Personal turntable/cartridge evolution

1976-1979 Dual 504 with various cartridges

1979-1998 Empire 698

1985-2001 Rega P3 with Sumiko Talisman

2001 to present Well Tempered Classic with Benz LO.4

Late '60s-'70s, McDonald/BSR auto-changer. Loved it, innocent non-audiophile simply looking forward to new releases!

Late '70-'80s, university student with Akai belt-drive, Accutex cartridges. Loved it, looked forward to new releases!

CD comes out, I hear my first one (a Yamaha) and hate the sound (cold, hard, unnatural). I make a bet with the Yamaha-owner that for the same money I can build a vinyl-based system which will cream his. I eventually buy a Rega Planar 3, Musical Fidelity A1 amp, and Rega Camber speakers. Am astonished at the increased information hiding in my vinyl, Yamaha owner sells his CD-player and buys Revolver/Sumiko MMT/Grado system....He still does not own a CD player, even though I now do. I eventually upgrade the cartridge to a Fidelity Research MC. Buy my first crap audiophile album. Innocence is over.

Late '80s, I buy a Maplenoll air-bearing turntable, with various upgrades and in various iterations over the years. A very lively, slamming 'table. Buy a Decca Super Gold, various high-end Grados, a Kiseki Blue Silverspot (which I still own), and a Kiseki Purpleheart Sapphire (I stupidly sold).

1990, tired of clamps, troughs and pumps, I buy an Audiomeca turntable, to which I mount a re-wired Rega RB300 tonearm. Beautiful, musical sound, again with tremendous verve.

1992, trip over an idler-wheel drive at a fleamarket in Helsinki, strip it down, hook it up, and am astonished at what I hear. Never even heard of "idler-wheel drive" before. End up with a reconstructed Lenco in new plinth with Rega arm. Never looked back. Cartridges include Grado Platinum, Shure V15VxMR, Audio Technica OC9, Kiseki Blue, Ortofon M15E Super. Large collection of other 'tables and tonearms as well. Keep the Maplenoll for historical/coolness factor to astonish friends (party trick).

I knew I forgot a couple. Before buying the TNT (used), I had a wonderful VPI HW-19, Mk III with an excellent ET-2 arm. The later TNT also came with an ET-2, but this one was a disaster (traced, too late, to a faulty pump and surge tank).

And earlier, sometime in the 60s, I bought my first Empire 298, which I missed so much after selling it that I just acquired another one.

Yeah, I forgot a couple also. I had a JVC direct drive and a Gerrard (the one with a extra metal bar to the headshell). Most all carts were Stanton or Pickering.

Well, I guess I missed a table or two in there. From 1973-1976 I owned a Garrard table which had a ceramic cartridge. It was an idler wheel job that also had a built in tube amp. My Dad gave me this and I truely enjoyed listening to 45's. I cut my rock and roll teeth on this unit when I bought my first Lps, Pink Floyd, "Dark Side" and Zep 1 and listen to them until I wore a groove through them.

I think shortly after that, when it bit the dust in a house fire, I got a Zenith "solid state", circa 1972. It was built like a tank, used a cermanic cartridge but did not have the same sound as the Garrard, which was fun and easy to listen to.

My dad saved the day when for x-mas he bought me the Pioneer belt drive listed above!