Hepcat's Turntable Primer!

[LG]

Here's the one I owned...DUAL 1225 Turntable

 

[Hepcat]

Here's an interesting article on turntables from the 28 July 1985 issue of the New York Times that covers the belt-drive versus direct drive versus hamster drive debate:

Silence Is Golden

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[LG]

Good article Hep, my old Kenwood uses a different philosophy to the hanging suspension they were chatting about, it is a solid rock base, and I have never heard any noise when I play it other than what the original engineers recorded on the vinyl album itself, the sign of quality in any Turntable.

 

[Hepcat]

Went with the Rotel. Solid build, and it looks to have a good interior layout.

I take it you mean this Rotel RQ-970BX:

 

[LG]

^^I have two Rotel's in the collection Hep. But my Carver's phono stage is excellent, it matches perfectly with my Shure cartridge and I don't need to add a special pre-amp, unless I picked up a MC cartridge, but that is not likely I think there are plenty of MM models available if I want to get another one.

You should check out Audio Alchemy's D/A converter for CD players, I owned one years ago but sold it after buying my Yamaha DSP which has one built in.

 

[Hepcat]

Good article Hep, my old Kenwood uses a different philosophy to the hanging suspension they were chatting about, it is a solid rock base, and I have never heard any noise when I play it other than what the original engineers recorded on the vinyl album itself, the sign of quality in any Turntable.

Wow! I've been wondering why at least some turntables aren't made with a granite plynth/base these days! Evidently your Kenwood KD-500 came in at 14.9 kilograms:

 

[LG]

That's it alright, and yeah it is Heavy...add the SME Series III tonearm and that is my rig. I used an Ortofon MC-20 when I bought it, but then I changed to a Sonus Blue Gold, and then the Shure line-up. I think I had a Dynavector at one time as well...I don't have them anymore, if I knew there were shops in Switzerland that would custom make a new stylus for any cartridge you send them I would have kept all my old ones.

 

[Hepcat]

One of the strengths associated with the Ortofon 2m Black cartridge I have is that it's equipped with the legendary nude Shibata diamond stylus that was originally designed to pick up the info in the grooves of quadrophonic records. Here's a discussion of the merits associated with the Shibata stylus:

Shibata Discussion

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[taha]

I take it you mean this Rotel RQ-970BX:

that'd be it, built strong and sounds great, w/ mc-mm inputs, like I said tho, I use it instead of the Linn's Pre's TT preamp.

 

[Mr. Shadow]

Just read an audio review of a $10,000 belt drive that had the speed stability of a direct drive unit with less motor noise. I can live with a bit of noise. I am more convinced that my current Pioneer turntable is fine and dandy. I can drop a hundred or so for a nice P-mount cartridge at some point knowing that they are plug and play. They all weigh the same and have the same angles.

AND I LOVE THE NEW SMILEYS!!!