sansui sr-212 vs revolver turntable

[karma67]

been using my trusted sansui for a while now and decided to bit the bullet and go for a bit of an upgrade,i picked up a revolver turntable today,the model fitted with a linn arm and also a target hifi shelf system.

hmm well i have to say i cant really hear much difference to be honest between the two, a bit disappointed,or perhaps the old sansui is very good??

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a195/michaelcaine22/20140721_170104.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a195/michaelcaine22/20141011_184414.jpg

[The Barbarian]

Thats a later SEE TT. Swap out the LVX for an Alphason 'Opal' or 'Xenon' or summert.

[karma67]

cheers,yes i should have looked at the cover! it says see revolver! have i bought a lemon?

[Idlewithnodrive]

I loved my Revolver / LVX / 2M Blue combo TT.

Did so much right, just sooo musical, many's the time I wonder why I ever got rid. Not heard the Sansui deck though, although they seem to be acquiring quite a rep.

[The Barbarian]

Not a lemon, i once had one of the first Hammertone decks of theirs, sounded okidoki to me.

[karma67]

Not a lemon, i once had one of the first Hammertone decks of theirs, sounded okidoki to me.

phew thankgod! lol

[karma67]

update,well ive just spent a bit more time setting the revolver up,i noticed the vta needed doing as the arm was sloping downwards so thats corrected and that has made a difference. not massive though,the revolver is growing on me:)

[The Barbarian]

I removed the 'LVX' fitted an Alphason 'Xenon' & Logic 'Datum S' to my old one why i mentioned it..

[karma67]

I removed the 'LVX' fitted an Alphason 'Xenon' & Logic 'Datum S' to my old one why i mentioned it..

so its worth spending £300+ on this turntable then?

[The Barbarian]

Tell you what use your own ears & decide which you prefer. Im just telling you what i ended up doing.

[karma67]

obviously,i was asking because you've told me you've done it,i just dont want to spend £300 when there might be better options ok.
im new to this so i will ask questions and this is a forum right?

[stairpost]

Hi Jamie,

I have a Revolver Redwood and I really enjoy it. It took a bit of help from the fine members of this forum to get it set up right, but actually prefer it to the LP12 I had directly before it, it may not excel in the ways the LP12 did but it sounds constantly good every time I put a record on, where as the LP12 was a bit particular and could sound dull on a bad day.

Mine has a Linn Basik plus arm and personally I am very happy with it.

Good luck getting yours sorted and I hope you get loads of good music out of it.

Rich

[DSJR]

The Revolver has a Basik LVX fitted. The counterweight insert has a nasty habit of turning to goo and even if it hasn't, if the counterweight spins freely, you'll need to do something about it. More worrying and definitely from past experience as a retailer of these arms when new, the headshell socket was never tightly bonded to the arm pipe! Tightening the Allen key used to put undue pressure on the socket/pipe joint and the socket then gradually worked loose. Some stud loc dribbled into the gap where the pipe goes in helps, as does tightening CAREFULLY all the screws which hold the arm together, but it is a weakness!

Now to the Revolver! The periphery belt can cause excessive wow we found and also, the bearing was a dogs dinner when new, although it should have polished all the rough spots off after thirty years of use. Siting is critical, as with Rega's which were better made in the important parts and with a superior arm). Sorry to say this, but the revolver was a 'Me Too' product at the time for the huge numbers of dealers out there without a Rega franchise - and Pro-Ject hadn't then got established, as at this time they were making the cute little NAD suspended turntable with clever 'floppy' tonearm!

SOME of the better Jap decks at this level were very good and I'm not at all surprised the SR 212 is good. A better headshell, fresh exit cables, new belt and a check of motor and bearing lubrication may well end up with a great sounding little deck which is totally overlooked these days :) Shame I could never lift the PL-12D and Dual 505 series higher than a fixed level. By the early 90's, a cheap CD player absolutely trounced a 505 with supplied cartridge, which rather shocked me knowing the older great sounding 1970's Dual auto decks it's descended from.

[stairpost]

The Revolver has a Basik LVX fitted. .

Did they all have the LVX fitted? because mine is definitely a Basik plus.

[The Barbarian]

No they didnt

[mimoser]

If my ageing eyes do not deceive me I see two rather entry level carts on both tts.
Instead of dumping more dosh into a new arm, I would suggest investing in one of the more serious MM carts:
Stanton 681 / Pickering XV-15
Goldring 2500
or something similar
Personally I dislike Ortofons, their treble is too harsh for my tastes.
Since 1992 I use a Stanton 681EEE since 2009 with a Pickering XV-15 625e stylus and it really highlighted the differences between various DUALs, a Stanton ST-100 an LP12 and my TT2.
Plus get a good Phono preamp, if budget is an issue build "willbewill"s VSPS from lencoheaven.
Plus try switching between two identical LPs, I’d recommend "Rhapsody in Blue" directed by Bernstein or "Vaya con Dios". I bet you will hear a lot of differences between two setups. Listen for transients, bass, strings, woodwinds. If possible compare to a good CD player.
As soon as transient reproduction, bass and overall dynamics get on par with a good CDP you are getting to the sweet spot where turntables start to sound only "different" not "better" or worse …
:rolleyes:
Michael

[karma67]

If my ageing eyes do not deceive me I see two rather entry level carts on both tts.
Instead of dumping more dosh into a new arm, I would suggest investing in one of the more serious MM carts.l
hi michael,
thanks for the pointers, both turntables were last used with an AT95HE fitted. i will have a read up on your cartridge recomendations.:)

[The Barbarian]

Denon 'DL110' is a bargin at a low price.

[DSJR]

So is the AT95E if you've ever heard it in a vastly more capable turntable system as I've done over the years. Sure the absolute resolution limit is limited by the well finished (these days) but rather 'forgiving' diamond fitted, but I have to say in its defence that it's a perfect example of the deck first, then arm, then cartridge mantra I had ingrained in my nearly forty years ago now ;)

[karma67]

have to agree with that,it punches well above its price tag.

[Mr Kipling]

The trouble with them Far Eastern decks I found was - once you've had one - a few months later - you wanted another.

I had a Sansui SR 222 MK II. For the money, it look great and sounded pretty good.

[synsei]

The trouble with them Far Eastern decks I found was - once you've had one - a few months later - you wanted another.

I had a Sansui SR 222 MK II. For the money, it look great and sounded pretty good.

Best of the bunch and fitted with a superb arm too ;)

[The Barbarian]

I used to use a Sansui SR-2050 {My fav vintage Sansui} however i had nothing but trouble with it.

:steam:

[Beobloke]

Out of interest, what trouble did you have with it, Andre? There doesn't look to be much in it to go wrong!