Back in the day.

[Mike - H]

I'm using a turntable and speakers from 1972ish, what would have been likely arm - cartridge - amp combinations from the same time?

[Macca]

Bit before my time this one. I was only 4

In the UK I suppose the various Garrard decks, Thorens, Goldring/Lenco. Not sure if Linn had even got started then. No idea about cartridges though. Geoff Walpurgis is the man for this, he was already an old boy even in 1972 ;)

[Light Dependant Resistor]

Depending on your budget, popular systems were from Pioneer their PL12 turntable sold like hotcakes
as did their amps. With a bit more finance the Quad 33/303 and ESL57 and perhaps Ariston or Linn Sondek,
although 1972 was Linns first year of production. It was interestingly when transistor amps on shelves, competed
with valve amps. If you were lucky you might have seen a Luxman valve amp

To get a sense of what was going on, your library may have a copy of Hi fi news & Record Review, There was also
keen interest in USA products from AR their AR4x AR6 and AR7 as well as speakers from JBL.and Bose The country
voltage differences made difficult decisions for manufacturers, let alone the education needed to customers.

They were exciting times, and many on the forum still use pieces of gear from this era, me included.

Cheers / Chris.

[walpurgis]

No idea about cartridges though. Geoff Walpurgis is the man for this, he was already an old boy even in 1972 ;)

Ah. The usual cheek from the boy. Just go and finish your homework Martin! :D ;)

Anyway. From circa 1972, some slightly less obvious but good cartridge choices might be an Ortofon SL15E MC, Decca London, or a Grado F2 (rare!). Tonearms could be the obvious SME 3009, Decca International, Ortofon AS212 or how about a nice Audio Technica AT-1005 II. As for amps, what about a Ferrograph F307 or if you want to splash out a bit a Sansui AU-999? (that would go a treat with DM2s). If you want something you're unlikely to see elsewhere, a Radford SC24 preamplifier and SPA50 power amplifier. Both solid state, fantastically specified and mega rare.

[Mike - H]

Thanks guys, I'd assumed the Quad gear and the SME. The Sansui AU-999 looks cool, whilst the Radford kit looks:spew:

[Audio Advent]

Arms: Early hadcock maybe, Unipose? Audio technica AT-1007.. The Connoiseur arm, EMT based thorens arm, EMI EPU100, Grace tonearms of various guises. Something by Mayware? Wonder what was partnered with the Linn originally.. When did the Rega 200 come out?

Neat G30, Ortofon RS212, Micro seiki MA77, 100 and 101, Goldring 850, Lenco L75 and L69 arms, Audio developments AD309K. Keith monks lab arm (with mercury damping).

(did I just remember I have a 1972 hifi yearbook? )

[Audio Advent]

a Radford SC24 preamplifier and SPA50 power amplifier. Both solid state, fantastically specified and mega rare.

Not THAT rare - come up more often on ebay than the famous valve amps I think. Just often in very poor condition.

[Audio Advent]

Sugden A21 and A48, A51 (power amp). Rogers Ravensbourne, Sony TA2000, Revox A50... Luxman SQ507 and SQ202.

[walpurgis]

Not THAT rare - come up more often on ebay than the famous valve amps I think. Just often in very poor condition.

No they don't. I scan the eBay Hi-Fi every day. The valve Radford amps do appear, but the two solid state items, virtually never. I haven't seen either for years. You are more likely to find an HD250 and they are like hens teeth.

Hadcocks were not available then. The Connoisseur SAU2 was rubbish. Grace arms were nice at the time (occasionally available on the UK market then. Later standard option on the LP12). Mayware were not yet available. The Neat G30 was poorly finished and the Audio Developments AD309K, which was better finished, had a fixed headshell and arm mount so no overhang adjustment, which was unhelpful. The Keith Monks arm functioned rather well, but the use of Mercury would no doubt be frowned upon now. The Mercury was may have had minor damping properties, but KM made a big thing of the virtually friction free arm movement available from using mercury as a conductor from arm tube to pillar. Anything from Micro Seiki was worth having including their rare MC cartridges. The Goldring G850 was on a par with the Shure M3D pricewise, rock bottom cheap budget items and not great. By the standards Lenco arms were OK, but nothing marvellous. They came without arm lifters and the L69 had no bias control.

[Neil McCauley]

Ah. The usual cheek from the boy. Just go and finish your homework Martin! :D ;) If you want something you're unlikely to see elsewhere, a Radford SC24 preamplifier and SPA50 power amplifier. Both solid state, fantastically specified and mega rare.

I too admire Radford products. You might find http://www.hifianswers.com/2015/07/will-moores-driving-force-radford-revival-interviewed-howard-popeck/ relevant and – I hope – interesting.

[Neil McCauley]

I'm using a turntable and speakers from 1972ish, what would have been likely arm - cartridge - amp combinations from the same time?

Hello Mike. It's difficult for me, given the passage of time to be totally in synch with 1972ish combinations. However ... if there is a little flexibility on the year, and I'm thinking here of 1976 then I would like to suggest (based on direct personal experience) the following for your consideration:

Grace G707 arm + Grace F9E MM cartridge
Grace G707 arm + Supex 901 high output cartridge
SME with Stanton 681EEE MM cartridge
SME with any Pickering MM cartridge
Fidelity Research FR64s with FRI Mk3 (I think) MC

Hope this helps

[Audio Advent]

No they don't. I scan the eBay Hi-Fi every day. The valve Radford amps do appear, but the two solid state items, virtually never. I haven't seen either for years. You are more likely to find an HD250 and they are like hens teeth.

Hadcocks were not available then.

I was listing out of my 1972 Hifi yearbook, hence listing the Hadcock - £16.22, £2.80 for the Unilift.

Radfords: It's subjective as to what you get to see, what you remember and what kind of impression you form from those snapshots. My experience has been different. By way of example, if you do a completed item search for Radford today, you get the following: a pair of K25 monoblocks, 2 x SPA power amps (SPA50 and a SPA60), 1 x SC242, 1 x SC22 (the valve one) and 2 x HD250s. None of the STA/MA valve amps people normally associate today with Radford. Completed listing searches go back about 3 months. From that snapshot you'd guess that the SPAs were much more common than the STA/MA valve varieties. In another 3 months perhaps it will look the opposite as you see it?

[Audio Advent]

Mid 70s really seems to be the hifi boom with all the classics people like today and remember, early 70s is almost a no-mans land in terms of what people talk about and discuss on the internet, lots of brands which disappeared.

[walpurgis]

Well just be careful or I'll dig out my 1972 Year Book too and we can have a duel!! :D

(actually, I don't have to dig it out. It's right in front of me with several others)

[Audio Advent]

Haha, we can have in jokes too.. P.343! :lol: I bet you get a Cleen sound out of them! ("of Koss you do!") a-haha! Aaaa..

Not sure where mine came from - think it was part of sundry extras handed to me on buying an item on ebay.

Favourite model name spotted so far: KMAL Super Elf !

Anyway, sod this Imhof ! (two pages before P.265, advert).

[walpurgis]

Favourite model name spotted so far: KMAL Super Elf !

I've actually heard those speakers and the rest of the KM range at an audio show around 1971(ish). They were decent if I recall and sounded somewhat like the better EMIs. (not a patch on the Tannoy Monitor Gold range though :))

[Mike - H]

What would it have cost in 1972 to put a system together :- 401, DM2s, SME, Quad pre/power + cart. I was earning about £25 a week then.