[mtndude]

Getting back into vinyl after 25 years. My HiFi is Pioneer A/V receiver w/ HDMI switching (which I needed) but no phono pre-amp.  I power my 2 Magnepans with an external Adcom GFA-5400 out of the pres of the receiver. Picked up an NAD phono Pre-amp PP-2 to accomodate a TT into my receiver. Now I just need a decent semi auto TT.  My budget for a  TT is around $150 including cart.
I can pick up a used SL-1300 locally for $60. Any ideas or thoughts? Do I need to spend more? I am not a vintage guy- Just a little nostalgic and miss playing records once in a while. Not looking for a $1000 set up. Just something that won't hum and sounds halfway decent through my system.- Thanks!!!

[analognut]

  My thought is if you could spend a little over twice your projected budget you could get a brand-new SL1200MK2, which is going to be about fifty times better than whatever you could pick up for $150. Possibly the best-made direct drive table ever made, being much heavier than most.

Amazon.com has it for $349. http://www.amazon.com/Technics-SL-1200MK2-TECHNICS-Turntable/dp/B00006I5VX/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1238453388&sr=1-1

[macrojack]

O.K. Educate me. In what ways is the SL-1200 Mk II superior to the SL 1300? They are both Technics tables and they are both direct drive. I know that much.

[mtndude]

I am well aware of the Technics SL-1200 legendary status- especially in the DJ/club circuit. Excellent unit to be sure, if you want a new TT and have the dough.
From what I can find on the net, the 1300 shares very similar construction and design as the 1200 but is a fully auto TT. The 1300 Mk II suffers from a very fragile tonearm lifting mech that once it fails is nearly impossible to fix. (mkI Servo control (1975-76) - mkII Quartz locked (1977-78) This local one looks to be a 1300 mk I, but I am going to check it out. Same table on ebay goes for $250 +, so it could be a great deal.  I think I'll go for it and let you know if it ends up being a lucky or sucky purchase. Even comes with a vintage Micro Acoustics 2002e cart and a discwasher from 1980!

[lcrim]

Check out this web page for the entire range of Technics TT
http://web.archive.org/web/20060421180508/www.vintagetechnics.com/turntables.htm

The 1300, is nice for the automatic shutoff, so if you fall asleep while listening, the stylus won't be ground down running around all night.  While the 1300 can't match the specs of the 12XX family, its a decent first TT.  I'd go over to LPGear and pick up their AT 95E @$50
http://www.lpgear.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=LG&Product_Code=LPGAT95E&Category_Code=LPGCART
I think that there are better, inexpensive phono sections than the NAD, BTW

EDIT: I just saw your last post, I understand that automatic means auto shutoff , you do have to cue up the record.  Also,  I would change out a 35 year old cartridge to be kind to your records.

Welcome, since nobody has said it yet.

[mtndude]

Thanks for the tip on the cart. I picked up the NAD preamp for $60. New old stock in a box. Wasn't sure if it was best deal but I knew I had always had good luck with NAD stuff in the old days. Out of curiosity what would be your pic for a preamp to use with a modern receiver with no phono input?

[lcrim]

Since you already own it, you ought to stick w/ it.  Remember you'll need another pair of interconnects to get from the phono pre to the receiver.  Be sure they're shielded.
Get it up and running and see how you feel.  Clean records make a huge difference as does accurate setup.

[mtndude]

Stupid question-
Never used an external preamp and don't want hum. Wondering about how grounding is done.
I know I hook the outputs from the TT to the NAD preamp and secure the ground wire from the TT to the provided ground lug on the Preamp.
Do I need to run an additional ground wire from the preamp ground lug to the receiver ground lug?
The NAD Preamp has 24V power by means of a wall wart transformer (no ground). How is sufficient grounding accomplished?

[lcrim]

Its not a stupid question, just premature.  Don't worry about it until it happens.  There's plenty of help here if that occurs.

[twitch54]

Stupid question-
Never used an external preamp and don't want hum. Wondering about how grounding is done.

Ditto to what Larry said, also keep in mind to keep your IC's between TT-phonopre-receiver as short as possible and as stated before shielded.

[richidoo]

I got a SLQ2 a couple years ago from a neighbor for $40. I use it to play my 200 old records when the mood strikes, but like you I'm not going down the vinyl bunnyhole. I think the 1300 is even better than the Q2, but mine is getting the job done very nicely. The original cheap AT cart broke soon after I started using it, so I got a Shure M97 because I had Shures when i was a kid and liked how they sounded. Well, like Wayner said, the M97 is a dog, I don't enjoy listening to it at all. So I'll pick up an AT like the one lcrim recommended or maybe splurge for a 440a like Wayner recommended to me. I think the stock interconnect wire is garbage too, but fixin that that will require effort, not my strong suit...  The ground wire from the TT should connect to your phono input ground post, that's all you gotta do unless something's gone wacky.

