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How about "C.E.C. 3200"?

Sultan swing

Active Member
Ok, I know I'm boring, but I'm desperately trying to find myself a good TT, for the money I have.

So... Again...
Does anyone know anything about the forementioned C.E.C. 3200?
Does anyone use one? Has anyone used one in the past?
Is it any good?
I'm trying to find info on the web, but if you know anything, please do tell...

Tomorrow I'm going to see/hear it, but I want to gather some information.

Thank you in advance!

Sorry, if I'm bothering you all with my threads..
 
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Not a bad model - pretty solid and also pretty nice in terms of visual appearance. Iirc, stock cart over here was one of the cheaper Ortofon F15 versions. Don't really know, how much of an upgrade it would actually be compared to your current Sansui, though...

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
If it's pretty solid, it's better than my Sansui. I've sold it because it was very plastic.
And yeah, this CEC looks really nice!
Seller said over the phone that it's a Visionik CEC, that's a German factory, can you tell me anything about them, Lini?

And thank you lini!
 
Plenty of info available on the web about that one, and it’s similar to the Pioneer PL-115D. CEC rate the performance quite a bit better for rumble and slightly worse for wow and flutter, but CEC were always rather conservative in their performance figures, which are much more believable than some other manufacturers, so I think it will be better than the Pioneer. It’s certainly slightly heavier.
Rumble -62dB weighted, wow and flutter 0.09%, weight 7.3kg.

http://new-hifi-classic.de/Gallery_MO/displayimage.php?pid=11736&fullsize=1
http://new-hifi-classic.de/Gallery_MO/displayimage.php?pid=11731&fullsize=1

Visionik is probably a brand that CEC made the turntable for on an OEM basis - the same model was also sold as a Pro-ject.
 
Thank you, Don!

I was just on that web site!
Yeah, I like it better than Pioneer, too! Also, better than Sansui, because it was all plastic and shallow.
Glad you think it's better than Pioneer, because this CEC I'm going to see tomorrow, and Pioneer I couldn't see at all, only when I bought it, so that a relief!
 
That TT looks very similar to the Realistic Lab-300 that I bought for my grandson. CEC made turntables for a lot of people including some of the better Radio Shack stuff. This is a nice, solid, heavy turntable. It should serve you well.
DSC02303.jpg
 
I would say that your grandson's Realistic looks and seems to be a better TT. But yeah, they are kinda similar.

O.K. one more question, is Thorens TD 145 a much better TT than this CEC?
CEC costs 140$ and Thorens costs 210$, is that price difference proportional as to the difference in quality?
(I really don't have the 70$ difference, but I was just thinking about it...Also, Thorens is 125 miles away and I'm a student without a car, so I couldn't even take a look at it.)
 
I would go with the Thorens, much more reasonable price. But, that being said and your situation, the CEC or the Pioneer are a good table. I like CEC tables, and have quite a few of them too.
 
CEC costs 140$, because, as I posted a few times, the tt-market here in Croatia is very slim and slow, there are not many tt's for sale and their prices are higher than in U.S., Canada, G.B. or Germany.
Also, people sell their BPCs for 150$, so the good stuff costs even more because of that. You wouldn't believe what do people try to sell for 140$ (Sanyo TP1012, plastic Marantz's...).
So there's not that big of a difference between the two? At least, not for that price?
 
The overall differences? Probably not, I say get the pioneer if you can audition it, and upgrade the cartridge if possible, haha. IIRC the CEC is easier to audition over the pioneer?
 
Yes, CEC is here in my hometown, Zagreb. And Pioneer is not even in Croatia, it's in Slovenia, a country by Croatia.
Thorens is in another town, as I said 125 miles away from me. :)
Really, that's a stone right off my heart, it it really true that Thorens is not that better than this CEC! Because I really couldn't afford myself one right now, at least without hunger strike :)
 
Thorens have a big following, I've never heard one but for the listing price, that's a good price even in North America (I think). The other two seems ok for the price, there is a PL-115D here for $125 with not takers in my city. Bargain, see if you can get the CEC for a bit less, cash talks. These CEC tables aren't as common as the rest but like I said before I do like CEC tables.
 
Yes, I've always read about and heard about Thorens, so that's why I asked.
Glad that it isn't that big of a difference that I would have to loose my mind to come up with cash for it. But, let's wait for the others, maybe they'll disagree. I hope not, because it's easier (and cheaper) to get myself a CEC, of course, if I will be satisfied with it tomorrow...
 
The differences are "who knows" haha. My rule of thumb when buy any used equipment is: "if I buy it and don't like it or get something better, can I sell it for the same price?" If no, I ask for a bit less to offset any future loss. But, overall it's all about the enjoyment. I've had different tables and sold different tables but I really like my Sanyo Q50, was my first and still remains, and I've had Realistic LAB-420, Taya DP-550, JVC QL-F4, Hitachi PS-48 (which is now my Dad's backup table) and a couple more. I am just hoping the Technics SL-1400mk2 I have would be a significant improvement over the Q50 if not it will be on the chopping block.
 
Of course I have to see it first, but if in a great condition, I believe I could someday sell both CEC and Thorens by the same price I payed for them...
 
S_s, Don: Actually Visonik foremost was and still is a German loudspeaker manufacturer (probably best known for their "David" series of pretty good and very compact bookshelf speakers), but back in the day as part of the Dahl holding company in Hamburg they also distributed other hifi equipment including CEC turntables.

Greetings from Munich!

Manfred / lini
 
The problem with the "What about...?" questions is that it leads to budget creep. "Yeah, the Thorens is another $70, and I can't afford it, but it's better. Oh, hey, look, there's a Dual for $250 and, wait, isn't that a Sansui SR-929? Maybe I could find another $100 for..."

The CEC is a solid mid-line table, and will serve you much better than what you sold. My suggestion is that you audition it, and, if all is well with it, buy that one, and listen for a while. The Thorens is a good table, some would say better, even more than $70 better, but it's not a "smash your budget" deal. If you have a decent table to use, it's much easier to walk away from a deal you can't afford, even if the price is a good one.
 
Very nicely put, lv!
I know I only can afford budget tt's, I made my peace with it. I'm a student and really can't put all my money on a tt, that's why I'm trying to come up with the best solution - for the money I have - the best tt.
That's true, if CEC works/sounds/looks well, I will probably buy it and then I won't think about how to come up with more money for Thorens. So, keep your fingers crossed that CEC is in great shape/state.
Thank you for your advice and observation!
 
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