• 01-19-2010, 07:22 AM
    Mr Peabody
    I wouldn't be afraid of factory refurbs. Some even give the original warranty. I have bought a couple refurb items and worked out good.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:23 AM
    poppachubby
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Mr Peabody
    The Denon does have the built in phono but so does the receiver. So why pay for it in the Denon. I thought the Debut 3 was at a lower price point have you shopped the internet for it? A quick look showed Needledoctor selling the ProJect $349.00 but that was the lowest, looks like Sumiko keeps a good control on pricing. Ortofon is one of my favorite budget carts i used to use on my old Pioneer table. Shure and Stanton were good too. Not much of an Audio Technica fan. The ProJect would be worth the expense but I know $150.00 difference can be a lot when on a budget.

    Ahhh, yes. I didn't know you had a receiver with a phono stage. This does change things a bit IRG. If you plan to hang onto it for a while, you could get a regular table. I would try and research the reputation of your amps stage vs. the ability of the Denon.

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by IRG
    The $195 price from Dakmart is refurbished. Good, or should I avoid this? The savings of the $100 could be spent on that Nagaoka cartridge.

    I can't personally say, I know nothing about dakmart's reputation. Therein lies your answer. Perhaps start a thread on the topic or hit Google up.

    At that price point I say it's a great deal, regardless of your amp. This will give you ability outside of the context of your system. If for example, you want to rip or listen to LP's digitally, you will have that option without further expense.

    Give it some thought. I think you have a bit more reading to do...
  • 01-19-2010, 07:31 AM
    02audionoob
    Maybe you need to talk to this guy...

    http://ithaca.craigslist.org/ele/1556625731.html
  • 01-19-2010, 07:33 AM
    poppachubby
    IRG, look in the picture I posted of my SL. To the right you will see 2 microfiber cloths each purchased for $1.79 from a local surplus store. They do a fine job at pre-spin dust removal.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:39 AM
    02audionoob
    If you're going to use one of those devices that you put on the record while it's spinning, like a carbon-fiber brush, you will have to be delicate about it. The torque in these belt-drive turntables is very, very low.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:39 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 02audionoob
    Maybe you need to talk to this guy...

    http://ithaca.craigslist.org/ele/1556625731.html

    Did that yesterday :biggrin5: Haven't heard back though.
  • 01-19-2010, 07:42 AM
    02audionoob
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by IRG
    Did that yesterday :biggrin5: Haven't heard back though.

    Too bad you don't live near me...

    http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ele/1557684544.html

    That one had a list price of $400 in the 1980's.
  • 01-19-2010, 08:49 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 02audionoob
    Too bad you don't live near me...

    http://dallas.craigslist.org/dal/ele/1557684544.html

    That one had a list price of $400 in the 1980's.


    I will be in Texas sometime in March, Houston and probably Dallas. I liked the brush/vacuum, I have a smaller shop vac, that could be perfect. So on the end of the vacuum are the microfiber cloths then? Do you spray anything on the cloths, or keep them dry? Either way, I like it. Low budget, low tech, works great, my kind of product ;)

    Upon closer look of that pic, it looks like a brush at the end of the Shop Vac, not a cloth.
  • 01-19-2010, 09:00 AM
    02audionoob
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by IRG
    I will be in Texas sometime in March, Houston and probably Dallas. I liked the brush/vacuum, I have a smaller shop vac, that could be perfect. So on the end of the vacuum are the microfiber cloths then? Do you spray anything on the cloths, or keep them dry? Either way, I like it. Low budget, low tech, works great, my kind of product ;)

    The cover on the vacuum nozzle is velvet, rather than microfiber. My latest cleaning-fluid recipe is a 3:1 ratio of distilled water to alcohol, with a drop or two of Dawn in an 8-ounce bottle. My process is:

    a - Wet the record itself in a circle

    b - Spread it around with a sponge or even scrub gently back and forth in a semi-circle, depending on how much the record appears to need it

    c - Vacuum it up in a gentle, slow circular pattern

    Don't let the wife see us kissing and winking. She might get the wrong idea. :blush2:

    Also...although I don't run my tracking force at exactly the recommended optimum...I go a little heavy...I have been enjoying the accuracy of a tracking force gauge. Here's a digital model I got from dealextreme.com...

    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/...61629daf27.jpg
  • 01-19-2010, 10:16 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 02audionoob
    The cover on the vacuum nozzle is velvet, rather than microfiber. My latest cleaning-fluid recipe is a 3:1 ratio of distilled water to alcohol, with a drop or two of Dawn in an 8-ounce bottle. My process is:

    a - Wet the record itself in a circle

    b - Spread it around with a sponge or even scrub gently back and forth in a semi-circle, depending on how much the record appears to need it

    c - Vacuum it up in a gentle, slow circular pattern

    Don't let the wife see us kissing and winking. She might get the wrong idea. :blush2:

    Also...although I don't run my tracking force at exactly the recommended optimum...I go a little heavy...I have been enjoying the accuracy of a tracking force gauge. Here's a digital model I got from dealextreme.com...

    http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4031/...61629daf27.jpg

    That sounds great, thanks. I've written down your recipe. I have plenty of crappy records to practice on too :)

    So I got an email back from local dealer. The SL-Q20 has an AudioTechnica AT-112EP cartridge installed. They also sell new the Audio Technica AT-PL120 and the Denon DP-300F at $400 and $360 respectively. Not very competitive prices I don't think.

