Fully automatic turntables

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Vinyl-ant
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Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by Vinyl-ant »

Im after a new turntable restoration project to do, and the wife has told me that if im going to restore something else it has to be something she can use.

In the past I have simply looked for something for reasonable money that takes my fancy at the time, this time, there are pretty specific requirements.

Basically, she wants a completely automatic deck, just like the jvc. No manual arm cuing, no manual lift, she wants to be able to press a 'play' button and it play. And stop. And lift and return so she can flip the record then press play again. She doesn't like clunky mechanical auto systems either, like the old duals or garrard zero 100 I have here that she thinks is awful, and to be honest neither do I.

She says that I have far too many decks and arms and carts and phono stages and the like, (a rega rb251, lustre gst1, roksan tabriz, audio technica at1100, mayware formula 4, eroica cart, shure m97xe, at440mlb, at150sa, a couple of old shure m44c, some shit at3something and christ knows what else, 301, jbe, lenco conversion, lenco l59, teac ts130 zero 100 (not mine), some acoustic solutions piece of crap, yes i have a problem.....) and that I am to sell some of them off

Because she doesn't like any of them.
Just the jvc with the at440 on it cos it goes louder than it did with the eroica on it. (i have to say the combo does sound bloody good)

So i need some advice on what to look for. I wouldnt mind a parallel tracker, i had a pioneer Pl l800 that was rather nice some years ago, or a denon, i think they did a fully auto deck like the jvc. Dunno what Sony did that would fit the bill, or kenwood et al, so any suggestions for something to look for would be appreciated.

Oh, and its got to be something that sounds reasonable too.

Tall order?

Cheers ant
Analogue: oracle delphi sme 309, jbe series 3 cx unipivot dv20x2l, roksan xerxes tabriz vm750, jvc ql-y5f rigb at440, jvc ql-y3f vm750, lenco 75, technics sl150

Phono stages: cole lcr, benedict audio hothead

Digital: cyrus cd7, wiim mini x2, topping e30, jds labs el dac 2+

Amplification: nelson pass b1, nelson pass f5

Speakers: 15" fane aperiodic wardrobes

Cans: myryad z40, hifiman sundara + deva, fostex t50rp, sennheiser momentum on ear +over ear, b&w p5 and p7

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Re: Fully automatic turntables

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Lindsayt
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Re: Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by Lindsayt »

Thorens TD224

Rectified
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Re: Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by Rectified »

Thats a record changer machine lol

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Re: Fully automatic turntables

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[BBvideo=560,315]http://youtu.be/2STVV2UOSpM[/BBvideo]
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Re: Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by Lindsayt »

Rectified wrote: Tue Feb 13, 2018 9:09 pm Thats a record changer machine lol
Yes, the 224 is a fully automatic record player with a record changing robot. Just what the wife ordered :grin:

Sounds pretty good too, as you'd expect from the similarities to the Thorens TD 124.

Vinyl-ant
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Re: Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by Vinyl-ant »

I think id need a bank loan for either the yam or the 224!
Analogue: oracle delphi sme 309, jbe series 3 cx unipivot dv20x2l, roksan xerxes tabriz vm750, jvc ql-y5f rigb at440, jvc ql-y3f vm750, lenco 75, technics sl150

Phono stages: cole lcr, benedict audio hothead

Digital: cyrus cd7, wiim mini x2, topping e30, jds labs el dac 2+

Amplification: nelson pass b1, nelson pass f5

Speakers: 15" fane aperiodic wardrobes

Cans: myryad z40, hifiman sundara + deva, fostex t50rp, sennheiser momentum on ear +over ear, b&w p5 and p7

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Re: Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by _D_S_J_R_ »

I posted hugely then read your post again...

