going retro...need advise

[hifitommy]

all this analog chatter. its certainly been a big source of pleasure for me and most of my 4k LPs have been $0.50-1.00. ive learned to cheeeeeply clean them and not so cheeeeply play them (i also use a cheeep method).

by far, its the most cost effective and satisfying music source. i have also embraced sacd and hope that turns out to stay around for a long while. very close to analog sound.

anyway, we vinylphiles are a gregarious group and we'll leave the light on and the seat up for ya.

[DMK]

by far, its the most cost effective and satisfying music source.

Owning and buying a lot of cheap, used vinyl has certainly made the the "dark days of digital" of the last 20 years more bearable. I like the concept of digital but it hasn't reached its potential - or maybe it has with SACD.

Somewhere on this board, someone posted that he found it funny that vinylphiles always feel the need to tout LP's while digiphiles felt no such need with redbook. Hard to crow about distortion, paper thin images, tonal irregularities, grain and harshness, don't you think?

[hifitommy]

vinyl is where its at but since i got MY sony sacd (didnt you get a 755 or something?) i dont complain as loudly about rbcd. they sound so much better there.

the reissue sacd products have been sounding pretty good, concord especially and audio fidelity (try the cal tjader and buddy rich for starters) as well as the columbias sounding relaxed too. marshall blonstein is the prop at AF with steve hoffman in there too as i get it. blonstein was the prop at DCC. why that went under is beyond me.

[FlexCrush]

I've still got my old direct drive turntable that I bough many, many years ago. It works great, with NO audible rumble at all. It's a Realistic LAB-400, top of the line for RS circa 1978. My cartridge is a vintage Stanton 681eee, that I got at my first job working for Stanton Magnetics.

Got to meet old man Stanton too. That guy was a certified genius. I worked in the Stanton "skunk works", and you would not belive the electonics that he was making/designing for the defense dept.

Do you still have the owners manual? I've been looking for years. Also, what type of replacement headshell can be used for the Realistic LAB-400.

Thanks,

FlexCrush

[royphil345]

I agree that for the best possible performance in a high-end table, belt drive is the way to go because of the lower noise. Although, I haven't seen many lower-priced belt drive tables (especially from the '80s) that can compare to direct drive in keeping the speed accurate and even. There is a reason direct drive beat out belt drive in the early '80's. With all the crap plastic direct drive tables that came out in the '80's, it's no wonder direct drive got a bad name.

I think one of the better direct drive tables (Technics, Sony PS-X4, X5, X6, or X7 NO OTHER SONYS!!!, I like the Realistic LAB 440) would be the best bang for $100.00... The LAB 440 just takes a standard straight-arm headshell by the way... http://www.garage-a-records.com/index.php There are better direct drive tables than these (Denon, Marantz), but they still go for a little more $. I'd be tempted to pick up that Realistic and someday put a Shure M97xE on it.

As far as the Technics goes, I'd probably lean toward getting one of the older Q-series tables for less than $100.00 than a new one for $200.00. Durability shouldn't be a problem with these tables. The older ones had quartz-lock and probably an all-around heavier build. There are plenty of Technics models that aren't P-mount. Unfortunately, people seem to be holding on to those at the moment. Mostly just the P-mount for sale these days and an occasional 1700 (Pretty old, but would probably still be reliable)... oh, and the "close and play" linear tracking models. Think you can order just about any Grado cartridge you want as a P-mount, so it might not be so bad.

[Geoffcin]

Do you still have the owners manual? I've been looking for years. Also, what type of replacement headshell can be used for the Realistic LAB-400.

Thanks,

FlexCrush

I don't have any info on the headshell either.

[FlexCrush]

I've still got my old direct drive turntable that I bough many, many years ago. It works great, with NO audible rumble at all. It's a Realistic LAB-400, top of the line for RS circa 1978. My cartridge is a vintage Stanton 681eee, that I got at my first job working for Stanton Magnetics.

Got to meet old man Stanton too. That guy was a certified genius. I worked in the Stanton "skunk works", and you would not belive the electonics that he was making/designing for the defense dept.

Noticed that you have a LAB-400 and was wondering if you still had the operating/owners manual? I found mine at a yard sale for $3.00, without the headshell/cartridge. If you have the manual, would you be interested in sharing a copy with a fellow owner? Also, I need some information about replacing the headshell/cartridge..........any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

[Geoffcin]

Noticed that you have a LAB-400 and was wondering if you still had the operating/owners manual? I found mine at a yard sale for $3.00, without the headshell/cartridge. If you have the manual, would you be interested in sharing a copy with a fellow owner? Also, I need some information about replacing the headshell/cartridge..........any suggestions?

Thanks in advance

I'm absolutly sure you can get a replacement on the web though.

