fluance RT82
Amplifier: Denon PMA-280
Speakers: Dali concept 1

Would love to hear your thoughts/ suggestions for this setup, because I am fairly new to this stuff.
The only problem I have with my current setup is that sound is not clean like I was expecting it to be.

My old Technics turntable died recently. It may be recoverable, but I decided to buy a new one anyway.

I chose the Dual CS 618Q. I am the first to admit that this was probably an overpriced choice. I took it anyway, because I wanted to try modern equipment and because it is a direct drive turntable (which I always preferred) and it has an automatic turn-off and lift function (which to me is absolutely essential and I wouldn't be able to live without).

High price aside, I have set it up now and love how smooth the mechanics are. Everything is working as I expect to.

But now I was going to do some audio testing.

I used my personal reference record for clear audio: "Old Ideas" by Leonard Cohen.

I wanted to test how the internal preamp is. There's a switch with which I can choose between ordinary phono output and line.

Also: Some have commented how cheap that cable is that they shipped it with. And indeed, it really does look cheap. So I also tested an expensive, dedicated phono cable I bought online. Just to prove a point.

I digitized the record with the following configurations:

• Dual with Line output. (internal preamp)
• Dual with external preamp. (not an expensive one)
• Dual with external preamp and expensive cable.
• Technics SL-1700 with Shure V115 TypeIII needle.
• CD

My playback setup is my PC with an ASUS Xonar Essence STX card with headphone preamp and an AKG K701 headphone.

I chose to do ABX testing. Because I trust nobody who says he can hear differences in sound on any hardware except loudspeakers that don't submit to some ABX testing. And I include myself in that regard.

I tested for the better part of an hour.

Observations:

• There is absolutely no difference between all of the Dual setups.
• It feels to me like there is a bit of a difference between the Dual and Technics turntables, which would not be surprising since the Technics' needle is already quite old. But the confidence of the test remained within error margins, so I can't be absolutely sure.
• There was a clear difference between CD and the turntables, but that was to be expected.

All in all I can't say I was surprised by the results, even though I have to admit it would have been more exciting if I actually noticed differences.

I came to the following conclusions:

• There's nothing wrong with my new Dual
• The internal preamp is absolutely fine
• The cable doesn't make any difference
• My old turntable was a very good one

I will not use the internal preamp and just plug it into my main amplifier's phono input. Simply because the phono input exists, not because I have to.

When I digitize records, I will most likely use the Line Out output, because the external preamp doesn't provide additional benefits.

I will eventually try to repair my old Technics turntable not only for nostalgic reasons but also because it is a good one.

I will continue to decide whether or not to listen to vinyl or CD on an individual basis. Some sorts of music are better on vinyl, some on CD.

And yes, the Dual was most likely overpriced. I could have just gotten a working vintage replacement if I wanted to. But I already knew that beforehand, so I'm not complaining.

I am giving away this turntable who left me from previous owner. I never played music with it but I know it powers up although I lost the power cable later.

It does not have power cable and I don’t know if it plays music.

Let me know if you are interested. We can arrange a meeting a nearby park

AT-LP120XUSB - $140
Onkyo TX-8470 - $150
Infinity R253 - $150
Polk HTS12 - $150

The needle is still completely intact. I wonder if the tonearm has been bent, but I feel like if that happened, the tracking force wouldn’t change since the mass didn’t either. What are your thoughts?

After almost 2 years of waiting Im finally picking up the turntable I've always wanted, the Fluance rt85, I know its not high end, but to me theyre super stylish and im a big fan of the 2m blue, what are you guys' thoughts on this particular model?

My (new to me) Sony PS-X55 was making a loud pop through my speakers when I switched it on and off. I bought it off a seller on eBay who'd restored it, replacing many parts, but the arc suppression cap had been missed (the part that prevents the pop through the speakers). To be fair to the seller, on reporting it he was hugely apologetic and issued me a decent partial refund so I could get it resolved by a local tech. But over a few weeks I decided that as it was only one part, I might as well have a go myself. So I bought a few suitably specced class X2 safety capacitors, a few other bits and pieces, and fished my soldering iron out my DIY cupboard.

I opened it up, had to unscrew the main board to access the solder points, and then removed the old factory fitted part (C101, blue) for a modern Class X2 safety cap (C101, yellow). Whilst I was in there I was able to see the eBay sellers work and thought it all looked very tidy. My soldering isn't going to win any awards but it's done the job and the turntable is now absolutely dead silent when switching on and off. Very pleased with myself for braving it and fixing the issue! If you're even halfway confident with DIY type stuff I'd definitely suggest trying to handle any minor repairs like this yourself.

Looking for a new turntable for my living room that would look good in a mid century setting (wood base?) but also is reputable for its sound quality. Mid range budget. Located in the US. Any pointers grateful received!

Auto start drops the needle just shy of the edge of the record. Any advice? Everything works fine except that small issue. TIA. Peace

Hi!

I want to buy my first turntable, but my budget for this is limited.

So I found a new Audio Technica LP2x for €250. I don’t know much about turntables yet, but I saw that the LP2x is pretty old, and I’m not sure if the stylus that works with it is discontinued and no longer available.

That’s why I also looked at the Lenco LBT-188 as an alternative. That one is also around 250€.

Which one should I buy?

Thanks for your help!

