What's your Turntable?

Pretty hard to upgrade from the best.

Lots of nice postings, really enjoying seeing these.
sKiZo, What cartridge is that? It looks similar to an AT150MLX but not quite? Wow TT is 40 lbs?
I'm using an ATN120E, third time around and boy the prices are rising too. Considering trying something different next time, maybe a rotofon 2m blue if I can figure out the mounting. It all sounds so great on the VTA ST-70. I love this tube amp!

Thanks Bob for the forum!

Mine: Technics SP-10mk2 Custom made plinth, SME 3009S2 Improved tone arm with bronze knife edge bearing, excentric counterweight and for phono cartridges: Monster Cable Alpha Genesis 1000 mk2 soundsmith rettiped (today I think it is the same as ZYXX 4D), Audio Technica AT-F9, Grado Platinum Reference, Clearaudio Discovery (also Soundsmith restored) and Goldring G1042. Phono preamp is a Threshold FET 10/PC using my own battery operated power supply (a big improvement in sound quality).





Best regards!

Rich

Today I have ordered an EMT 930 NRU with Acoustical arm and Denon DL-103 cratridge. Will be with me by the end of may. Can hardly wait to take part in their known musicality, pace, rythm. They are supposed to play music far better (dynamic) than any TT. Let's just wait and see/listen...
I'll keep you informed
Marc

Count me down as a fan of the 80's direct drive tables. Picked up this Denon DP62L a couple months ago, it's paired with a Denon DL110 cart. From the very start my LP's both old and new have never sounded better. This table is large, heavy, dead quiet and rock solid.It's very well engineered with outstanding spec's and you can hear the quality. One fun thing to do is turn off the power when it's in the middle of a track and wait and listen for the table to stop spinning, requires about a minute and a half for the platter to finally stop turning. Turn it back on and it spins up and locks in about 1/2 a second. It's so large I had to modify my stereo shelf to accommodate it's footprint. Anyone else use any of the Denon L series tables of this era?

Thorens Mark II and an Empire

Cool thread! I'm a huge vinyl fan....I've owned a lot of the 'good' vintage decks: Thorens TD124, Garrard 401, Sugden, AR, Rega, Fons,Technics. Strangest deck? a Harmon Kardon with the Rabco linear-tracking tonearm.

The one I wish I hadn't sold? The Linn Sondek LP12 which came with me from the UK, with a Valhalla PSU. For some reason I sold it for $150 on CL a few years back.

Right now I have two Lenco GL75 decks which I brought to the USA: I have to build a power supply for them to run properly here: luckily the owners' forum has produced some PCBs. I think I might couple it with a Rega tonearm (I'm out of love these days with SMEs and many other vintage units). On the other hand I may yeild to long-standing temptation and build me one instead.

In the meantime, here's a picture of my last Garrard 401 with green marble plinth and SME 3009. Sounded nice. The 'mat' is a drum silencing pad: highly recommended!

my new U-Turn. See separate U-Turn thread.

Boy, that was quick!
Takes a month to just get a phone call returned from VPI.

Tube Nube wrote:In so far as it's a Linn, I just refer to "reaching under the lasses skirt" but not for a L O L A moment of cable dressing or undressing. Now tweaking the subchassis springs. . . That's a skill, but it doesnt require a professional engineering certificate. Not unless it's to be called something like "micro tuming the vibration dampening..."

Glad you're enjoying your Linn: I loved the ones I had. I never had much trouble setting mine up: I suspect that a lot of the talk that goes around about these being a pain to set up is due to old components.

Elrick, love that Denon and have been looking for one.
Also have the DL-110 cartridge -
Amazing for the money and my favorite for older scuffy scratchy stuff.

Hi,

I am listening with a Pro-Ject 6PerspeX with a Sumiko Blue Point Special Evo III cartridge. Very happy with it,

Michael

This is my current tt. Using a Denon DL-110 cart. A Thorens TD290 was used as a parts donor.
Works quite well..

Ernstmach wrote:

This is my current tt. Using a Denon DL-110 cart. A Thorens TD290 was used as a parts donor.
Works quite well..

