Back on the hunt for Vintage’ish TT

[Idlewithnodrive]

My recent Logic DM-101 acquisition for my second system hasn’t turned out well :(:mad:

So, on the hunt for, ideally, an 80’s / early 90’s British TT. If that doesn’t turn out to be possible, then a vintage British TT will suffice.

Max budget £900. Anybody got anything genuinely in good working / cosmetic condition knocking around unloved ?

[speedboy]

Classic Rega Planar 3 with R200 arm and r100 cartridge. £300 including postage?


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[Idlewithnodrive]

Thanks Matt, but I've done Rega 3's, in all their guises, to death :)

[Firebottle]

:lol: Do they die well?

That's a new specification for a TT I haven't come across..

[Pigmy Pony]

This one looks nice. British too.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/196660682851?_skw=heybrook+turntable&itmmeta=01J9GEPX9QQNYJDR9WQZ794Q4Z&hash=item2dc9e3e063:g:e9kAAOSwzlxm8Hp3&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKlykFg ylbn%2F4iVW04bxBxZqqRk%2FfO8ej69ktTzan%2BfmCVhr%2B 8rNF4yR8u%2FhnYpwB1zGA3jFHVc3xgJadjufTxoqq54A%2Bde idH0DHwYUeWg0HjN%2Bopg%2FvV0VI9hKGd2y5lkKCLQoLQiNo Jwn2TkFVnOiy1oq8dJco0YlXYjVb0hzJm5COY52U3oQMFNcXuw 7j2YmmGKBGTJ36DiS%2FdvE1HGC2%2BTOUjRTzP5If5mK4qwd4 vvi%2FYruMm7mB8aBXsCPjCw%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_TU247MZA

Or even:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186716856433?_skw=michell+turntable&itmmeta=01J9GF8M8SDBCE9T47NK5S0T48&hash=item2b79312071:g:arcAAOSwnwJnAQ7W&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKl%2Fa nOK5WMSECdW83GVhE9HknzkgARkoWh7rw7cGjmo%2BdSP9Oiqf f6KotPQzDLmR3WJQs8UJppZf9JINTxJp0L7YC7lfuzwyULp4H5 NWVMKPuw7YIQVzK9FrJ2Pl8CC0CPl9ejyX2yPMylzMSq6119tN bfyd%2BS0d76W%2FJPjHMlsDsiN3cG5Jp%2FGhqQwd6tEFqWYk kRXd3ffsCbqdkHBYvgpX7Y%2BY7OMUcVkaeXTxAdjEEj9rL%2F vDTnryDwWbkYb67Q%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7rEoo_MZA

[Wakefield Turntables]

My recent Logic DM-101 acquisition for my second system hasn’t turned out well :(:mad:

So, on the hunt for, ideally, an 80’s / early 90’s British TT. If that doesn’t turn out to be possible, then a vintage British TT will suffice.

Max budget £900. Anybody got anything genuinely in good working / cosmetic condition knocking around unloved ?

Hi Mike, might be an idea to list what you have done. People should hopefully answer your post with stuff that might not be on your "done" list. ;)

[Idlewithnodrive]

The Heybrook looks nice

[shane]

The Heybrook looks nice

Thanks! :)

[Wakefield Turntables]

I also nominate the TT2. This is TT that I will never sell. It out performs a LP12 and works even better if you can find a Heed power supply. Here's my story.

https://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?75472-Heybrook-TT2-Restoration-Thread&highlight=heybrook+TT2

[ianlenco]

I have an Ariston RD80 that I bought cheap with a view to setting up a second system I've decided not to do this so it's available if interested. It is in excellent condition with a minor scuff on the plinth. No arm but the arm board is cut for a Rega length arm. I have a Nottingham Analoque Ace of the right length if of interest. You can have the lot for £250.

[willbewill]

I've got a lovely, excellent condition, Michell Focus 1 - I bought it from original owner for the mint SME arm, so sold sans arm. Would also be collect from Swansea (although I'd be willing to meet up somewhere if it helped) as I wouldn't want to risk the original dust cover in with a carrier.

