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View Full Version : I want a Garrard but this is a bit much!



MCRU
03-01-2011, 19:46
This looks like it has never been used which I suppose is possible, even if it hasn't the price he is looking for is ridiculous IMHO.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/AMAZING-GARRARD-401-TURNTABLE-New-Old-Stock-New-Box-/330514366257?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf430ff31

Jonboy
03-01-2011, 20:09
i know where there is one the same, all nice and new and boxed, go my name on it as well ( fingers crosssed)

DSJR
03-01-2011, 23:15
I bought a "new" one way back (my first 401). Rumbled like a pig with indigestion...

Will
04-01-2011, 12:06
I bought a "new" one way back (my first 401). Rumbled like a pig with indigestion...

Yerr gotta loosen the transit screws :scratch:

Amazing turntable in a slate plinth + 12" arm.

.

MCRU
04-01-2011, 12:10
i know where there is one the same, all nice and new and boxed, go my name on it as well ( fingers crosssed)

can I have it instead...please??????

Beobloke
04-01-2011, 13:46
Whilst on the face of it £2,000 seems silly for a forty year old lump of metal,when one considers the performance it offers and whether you could obtain a great deal better from a modern deck for similar money, I'd say it's just about worth it!

Pete The Cat
05-01-2011, 21:53
Looks like it's one of the later version (raised strobe light). Some say the earlier version was from a period when Garrard had better quality standards.

I think the 401 will start to increase in price as those of us who feel the 301 and TD124 have become overpriced look for alternatives...

Pete

MCRU
05-01-2011, 22:00
Looks like it's one of the later version (raised strobe light). Some say the earlier version was from a period when Garrard had better quality standards.

I think the 401 will start to increase in price as those of us who feel the 301 and TD124 have become overpriced look for alternatives...

Pete

The way it's looking vintage turntables have gone mad, I sold by refurbed lenco for £550 to a guy in the USA!

chris@panteg
06-01-2011, 09:17
I'm concerned thing's are getting out of hand and people's expectation's are too high , taking a look on eBay recently and deck's like the SL-QL1 are fetching more money ! one sold for £78 and an SL10 for over £300.

I had another email from Richard about my QL1 and the work is complete but its perfomance before the service was way below par ! , these TT's need attention ! 25 years old or more with the SL10 , i just think when buying these deck's and the Garrard's they may or will need specialist treatment in most cases , unless you can do it yourself .

£2,000 for a Garrard is a lot of dosh but when done right its up there with the best of them , the rumble can be dealt with , i don't see that as an issue ! .

Lodgesound
06-01-2011, 10:07
I honestly think that the price for some of these older turntables is way way way out of hand now.

They were good in their day but honestly......they are driven from an AC motor with a rubber idler!

This drive technology was the only sensible type for domestic use available when these were manufactured but technology has moved a LONG way since then - at the time the Garrards were produced master cutting lathes used direct drive technology.

Idler drives are fine providing everything is set and precise - this means an ABSOLUTELY true idler wheel which is free of density variations of any kind - something almost impossible to make - again this is why the world went to belt and direct drives.

I'm not knocking these turntables - they were and still are excellent but up against more modern technology folk should really for their own sake pay accordingly - you can currently buy an average condition Technics SL1210 which is suitable for modding for about £60.00 if you look around...

chris@panteg
06-01-2011, 10:17
Hi Stewart

You say that but most folk who are into Garrard's and lenco's have them meticulously well set up and fully refurbished and they love them .

I don't think the casual listener is going to fork out 2k for one of these .

Clive
06-01-2011, 10:29
I have a 301 and a new Salvation sitting side by side. The 301 indeed sounds great and it really is not that hard to get an old idler performing properly. I wouldn't call a 301 neutral, it is coloured, in a way that is pleasing, the same applies to the 401 but to a lesser degree. The £2k figure being discussed is interesting as the Salavation http://www.trans-fi.com/turntable.htm is around that price. As good as the Garrards are the Salvation rim-drive deck shows them a clean pair of heels.

StanleyB
06-01-2011, 10:39
A deck is only as good as the person setting it up. I have seen some expensive pieces of kit on a wall mounted shelf :eek:. Highly noticeable to visitors, but sonically not much better than a BSR...
The 401 needs a good solid foundation to really show its metal.

Clive
06-01-2011, 10:43
Here are the 2 decks I was talking about, the 301 is on a twin tier slate plinth.

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e359/cmeakins/decks.jpg

John
06-01-2011, 11:08
The great thing about the Salvation is just how much it been improved over the last year It was a great TT a year ago, but now well just stunning performance. In my view its the best value to performance TT out there and would compete against TT costing crazy money

Clive
06-01-2011, 11:41
Indeed John......it's been really interesting being so close to all the developments. As you know the final touches are being made to the all-important power supply. We had a power supply shoot out on Tuesday and Vic is running a final trial today. We bettered what you heard so recently!

DSJR
06-01-2011, 12:32
A deck is only as good as the person setting it up. I have seen some expensive pieces of kit on a wall mounted shelf :eek:. Highly noticeable to visitors, but sonically not much better than a BSR...
The 401 needs a good solid foundation to really show its metal.

