What now? 78 rpm

[DSJR]

You don't need a foo turntable to play 78's as the discs are rigid (no probs with coupling vinyl), they're in mono, so Lenco drive noise, for example, is cancelled out at a stroke.

As for foo 78 cartridges, bear in mind the narrow bandwidth of 78's. The quality and dimensions of the stylus are far more important as getting the tip profile to fit the groove kills much of the noise. I remember a Glenn Miller compilation in the 70's that used several styli to properly fit the grooves of these old records when doing the transfers. What deck was used? from memory, a GL75

I'd look out for a GL75 (they're fetching nearly Techie money now in good nick ) and get an OM Pro cartridge with the 78 stylus (or an old Shure M75-EJ with 78 stylus). As well as getting good performance on LP's, it'll be perfect for 78's too. These decks have now been discovered by the great unwashed now, so the prices are shooting up sadly.

I still have a few 78's left and two decks to play them on. Now my little ceramic pickup buffer

[Rare Bird]

Rega 'Planar78' i'm certain they made the old 'Planar's available in a 78 version aswell!

[DSJR]

I'd still say a Lenco while they're just about affordable - AND DON'T BUTCHER IT, as original examples will probably hold value better eventually. They're going for well over a ton now unfortunately and nearer double that for clean(ish) examples.

The Planar 78 is the pipe-n-slippers version,, which should give a velvet-smooth performance when fitted with the 78 version of the Bias cartridge. I also understand the Techie can be configured for 78's too....

[Welder]

I don’t know. You lot, what are you like
You need a phonograph, you know, one of those things with a horn and a wind up handle.

Record decks ffs, that’s like playing Marco’s 50’s vinyl on a computer!
I’ve come to the conclusion that some of you are definitely lacking in style.

[Tea24]

Sorry John, IMO you are entirely wrong. I have a wind up & it sounds quite good, but a properly re-equalised 78 on good modern equipment with the correct sized needle played at the correct speed is a revelation.

[Welder]

Entirely wrong eh. At least I’ve done the job properly then.....

[spendorman]

If one wants correct equalisation for the various old record companies, the Quad 22 pre amp is pretty good.

I have a Thorens TD124 fitted with an Ortofon RS212 arm, for 78's. I put a spare headshell in with a Shure 75(ED) cartridge, fitted with an N75-3 stylus.

[WOStantonCS100]

This is going to cost me a bundle, init.

Finding Lenco's around here is pretty tough, apparently. I've seen some pretty nice ones. What do you mean by "don't butcher it"? There's a guy on youtube who's got a 75 done up in white with a huge baby blue plinth. It's got a Fidelity Research FR64S tonearm and Ortofon SPU Silver Miester cartridge. Not my first choice of colors; but, his looks (and probably sounds) really cool.

The Rega 78 I absolutely could not do. Any turntable that only does one speed, and 78 at that, is not for me. I'd have a very hard time convincing myself the Rega wouldn't break down far sooner than an equally well serviced Lenco, Thorens or Technics.

With a cartridge retip and new arm on the way, "The Jazz Club" is a drool inducing item I should probably not jump into. The Rek-O-Kut stuff on the other hand seems to offer quite good functionality. I also wouldn't feel bad about cracking it open and upgrading internal components.

Big horns... ...great aesthetic pieces; but, I just don't have the real estate for them; too much vinyl.

[The Grand Wazoo]

I think that when Dave talks about butchering a Lenco, he's referring to some folks habit of doing away with the arm at all costs.

• The arm being not too bad at all really
• The cost of doing away with it being carving off a lump of top plate in order to fit a new arm.

Rest assured that in years to come, a well cared for original will fetch a proper price.