Every so often, I work on a piece of hi-fi gear that makes me smile, and the Marantz Model 6300 direct drive turntable is one of them. One look at a Marantz Model 6300 and you’ll reach an inevitable conclusion: you want and need to find one to add to your collection! That’s exactly what […]
Marantz Model 6300 Turntable Service & Review Read More »
Record clamps are an important part of a good vinyl replay system, most commonly in the form of center or spindle clamps. I wanted to find an affordable peripheral clamp I could recommend, however. I may have… Searching online for a peripheral or ring-type record clamp to review, I stumbled across Sound Foundations, operating out
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I’ve been ‘secretly’ acquiring some vinyl goodies including a mint Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk3 moving coil cartridge… I followed that up with a matching Fidelity Research RS-141 one-piece milled aluminium headshell. These wonderful pieces of Japanese analog engineering partner up with my Jelco SA-750D tonearm, Kenwood KD-600 direct-drive turntable and (of course) Fidelity Research XF-1
Fidelity Research FR-1 Mk3 Cartridge + RS-141 Read More »
Looking for one of the best affordable tonearms? The Jelco SA-750D is a quality tonearm, at a sensible price, designed to fit a variety of turntables. UPDATE, 2018: The Jelco SA-750D is now superseded by the TK-850S. UPDATE 2020: I’m very sad to announce that, as of mid-2020, Jelco is no longer in business. A
Jelco SA-750D Tonearm Review Read More »
The phenomenal Fidelity Research XF-1 moving coil step-up transformer is one of the best ways to get the most out of a good MC cartridge. Fidelity Research is one of the most iconic and revered names in vinyl. No other brand has quite the same status and FR cartridges and step-up transformers have become legendary
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When the Technics SL-1200 direct drive turntable hit the market in 1972, there was nothing else like it. This turntable really was a game-changer. In fact, the SL-1200 was so popular that over one million units were manufactured, when production finally ended in 2010. With the resurgence in vinyl, thousands of people have petitioned Matsushita
Technics SL-1200 Turntable Review Read More »
I recently serviced a Sony PS-1150 belt drive turntable and want to discuss why I service the spindle bearings on turntables. The spindle bearing is the central bearing about which the platter turns, rotating the record. This bearing can be anything from a basic narrow steel spindle, to an elaborate bearing with massive stainless steel
Sony PS-1150 Belt-Drive Turntable Service Read More »
I get asked this turntable FAQ all the time. Is there a simple answer? Usually, yes. There is nothing new in turntable design and much of the best turntable engineering and design was done back in the 70’s and 80’s. Sure there was some junk from the time too, but it was cheap to buy even
Turntable FAQ: Service Or Buy New? Read More »
This Sony PS-8750 is easily one of the most beautiful turntables I’ve had the pleasure of working on. Come with me as I repair, service, upgrade and review this stunning deck. There really isn’t much more I can say about the timeless beauty of the Sony PS-8750. Sony must have had some amazing design engineers
Stunning Sony PS-8750 Turntable Repair, Service, Upgrade & Review Read More »
My good friend wanted to give his Yamaha GT-2000 vinyl rig a shot in the arm. I suggested a few changes to improve cartridge/headshell/tonearm synergy. We achieved this by installing a gorgeous, vintage Fidelity Research FR-2 moving coil cartridge and RS-10 headshell. As any knowledgeable vinyl lover will know, Fidelity Research was a Japanese ‘vinyl-things’
Fidelity Research FR-2 Yamaha GT-2000 Setup Read More »