B&O made some very fine basic auto decks of utter simplicity and clever mechanisms too. The styli were part of the cartridge and these cost a bomb now, however, many of these decks coming to market were hardly used and some may have mint styli once cleaned. The older ones need old greases in the lift-lower piston cleaning, but the rest of the mechs are simple and work well considering. We compared a 'Gram 1700 plus felt mat to a planar 2 and it was at least as good... I have here a tatty Beogram 3000 from 1972 with SP12 cartridge and it's a lovely thing. I don't use it much 'cos it's too basic for me, but this one has heavy suspended sub-chassis hanging on its springs - centre of gravity well below the springs (later decks had spring steel and a stable pendulum arrangement) and a hybrid idler/belt drive and the mechs work silently and quickly with no drag added by the trip linkages. Loads of models but many share the same innards. Their once top 8002 model was superb sounding (LP12 level with the same cartridge fitted - honestly!) and a very clever direct drive motor. The original 4000 parallel tracker should be avoided as it's complex, easily damaged and doesn't sound as good as it looks...
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...The time has gone, The song is over, Thought I'd something more to say...

Vinyl-ant
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Re: Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by Vinyl-ant »

I hadn't considered the b&o stuff tbh, mainly because of the proprietary cart, might look abit closer at them
Analogue: oracle delphi sme 309, jbe series 3 cx unipivot dv20x2l, roksan xerxes tabriz vm750, jvc ql-y5f rigb at440, jvc ql-y3f vm750, lenco 75, technics sl150

Phono stages: cole lcr, benedict audio hothead

Digital: cyrus cd7, wiim mini x2, topping e30, jds labs el dac 2+

Amplification: nelson pass b1, nelson pass f5

Speakers: 15" fane aperiodic wardrobes

Cans: myryad z40, hifiman sundara + deva, fostex t50rp, sennheiser momentum on ear +over ear, b&w p5 and p7

_D_S_J_R_
Posts: 4185
Joined: Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:53 am
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Re: Fully automatic turntables

Unread post by _D_S_J_R_ »

Vinyl-ant wrote: Wed Feb 14, 2018 2:00 pm I hadn't considered the b&o stuff tbh, mainly because of the proprietary cart, might look abit closer at them
The early 70's decks had a massive sub chassis suspended under a solid aluminium top plate. the motors could get sticky but with care this can be sorted out. Round section belts are available again for them and the idler/belt pulley assembly is fine usually once cleaned and lubricated. The early 70's 1202/1203 had support studs for the record (not sure about their sonic contribution) but the 3000 I have has concentric rubbery rings and these seem to work well. The SP12 cartridge is lovely with great tracking at 1.25g and sweet sound. The conical SP14 (same body) at 2g is less effective in todays climate. Operation is a doddle - set record size (33-10", 33-12" and 45-7"), press the large circular 'pad' and the deck does everything else. Pressing this button again, the arm lifts and the platter stops. Push back to the rest to remove the record. At side end and with lift-lower piston clean, the arm lifts smartly and returns to the rest position.

This basic mechanism was used for some generations afterwards, the tonearm changing around the cartridges used and record size (7" and 12") being a novel 'weight of the record' arrangement where the lower mass of a 7" single 'told' the mechanism to switch speed and index the arm to 7" - a 7" record would lift a little and drop back before the arm indexed it, speed set to 45 and the arm then lowered. The idler-belt drive then evolved into a DC motor, light-platter disc and belt drive and this was fine. The later suspensions were a leaf spring with pendulum kind of arrangement on a skeletal sub-chassis that worked superbly offering great isolation. Later cartridges are temperature sensitive, but a situation over 70 degrees F gave good sounds from the MMC20EN and the well respected MMC 20CL especially. Sound from these is restrained and smooth but not unduly boring ;)

The last major change to the Beograms was the TX2/RX2 (and the related models for the matching centres). These had a more solid stainless steel arm-tube, the last MMC cartridges which could also be very good indeed and which Soundsmith charge a fortune for in re-manufactured form... However, the suspension was like a well suspended under-tray made of moulded plastic and a very rapid effective mechanism - simple press-button to play again... The sound was safe-as-houses bland to me, but 'non-we' music lovers wouldn't mind at all and the elliptical MMC4 was a good match...

Me, I'll stick to me Duals. I can strip these down, tweak around and I have an online pal who was their Canadian service expert (Dualcan.com). Oh, the world of steuerpimpels, chainsaw oil (oo-er missus) and Alvania grease (double oo-er missus)....... :lol: I shall have need of these pics shortly :grin: -

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/u5g9fk036zop ... wlnpa?dl=0
Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...The time has gone, The song is over, Thought I'd something more to say...

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