    So I'll do a little more research, and see what comes up, but I don't want to wait forever either. Not like whatever I purchase I have to live with forever.
  • 01-19-2010, 10:28 AM
    02audionoob
    If you buy a used turntable, presumably with a used cartridge, replace the stylus. You'll have no way of knowing what its condition is. Here's an example for the AT-112EP:

    http://www.garage-a-records.com/prod...?prod=ATN112EP
  • 01-19-2010, 10:28 AM
    poppachubby
    If you don't mind a little imperfection, here's a humdinger of a deal...

    http://www.audioclassics.com/detail....l=MMF5&nav=cat
  • 01-19-2010, 10:37 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by poppachubby
    If you don't mind a little imperfection, here's a humdinger of a deal...

    http://www.audioclassics.com/detail....l=MMF5&nav=cat

    Interesting, wish they had a pic of it. Audio Classics isn't too far from where I live, never been there though. Might be worth a trip sometime.
  • 01-19-2010, 10:39 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 02audionoob
    If you buy a used turntable, presumably with a used cartridge, replace the stylus. You'll have no way of knowing what its condition is. Here's an example for the AT-112EP:

    http://www.garage-a-records.com/prod...?prod=ATN112EP

    That looks like a real budget cartridge then. I think I'll go new with the table as well, I like the idea of starting off without someone else's problems (so I can make them my own, lol).
  • 01-19-2010, 12:03 PM
    IRG
    Speaker stands. They still seem overpriced for what they are. I might use the current ones I have in my home system, put them in my new system. But I'll need something to replace the old ones. Affordable is good. But they gotta be sturdy too. The speakers are a pair of Paradigm Monitor 3. Not real large, but not small either. Plus, the gd cats jump on top of them, so they can they jump on top of the entertainment system. So they need to support these lovable bastards as well.

    Good places for stands? Partexpress has some, audioadvisor, Crutchfield, where else? Anyone make stands that are cheap but good?

    Maybe these?http://www.crutchfield.com/p_051NF18...r+stands&ssi=0

    A bit shorter, but that might not be a bad thing for the main room.
  • 01-19-2010, 04:18 PM
    IRG
    There is a 1.5 year old Music Hall MMF-2 for sale on the 'Gon for $329. Looks to be mint. Not a bad deal at all? http://www.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cls.....2-turntable-i

    Although for $70 more, the Rega P1, or for $50 more, the Pro ject....but I digress. I have a guitar pedal I must sell on ebay soon.
  • 01-19-2010, 04:48 PM
    IRG
    I was browsing the Needledoc's site looking at the different Pro ject tables, and the wife concurred with me that she liked the Ferrari red one too. Not sure if I have the green light on this or not, I don't know if she saw the price or not, and I didn't ask. ;)
  • 01-19-2010, 08:26 PM
    poppachubby
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by IRG
    I was browsing the Needledoc's site looking at the different Pro ject tables, and the wife concurred with me that she liked the Ferrari red one too. Not sure if I have the green light on this or not, I don't know if she saw the price or not, and I didn't ask. ;)

    Why don't you contact audio classics about the MMF 5.1? I'm sure they would send you a pic. Worth pursuing. For $300 you would be leaps and bounds ahead of the budget tables, priced the same. The 5.1 is a real performer...
  • 01-19-2010, 09:35 PM
    JoeE SP9
    I have found Audio Classics to be completely honest in their assesment of gear. They were also very quick about shipping.
  • 01-19-2010, 10:38 PM
    blackraven
    If your handy you could build your own out of wood. I'm going to do just that this summer. I'm going to build them out of cherry or maple from home depot. I may attach the base to a granite slab if I can find some cheap remnant pieces at a granite store and have them cut them. Otherwise it will be MDF and sorbothane for the speakers base.
  • 01-20-2010, 03:51 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by poppachubby
    Why don't you contact audio classics about the MMF 5.1? I'm sure they would send you a pic. Worth pursuing. For $300 you would be leaps and bounds ahead of the budget tables, priced the same. The 5.1 is a real performer...


    I think I'll do that today, can't hurt.
  • 01-20-2010, 03:54 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by blackraven
    If your handy you could build your own out of wood. I'm going to do just that this summer. I'm going to build them out of cherry or maple from home depot. I may attach the base to a granite slab if I can find some cheap remnant pieces at a granite store and have them cut them. Otherwise it will be MDF and sorbothane for the speakers base.


    I'm toying with that idea, but I can't do much building during the winter (maybe like you) and I don't want to wait til summer, but maybe I'll get an inexpensive option now, and then try and build something better over the summer. Got any plans? Wish I had welding equipment, then I would build something substantial.
  • 01-20-2010, 09:39 AM
    IRG
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by 02audionoob
    Maybe you need to talk to this guy...

    http://ithaca.craigslist.org/ele/1556625731.html


    QUICK update, I just got a reply back on this, it is a Technics SL-Q200. $25, good shape according to the seller. Thoughts?

    I see it was made between '83 - 84, in Japan, p mount cartridge.
  • 01-20-2010, 09:49 AM
    poppachubby
    Is it in good condition? Cartridge? More details... bottom line, $25 you can't lose as long as it's operational.
  • 01-20-2010, 09:51 AM
    Mr Peabody
    My thoughts, is it a Pro Ject, no, but it's $25.00 and you are putting together a "budget" system. The phono stage in the Onkyo or Denon would be a weak link for a higher end table any way. Besides that get your feet wet again with a cheaper table and then later if you are really into it then you can upgrade.