Vinylphiles...used/new TT/Cart combo under $700?

The platform is comprised of three metal boxes, each with an aluminum half sphere 'piston' on top. A granite slab is placed on top of the 'pistons'. When the whole load is pushed down the 'pistons' act as springs ( and also work in the lateral plane ). The frequency of up and down cycles is dialed in to about three to five per second and the turntable leveled. It works like industrial platforms where the resonant frequencies are shifted down, but with pumped air instead of metal springs. It's really good, especially because the 1200's problem is handling lateral vibrations--not vertical.

This device and sticking Marigo Dots on the gimbal bearing housings & cartridge has brought a new dimension in clarity and definition. Keeping the bearing oil all the way to the top brings big improvements, too.

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The Lenco doesn't need a plinth in order to be Great, it is inherently Great. The plinth just brings it to a higher level. If you were to buy a Lenco, replace the rubber V-blocks with new ones, solder a better tonearm cable to the tags, put in some new oil for the bearing, apply some Dynamat here and there, and buy a Denon DL-103 which LOVES the high-mass Lenco tonearm, you would have several thousands of dollars worth of performance (and in terms of bass, dynamics and PRaT simply world class) for very little money. The trick with the original Lenco plinth is simply to defeat the suspension: remove the springs, torque down the Lenco to its own plinth via the provided screws, remove the bottom entirely as so many do with these "hollow-box" designs (like the Thorenses and LP12s) and mount the corners up on rubber feet or Tiptoes. If you are fortunate and can find one, the Decca International tonearm fits with precise geometry into the tonearm-hole of both the Lenco L75 and L78.

I once restored a Lenco in original plinth and fitted it with a Decca International and Grado Platinum for a fellow who had an Acoustic Signature Final Tool turntable with a SME 309/Benz Micro Ruby, and he MUCH preferred the Lenco/Decca/Platinum. He sold the Acoustic with no regrets, to put it mildly. Another fellow set up a Rega tonearm in the original hole despite improper geometry and VTA (as I did for a long while), set it up on bricks with no plinth whatsoever, and reported this combo easily beat his maxed-out Linn LP12. A friend of mine still, after 6 years, uses a Lenco with Rega RB-300 mounted in original hole, his system sounds glorious: true speed stability goes a looonnng way to reducing mistracking. Check under my "system" under my name on Audiogon to see the "Oak Lenco", which shows this set-up.

Once the suspension is defeated, then a stable platform does a lot to further improve the sound.

Done. Under $600 total...all from E-Bay.

A mint Thorens TD 160 MKII with TP16 II tonearm, a Stanton 681EEE cartridge, and a Lehmann Black Cube SE with PWX power supply.

That'll work and sure was cheap. If you don't like it you can sell and get your money back at that price.

Hope it's great Tvad!

That's the plan, Albert. Thanks for your advice along the way.