Marco's latest vintage marvel....

[shane]

Hmmm, not too sure about that! The SP25 rumbled like a Chieftain tank on a Bailey bridge (the design of it's main bearing dictated that), and the Amstrad was genuinely nasty. The Dentons weren't too awful and the Goldring was probably the best bit, but any reasonably competent modern microsystem from the likes of Denon would piss all over the whole lot for about the same sized lump out of a weekly pay packet.

[Marco]

but any reasonably competent modern microsystem from the likes of Denon would piss all over the whole lot for about the same sized lump out of a weekly pay packet.

There, I'm afraid we'll have to agree to disagree

I'd rather have an SP25 with a decent arm on it, mounted in a proper plinth, than a Pro-Ject, or some other lightweight modern, mass-produced, elastic-band shite of its ilk! As for microsystems, I guess they're ok if you don't mind a 'micro-sized' sound....

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

One of these was my first cartridge, and it was on an SP25.
My old man, years before, had a different SP25 and a different Goldring G800.

[Marco]

What was the different Goldring like, Chris - different in what way? Got links to any pics?

Pics of the different SP25 would be useful, too!

Marco.

[The Grand Wazoo]

What I actually meant was that they were the same model, but not the same articles. That's to say, I didn't inherit them from my old man, he got rid of his rumbly old clankety-clank machine, then a good few years later, I got into music properly & found my own rumbly old clankety-clank machine.

I got the plinth-less Garrard chassis from a mate & another mate just happened to have a suitable plinth lying around doing nothing. It gave me a huge amount of enjoyment though & I still have almost all of the records I played on it, so the stylus treated them well.

No photos, I'm afraid.

[Marco]

Ah, I see... Sorry, I misunderstood what you meant. The Goldring certainly is a very musical sounding cartridge, which has clearly been voiced to be as accurate as possible, without undue emphasis on any part of the freqency range.

It's one of those rare designs which simply allow you to 'get into' the music with the minimum of pomp and ceremony. Me likes! And for £3.70 (£14.70 including a stylus), it has to be the biggest bargain I've ever had in hi-fi!

Incidentally, talking of vintage gear, I won this little chap earlier, which I intend to try on the Techy (many thanks to Andre for alerting me to it):





I suspect that it's fairly rare. I thought that the finish would go rather well with the copper section of my Mike New platter. I also intend to discover if its record flattening abilities are as effective as that of the Oyaide weight and mat combo. If so, the Michell clamp will be an even bigger bargain than the Goldring!!

Marco.

[Barry]

When are you going to get a replacement stylus for the Shure SC35 cartridge (body) I gave you? It too was a preferred cartridge by the BBC.

Would be interesting to compare it with the Goldring.

But if you are looking for a cartridge with an excellent SVPP, then it has to be the Grado GTE+1. Unfortunately I no longer have one to play with.

Regards

[Marco]

Hi Barry,

I've obtained a stylus now for the SC35C. You must've read my mind, as I've got the beasty wired up inside my Fidelity Research S/5 headshell, ready to do battle with the Goldring tomorrow - so watch this space, amigo!

Marco.

[Barry]

Hi Barry,

I've obtained a stylus now for the SC35C. You must've read my mind, as I've got the beasty wired up inside my Fidelity Research S/5 headshell, ready to do battle with the Goldring tomorrow - so watch this space, amigo!

Marco.

That's good news. Will be watching (and hopefully not waiting!)

Regards

[Marco]

All will be revealed - and with pics, too!

Marco.