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RochaCullen
02-11-2009, 13:39
I am looking to buy my first turntable. There is a beogram 5500 for sale not too far from where I live and I was wondering if anyone had any experience with it or any of its siblings.

I am looking to spend about £220/€250. I know this has been discussed before, but if the beogram isn't flavour of the month, are there any other second hand turntables worth considering for in and around this price?

I look forward to reading your comments.

Rare Bird
02-11-2009, 14:27
I think i'd leave B&O alone, you are restricted to cartridge choice & the last time i looked the Styli were expensive..I recon you could get something a lot better on the used market for 220.00 IMHO..Worlds you oyster really.

Beobloke
02-11-2009, 16:15
I suppose my username is a bit of a giveaway as to where I stand on the B&O side of things, but even then I'd still advise caution.

Andre is right in that you are restricted to B&O compatible cartridges, which is the MMC1-5 series for the Beogram 5500. Approved new items are availble from Soundsmith in the USA but they're not cheap ($150 for an SMMC4 up to $700 for an SMMC1)

The other thing I would point out about your choice is that the later linear tracking decks, namely the likes of the Beogram 5005, 5500, 3500, 4500, 7000, 8500, 9500 and TX2 really aren't very good. Their mechanism is basic and a bit flimsy and they are a world away from the early efforts like the Beogram 4000, which was built like a tank.

However, if you fancy a B&O deck, all is not lost! You see, the later RADIAL tracking decks, namely the Beogram 1800, 2000, 5000 and RX2 are a different kettle of fish and are really rather good. They do take the same cartridge range so this is still an issue, but they are more reliable and they don't sound half bad (I'd personally take one over a second hand Rega P2/3 any day). Even better, these fetch much less money as everyone wants the linear trackers!

So, to summarise - if you really want a B&O, be prepared to stump up for a cartridge (incidentally - stylii cannot be replaced independently), and I'd recommend sticking to the later Beogram 1800, 2000, 5000 or RX2.

RochaCullen
02-11-2009, 16:36
Thanks for the information guys. I'll keep looking, I think!

Nathan

Rare Bird
02-11-2009, 16:43
Thanks for the information guys. I'll keep looking, I think!

Nathan

Hi Nathan
What kind of deck do you fancy Vintage (Idler)..More modern! Suspended? non suspended?

RochaCullen
02-11-2009, 16:59
Not totally set on a specific type, just looking for something that will give me a decent quality of playback and that will not cost me a fortune to maintain, as you explained the beogram would with the cost of styli. For a little more money, I had been looking at a second hand Pro-ject Audio RPM5, which had very good reviews. Other than that the only thing I realistically thought about was a Rega P3. I am open to suggestion.

DSJR
02-11-2009, 17:14
The best of the vintage Beograms in my opinion are the early 70's 3000 (heavy suspended sub-chassis, TD124-style drive [belt and idler] and an arm which looks too simple and friction bound, yet tracks SP12's happily at 1.2 grammes) or 1202 with studs removed and mat fitted, the later 8002, which is easily up to Rega standards and possibly the earlier 1000/1001. ALL of the above need work of some sort on them, as motors and drives seize on the 1970's ones and the 6002 and 8002 suffers tacho-card failure I believe. I have a good working 3000/SP12 combo I've yet to try... Some of the others like the 1700 are ok with MMC20EN fitted, but a bit "bland" by our standards here. The cartridges suffer huge temperature sensitivity, the tracking and treble level going from dull-as-ditchwater with iffy tracking to sweet and secure with not too many degrees increase in ambient temperature.

The later decks as a breed (as said by beobloke above) are best left for Beosystems IMO.

For two hundred and fifty notes, you can buy a good Rega 3 with serviceable cartridge, a good Lenco (G)L75 or Thorens TD150 with tons of tweaking money left over (;)) or, if you'd like auto operation, a vintage Dual, such as a 1019 or upper level 12** model (or a 701 like mine) would easily out-perform any equivalent beogram, even if they don't look as nice. Indeed, the 1019 has the most beautifully operating controls, although the arm-height can't be adjusted, needing a tapered spacer IIRC to get the cartridge top parallel to the record.

Hope this helps a bit..

