The Most Beautiful and Ugliest Turntables

[Marco]

Yeah, let's put the two Brauns together, to compare...

PS-500:




And the DPCS5:




Yup, whilst I love both, I much prefer the more solid, 'industrial' look of the DPC55. I suspect it would also be the better sounding of the two. The arm on the DPC55, for me, also looks superior.

What do other folks think?

Marco.

[Beobloke]

No, I’ve thought about it some more and I just can’t get away from one deck in terms of looks - the Nakamichi TX-1000.

Yes, it’s a brute, but I love its sense of purposeful intent.

[Beobloke]

What do other folks think?

Marco.

I much prefer the PS-500. It all just looks better proportioned.

[Smegger68]

Yeah, let's put the two Brauns together, to compare...

PS-500:




And the DPCS5:




Yup, whilst I love both, I much prefer the more solid, 'industrial' look of the DPC55. I suspect it would also be the better sounding of the two. The arm on the DPC55, for me, also looks superior.

What do other folks think?

Marco.

It's a PCS-5, no D

That is the earlier model from 1962. The PS-500 is a few years later from 1968. I think the difference in build just reflects changing styles and a move toward a more domestically acceptable unit. I agree the arm on the earlier deck is likely superior though not as capable of dealing with medium and high compliance cartridges which were becoming more mainstream at the time. At the end of the day they are both lovely decks, it's almost wrong to pick a favourite

[Marco]

It's a PCS-5, no D

Cool, thanks for the correction

That is the earlier model from 1962. The PS-500 is a few years later from 1968. I think the difference in build just reflects changing styles and a move toward a more domestically acceptable unit. I agree the arm on the earlier deck is likely superior though not as capable of dealing with medium and high compliance cartridges which were becoming more mainstream at the time.

Ah, that explains it then, and why I prefer the earlier model, as I'm more into the high-mass approach and something I can use with low-compliance cartridges. I suspect an SPU, for instance, would work superbly well on the PCS-5. "Domestically acceptable", for me, isn't a consideration

I agree, though, that both Brauns are lovely examples of turntable design

Marco.

[mikmas]

That is the earlier model from 1962. The PS-500 is a few years later from 1968. I think the difference in build just reflects changing styles and a move toward a more domestically acceptable unit. I agree the arm on the earlier deck is likely superior though not as capable of dealing with medium and high compliance cartridges which were becoming more mainstream at the time. At the end of the day they are both lovely decks, it's almost wrong to pick a favourite

Yep - the PS-500 also has a 'hidden' but major asset lacking in the earlier model ... hydraulic suspension.
This makes for a complete lack of any of the microphonic problems associated with 'coupled' decks and arms.
Also provides a major Achilles heel - they can leak over time and fixing that is a huge undertaking

(also the bits of string tend to break)

Below is a pic of mine showing the suspension (1,2 and 3) and the bits of string:



The 'bodge' has since been taken care of

[Smegger68]

Yep - the PS-500 also has a 'hidden' but major asset lacking in the earlier model ... hydraulic suspension.
This makes for a complete lack of any of the microphonic problems associated with 'coupled' decks and arms.
Also provides a major Achilles heel - they can leak over time and fixing that is a huge undertaking

(also the bits of string tend to break)

Below is a pic of mine showing the suspension (1,2 and 3) and the bits of string:



The 'bodge' has since been taken care of

The 'Bodge' is of interest to me. Mine makes a ton of static feedback noise and I'm pretty sure this is the cause. I unsoldered the old DIN connector and soldered a pair of phonos onto the connector board and reconnected it - cue the huge feedback. As far as I can work out I should maybe disconnect one of the 2 grounds as they are wired in common? Or not. What did you do to get yours working?

[Marco]

I much prefer the PS-500. It all just looks better proportioned.

Sure, I can get that. Both are gorgeous, but with my particular (well-known) proclivities, you can see why I prefer the PCS-5

The fact that it's in a plinth that resembles 'Grey Hammertone', such as one of my other favourite T/Ts, harking from a similar era, also helps:



Now *that* certainly looks 'purposeful'!!

I will own one, in a suitable plinth, combined with an EMT 929 tonearm (to which I will fit an EMT JSD 5), as shown below, in the not too distant future.



Or, I may stay true to the broadcast route and go for a nice TSD-15:



Marco.

[Beobloke]

I will own one, in a suitable plinth, combined with an EMT 929 tonearm (with which I will fit an EMT JSD 5), in the not too distant future.

Marco.

That’s excellent news - come and join the 301 dark side! You won’t regret it!

Any thoughts on the TX-1000? No faux rosewood in sight!

[RobbieGong]

Sure, I can get that. Both are gorgeous, but with my particular (well-known) proclivities, you can see why I prefer the PCS-5

The fact that it's in a plinth that resembles 'Grey Hammertone', such as one of my other favourite T/Ts, harking from a similar era, also helps:



Now *that* certainly looks 'purposeful'!!

I will own one, in a suitable plinth, combined with an EMT 929 tonearm (with which I will fit an EMT JSD 5), in the not too distant future.

Marco.

Very nice - love the Audio Grail, they do them so well. A couple of corkers here:

Garrard 301 Cream by Robert Rowe, on Flickr

Garrard 301 by Robert Rowe, on Flickr