My SL-QL1 @ Vantage Audio service

[chris@panteg]

You can still buy new V15's , funny looking thing though .

[bubba45]

They are weird looking things, what with the funny Stanton / Pickering 'ears' and that odd brush effort they ain't pretty or elegant.
The DL1 arrived today. Set it up and it's working pretty darned well considering. Needs a damn good clean, hasd a few cosmetic scratches to the chassis but there is a slight problem which suggests it is in need of a service by Richard - the speed is running slightly slow even with the pitch control turned to its highest.
I'm going to see if there's a service manual for the DL1 or similar and look for a further speed pot in side. Otherwise I'm a very happy man with this.
As for the DL103r / DL301 I'm going to get a Trichord Dino which will have enough gain for these carts and also adjustable impedance etc so a definite upgrade over my 640P's.
I'll most likely sell one of them off after to recoup a bit of cash.
Looking around at various posts on various forums the Dino seems able to handle a low output MC like these and is very highly rated. It's about the maximum of my budget though.
I was going to try the Ortofon T5's I own but hell may as well go the whole hog!!

[chris@panteg]

Jason , in my QL1 there are 2 trim pots , i would ask Richard as to what to do ' but a service is mandatory with these deck's considering its 27 years old (only made between 1982-83)

If you can Jason , try and get the same mods as i had Richard do to my deck ! even if it means waiting a while , i think its worth it i think performance wise it should be very close to my QL1 .

The Dino is nice phono stage , have you found one 2nd hand ? like the Diablo it really comes alive with either the PSU+ or NC though .

That's quite a selection of Techies you have now

[bubba45]

Hi Chris
Yeah its a 2nd hand Dino, a MK1 with the Dino+ PSU.It cost just over £200. There's a MK2 with Dino+ PSU for about £50 more starting price and no bids yet, but even the start price was just out of reach for me.
I'd read that the Dino+ PSU was a minimum requirement to really get these singing and the MK1 was the most I could afford. I've wanted one for a while and decided to take the plunge and go ahead. Its comes with all boxes and instructions, from a dealer with good fedback, etc etc. Anyway they have a better reputation than the 640P's which I still think are remarkable pieces of kit for the price, but at least going forward I can have a bit more flexibility with MC carts.
You're right I do have a nice Technics collection but will most likely let one of the SL1210's go in the not too distant future and just settle for 2 x 1210's, 1x SP10, 1x SL-7 and the DL1. Should be enough to keep me going!!!!!
Still can't make a definitive choice between a DL103r or a DL301. I'm leaning towards the latter to be honest. The 103r sounds to be much more sensitive to set up and the few posts I've found where people have tried both they slightly favour the 301.
But back on topic undoubtedly Richard will get a call to service and mod my DL1 and I'd like him to do the same mods for the DL1 as he did for your QL1. However my next few priorities will be for my SP10 - PSU(Richard), cart DL103r or DL301, Plinth(? Russ Collinson).
I do like these linear trackers though. Good design, robust build and great asthetic qualities even if they are very much of their time.
How's the QL1 going? Still giving your 1210 a run for its money?

[chris@panteg]

Hi Jason

The QL1 is going very nicely , and yes its giving my 1210/SME a scare but perhaps when i have the LPgearAT95HE it may be a very different story , will see i have to say never in my wildest dreams did i think it would end up sounding as good as it does , as standard it sounds good , respectable would be the best way to describe it perhaps , but a very different beast now , the stylus replacement for the supplied P22 cartridge is critical though as the cheap conical CS version's you can buy on ebay are not much cop and can give a false impression to the deck's performance ! Also the AT3482 i have been running is quite a harsh and crude sounding thing ' though LPgear can supply an upgraded stylus for it .

If anything the QL1 is sounding better now , the Jico has run in and the bits that Richard fitted have bedded down , i feel it desperately needs better feet though and Richard was telling me about a special sub-base for the deck which could be very interesting.

One must remember though that back in 1983 the DL1 was about £200 and the QL1 was about £270-80 ish , the 1200mk2 was around £220-30 , these deck's must not be confused with the cheap plastic afairs ' that technics started selling a couple of years later ! They seemed to have given up from 1986 onwards , the QL1/DL1/SL7/SL10 and the rare SL15 were all very solid and well built decks .

The Dino with PSU+ sounds like a good deal , and yes the 640p is still a cracking good budget/starter phono stage .

The 301 is a cart that i don't know much about to be honest but the 103R does have some magical qualities , it may well work superbly in your Jelco/LAD arm on the SP10 , again you can ask Richard as he knows the 103 and its variants very well .

[chris@panteg]

I need resurrect this thread to make a very important point !

And that is the work carried out by Vantage Audio on my SL-QL1 has been of a high standard and the service and communications with ' Richard ' curteous and friendly , but to add my deck was a relatively simple project to undertake ! On the other hand an LO7D as an example , which has been badly damaged could take many months , even up to a year ! I can imagine this would be frustating for the owner , but i feel the wait will be worthwhile .

[chris@panteg]

Just another update , new feet and phono leads fitted to my SL-QL1 .

The are identical to the Origin Live conical footers , and very good too.

The previous Vantage Audio phono leads had some kind of earth fault ? So Richard replaced them with a new and different design with better plugs to boot.