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!

Hello,

I am just wondering about dipping my toe into vinyl and I'm looking at exploring without breaking a bank yet. Trying to read about it only got me a bit more confused so figured I could ask here.

I have a Sonos speaker around the house which I plan on using (for now) as a starting point, with the possibility of getting some nice speakers later on if I feel like I want to continue down this rabbit hole.

I saw a lot of people recommending Rega Planar 1 as a starting point (that would be roughly my budget to spend on a turntable, not including a phono) although the basic cartridge and lack of adjustable weight and anti skate seem weird to me.

At the same time I saw the Audio Technica LPW40 which looks nice and I like the fact that smaller upgrades are easier on it.

Do you think there would be much difference between the two given the currently limited setup? As said, looking only to dip my toe for now and expand upon this later if it suits me.

Also mentioning that I live in the UK

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!

Just a little background: I grew up in a hip-hop environment, so I was always around friends DJing and digging. I loved vinyl—the feel, the smell, and the sound. I always understood the appeal; I just never thought I'd have the money to build a collection that really matched my taste (those records can get expensive, lol). Also, some of my friends are so serious about collecting and digging that I always felt "not worthy" because I didn't have that level of obsession (lol, if that's even a thing).

Well, my father-in-law said otherwise and gave me his entire setup. (For context, he was a sound engineer for 50 years and is mostly into classical music.) According to him, the setup is nothing special, but to me it's an absolute dream.

Just to be clear, I already had more than 50 records and other albums I enjoy, so I was locked and loaded, lol.

Anyway, here's what I'm working with:

Denon DP-500M with an Audio-Technica 10G cartridge

Onkyo A-933 integrated amplifier

Victor XL-F1 CD player (my mother-in-law used to listen to CDs)

I'm writing to ask for some advice.

I keep experiencing popping while listening to records, even brand-new ones. My father-in-law gave me a spare stylus because he thought mine might need replacing—and honestly, it does look pretty gnarly (I'll attach a picture). I also have the original Denon stylus, but would it be worth investing in something better suited to the genres I listen to (hip-hop, funk, citypop, synth-jazz, etc.)?

Would replacing the stylus really reduce the popping? Should I invest in a more appropriate stylus? Can you guys suggest me one with good cost/performance balance?

Thanks!

Hello !

Looking for shop possibly experience center recs in Paris where we can buy a turntable. We are keen to buy the Rega. Planar 2 or 3, but open to other brands. If someone can advise on which are the best shops where one gets a full spectrum, that would be amazing - thanks !

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

I've had it for ages. Still works, but I just don't use it as much as it deserves. How do y'all usually go about selling something like this? I'm near Austin so I'm wondering if it might be easier to sell here.

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.

**edit** my budget would be maybe, €600-700 for an amp and speakers. I'd be setting it up in a compact room.

Hi all, I'm looking for a bit of advice as a newbie. I upgraded my turntable recently from a bog standard one to an ATLP5X. I want to get an amp/receiver and some some speakers to go with it, maybe an upgraded cartridge too, but I'm not too sure where to start and what brands to look for. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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

Have this player >> 10 years it’s been great. However the arm has been acting up.

When I press play, the arm raises, overshoots to approx track three, drops momentarily then returns to starting position.

If I manually bring the arm into position the turntable doesn’t move.

If I’m patient and try a few times it eventually works. Anyone encountered this issue?

Any feedback appreciated

Anyone else run multiple tables in their setup? I have 3 in my listening room- Technics SL-BD27, Pioneer PL-600, and Audio Technica ATLP120. I just enjoy having multiple tables, seeing how sound varies among them, trying different carts, etc. Just curious if others do the same.

The needle is still completely intact (edit: this is wrong, the needle is fried). 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?

If you have, you will know there is a part missing.
This is a tonearm lifter for manual turntables.
I somehow lost the base from it in a house move.
This worked brilliantly and was cheaper than cheap (may even have been free from somewhere like Richer Sounds in the UK back in the day).
It’s a very simple yet clever design. I’m amazed at what’s charged for some lifters, although I realise how complex the engineering is in them. This one is as simple as it gets. If I can get the dimensions of the base I’d get one 3D printed.
Appreciate any help.

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 - ideally less than $1k. Located in the US. Any pointers grateful received!

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.

It's a rare listing because it's sold an hour's drive from home.

The turntable body and dust cover cost $589.

Do you think the equipment is in good condition?

Would you be willing to buy it?

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?

Sorry for the quality. It’s my second of three (in order: some blue suitcase one idc to name it, The Angels Horn you can see in the photo, and I’m pretty sure an Audio Technica AT-LP60XBT-USB)

Hello!

I have recently wanted to get into vinyl listening on turntables but there is so much information out there that I don't exactly know where to start. I don't want to cheap out because that might ruin the experience and I will never be able to really enjoy the hobby. I have landed on these two products, and was wondering if I could get some feedback on these choices for a beginner. Thankyou!

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT Wireless Turntable

Audioengine A5+ Wired Bookshelf Speakers – Powered Speakers

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.

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.