If you're into DIY and repairs, and you know your way round electromechanical items, then fine, otherwise I'd keep away. If I was tempted to purchase something 30 or 40 years old, I'd make a low-ball offer, and walk away if it is not accepted.Īs a fan of vintage equipment, I echo the above. But there's a lot of less than honest gear from the '70s and '80s out there, and whether you want to take a chance is a big decision. I'm not sayin' there's no honest sellers. You often read: 'I have no way to test this, but when I put it in storage 20 years ago it was working fine.' LOLĪlso, prices sellers are asking for used throw-away condition stuff is often ridiculous. From slumming the offers, it seems like it's a last resort for people looking to ditch gear that is not working properly. On the other hand, my Dual 704 from 1977 went up in smoke several months ago, leaving the foul smell of burning parts in the room.Īs far as ebay? I'd think twice about that place. An SL-1100a from 1975 that works fine, and an SL-1200Mk5 from 2005, ditto. I've mentioned this before: I have a Garrard Z-100 from 1970 that is still going strong. Of course service life for any component is difficult if not impossible to estimate. Certainly a marvel of price point engineering underscoring the sophistication of consumer products during the heyday of analog. The tonearm uses electro mechanical motors for damping and stylus force/skating. If this becomes misaligned, or unfunctional, the chances of repair are slim. If I am not mistaken, it uses a quartz lock, tachometer based servo consisting of a magnetic strip under the platter, that is 'read' by a tape head, in order to regulate speed. The Denon in your picture is one of the more complex turntables from the era. The more complicated the deck, and the more proprietary the parts, the more difficult it will be to service. If you simply must do it, I’m sure a U.S based member will chime in with a recommendation.Ĭlick to expand.With vintage the main issue is one of repair. In fact most vinyl enthusiasts here would say get out whilst you can. To be honest I’d say think twice about buying a turntable at all unless you have a lot of interesting material that isn’t available via streaming-that’s coming from a turntable enthusiast. A modest vintage deck can get expensive, so think twice before going that route unless you are able to work on it. You’ll need some basic set up tools and something to clean the records with, such as a Knosti disco antistat or US equivalent. US based members may be able to recommend a domestic manufacturer with a good budget deck. A budget tt new would keep costs down, I’m in the U.K so would go for something like a rega planar 1 or project deck as they are well supported and simple to set up. You are going to need a phono stage, something like the emotiva that Amir reviewed would be good, or the Art audio stage also tested. Firstly I’m sorry that your uncle passed away.

Best vintage technics turntables