Stunning! Do you mind telling us bit more about it?

Kind regards

Michael

Zimmer64 wrote:

Ernstmach wrote:

This is my current tt. Using a Denon DL-110 cart. A Thorens TD290 was used as a parts donor.
Works quite well..

Stunning! Do you mind telling us bit more about it?

Kind regards

Michael

Beautiful, sturdy, industrial and I bet it performs VERY WELL!
Well done!

bluemeanies wrote:

Zimmer64 wrote:

Ernstmach wrote:

This is my current tt. Using a Denon DL-110 cart. A Thorens TD290 was used as a parts donor.
Works quite well..

Stunning! Do you mind telling us bit more about it?

Kind regards

Michael

Beautiful, sturdy, industrial and I bet it performs VERY WELL!
Well done!

I am sure those bottles behind the turntable make it sound even better....

I, too, would love to hear more about this beautiful machine.

Me too. You say you know a talented machinist?

Im very eager to know more. The Thorens was, iirc, the basis for Linn with their hanging sprung suspension subchassis. With this magnificent sculpture of a piece, however, I can't see where the suspension would be, so I'm suspecting it's what Harley drivers mght cal a "hard tail". No springs. Given the exquisite execution here--or at least the appearance of it--it's agony not to be able to discuss this in some detail. Probably deserves its own thread.

It's obvious a lot went into making this deck. I look forward to the owner's return to the forum so we can hear stories of inspiration to set our imaginations on fire.

Thanks for the very kind words and your interest!
I have been  a journeyman machinist for 43 years. For the last 28 years I ran a student machine shop at the local college. So I have had access evenings and weekends to the equipment in the shop.
I wanted to do a project before I retired so I started drawing this up in CAD. I wanted to do everything from scratch but by the time I had decided what to build I felt there wasn't enough time so I picked up a Thorens tt that was good mechanically.

The two levels were my thoughts on separating the driven section from the tone arm. The top section rests on Sorbothane bushings so there is no metal to metal contact. The two sections are not fastened together but can be for transport.



The tone arm is fastened to the lower plinth. Easily removable to facilitate using different tone arms.




The spindle rides in a bearing made of 360 brass. Uses an oil bath for lubrication and has less than .001 inch run out. Platter is 1 inch thick. machined on CNC mill and weighs 2.4 lbs. Has less than .001 inch run out.
I used the original belt drive setup and motor.

Most of this was done on a CNC milling machine and manual lathe.
All metal is 6061 T651 aluminum plate. 1 inch thick for the plinth(s). Uprights are 2 inch diameter 6061 T651 bar stock.
All electronics are mounted in pockets on the bottom plate with machined covers for protection.

Turntable weighs 67 lbs.. Adjustable feet with Sorbothane bushings rests on a 3X18X18 granite surfaceplate also resting on Sorbothane bushings and weighs 108 lbs..

Sounds pretty good with the cartridge that is in it. The cartridge was mounted to the original tt I bought and the owner said it had very little use.
Still some very minor tweaks to do but it is very usable as is. There is no discernible belt/motor or spindle noise.

This has been a fun project. It is basically a Thorens table in a much heavier framework.

Not very original as far as design ideas but a fun project.

As far as the bottles of Scotch, It doesn't hurt!
Thanks again!
Bob

Bob,

Thanks for posting up the tale of this beautiful turntable. What a great project to take with you into retirement! If you hadn't had the skills and equipment available, I bet this job would have been too costly to entertain.

I currently use a Thorens TD 166 MK2 with a sumiko Oyster cart. Sound good for now. But I did come from using an Oracle Delphi II many, many yrs ago.

Here a find for someone.......CST-80 Moving Coil Transformer ...anyone know anything about the CST-80..?.....I am out of vinyl now.....let me know.....thanks






thanks for the site Bob.........................................

Very good work Bob. Congrats...
I have completed my turntable almost similar structure last May.... mine is an ex Rega P3-24

More detailed photos from start to end are here:

DIY TURNTABLE