Vintage Equipment

Been playing some familiar tunes and running it through the Hi-FiNews Anologue Test LP.. after a few adjustments, its having no issues with making through Band 8 (300hz, +18dB) and the resonance showed at around 11 or 12..

Super happy with it so far.. cleaner sound than the MP-110 for sure... again no idea how old it was, or if the loose wires caused any issues.

But there is no doubt at this point that I'm going to have a decision to make when the UltraDeck comes back.. I can buy a lot of records if I unload it.
 
Well my latest update was a stylus switch. My Sony PS-2250 came with a Shure V15 type ii, the stylus looked fine, but it came from an estate sale so I knew it would have to be changed up sooner or later.

I grabbed a JICO SAS stylus replacement and sheesh, this cartridge is singing. If anyone is on the fence given the price, I couldn't suggest one more. I'm in between meetings but will grab a photo to share later. Happy spinning.
 
Slimwhit33 said:
Spent the morning giving the TD-160 a good cleaning. Polished the platter and tonearm, gave the metal base a serious cleaning, and gave the plinth a good once over with wood cleaner.

I love this thing.
Click to expand...
Don't know if yours has a similar thing, but the one thing I'm loving about the Lenco is the satisfying clunk you get when you flip the on/off switch. Feels so mechanical and sturdy. It's such a daft, superficial thing, but it makes putting a record on so enjoyable.
 
Thackeraye said:
Don't know if yours has a similar thing, but the one thing I'm loving about the Lenco is the satisfying clunk you get when you flip the on/off switch. Feels so mechanical and sturdy. It's such a daft, superficial thing, but it makes putting a record on so enjoyable.
Click to expand...
Couldn't agree more.. I call it a thud.. lol.. it's very satisfying, and it feels super sturdy. I'm a huge fan of the aesthetics and operation of these older tables. Thinking about expanding and getting another vintage table, maybe even an old idler type from a radio station or something.. Russco maybe.. next year. lol
 
Slimwhit33 said:
Couldn't agree more.. I call it a thud.. lol.. it's very satisfying, and it feels super sturdy. I'm a huge fan of the aesthetics and operation of these older tables. Thinking about expanding and getting another vintage table, maybe even an old idler type from a radio station or something.. Russco maybe.. next year. lol
Click to expand...
I'm solidly down the idler route with my GL75 and GL69. Had a go at servicing the 69 myself, and other than the electrics it was pretty easy. The jump from my (admittedly crappy) last TT to the 75 has been huge. I think I'll be sticking with the 75 for life now; the only thing I'll need to consider is whether I upgrade some of the internals and the tonearm, but I'm in no rush.
 
Thackeraye said:
Don't know if yours has a similar thing, but the one thing I'm loving about the Lenco is the satisfying clunk you get when you flip the on/off switch. Feels so mechanical and sturdy. It's such a daft, superficial thing, but it makes putting a record on so enjoyable.
Click to expand...
The TD-160 is belt driven, so not quite the same. My Bogen (re-badged Lenco) and Dual are idler driven and I agree, it's a solid mechanism. I bought one of these for the Bogen a few years back and had it installed along with a servicing. Only bummer is that the turntable is too far down the list for me to be using it! Have to figure out a way to get it back in action.

www.ebay.com

NEW IDLER WHEEL LENCO TURNTABLE L75 L78 MADE IN ITALY BY AUDIOSILENTE SHAFT 2.45 | eBay

THE SILICON O RINGS ARE PRODUCED FOR AUDIOSILENTE. AUDIOSILENTE IDLER WHEEL IS THE BEST IDLER WHEEL. MODEL L75 L78. FOR LENCO TURNTABLE. FOR ALL LENCO. IF YOUR LENCO TURNTABLE. FOR LENCO TURNTABLE. FOR YOUR LENCO.
www.ebay.com
 
Russ I said:
The TD-160 is belt driven, so not quite the same. My Bogen (re-badged Lenco) and Dual are idler driven and I agree, it's a solid mechanism. I bought one of these for the Bogen a few years back and had it installed along with a servicing. Only bummer is that the turntable is too far down the list for me to be using it! Have to figure out a way to get it back in action.

www.ebay.com

NEW IDLER WHEEL LENCO TURNTABLE L75 L78 MADE IN ITALY BY AUDIOSILENTE SHAFT 2.45 | eBay

THE SILICON O RINGS ARE PRODUCED FOR AUDIOSILENTE. AUDIOSILENTE IDLER WHEEL IS THE BEST IDLER WHEEL. MODEL L75 L78. FOR LENCO TURNTABLE. FOR ALL LENCO. IF YOUR LENCO TURNTABLE. FOR LENCO TURNTABLE. FOR YOUR LENCO.
www.ebay.com
Click to expand...
Think I'll definitely look at the bearing and maybe the idler. My TT is running a little slow at the speed selection markers, so it needs a proper service.
 