P.S. The Pro-Ject 2 was a good Planar 3 alternative too and better than 3's with suspended motor (most pre 2000 Planars are suspended). the Pro-Ject 2 came with a reasonable ortofon cartridge as well and this can be upgraded with a higher caste stylus.


CAN YOU GET A GOOD SL1200 TECHIE FOR THIS MONEY??????????

REM
03-11-2009, 10:40
If you want to do the linear tracking thing, have a look at THIS (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280417673603&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT) on eBay. The SL-10s seem to be gaining a bit of a following lately so if you don't like it you could move it on at little or no loss, one went recently for about £230ish, which is on the high side I would have thought.

RochaCullen
03-11-2009, 10:45
Looks like a nice tidy unit. Does this have the same problem as the beogram in terms of stylus? Or can you use a large variety?

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 10:54
Linear tracking is bad news.Your better with a simple suspensionless deck that any tom dick or harry can fix/source parts easily.

RochaCullen
03-11-2009, 10:59
How does a thorens TD160 measure up? You can get one of those with a cartridge for under a hundred quid. They look like they are well built!

DSJR
03-11-2009, 11:09
Andre, did you ever use, let alone sell the SL7 or SL10 as I did????? The SL7 came with a reasonable T-4P cartridge of which some new ones are still available - they all share the same mass and stylus pressure so will fit straight in.

The SL10 was a lovely sounding deck with the supplied MC cartridge. I don't think they're available now, so a re-tip or MM replacement may be necessary now...

The TD160 isn't bad at all, although the 150 model can have more done to it, as this latter shares so many of its dimensions with an LP12............. I believe a "Sole" sub-chassis is now available for the 150 and apparently, the bearing can be carefully removed from the original pressed sub-chassis and grafted on to the replacement. The 150 fits a Linn plinth and arm boards can be customised to fit too..

The best TD160 variant is the "Super" one, featuring superior plinth, base and sub-chassis damping. This deck worked well with the ubiquitous SME "Improved" models and now you can get decent arm boards, the Rega variants as well as any good clean Linn Basiks, which tend to go for silly money now. For the future, one of the baby Jelco's should fit too and will transfer over to the Technics SL1200 you really should be buying :lol:

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 11:20
Andre, did you ever use, let alone sell the SL7 or SL10 as I did????? The SL7 came with a reasonable T-4P cartridge of which some new ones are still available - they all share the same mass and stylus pressure so will fit straight in.

The SL10 was a lovely sounding deck with the supplied MC cartridge. I don't think they're available now, so a re-tip or MM replacement may be necessary now...

The TD160 isn't bad at all, although the 150 model can have more done to it, as this latter shares so many of its dimensions with an LP12............. I believe a "Sole" sub-chassis is now available for the 150 and apparently, the bearing can be carefully removed from the original pressed sub-chassis and grafted on to the replacement. The 150 fits a Linn plinth and arm boards can be customised to fit too..

The best TD160 varient is the "Super" one, featuring superior plinth, base and sub-chassis damping. This deck worked well with the ubiquitous SME "Improved" models and now you can get decent arm boards, the Rega varients as well as any good clean Linn Basiks, which tend to go for silly money now. For the future, one of the baby jelco's should fit too and will transfer over to the technics SL1200 you really should be buying :lol:

Dave we had SL-7 in the record shop i worked in the early '80's..I have a dislike for Japanese decks anyway so no changing mi view realy..

Re: Thorens..I'd rather opt for the 'TD160 Super' over the 'TD150..'TD150' can be as temprimental as say the Linn, the '150' platter is too haevy IMHO, a lot of weight for that poor little motor, I just find the 'TD160' easier to set up..Don't get me wrong i like the Thorens 'TD160' if they had manufactured a solid metal top plate in preference to the thin laminated aluminium on steel it would have been a beauty, the standard 'TD160' Wood surround were terrible quality, the 'Super' a vast improvement but still medicore.However i do feel that people are not intrested in the hastle Spring decks give.

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 11:24
Tell you a decent deck: The old Logic 'Tempo' with 'Datum S' arm, or even the twin motor Logic 'Gemini'..

