Re: [ARSCLIST] speaking of turntables ...

["Steven C. Barr(x)" <stevenc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tom Fine" <tflists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> What's the group wisdom on the best performance/value turntable and cartridge
for under, say, $1500
> all told (including shipping and taxes)? The use would be mostly personal
listening but also some
> transfer work, especially of test pressings and laquers. Is there a solution
that could also
> accomodate 78RPM and wide-groove disks or is it better to do that with a
separate unit?
>
> Interested in various solutions used by members of this group, and thanks in
advance for any/all
> advise and input.
>
Well...I'll be totally honest here, and as well give you what is, I
suspect, a totally unexpected answer!

My preference...which should offer you quite a bit of change from
your $1500, in spite of not being as easy to find, is thus:

1) Find ANY fairly recent (i.e. c.1955 onward) three or four-speed
"record player."

2) Find (and this is the hard part) the necessary 78-capable needle
for the cartridge in question.

3) Cut the output leads of the ceramic (most likely) cartridge and
redirect them into either an "RCA plug" (or two, if it is a stereo
unit, which is better...!) or a "mini-phone-plug" (stereo if needs
be) which will plug into the "Line In" jack of your computer and/or
its sound card.

Note that most standard "78 needles" use 3-mil tips...should you
wish various sizes of tips, you will need (one hopes used) additional
"needles," as well as rather large sums of money...which can then be
sent to "Expert" or some other (if such exist) creator of different-
sized diamond "points").

Now...why?! Well, these "record players" and their cartridges were
designed to accomodate the specific frequency-response curve of the
78rpm record, and vice versa!

As well, to my ears there is something lacking when a modern turntable,
with a tracking pressure of one gram or less, is used to play a 78rpm
record. I have always preferred the "one ounce" (28 grams) pressure
of my old "78 decks"...?!

As well, the one-volt(+/-) output of a typical ceramic cartridge, as
well as its output impedance, seem to be an accurate match for "Line
In" inputs...?!

Steven C. Barr
(and you can spend the rest of the $1500 on MORE RECORDS...?!)