Is it worth buying a 2nd hand TT from auction ?

[bretty]

Right. I need a quick reply to this one - hopefully !

Ive just got home from work and Ive had a reply from one of the fellas selling a Rega Planar 2. He says that this TT doesnt come with transit screws and that the glass platter is removed and placed in cardboard under the deck in its original box, the stylus has a protective cap over it and the tone arm a clip.

Is this okay ? A quick question to anyone who knows their Rega TTs !

He needs to get himself two screws if he's lost the originals. They aint special screws, just the type he can get at BandQ. If he isn't willing to do that, then walk away from the deal. Everything else he is doing is fine though (removing the platter, etc).

EDIT: sorry, I misread your post. His deck doeasn't have transit screws? In that case, yes he's doing everything right. Buy away!

 

[sthomas048]

Cheers Chebby.

Okay. Thanks again ! I will forward this to the seller and see what he says. This is why Im nervous buying a 2nd hand TT ! If it were one of you guys I was buying from there would be no problems !

 

[sthomas048]

Hello LindsayT,

To say that Lenco's are not for newbies - depends what type of newbie we're talking about. If you want good sound quality for the money together with the ability to modify it into one of the worlds best sounding record players then the Lenco is a great choice. You can either replace the Lenco arm or buy some bearing blocks for about £15 if you want to keep the old arm to keep costs down.

Problem is Im a tech-phobe. I fear the screwdriver ! I want it easy as this is my first contact with a proper TT.

Sansui SR-222? Right manufacturer. Wrong model. Look out for one of their top of the range direct drives - such as the Sansui SR929 - instead of one of their bottom of the range belt drives.

Look out for other good direct drive 1970's to 1980's turntables such as the Pioneer PL71.

Those suggestions seem well above my price budget ?

There's a lot of joy in discovering some classic that's under the radar that offers great sound quality for the money. Every Japanese manufacturer had a statement turntable in the 1970's. Some of these crop up for amazingly affordable prices because they were never hyped in the UK when new, and have not been hyped on some hi-fi forum in the 21st Century.

Id have to agree. Ive done this with amplifiers and cd players in the past. I value the quality of these older kits. Not to say that today's hifi is no good, but I appreciate the craftmanship and emphasis on sound quality of the best vintage gear. Plus vintage kit is usually built to last, ie - a chrome brick with knobs ! I love this.

 

[chebby]

Rega P2 instructions.

If your Planar 2 is a post 1983 model (with an RB250 arm like this) then these instructions will help with set-up...

http://www.rega.co.uk/downloads/p2instructions.pdf

 

[sthomas048]

Cheers Chebby. Planar 2 seems quite simple to get going by those instructions. I could do that !

 

[sthomas048]

Well guys. Ive thrown a complete curve-ball/roundabout/plan b here. :O

Ive decided to go for a new TT. A Pro-Ject Debut S/E3. As in this - http://www.whathifi.com/review/pro-ject-debut-se3 . I was also influenced by the ease of setup as demoed on this vid - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sgJ53im9ZL4 . Lastly the cartridge used on this TT, the OM10 Super, seems ideal and what Im looking for in the sound.

It might be a mistake, but judging by the S/E3 review I should be okay ! I will let you know what I think when Ive had it running for a few hours.

Thanks for all your support, it was not in waste as I learned that its important to ask questions about 2nd hand kit on auction. No doubt in the future this advice will prove very useful indeed. My next upgrade will probably be an amp, most likely a valve amp. Incidently, I know this would throw this thread completely off topic, but what would you upgrade first from my system ? Amp or Speakers ? Both are relatively old.

Stephen

(Current system - Musical Fidelty B200 amp/B&W 601 speakers)

 

[matthewpiano]

Good luck with the Project. Do let us know how you get on with it.

 

[lindsayt]

I would upgrade the speakers first. As I hate tiny 2 way ported speakers due to their lack of bass extension, lack of bass impact, lack of bass quality, lack of dynamics. The sort of speakers that I would upgarde to are not amplifier fussy due to their higher efficiency and amplifier friendly impedance curves. This would make an amplifier upgrade less important. But then I have this strange approach to hi-fi where sound quality per pound spent is my highest priority with other factors such as looks, size, ease of set-up, gaurantees, taking lower priority.

 

[sthomas048]

Cheers, thanks for your help. Just dug up all my old vinyl, must be 300 plus discs ! All in great condition, like new infact.

Stephen

Good luck with the Project. Do let us know how you get on with it.

 

[sthomas048]

Okay guys the turntable is here and fully set up The Pro-Ject TT has phono connectors on the back, so in theory I can use my lovely Crystal-CU interconnects. But sadly when I use them I get a slight hum from the speakers. The TT does have interconects bundled free with it and these have grounding wire built in that connects to the amp and TT, this solves the hum. But the sound isnt as good as with my Crystal-CU cables which are so open and true sounding.

Are there any other interconnects with grounding you guys would recommend ?

Thanks.

Stephen

 

[altruistic.lemon]

Use the interconnects you like and run a separate ground wire.