Personal turntable/cartridge evolution

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!

well, in 1970, i had this electrophonic combo unit. it looked good with its wood cabinet. but i knew there was more, i had a neighbor with ar3s and dyna tubes and a garrard tt and had seen other stuff in the barracks in guam.

pacific stereo, here i come.

dual 1215/shure m91e (plus a sony 40wpc rcvr, dynaco a25s).

rabco st4/adc XLM!! then a second arm wand and a grado F1+, a great tracker and vg cart, wish they were still available as i do the XLM. then i got another complete arm so i could swap carts in a flash (which is why i just got the sota sapphire/mmt and keep the phase linear tt).

technics SL120/grace 707/XLM.

kenwood kd500/707/XLM,grado fte+1 (epuiv of todays black, you should have seen the orbital grado dance in the 707! wish i had videotaped it. cured with a 1 gram blob of black modeling clay on top of the headshell)

st4 again

pioneer PLL1000a (exactly the same as phase linear 8000a)

vpi hw19III/sme IV/sumiko virtuoso dti vdh (for sale in LA area only)

sota sapphire/mmt

numerous carts-XLM (retired), F1+ (sold), atML170/150, krell mc, ortofon mc200, atOC9, shure v15Vxmr, stanton 881s, original sumiko blue point (actually a pmount in a crappy styrene adaptor) with aluminum block mount, and a grace f9e.

1970s Original LP12, Grace 707 with a Dyna 10x4
Stopped for years...then read in Stereophile that no system is complete without the analog experience, so jumped back in again.

1987 VPI HW19 Jr, AT PT9 with a Dyna 10x4. Somehow wasn't quite satisfied with this setup, so traded up to
1989 Kuzma Stabi, Stogi Ref with a Dyna Te Kaitora.
2003 Got the Herron VTPH-1mc phono stage - a real gem.
2004 Got the Living Voice Mystic Mat and the Schroeder Model 2 tonearm - another gem.