My guess is that Zaahs phone is about to get a few busy signals.
Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?
I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
Showing 50 responses by totem395
I would not recommend running without the platter,often will cause lots of issues with speed lock etc and possible damage. As to the issues was the table shipped with the platter mounted? From your description you may have damage to the platter ie lost tolerance of the mating area due excessive shock. The scraping is yet to be determined likely related to what caused the platter deformation issue. Not a great way to start your Victor experience. |
Fleib How do you think these Yamaha's stack up? There certainly are many GT-2000 owners about, as to how they stack up there was a thread that Jcarr posted regarding a {Japan forum} where a Victor motor designer who had a hand in the GT2000 design pursued the Yamaha and ended up taking it home. I thought it a rather fitting endorsement. Found it Jcarr There is an interesting Japanese webpage by a retired JVC engineer, in which he talks about his involvement in designing the motor drive and controller circuits for the slotless DD motor of Yamaha's GT-2000. note, several pages http://37282.diarynote.jp/200708032337340000/ |
Fleib Mild edge warps looked exaggerated and it seemed that repositioning the record didn't correct. The weight of the album did not flatten the warps in the mat? Seeing it is <2mm and pliable you'd think it would. Or perhaps the diameter of the mat extended past the platter where the wave's were present. |
Halcro I think it's the number of joints and the sheer complexity of their locations plus the triple layer stack of PCBs which must flex whenever they are handled for servicing that is the real problem. You hit the proverbial nail on the head, the hole bugaboo regarding DD IC failures {in this case} should be finally put to rest. |
On the topic of chips a fellow is doing some interesting work on the SP10MKIII's and reworking some no longer available and susceptible to failure parts. Great to have someone spend that much time and effort for the relatively small numbers of tables it is applicable to. http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/new-technics-sp-10-mk3.659118/page-10 |
lewm . What I don't get is whether the guy who figured this out and went to the trouble of creating a PCB, on which to mount his circuit that replaces the single chip that "runs" a Mk3, is selling or is going to sell the PCBs along with instructions on how to stuff the board. The maker JP does intend to sell the board for use in the SP10MKIII's and I have inquired as to contacting and selling, and will post his reply. |
lewn Regarding the GT 2000 I have never had the chance to hear one although a year or so back there was one for sale that I did consider purchasing. On another forum the GT 2000 is held in high regard but with no direct comparisons to the tables that have been discussed here Lo7D, TT101, SP10MK3 . The only other thing to mention is the Blog originally posted by J Carr from the Victor engineer who was originally tasked to work on the GT2000, and then many years later in retirement made a point of searching out one to purchase. I do believe the GT2000 uses a coreless motor and Bi Directional speed control. The blog link was originally posted here by J Carr some time ago. |
fleib The Sony TTS-8000 and PS-X9 have a great reputation. You would not have to twist my arm much to take either one. I ended up with the very first DD Sony produced a TTS -2250 drive only, which was at its introduction marketed against the original SP-10 . From that point on I have always appreciated the Sony's in the subsequent series. |
lewn Does the heftier bearing indicate also a more massive platter. Not always, the big boy Gunmetal platter was an $$ option that could be fitted on either model but more often than not found its way to the to the X model. The fracturing on portions of the OEM arms was due to a breakdown over time of the pot metal or something similarly used. |
For those that had expressed an interest in obtaining a revised chip set for for their SP10 MKIII,s and other Technics tables JP is now shipping. http://fidelisanalog.com/product/mn6042/ |
chakster As noted Panzerholz is hit and miss regarding availability, another option to Baltic birch is Bamboo ply which is dense and relatively heavy. If you have cabinet shops local, check to see if you can purchase some and or have them cut it up if they are so inclined. |
halcro🤔 Pretty much as fleib mentioned, the way to go and its not that difficult would be to start by getting 3 threaded inserts, 1 diamond bit [hollow core] that is slightly larger than the insert od drill at low speed with water lubrication. Partially fill the hole with an epoxy, tape over the bottom of the insert to prevent epoxy filling the insert. Place the 3 fasteners in the rim of of the TT, lower the table and start the fasteners into the threaded inserts while the epoxy is still setting up there by centering the inserts to the fasteners. Use a slow setting epoxy to give yourself more time, and have an extra set of hands, one to lower the TT into position but not all the way down, and another to start the aligning threading operation. |
lewm It has not been placed on the market as of yet, and mine is in very good nick so seems unlikly I would take the plunge. This is the first time I have personally seen an original boxed TT-101 with all the bits I also have a new TT-101 plinth 95% finished that will determine any future table decisions. The current owner is well known and I will leave it up to them to comment further. halcro The pictures I have seen show the original rubber mat on the platter and the other in its original packaging. |
lewm I must have missed any previous mention of your plinth adventures regarding the QL-10/TT-101. My new plinth for the TT-101 is a modified Artisan Fidelity "style" CLD design with sub plates to raise the 2 arm boards done in Rosewood. I'm really enjoying getting back into woodworking. Unfortunate that this site is stuck in the dark ages when it comes to some of the common niceties like pictures, messaging etc etc. No experience with the UA7045, that is the shorter of the series the other being UA7--85 or something? |
Having mentioned seeing some pictures of a boxed TT-101 some time ago and confirming the leather type mat being a originally supplied item, member JP has publicly posted pictures of his find. http://fidelisanalog.com/2016/11/25/barn-find-victor-tt-101/ |
JP and I had a conversation regarding his TT-101 outer rim not being painted but brushed, where as mine and others we have seen are the painted version. His serial # is shown in the pic's so I'm curious if anyone has a later serial # than that shown and is painted. Unfortunately the location is awkward to see if mounted in a plinth. |