[FramerKat]

Hello all! I am new here and was searching for information about the Realistic Lab 400 when I stumbled upon this page. My husband recently got me the Stanton USB turntable and I've been pulling out my vinyl since December. Anyway, I have the Lab 400 and I had upgraded the headshell/needle about 20 years ago in Northern Virginia. The Stanton headshell (H4s) I got at that point I believe accepts any elliptical cartridge and standard stylii now. I had gone to Radio Shack for a needle replacement at the time, but all they had was a junky sapphire...I will not put that on my precious vinyl.

[FramerKat]

Wow, didn't realize that the post was from 2004...hopefully the information is still pertinent! And I just went into my files and found that I do have the original user manual for this turntable. Leave it to my Dad and myself and our "packrat" ways! I can share copies with anyone if they like...I can scan into pdf or just jpg format...let me know!

[basite]

Holy Thread revival Batman!!!

but hello,

Welcome to AR

are you just looking for info on your turntable, or are you looking for a new cartridge/stylus?

I don't know anything about the turntable, but I found a picture and it looks like a decent turntable, if it still works properly, I would definately keep it, and use that instead of the stanton IMO...
the stanton is a gift, however

I would, however, replace the stylus, or the entire cart, 20 years is quite long, the suspension can dry out, causing your cart to become 'stiff', generating rumble, and it may wear out the vinyl quicker...

It looks like a heavy tonearm, so I'd look at Grado, or Denon, or shure, maybe Audiotechnica too...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[FramerKat]

Yes, I did replace the cartridge this past year...my husband started working for Stanton Group a couple of years ago and I managed to get the cart and the usb turntable out of him! I have the lab 400 running through the mixer and I'm getting a "hum" from it that I don't like...not sure if it's a grounding problem or what. I'll dig around later and see. The Stanton sounds great...but I'm not an experienced judge...just lovin' my old vinyl! Once I get rid of the "hum" I can do more of a "side by side" comparison.

Thanx for the input!

Oh, and here's a couple of pics I shot for reference:

[basite]

Hum sounds like a grounding problem...

check the ground cable, maybe it's not well attached, or it came loose on the inside...

does it still run stable (no real speed issues), if it's a belt drive, You could look for a new belt, if you haven't replaced it recently...

The stanton seems to be an OK turntable too, although more suited for dj's, which means it will have a robust tonearm, which tracks good but might not get the most out of the cartridge...

Keep them spinning,
Bert.

[FramerKat]

The speed is a bit off on the old TT, but runs a bit fast...haven't been able to nail it down to the correct speed. Since it's direct drive (as I just figured out), I don't know what besides a belt could be checked for this issue. The Stanton does sound good to me...and I upgraded the cart. to a 680.v3 upon recommendation from one of the resident "experts" at Stanton.

The ground is the first thing I'll check when I'm poking around behind the stereo again...probably next weekend.

[FramerKat]

This is an old thread that I dug up the other day without realizing how old it actually was. That guy may not even be shopping around for turntables anymore.

[O'Shag]

Under a hundred bucks - forget it.

You need a turntable, a tonearm, a cartridge, and phono cable. On top of this you'll need a phonostage (MM at least). Unless you find someone giving a basically decent setup away, your going to have to raise your budget. You have to spend significantly more than $100 to get a sound that is as good or better than the digital equivalent. Also, you do not want to start scratching your records with a bad stylus. The flipside is, if you do get the right setup, analogue - vinyl can sound really great..

[BRANDONH]

This is an old thread that I dug up the other day without realizing how old it actually was. That guy may not even be shopping around for turntables anymore.

too funny Now I see how old it is.

[reb4884]

Hello everyone.
I have read many of your reviews of the Realistic LAB-440. I see that many of you share my very positive opinion that this is a very good turntable.

I tried other websites to see who actually made it for Radio SHack and I sent them an e-mail today asking for that information.

So now I'm asking all of you. I thought it matches Rotel's specs, but would really like to know who made it.

I would appreciate your input.

[Jimmy C]

Hello everyone.
I have read many of your reviews of the Realistic LAB-440. I see that many of you share my very positive opinion that this is a very good turntable.

I tried other websites to see who actually made it for Radio SHack and I sent them an e-mail today asking for that information.

So now I'm asking all of you. I thought it matches Rotel's specs, but would really like to know who made it.

I would appreciate your input.

...I was curious as well.

I asked this on another forum, and it seems that Pioneer might be the manufacturer. According to some, it looks exactly like the same-era Pioneers with different colorings.

I wouldn't doubt it - some of Rat Shack receivers are quite similar to the Pioneers of the late 70s, early 80s.

[FramerKat]

Once again, upon looking for information, I found a thread elsewhere that mentions the origins of the Realistic Lab 400/420...
"made by a company called CEC that OEM's turntables for several companies."
Not sure of the validity of the statement, but it's better than nuthin'!

My uncle is offering some "parts", so I may be going home for a visit and a new tonearm...he's an old school audiophile, so I'm sure he's got some good stuff. Good way to bribe me to come visit