Here's my old one, looks a bit rough i bought it second hand, posted this on Vinyl engine yonks ago, looked like new though when i finished it.Made mince meat out of the Rega

RochaCullen
03-11-2009, 11:28
I suppose when you say "solid metal top plate" you mean if they had made it like the Garrard 401? I'd love to get a nice one of those, but I am afraid it will be a long while till I can afford a decent example. And since I am only about to begin the vinyl journey, I will try not to let myself get carried away.

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 11:32
I suppose when you say "solid metal top plate" you mean if they had made it like the Garrard 401? I'd love to get a nice one of those, but I am afraid it will be a long while till I can afford a decent example. And since I am only about to begin the vinyl journey, I will try not to let myself get carried away.

Hi

No the thorens 'TD160 was approx 3mm thich galvanised metal top with a very thin aluminium bonded to the top for a nice finish, may look nice be technically a cheap.. I mean solid metal as in the Linn top plate or say the Ariston 'RD11 Superiour'

DSJR
03-11-2009, 11:35
The 150 and 160 share the same drive (apart from the pulley clutch), platters and suspension as far as I'm aware...

The Logic was good as I remember (vaguely I'm afraid, I only knew the DM101), but please note. ALL suspended belt driven turntables will need some sort of setting up, especially as most Thorens models are on their third, fourth or even fifth owners now.

The Ariston's I sold in the late eighties often had iffy finish (sometimes rust where the chrome-plating came away) and the suspensions weren't very stable. Even old Lp12's had iffy plinths causing severe bowing of the top plate, which had to be carefully "bent" to correct this - along with judicious use of the bolt levelling tool...

I'm still pushing the TECHIE 1200 series at you. it works pretty well straight out of the box and will sound to Rega levels straight off. As funds allow, it will leapfrog all the mid-priced models and compete with the best on their terms...

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 11:39
No the platter & bearing are different on the '150' & 160' even tho they look the same.. '150' platter is heavier

Logic 'DM101' although a bit roughly manufactured was one of my fav decks..Had a beautiful bearing & platter assembly

DSJR
03-11-2009, 11:44
Depends which era 160 you're comparing with the 150 and which era 150 too - the early ones were the same - rather sloppy, as are some mk2 TD125's... From the mid seventies, the shaft became thinner but ran in a deep, almost full-length bushing. I believe the very late models reverted to the wider shaft with twin bushings. Most 160's had a machined point a la Linn, but the 150's had a captive ball, as did the TD124 I should add.....

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 11:57
TD125 mk.1 & TD150 have always had the same 10mm shaft..There's been that many variation to TD's over the years it's quite unbeleivable.

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 12:13
Here's one i did ages ago try address some of the problems with this design..Also posted on Vinyl Engine..

The top plate is brushed stainless steel, it was originally an Ariston 'RD11S' that i choppeed down (Notice no rocker switch cut out that the Linn had)..The sub cahassis was aluminium/Acrylic sandwich i made as was the armboard..The bearing & platter were from Ariston 'RD11 Superiour', this was an extremely light platter & bounced loverly on old Linn springs.The motor mounted at 7:30 o'clock DC jobbie..Wood surround was an old Linn surround corner bracked but someone stained it in horrible varnish which i should have really stripped.Arm Mayware Formula 4 with sonus parts fitted, silver wired & fitted with pickering '7500' cart.

DSJR
03-11-2009, 12:14
I *personally* think that the early 150's and 125's had better fitting bearings, but to me, something went wrong around 1970, the bearings seemed to get sloppy. My TD125 has a bearing assembly that thankfully seems quite close tolerance, the inner taking ages to fully settle, even with the outer platter in place.

I'd agree with you over the different types. My knowledge goes up to the TD126 mk1 and TD318/320 and no further until the very late and still competitive 166 with Rega Rb250 and AT95e...

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 13:37
Bargin, good deck

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/RARE-SCOTTISH-TRANSCRIPTION-CLASSIC-STD-305S-TURNTABLE_W0QQitemZ320444012158QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables?has h=item4a9bf3967e

RochaCullen
03-11-2009, 14:01
Looks like I am a bit late. But I'll keep that make in mind. Found this on the ebay, looks nice:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220502130735&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Rare Bird
03-11-2009, 14:44
Looks like I am a bit late. But I'll keep that make in mind. Found this on the ebay, looks nice:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=320444012158&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

I'm sorry i couldnt help myself, i bought the STD..Wasnt meant to happen.

