Hey Guys
I’m new to vinyl and turntables but my Dad just gave me his old Philips record player which had been sitting unused for at least 20 years. It’s a Philips 212 Electronic. I hooked it up to my system last night and fell asleep listening to a borrowed copy of “The Wall.” It sounds good but as I have no other references I’m curious as to how good of a player this really is. My father claims it was near top of the line back when he bought it in ’73 or 74. The original instruction manual has the following introduction (long):
“This Hifi record player features electronic speed control employing a tacho generator, photo-electronic off-switch, floating suspension of turntable and pick-up arm, electronic touch controls for start, speed selection and stop and a head shell with the unique slide-in system for SUPER M cartridges.
The important advantages which result from the electronic speed control are, high stability of turntable speed, negligible wow and flutter and accurate individual speed adjustment. The slow running high-torque motor, the high quality turntable bearing and the precision drive belt ensure exceptionally low rumble transmission. The photo electronic off-switch works without any forces acting upon the virtually frictionless and fully resonance damped pick-up arm. By means of the electronic touch controls operation is possible without exerting any mechanical force on the mechanism, thus avoiding unwanted vibration during operation and moreover acting absolutely silent.
The pick-up lift with a new damping mechanism is a valuable control as it helps to prevent records being damaged; it permits immediate interruption of the music and accurate cueing. The floating suspension of the tone arm and the turntable isolate these against mechanical shocks and vibration. The stylus force is very low, the tracking error negligible over the entire recorded area, and the side thrust compensation equally effective for all positions of the pick-up arm.
The head shell is of the universal type and is designed to carry all types of cartridges with standard ½ inch (12.7mm) mounting centers. SUPER M cartridges can be simply installed in seconds by means of the convenient slide-in system.
The high mechanical quality of this precision instrument will ensure that the excellent performance is maintained over a very long period.”My father said he had the cartridge replaced once and that the player probably has around 150 hours on it. I took a look at the cartridge and it looks to be a Grado XM (see pictures). I may keep it if it’s a good player but I’m not sure I want to pursue the analog direction just yet.
My questions are as follows:
• Does anyone have any experience with this player
• Is it a good quality player
• Should I decide to try and sell it, how much might I expect to get for it.
I appreciate any help you might be able to give. Pictures of the player below. Thanks,
George