Welcome to AC!!  

[Jampot]

When you check out the SL 1300, you may find that the auto function does / should include auto set down. If so, when they break this is what goes. I have an SL1600 with this problem but as Icrim suggests, just cue manually and (hopefully) the auto return will work fine.

The whole range (1300 through 17 or 1800 or so) had various degrees of automation (or not) and although they share the 1200 technology no one could reasonably argue that they are as robust or capable of tweaking to the same degree. But that isn't what your looking for, eh?

If it is tidy and works adequately, there is probably no need to spend more - for now

Note to the regulars - I tried to find a link to 'the turntable factory' for our new friend and find that Joel's pages have been torn down hope the new guy (John) makes the old stuff available again, there was some good info there.

Jim

[mtndude]

Thanks for this info. Will do this, and I'll post how things go.- John

[mtndude]

Picked up the 1300. Hooked it up and everything works great EXCEPT for one small thing- with speed set to 33 and speed fine adjustment maxed out (all the way towards +)  the table is spinning too slow. Songs sound at least 15-20% slower than it should be.  Could it be a 50Hz/60Hz deal or ?
Am I screwed?

[mtndude]

Figured it out. Under the mat there is access to two adjustment pots (33, 45). Tweaked the 33 up a bit and she's running like a charm at 33.3!

Great design.

John

[royphil345]

I had the NAD PP-2 for awhile...

A power supply with the same voltage and more amperage can open up the sound a bit more. It sounded "closed in" and "congested" with the stock power supply to me. A larger one really made quite a difference. There are a few dealers that sell the NAD with a larger power supply for that reason. But, I still found it to be a bit bass-shy in the end, possibly because of the built-in "subsonic" filter that can't be turned off. My current Jolida JD-9A with the New Sensor "Mullard reissues" installed is sounding MUCH better.

PS... If you find a power supply not being sold specifically for the PP2 and / or try to splice the original plug onto something else... you have to be 100% sure the polarity is correct or you will fry the PP2.

[mtndude]

Apparently, this is a popular trick, as the PP-2 I bought came with an additional larger output (1A) transformer as well as the stock 100mA one. I'm running the 1A and it sounds pretty good to me. At this point I'm pretty happy. If I had extra cash to throw at this, I'm thinking the cartridge may be a place to start. Would like to isolate the TT too. (sandbag? butcher block?) The biggest difference I notice between this setup and a digital (CD) source is the lack of punch in the mids and obviously the signal to noise difference. When I boost the mids when playing an LP, my maggies (MM1) actually sound pretty great pushed through the Adcom and fed from the NAD pre. I have a Klipsch 300W sub, so the TT sounds fine bass-wise. No rumble or droning. pretty tight.
Thanks for the info and tips. I'm enjoying this forum!

John

[royphil345]

There are cartridges that have plenty of punch in the mids. Although, good, natural sounding mids AND a lot of detail can get expensive. Many of the less expensive carts tend to give you more of one or the other. Maybe someone could recommend something. What are you using now? Sometimes tweaking your stylus pressure, anti-skate and rake angle by ear can do a lot towards evening out frequency response. Accurate cartridge alignment and a level table are also very important.

I like rich mids and music that sounds like it "comes together as a whole"...  if that makes any sense... lol.  I liked the Shure M97xE and I'm running a Denon DL-103 now. But admittedly, neither cart will sound as detailed as even a moderately-priced Audio Technica. I guess I'm still in the price-range where you generally get more of one or the other.

[mtndude]

The 1300 came with a Micro Acoustics QDC-1e and that's what I'm currently running at about 1.2 grams. Old cartridge from the 80s, but actually sounds pretty darn good. I had a MA 2002e on a Denon TT back in 1981 and it was a fairly high end ($100+) cart for a MM cart in those days. I later switched to a Grado G1+ and remember preferring the MA. Micro Acoustics is no more and finding a replacement stylus will probably be impossible.

The AT95e seems to be a modern favorite best buy on this forum for $50 range. Might go that way when the MA stylus finally gives up.
I listen to everything from Stones to Miles so a general purpose cart would probably be fine. Its a trip getting back into vinyl!