Been experimenting with different platter mats for the TD-160: stock rubber, felt, FunkFirm Achromat and cork.
In the end the cork was the clear winner because it cleaned up the low frequencies and was the most quiet. Glad I cycled through them for a while. Worthwhile endeavor. 5F7500ED-D08D-4253-B4A9-43F6F3D1FD86.jpeg
 
Slimwhit33 said:
Been experimenting with different platter mats for the TD-160: stock rubber, felt, FunkFirm Achromat and cork.
In the end the cork was the clear winner because it cleaned up the low frequencies and was the most quiet. Glad I cycled through them for a while. Worthwhile endeavor. View attachment 93698
Click to expand...

Interesting. I had not gotten around to trying acrylic, Herbies, or cork yet. Cork does have a rep for static but Im going to try one next. I liked leather over felt on the VPI but with new speakers I'm going to go back and try it again.
 
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JohnnyCashFan said:
Interesting. I had not gotten around to trying acrylic, Herbies, or cork yet. Cork does have a rep for static but Im going to try one next. I liked leather over felt on the VPI but with new speakers I'm going to go back and try it again.
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It was a fun thing to experiment with. I've had no static issues at this point with the cork.. but I'll keep an ear out.

In my setup, I noticed:

Cork- best at controlling surface noise and bass
Stock Rubber- Bad with surface noise and only ok with bass
Achromat- Ok with both, but well behind cork.
 
I should also mention that this particular cork mat has these raised dots, which I believe also helped in another area. I am awaiting an order of cart shims for the TP-16 and DL-103 combo as the Denon runs low. I had a 1mm shim that I used, but it was still riding a bit too tail up at he lowest arm height. The dots on the cork raised the platter enough that I am much closer to level, and almost at level without any additional shim. So that could have something to do with sound at the moment as well. Once the shims arrive I will use them in conjunction with the other mats to see if my feelings change.
 
Slimwhit33 said:
I should also mention that this particular cork mat has these raised dots, which I believe also helped in another area. I am awaiting an order of cart shims for the TP-16 and DL-103 combo as the Denon runs low. I had a 1mm shim that I used, but it was still riding a bit too tail up at he lowest arm height. The dots on the cork raised the platter enough that I am much closer to level, and almost at level without any additional shim. So that could have something to do with sound at the moment as well. Once the shims arrive I will use them in conjunction with the other mats to see if my feelings change.
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I have heard good things about cork & rubber "composite" mats as well.

I take it your keeping the Thoren's in now and like it ?
 
OnTheRoad said:
Well my latest update was a stylus switch. My Sony PS-2250 came with a Shure V15 type ii, the stylus looked fine, but it came from an estate sale so I knew it would have to be changed up sooner or later.

I grabbed a JICO SAS stylus replacement and sheesh, this cartridge is singing. If anyone is on the fence given the price, I couldn't suggest one more. I'm in between meetings but will grab a photo to share later. Happy spinning.
Click to expand...
My dad has an original, unopened V15 Type III, I've always meant to give it a whirl. I get the impression it's not a good fit for the MoFi arm, though.

edit: looks like it's technically a moderate-compliance cart, so it may work?
 
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kvetcha said:
My dad has an original, unopened V15 Type III, I've always meant to give it a whirl. I get the impression it's not a good fit for the MoFi arm, though.

edit: looks like it's technically a moderate-compliance cart, so it may work?
Click to expand...
No. It’s a high compliance cartridge best used on low mass arms.

Shure’s specs are:

* 30 x 10 (-6) cm/dyne of force

Being an American cartridge, I believe this is at 10 Hz.

The most compliant I’d go would be 20 x 10 (-6) at 10 Hz. 10 or 15 x 10 (-6) would be better.
 
HiFi Guy said:
No. It’s a high compliance cartridge best used on low mass arms:

Shure’s specs are:

* 30 x 10 (-6) cm/dyne of force

Being an American cartridge, I believe this is at 10 Hz.

The most compliant I’d go would be 20 x 10 (-6) at 10 Hz. 10 or 15 x 10 (-6) would be better.
Click to expand...
That's a static compliance measurement, though. The MasterTracker's static compliance is 40 x 10e-6/dyne, and that's mated to the arm by default.

edit: though the MT's measurement is probably at 100hz, being a Japanese-built cartridge. so you're probably right, as usual.
 
Slimwhit33 said:
It was a fun thing to experiment with. I've had no static issues at this point with the cork.. but I'll keep an ear out.

In my setup, I noticed:

Cork- best at controlling surface noise and bass
Stock Rubber- Bad with surface noise and only ok with bass
Achromat- Ok with both, but well behind cork.
Click to expand...
Its interesting on how it changes from user to user, I tried different cork mats and always had a static problem with cork. The acrylic worked best, then we moved to the UD, so that problem became a non-problem. With the PLX, tried cork, acrylic and the achromat, achromat came out on top for me.
 
AnthonyI said:
Its interesting on how it changes from user to user, I tried different cork mats and always had a static problem with cork. The acrylic worked best, then we moved to the UD, so that problem became a non-problem. With the PLX, tried cork, acrylic and the achromat, achromat came out on top for me.
Click to expand...
And when I had my PLX, I preferred a cork/rubber composite mat.
 
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