:sofa:

Rare Bird
04-11-2009, 13:40
Looks like I am a bit late. But I'll keep that make in mind. Found this on the ebay, looks nice:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220502130735&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT


Hi
This is a great deck, botton end on the rock is great, wants a better arm tho those 'LC's' are junk IMHO..Suppose anyone with AR 'Legend' will buy that arm to upgrade their existing..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Townshend-Rock-II-Turntable-Mission-774LC-Tonearm_W0QQitemZ360203331913QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK _AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables?hash= item53ddcaa949

No setting up only fiddly bits the tonearm paddle..

Rare Bird
05-11-2009, 13:22
Nathan:
This is a nice open sounding deck: JA Michell 'Mycro'

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/MICHELL-MICRO-TURNTABLE-WITH-REGA-ARM-CARTRIDGE_W0QQitemZ170402541266QQcmdZViewItemQQptZ UK_AudioTVElectronics_HomeAudioHiFi_Turntables?has h=item27acc86ed2

RochaCullen
05-11-2009, 13:50
Wow that one looks lovely. I can see the wife letting that one into the house!

RochaCullen
18-11-2009, 09:26
Here is another bargain I spotted on ebay, I think the price would mitigate the possible need for a repair.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110457901247&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Rare Bird
18-11-2009, 12:19
Here is another bargain I spotted on ebay, I think the price would mitigate the possible need for a repair.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110457901247&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

That will end about 700 quid.It's a very big turntable, you need the room because of how the lid opens, it's proped up by a swinging leg on the back of the lid (If it's still there) so you need the depth of the deck which is deep & also say 5" more for the opening of the lid.

;)

Rare Bird
18-11-2009, 12:22
Can you see what i mean here!

RochaCullen
18-11-2009, 12:22
It has ended. It ended yesterday, and it went for 50 quid.

Rare Bird
18-11-2009, 13:04
It has ended. It ended yesterday, and it went for 50 quid.


Holy mother of god why? These never go no less than 500.00 & with the Fluid arm aswell..

Themis
18-11-2009, 13:08
Holy mother of god why? These never go no less than 500.00 & with the Fluid arm aswell..
Crisis ? What Crisis ? :eyebrows:

RochaCullen
18-11-2009, 13:29
Yea, tis madness. I have emailed the seller to see if they still need to sell it!

RochaCullen
18-11-2009, 13:31
I got a reply from the seller and they said it was sold, so it must have gone for the 50 quid!

Rare Bird
18-11-2009, 14:31
What a crazy fool of a seller i say..

DSJR
18-11-2009, 17:12
The sound quality of a Hydraulic Reference was Rega 2 at best, to be honest and the Fluid arm was superb only with very highly compliant MM designs like the MK1 ADC XLM/25/26 types and the equivalent Empire 1000 XE/Z model, which some clients boasted they had tracking at 0.3grammes - IMO.....

I liked the Fluid arm though - it could sound great with the right cartridge IMO.

Rare Bird
18-11-2009, 17:20
The sound quality of a Hydraulic Reference was Rega 2 at best, to be honest and the Fluid arm was superb only with very highly compliant MM designs like the MK1 ADC XLM/25/26 types and the equivalent Empire 1000 XE/Z model, which some clients boasted they had tracking at 0.3grammes - IMO.....

I liked the Fluid arm though - it could sound great with the right cartridge IMO.

Thing is Dave people lust for that deck for a few reasons i can think of:

J.A.Michell have a legendary status as well as the oldest british turntable manufacturer still in existance.

The Clockwork orange movie made this deck famous & sort after for that reason alone even though the deck on the movie was actually the Transcriptors built model

& last it's a 60's/70's turntable that looked like nother on earth at the time & still is striking to look at.Retro is a big thing.

If this sound as good to you as a Rega does from the late 60's it was a very very good turntable don't you think?

Rare Bird
18-11-2009, 17:22
In fact looking back at that listing that deck was actually the sought after Transcriptors manufactured deck not the later JA.Michell version.

kcc123
18-11-2009, 17:47
Was it the inspiration of the Gale GT2101 that the others were copied from?

DSJR
18-11-2009, 17:57
I didn't mention the obvious glorious styling on this deck - you're quite right there.