[Idlewithnodrive]

I have an Ariston RD80 that I bought cheap with a view to setting up a second system I've decided not to do this so it's available if interested. It is in excellent condition with a minor scuff on the plinth. No arm but the arm board is cut for a Rega length arm. I have a Nottingham Analoque Ace of the right length if of interest. You can have the lot for £250.

Thanks very much Ian, but I think I'm off down the TT2 route.

[Idlewithnodrive]

I've got a lovely, excellent condition, Michell Focus 1 - I bought it from original owner for the mint SME arm, so sold sans arm. Would also be collect from Swansea (although I'd be willing to meet up somewhere if it helped) as I wouldn't want to risk the original dust cover in with a carrier.

Thanks Malcolm. See above.

[Idlewithnodrive]

All sorted (×2 :roll_eyes:) now, so thanks for eveyones input.

[Wakefield Turntables]

Well did you get a TT2? :scratch:

[Idlewithnodrive]

Well did you get a TT2? :scratch:

I did indeed and a disco deck, for just in case.

[Wakefield Turntables]

a disco deck, for just in case.
:lol: Oh dear I remember going down that rabbit hole

[Idlewithnodrive]

And here it is :stalks:

https://audioabattoir.s3.dualstack.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/original/3X/b/3/b3c63e33276eb3fff4c7b6cc4ca09aa2e9f198f7.jpeg

[Wakefield Turntables]

Mike, what's the serial number for your TT, that speed selection switch looks weird, unless it's something to do with the Heybrook PSU that they fitted, the TPS1 (?) PSU. My example dosen't have a top mounted switch like that. Shane should be able to clarify.

[shane]

That arm really suits it well. What cartridge is that?

[shane]

Andy, Mike’s example is from very late in the life of the TT2, long after I left the company. I’m told that the main driver was to try to reduce the cost of manufacturing the plinth. Instead of having a solid block of four layers of chipboard with a cutout to fit the chassis, the plinth was a simple box with blocks glued in to fill the spaces. That in turn allowed the arm board to be shortened and the switch to be relocated.

I’ve in fact never seen one of these beasties in the flesh but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen photos of them with 33 and 45 positions for the switch which implies that the TPS, which could be built into this plinth, was an optional extra. The fact that Mike’s only offers 33 indicates that his motor just had the conventional cap and resistor network, but no stepped pulley for 45, which of course the TPS equipped versions didn’t need.

I don’t think the change to the plinth itself would have made a significant difference to the sound of the turntable but the shorter arm board may have made a difference to the resonances in the chassis/arm board assembly. I’d be interested to know if anyone here has made the comparison.

[Idlewithnodrive]

Mike, what's the serial number for your TT, that speed selection switch looks weird, unless it's something to do with the Heybrook PSU that they fitted, the TPS1 (?) PSU. My example dosen't have a top mounted switch like that. Shane should be able to clarify.

It's 017875 Andrew.

[Idlewithnodrive]

It's a Hana SL Shane.

[shane]

It's 017875 Andrew.

That’s a bit of a revelation for me! I always thought they stopped at around 8,000.

[Idlewithnodrive]

That’s a bit of a revelation for me! I always thought they stopped at around 8,000.

Every day's a school day :)

[Idlewithnodrive]

https://audioabattoir.s3.dualstack.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/original/3X/c/7/c7c512110c57d488d51bd2abe66ebc7a0382e294.jpeg
What this generation look like under the bonnet.

[shane]

https://i.postimg.cc/wx702qjC/IMG-1152.jpg (https://postimg.cc/Z0z8Kh3H)

So for comparison, this is the original version with the steel chassis. As I recall, we made about 2000 of these before switching to the alloy chassis. The vast majority of TT2s had the alloy chassis as shown in Mike’s photo above, but mounted in this type of plinth with the full length arm board.

For the record, I pinched this photo from the UK Vintage Radio forum, where it was posted by a member Alan, username Chiltern.