Satch
Audiotinkerer
For a friend of mine, who wants to start with vinyl, I bought a Sanyo TP 1030UM turntable. Very good looking (IMHO), fully automatic and claimed to be TOTL. It has a two motor system, as is proudly announced on the front: one for the platter and one for the arm. Also included is a built in mirror for the stylus. It also is pretty large with a width of 19".
But it feels pretty lightweight, and I had to open it anyway because the start/stop button didn't function. It is made out of plastic with a cardboard (well, almost), bottom, and inside there's lots of air.
Everything is easy accesible though, and easy to service. The problem with the button was easily solved. It works as a spring, and the contacts didn't do what they are supposed to do. A little carefull bending did the trick:
While I was at it, I changed the electric cord, which was short and used an old fashioned plug. I lubed the bearing, cleaned everything and put damping on the bottomplate. After that I set everything up. The cartridge is the one fitted in the factory. It reminds me a bit of a Stanton:
After setting it up, I listened. An it didn't sound bad at all! A pleasant surprise I have to admit, easily on a par with my Sansui SR-525 and my Pioneer PL-518X. For 25 euro's a pretty good buy. And a looker to me, I envy my friend a little bit. Some nice touches:
But anyway: although the cartridge sounds, I feel a new cart might be a wise investment. I was thinking along the lines of a Grado Green or an AT-95, but do you guys have any other suggestions? The arm is a S-shaped, I think it's medium-weight to heavy. Any suggestion is welcome.
But it feels pretty lightweight, and I had to open it anyway because the start/stop button didn't function. It is made out of plastic with a cardboard (well, almost), bottom, and inside there's lots of air.
Everything is easy accesible though, and easy to service. The problem with the button was easily solved. It works as a spring, and the contacts didn't do what they are supposed to do. A little carefull bending did the trick:
While I was at it, I changed the electric cord, which was short and used an old fashioned plug. I lubed the bearing, cleaned everything and put damping on the bottomplate. After that I set everything up. The cartridge is the one fitted in the factory. It reminds me a bit of a Stanton:
After setting it up, I listened. An it didn't sound bad at all! A pleasant surprise I have to admit, easily on a par with my Sansui SR-525 and my Pioneer PL-518X. For 25 euro's a pretty good buy. And a looker to me, I envy my friend a little bit. Some nice touches:
But anyway: although the cartridge sounds, I feel a new cart might be a wise investment. I was thinking along the lines of a Grado Green or an AT-95, but do you guys have any other suggestions? The arm is a S-shaped, I think it's medium-weight to heavy. Any suggestion is welcome.