The thing is, no-one listened to the sound of turntables back then. I must admit that this oldie never sounded horrid, just a little too "nice," that's all. If a TD124/125/150 actually sounded "better," then this would never have been taken as read, as no-one ever compared the decks this way.

Back in the pre-Linn era, one spent half the budget on the speakers and split the rest up on source and amp and connecting up with grotty patch-cords and bell wire. As many cheaper speakers were horrendous then, I suppose that was fair thinking at the time.

'Course the HR is gorgeous to look at. I must admit to lusting more after hifi dave's SL110 than either of his Transcriptors decks (one is a DOUBLE reference model...).

hifi_dave
18-11-2009, 20:08
Was it the inspiration of the Gale GT2101 that the others were copied from?

The Gale was a pale imitation of the original Transcriptors and came many years later. There was also an IMF version, though that might just have been the Gale with a badge....:scratch:

hifi_dave
18-11-2009, 20:11
I must admit to lusting more after hifi dave's SL110 than either of his Transcriptors decks (one is a DOUBLE reference model...).

Yeah, that's why I'm still wiping your dribble off of my Prisma....:lol:

Hypnotoad
18-11-2009, 21:16
I recently got hold of a Technics SL-7 for 65quid, it turned on fine but the arm would not move. I got the service manual and opened it up and as I suspected the tonearm belt was shot. I bought a new one from LPGear, they still make them and it worked like new.

Well with the Ortofon TM 14 cart that came with it I wasn't impressed, but I had a fairly new Grado Blue P mount that I had used on my SL1200 Mk2 with an adapter.

What a revelation this thing came alive, it trounced my SL1200 Mk2.

It sounds way better than it should and has deep well defined bass, mid range that's sweet and lush and crisp slightly rolled off highs.

I listen to it more than my main table now. It weighs a ton and seems to be built like a tank.

You can go up to the Grado Gold in P mounts (no hum problems here) or there is an Ortofon High Output M/C cart that is supposed to be excellent.

If you can pick one up cheap like I did you can't go wrong.

Rare Bird
19-11-2009, 00:38
The Gale was a pale imitation of the original Transcriptors and came many years later. There was also an IMF version, though that might just have been the Gale with a badge....:scratch:

Dave IMF wasnt a Gale badged up it was a different turntable, didnt go into production as far as i know but they did offer a IMF Badged Fons CQ30 turntable.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stephane.sysadmin/Tt#

King:
The best thing about the G2101 was the Optical Servo Drive motor

http://groups.google.com/group/gale-audio/web/gale-turntable

Dave: One of my fav Turntables was the Michell 'Prisma' the double Prisma was a beauty aswell..Not many Michell Dual Prisma's most were made as Transrotors.

http://www.michell-engineering.co.uk/g/double_prisma1.jpg

kcc123
19-11-2009, 01:40
I saw a Gale displaying in one of the shops at Tottenham Court Road (London) in the seventies and I loved it at first sight but I couldn't afford it, since then, I have never seen another one.

hifi_dave
19-11-2009, 09:56
Dave IMF wasnt a Gale badged up it was a different turntable, didnt go into production as far as i know but they did offer a IMF Badged Fons CQ30 turntable.

http://picasaweb.google.com/stephane.sysadmin/Tt#

King:
The best thing about the G2101 was the Optical Servo Drive motor

http://groups.google.com/group/gale-audio/web/gale-turntable

Dave: One of my fav Turntables was the Michell 'Prisma' the double Prisma was a beauty aswell..Not many Michell Dual Prisma's most were made as Transrotors.

http://www.michell-engineering.co.uk/g/double_prisma1.jpg

I had the first of the Michell double decks to be produced and it's still going strong with the original belts. Back in the early 80's, I used to visit John regularly to collect a car full of turntables, such were the sales back then and I used to moan about wanting an arm comparator. One day John said that he had what I wanted and showed a half finished double deck which could accommodate four arms. I'll have that but how much is it ? 'How much is an LP12' said John and we struck a deal.