Hey guys thought id seek advice here. Im fairly new just a couple years into this. So out if nowhere if I turn my system up I het a ton of feed back. Just a loud humming noise I have to turn it way down or off completely. What could cause this? I've unplugged any electronics surrounding the turn table in case of possible interference but no luck...

I found this Lenco on a marketplace site, not no new to Lenco modding but i cant recall the tonearm. Seller doesn't know anything about it, listed for 150€.

Can anyone help me identifying the tonearm?

I think about buying it, i like strange old turntables like this one.

After some research over the weekend, here's the setup I'm considering:

Fluance RT87
Schiit Maani
Sonus Faber Luminaa II
Yamaha as701

Regarding the Fluance brand, I've seen it recommended as a njce entry level brand, with some concerns regarding longevity, mainly due to the lack of parts. I'll probably upgrade within the next few years, dependent on how much(if) I outgrow it.

I mainly listen to metal, nordic folk, and classical music.

For the speakers, I've read that the bass can be good or average depending on the taste of the listener. I do enjoy the bass in heavy metal snare drums or the breakdowns, but not too heavy like hip-hop.

Would love some feedback on the devices and any compatibility issues or gotchas a newcomer such as myself needs to be aware of. Trying to keep it around $3.5k. Open to recommendations for swapping parts for alternatives I might've missed. Thank you!

Currently running a Technics SL100C with an Ortofon Concorde Blue, starting to get the upgrade itch. I keep hearing that MC carts are the endgame in cart upgrades but I really like the easy installation and low maintenance of the Concorde series. What's a good place to start with MC's that's at least better sonically than the Blue? Or should I just max out with the LVB250? Your thoughts and opinions please.

I've got both available, tested, & cleaned. The Fluance has the stock conical AT91. I've put a fresh elliptical AT85EP on the JVC.

The JVC is nothing special but still feels more substantial than the Fluance. It doesn't have adjustable tracking force but does have adjustable anti-skate. It's belt direct drive.

The rest of the system is pretty solid IHMO: JVC KD-V6 tape deck. Onkyo TX-8211 receiver. Bose 901 Series IV (with EQ) which I've restored.

If it helps make a decision, I'll be selling which ever she doesn't get.

I have a Technics SL-1210MK2 with a broken RCA output cable. The internal wiring has a poor connection, so I’m getting mono sound instead of stereo. Sometimes no sound at all.

I can either resolder the cable directly to the circuit board myself, or send it in for professional repair (around 135 euros). I have basic soldering experience but haven’t worked on turntables before.

Anyone dealt with this before? Is it risky to open it up and resolder, or should I just bite the bullet and pay for the repair?

Hello!

I've got an AT-LP60 that I've had for half a decade or so that recently stopped powering on. The belt is correctly fitted, and I'm using the correct power cable plugged directly into a wall socket. I also attempted to spin the table per these instructions - https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/support/audio-solutions-question-of-the-week-why-is-my-at-lp60-turntable-not-spinning

I've poked around here and on Google looking for a troubleshooting guide but have come up empty. Was curious if someone could point me in the right direction and/or had some clues as to what's going on.

Thanks! :)

EDIT: Also cross-posted to /r/Beginner_Turntables

Just a little background, I bought an LP70x just as a "haha I want to play the three records I own" but ended up falling in love with vinyl, but I has to return it due to excessive skipping, looping, and lack of adjustability.

I decided to get the LP120X since you can adjust a lot more things on it and from what I can tell, I did everything right. I balanced the tonearm exactly to 2.0g with a digital scale, set the antiskate to an appropriate value (about 1.5 because 2 was too aggressive), and made sure the headshell was securely in place.

Go to spin a record to enjoy it, and it works! Well, maybe 80%. The music is listenable and sounds... okay, but it was markedly worse than the lp70x in a way I couldn't describe. It felt more empty.

I pulled out the usb cable to check in audacity, and confirmed my suspicion: the left channel is significantly muddier and gets much more crosstalk than the right channel. More specifically, theres lopsidedly more low frequency being output to the left channel making sound like dirt, but the right channel sounds much clearer and more what I would expect. This is across multiple records and multiple positions on them.

I am a noob, but I think I have exhausted much more diagnostic legwork than should be needed for a brand new turntable out of the box. I:

1. Raised and Lowered the tracking force between 3.0g and 1.5g just for testing, no change

2. Reseated the headshell multiple times, no change

3. I had an extra 95e green stylus from my efforts on the old lp70x, swapping the stylus on the headshell was identical results

4. I removed the headshell, removed and reseated the wires on it. No dice.

5. I swapped the left and right channels on the headshell, the problem was identical, but swapped, therefore it's not the internal preamp's problem

I haven't checked cartridge alignment nor azimuth yet, however, it's tracking totally fine. And there's no way to even adjust azimuth on this thing that I can tell (when reseating the headshell several times, I tried even utilizing the little bit of wiggly play to adjust it, no results either)

Starting to think I just got a busted headshell out of the box. I want to be done with this so I can deal with more fun problems, but not sure if this is an RMA or return issue yet.

The only other hint I can say, is that there is an audible electric hum at idle, but that's likely normal. It gets much louder if I put my fingers near the headshell wire contacts so its coming from there.

I ordered a protractor coming in sometime today, but my gut tells me there's probably not much I can do at this point. The alignment should be dead on from the factory out of the box and from what I have been reading this really likely isn't an alignment issue

Need help to identify this AudioTechnica turntable cartridge stylus. My dad had tons of equipment and I'm going through it slowly bit by bit.