Audio Karma - Vintage Audio Discussion

Please use this thread to discuss vintage home audio and stereo, DIY audio, speakers, stereo, vinyl and more.

Feel free to post pics of your vintage turntables, cassette decks, amps, pre-amp, speakers, vinyl collection or whatever you like.

Got some new vinyl and want to show it off, post it here. Picked up a new Turntable at Goodwill and need help setting it up, post it here. If it has to do with music or audio equipment, it is more then welcome. We can try to keep it somewhat vintage, but there shouldn't be any hard and fast rules. No YouTube music videos though, we can put those in the "Song/Band tag" thread.

I'll get it started with a shot of my iconic Technics SL-1200MK2, KAB Super Mat, KAB Record Clamp and Shure M97XE Cartridge.

Show us what makes your floors vibrate and house shake.

Current platter and arm (one of them)

Been looking for a Marantz for a while. Would love to find a fairly priced 2270.

I miss my old Linn Sondek LP12 with the Ittok arm.

ouch said:

I miss my old Linn Sondek LP12 with the Ittok arm.

Click to expand...

Oh yea....

When CDs came out and it started looking like LPs were going the way of the 8 track and reel to reel tape I sold my DDX-1000 and all 3 arms (Infinity Black Widow, Micro Seiki 505, and grace 707).

Worst mistake I ever made (sound wise)

The Denon drive platters are nice but they are not space ship cool like the DDX-1000 was and no I cannot justify buying another one as they are off the charts expensive now. It was pretty off the charts expensive when I bought it back in 1977 but now that it has not been made in a while they are premium priced when you find one

I run a Dual 1225 currently, with a Shure M95 on her arm.

Now all the Vinyl Junkies are coming out of the woodwork

brucered said:

Now all the Vinyl Junkies are coming out of the woodwork

Click to expand...

Just following your lead boss.....

well I'll post "the shelf" to help round out the vinyl..

Top one that is NOT in a box is an Empire that I have had for ages (bought it USED around 1968 or so). Belt drive and stable/solid as a rock (must weigh 30 lbs)

Another Denon drive platter, an AR table, and a B&O table. That pretty much is all of the "spinnie things" I still have around here.

Good looking tables Turtle! Is it beefy enough? That thing is monstrous and a car cry from the modern tables in stores today.

I had a nice Denon a few years from a local used site, but it didn't hold speed and I wasn't handy enough to tinker with it. They are beautiful tables to say the least. Mine got returned and I found the 1200 which has been rock solid and will be serviceable for years and years to come.

Here is my daily table that sees a lot of vinyl use. At least one record a day. A wood cased, belt drive Dual 510 with a Shure Hi-Track cartridge/stylus.

Picked it up from a lady I work with for $20. It was well cared for, original owner and just not in use any longer. She knew I loved vinyl and offered it up to me.

She also just hooked me up with about 200+ vinyl from the 70's that her brother in law was getting rid off, absolutely free with some Discwasher brushes too.

Ready to spin Record Number One A, from the Rolling Stones Singles Collection - The London Years box set I picked up a while back for next to nothing on eBay.

Funny thing with the set, one of the vinyl has duplicate labels on both sides of the record. One of the quirks with vinyl and the dead wax writing that some have. CD's have their place but they will never have the style and charms as vinyl.

Come on, who doesn't love giant artwork and giant linear sleeves?

The table that I currently have set up is a Denon 3500 drive platter with a Mayware IV arm and the current cart on it is a calibrated Sonus Blue (moving magnet).

The Mayware arm has NO bearings.

There is a single needle that rests in a bath of viscus fluid. The arm is leveled by setting the weights to keep the cart on a level plain with the LP.

Fine arm but is very strange to use as when you pic it up it moves all over the place as it is not attached to the base, it just floats in liquid.

Denon platters are direct drive slow rotation AC motor driven and the speed is controlled by a simple reel to reel head that reads magnets that are embedded in the inside of the drive platter as they go past.

The Denon you had that would not keep speed probably had a bad recording head which is a simple part to fix (and easy to locate). The magnets are inside of the cast platter so I am sure they were fine.

Power amp currently hooked up is an Audio Research D-350 (dual monaural xister).

Rated at 350 rms per side 20-20k. AR is VERY conservative with their ratings and as I recall this one clips somewhere around 625 per side so plenty of head room above their rated 350 a side

That is 105 lbs of "sound iron" sitting there helping to hold the floor down

AND, YES.... I do have my sound system on a dedicated 20 amp circuit

Yeah...I remember the magnets on that Denon and tried a few thing but didn't want my first good table to be a fixer upper.

I forget what model it was but ended up with the table I wanted all along, so it all worked out.

Only have room for so many tables. As it is, I have two in use and at least two (maybe three) backups in a spare room with vintage speakers, tape deck and the b-grade vinyl etc.

If you understand this statement you are in the right thread

I just flipped my vinyl, zapped it with my Zerostat and cleaned it with a SuperExstatic.

Who had a Decca brush?

ouch said:

Who had a Decca brush?

Click to expand...

I had looked at them but ended up with this Goldring and have been happy with it for the past couple years.

Long overdue thread.

August West said:

Long overdue thread.

Click to expand...

Hopefully we can keep it going and doesn't get lost in The Barber Shop, but I wasn't sure where else to put it...

I know I will be posting pics of my new vinyl as it filters in on a regular basis....Ben Harper, Jack White, LZ remasters are all on pre-order.

brucered said:

Hopefully we can keep it going and doesn't get lost in The Barber Shop, but I wasn't sure where else to put it...

I know I will be posting my new vinyl as it filters in on a regular basis....Ben Harper, Jack White, LZ remasters are all on pre-order.

Click to expand...

I love it. Have nothing to add other than that and a bump. Should generate a great deal of interest.

August West said:

I love it. Have nothing to add other than that and a bump. Should generate a great deal of interest.

Click to expand...

I also have an 8LP Cake RSD (record store day) box set waiting for me in all colour and psychedelic colours.

When time permits, I will post a couple shots of my collector vinyl, oddities, box sets etc.

Nothing like sitting down and spinning an LP from start to finish while parusing the giant artwork and booklet. Much note enjoyable then hitting play on only your favorite tracks on a smartphone.

Start to finish, the way Albums were meant to be played.

Don't forget album artwork, cool liner notes, posters, and gimmicks.

Part of the total experience.