What's wrong with sinking all the energy into a heavy, load bearing wall? My Mentor was mounted this way (the wall was made from "engineering" grade bricks I suspect as the deck with slab weighted over a hundredweight) and sounded absobloodybloomin' marvelous...

Our previous house had a suspended concrete boomy floor and my little starter home had chipboard on polystyrene :eek:

chris@panteg
06-01-2011, 12:57
Like Dave said , i have a bouncy floor , what's the alternative ? hang it from the ceiling .

Rare Bird
06-01-2011, 12:59
Your a laugh a min you lot arguing over turntables when they are the most Prehistoric medicore way of playing music which ever way you choose :lol:

posh nail stuck in a plastic groove :lolsign:

Clive
06-01-2011, 13:01
Your a laugh a min you lot arguing over turntables when they are the most Prehistoric medicore way of playing music which ever way you choose :lol:

posh nail stuck in a plastic groove :lolsign:
So how's shining a light into series of slots any better? :ner:

Rare Bird
06-01-2011, 13:02
So how's shining a light into series of slots any better? :ner:

Doesnt fractionally wear out everytime the lazer plays it :lolsign:

Clive
06-01-2011, 13:04
Doesnt fractionally wear out everytime the lazer plays it :lolsign:
True but records have to wear a lot to sound as poor as CDs......just having a laugh. :lol:

chris@panteg
06-01-2011, 13:05
Yeah but all your prog CD's are slowly rotting away Andre :eyebrows:

Rare Bird
06-01-2011, 13:16
You poor Barsturds, Vinyl & valve amps must be like hell to put up with :lolsign:

'A tod nivver sped better nor whan he gaed his ain errand'

John
06-01-2011, 16:24
Indeed John......it's been really interesting being so close to all the developments. As you know the final touches are being made to the all-important power supply. We had a power supply shoot out on Tuesday and Vic is running a final trial today. We bettered what you heard so recently!
I thought you might better it, just hard to imagine how it can immprove

DSJR
06-01-2011, 20:05
Andr'e, you're almost saying my lines, only more forcefully :D

I'm past caring these days - it's only a stereo when all's said and done, not a phallic symbol :)

Clive
06-01-2011, 21:13
I thought you might better it, just hard to imagine how it can improve
It seems Vic's experiment today was successful so all options have been tested and we know what works and the relevance of each tweak to the power supply.

ps, if we ignore Andre and Dave do you think they'll go away?

....no I suppose not, oh well.....

John
07-01-2011, 05:31
Yes that was my thoughts too Lol

MartinT
07-01-2011, 06:53
The Salvation looks fabulous. If I didn't already have a tricked-up Technics, I'd want to have a serious listen to one of those.

Andre - you're a wind-up merchant. How do you like your music chopped up into 44,100 slivers per second? :)

Trickie_Dickie
07-01-2011, 07:16
I have a couple of Garrard SP25 mk4s I used in my disco days in the 70s. Are they worth anything, do you think? :lolsign:

Rare Bird
07-01-2011, 08:54
Andre - you're a wind-up merchant. How do you like your music chopped up into 44,100 slivers per second? :)

:lol:

DSJR
07-01-2011, 08:58
I have a couple of Garrard SP25 mk4s I used in my disco days in the 70s. Are they worth anything, do you think? :lolsign:

I'll have one of it's in good nick to go with the collection :)

Rare Bird
07-01-2011, 13:02
How do you like your music chopped up into 44,100 slivers per second? :)
I love it & guess what if i play the same CD everyday for ten years it will still sound exactly the same in ten years time & cost me nothing :lolsign:

Clive
07-01-2011, 14:22
I love it & guess what if i play the same CD everyday for ten years it will still sound exactly the same in ten years time & cost me nothing :lolsign:
Actually arguably if you used a CDP the error correction means it could sound different everytime. That aside, I have to say the the most stunning sound I have is from LPs from the 50's, they ain't worn out.....and they are 50 to 60 years old.

Damn, just remembered, I'm supposed to be ignoring you on this thread.

Marco
07-01-2011, 14:29
Are our ears and brain 'analogue' or 'digital'? ;)

Marco.

Reid Malenfant
07-01-2011, 14:34
Are our ears and brain 'analogue' or 'digital'? ;)

Marco.
A bit of both actually :eyebrows:

Rare Bird
07-01-2011, 16:22
Are our ears and brain 'analogue' or 'digital'? ;)

Marco.

Doesnt matter as long as your brain tells you it sound right


Actually arguably if you used a CDP the error correction means it could sound different everytime.

If you have a proper CDP thats properly isolated the error correction will have a far easier time..But what i'm saying is if you played you record every day for ten years it would be knacked by now & a few cart changes to join it

Pete The Cat
08-01-2011, 08:34
Doesnt fractionally wear out everytime the lazer plays it :lolsign:


Actually arguably if you used a CDP the error correction means it could sound different everytime. That aside, I have to say the the most stunning sound I have is from LPs from the 50's, they ain't worn out.....and they are 50 to 60 years old.

Damn, just remembered, I'm supposed to be ignoring you on this thread.

It's the difference between cats and dogs. One's low maintenance, attractive yet aloof, the other needs more work but can be more engaging albeit shorter lifespan. Both have moments when they bring joy - as well as the ability to stink.

Pete