Practically all of these beautiful machines went off to Germany which is the Transrotor connection but not many were made in total. I quite often get calls about selling mine, in fact, last week I was offered £2K but it's not for sale - yet.....:eyebrows:

Rare Bird
19-11-2009, 11:19
Dave:
The double prisma will allow 6 arms, but i've seen one with just 4 arms allowed (Pictured below), John used to supply a weighted arm mount that you could place anywhere outside the deck to allow an additional arm (Same picture below)..I think there was only a small handfull of J.A.Michell badged Double Prisma's..John was a brilliant man, had time to talk to personal enquiries on the phone, i spoke to him regarding having an extended central hub/spindle made for my Hydraulic Ref so i could fit the glass platter ontop of the weights.Made & in the post within a day.One thing if anything i had problem with is his products were vastly underpriced.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/michell_double2.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a222/LIVING-SIN/JAMichell.jpg

hifi_dave
19-11-2009, 11:38
I never found need for the weighted arm mounts as four arms were usually sufficient for a demo but the arms could be changed within two minutes anyway as all that holds the mount in place is a knurled knob.

chris@panteg
23-11-2009, 12:33
I recently got hold of a Technics SL-7 for 65quid, it turned on fine but the arm would not move. I got the service manual and opened it up and as I suspected the tonearm belt was shot. I bought a new one from LPGear, they still make them and it worked like new.

Well with the Ortofon TM 14 cart that came with it I wasn't impressed, but I had a fairly new Grado Blue P mount that I had used on my SL1200 Mk2 with an adapter.

What a revelation this thing came alive, it trounced my SL1200 Mk2.

It sounds way better than it should and has deep well defined bass, mid range that's sweet and lush and crisp slightly rolled off highs.

I listen to it more than my main table now. It weighs a ton and seems to be built like a tank.

You can go up to the Grado Gold in P mounts (no hum problems here) or there is an Ortofon High Output M/C cart that is supposed to be excellent.

If you can pick one up cheap like I did you can't go wrong.

An even better bargain ' i think is the SLQL1 or DL1 ,these can be picked up for peanuts , 1 recently sold for £6.48 ' they must be rubbish right '.

Well mine is working well 'and for £25 its pretty decent sounding , easily as good as the SL7 and heavier (7.4kg vs SL7 6.5kg).

I tried the Soundhifi mat with it ' it fits fine and sounds miles better than the rubber one supplied , its been fun for me .

RochaCullen
25-11-2009, 16:08
I think I've finally landed the bargain I was looking for:

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=164970

And he works just down the road from where I do. 60 euro, score.

Rare Bird
25-11-2009, 16:38
I think I've finally landed the bargain I was looking for:

http://www.adverts.ie/showproduct.php?product=164970

And he works just down the road from where I do. 60 euro, score.

You might have a bit of trouble mounting another arm on that. The MK.I TD160 suspension arm cutout apature is different to the later ones..SME 3009 wont be possible.

RochaCullen
25-11-2009, 16:41
I'll find someway to get a better arm onto it! If anyone has any ideas about decent tweaks for this let me know, it will be an ongoing project I am sure.

Rare Bird
25-11-2009, 16:50
Maybe your best bet is a small hole mounting such as Mayware, Hadcock, & Mission 774 original (this is near enough SME pattern but only has a small protrusion underneith.)

chipboard surround wants scrapping & the sub wants damping.

DSJR
25-11-2009, 18:18
TD160's were often used right from their inception in '72 with SME "improved" arms with the horizontal cable entry. Conversion kits for older arms are available, used at least. The pre-improved arms are too deep at the rear though I think, so a lid will be a no-no.

Rega fitting arms can be used well and an old R200 always sounded well with it. The 774 Mission should also be a great combination if memory serves me well.

Actually, the Thorens arm isn't bad if the bearings are fettled and Johnie at Audio Origami would be delighted to re-wire it for you. I've seen an article on removing the headshell-socket locking pin and sliding the wires out that way, down the tube (having attached the new ones of course to draw through :)

If you use the TP16 arm, then mid-priced moving magnet carts can easily be used and I suspect the Denon 110 and 160 would be fine as well. The arm bearings must be carefully adjusted though, as they came with plenty of slop built in..

Rare Bird
25-11-2009, 21:15
Dave i don't like repeating myself ;) but i had the very early Mk.1 he's on about.. you can't get an SME 3009 in it i know i tried, the cut out in the sub is slightly different to the ones that came just after..