The Home Entertainment Industry

[phillymatt53]

Oh no, my other half wanted to pitch my KLH because they were in storage in the basement. I said no way. Cones and voice coils can be replaced or the woofers. Especially if the enclosure is nice and high quality.

KLH, Advent, Boston Acoustics, Dynaco, Koss, all were "east coast sound" names and affilliated companies.
I enjoy that "Natural Sound" from them, non-fatguing smooth tonal quality.
Those "west coast" brands were Cerwin Vegas, JVC, among others, with a more brash in-your face type of sound.
Good for rock/metal maybe, but not my cup of tea.

 

[cfz2882]

Before the Dual 1229 i had an Empire turntable of about the same vintage as the dual-a heavy 1950s basic design with a German external rotor motor belt driving the platter. Bought this one in near mint condition at a stereo store table sale in 1989 for $40: i think they thought it was a relic of a bygone era...The belt went soft and i could not find a replacement,so set aside when the dual was bought.I still have the Empire and should get it going again

 

[phillymatt53]

Before the Dual 1229 i had an Empire turntable of about the same vintage as the dual-a heavy 1950s basic design with a German external rotor motor belt driving the platter. Bought this one in near mint condition at a stereo store table sale in 1989 for $40: i think they thought it was a relic of a bygone era...The belt went soft and i could not find a replacement,so set aside when the dual was bought.I still have the Empire and should get it going again

Keep in mind about the different drive systems that various turntables use....
I'll not get into the debates over which is better, etc., that online audiophiles seem to argue over, because that's just online blabbering.

Records themselves, all have a built in noise.
I'm talking about the "noise floor" that resides in the very grooves, and is pretty impossible to eliminate.
This noise can be noticed when the stylus is riding in a silent, non-modulated groove, easily heard if the volume is turned up.
It's the friction of the record vinyl and the stylus tip as it plows along a moving record, and depends on the quality of the record when pressed, as well as the vinyl composition itself.
Some think it's actually turntable rumble, which it's not.

Some people have critisized idler drive as the source, but that is only if the idler assembly, or the motor is at fault due to age or condition.
Others claim belt drives are the culprit, the platter bearing, etc.
Damage to those types is also due to condition, lubrication, etc.
But an utterly silent system in in a well-designed direct drive, as long as it's in top condition - they can never be the source of noise.

Dual idler drives in good condition can be substantially lower than the record's own noise floor. (All Dual idler drive)
So can belt drives. (Dual 1241)
And indeed the direct drives. (Dual 701)

So,

---

lubrication is paramount, as is the mechanical parts themselves.
Motor mounts are just as important.

Heck, even those VM-made Zenith Microtouch 2G record changers can be brought to amazing performance if restored properly.
As are those Zenith-made belt drive changers.
I'm even amazed when I've worked on them and layed the needle down on a groove.

Those Empire "tanks" are nice units, and worthy of good performance.
So are the Thorens TD 124 machines.
I've restored several of them, and know why they're in demand among purists.

 

[vacerator]

Matt, Koss is in Wisconsin. I was lucky to get the reissued Pro 44-A headphones with the mic. mount before they sold out in a limited run. I had a lower model in the late 70's.
I have never had a reel-to-reel deck, but I regret selling My 1979 Aiwa wedge cassette deck because it needed new heads. The transport still worked perfectly. It had a hinged dust cover.
About phono deck drives, I think that either belt or direct is fine, but direct usually does have better wow and flutter specs. Especially the new ones with delta sigma motor controls. They are without hum that many old school ones had. I think the most important parts of a turntable for vibration isolation are the plinth, platter, and tonearm/cartridge mount. Then the feet. MDF is excellent. Plastic not, but rubber can be used inside and on the platter back to help. Technics used a composite TNRC plastic plinth in the 70's and 80's that was excellent. Probably polycarbonate and polyethylene.