JVC DD TT Underrated?

[scottyh777]

Picked this up on Ebay 1 month ago (JVC JL-F50).It was a buy it now option for $34 LOLOL.It is like new/near mint.From what I know about it it came out in 1977 for a hefty price of $250.The top of the line was the JVC QL-7 and that was $300.I put a $149 LP Gear AT95SA MM on it.I was shocked/stunned at the sound of this TT.It is better than my Pioneer Pl-570.If you see this or the JVC QL-7 short money buy it and you will amazed.

JVC QL-7,JL-F50,JL-A40,JL-F30,JL-A20

[Arkay]

SSSSSHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!

You'll let the cat out of the bag, and the prices will go up!



I've never heard the JL-F50, but for sure the JVC QL-7 is a very nice TT. It was part of a series, also including the higher-up QL-8 and QL-10, with the 10 being the best. They had slightly different numbering for the Japan-market models, but those were essentially the same as the export models. Very decent DD TTs, that are less well-appreciated than many more famous ones, and therefore usually more affordable when you can find them. Try transplanting one into a more solid, massive plinth, compare it with most TTs out there (mid-fi and modern) and you'll be surprised and grinning!

Congratulations on finding a good TT that you like. Enjoy it!

[Sam Cogley]

Looks like a very nice table. I have a QL-L2 linear tracker in my bedroom that gives amazing performance - after shipping I paid about as much as you did.

[thedelihaus]

I have the QL-50 (swappable arms- currently with the ADC LMF-2 carbon fibre arm), two QL-7s and a QL-A7.

Indeed nice tables, and the pricing has climbed on them recently so hard to find a deal any more.

[ranf1970]

I've got a JVC QL-A7 and totally agree with you! BTW, that is a really nice TT you got there.

[erniejade]

I used to have the A7 it was a fantastic table for the $ that is for sure.

[JohnVF]

There are a couple of JVCs with wood veneer and arms where you can change the wand from straight to S-curve...that look really really nice. One went on our local CL for decent money not too long ago. JVC turntables are really underrated.

[similost]

Go ahead and make the prices climb.. I picked up a QL-5 for $20, and was going to just keep the headshell.. but instead it ended up being my main table in the living room.. I was really surprised by it..

[thedelihaus]

James- prices have already climbed. You lucked out- and I got my QL-50 (arm swappable version of yours) just before the prices went up.



It's inevitable- they with crest, and prices will crash.

[similost]

I was lucky and the guy had no clue what he was selling.. it was just an old record player..





...in really great condition

[beekeo]

I've been pretty happy with my L-A11, I certainly will keep my eyes open for models further up their product line.

[markshan]

Originally Posted by scottyh777

It is better than my Pioneer Pl-570.

It seems that Pioneer used this number twice, one was a wood veneered DD that looks early 70s, the other was a black belt drive that looks more 80s (based on Google searches). Which do you have?

IMHO, most 70s-80s era DD tables are under rated. I have a Fisher MT-6225 that most people turn their nose up at, but I think it is a great unit.

[Arkay]

Originally Posted by thedelihaus

James- prices have already climbed. You lucked out- and I got my QL-50 (arm swappable version of yours) just before the prices went up.



It's inevitable- they with crest, and prices will crash.

Yes, they will, just as prices on Garrard 301s and 401s and Thorens TD124s have crashed...

Actually, the price will crash if there is a "fever bubble", a speculative rash of buying that drives the price up temporarily above the long-term equilibrium point of supply and demand, by temporarily pushing demand up too much. For example, if a whole slew of people read this thread and decide they MUST have a JVC TT, then they may bid the Fleabay prices up to unsustainable prices in the short-medium term, and prices will fall back as (1) some decide they don't need one after all, and (2) more of them are offered for sale, since they are bringing higher prices. The "fly in the ointment" for this scenario may be the actual quality of the TTs, and whether people are willing to release them at the higher prices, as well as how many there actually are out there to be released onto the market. If people love them so much that once they buy one, they won't re-sell them, and the total number available is limited (and below the sustained demand), then the supply will be diminishing at the same time that demand is not, and prices will continue to rise, perhaps to be sustained at a new, higher level (as with 301s).

But most likely you are right; prices of audio gear that "gets attention" in the market tend to fluctuate according to the bubble-and-burst pattern you describe. I saw that happen locally with Marantz receivers and Dual turntables. Their prices went high (above Fleabay levels) for a while, but have have fallen back to lower levels in the past couple of years, as the dominant (Mainland Chinese) buyers in the market have moved on to other things they have learned about. Nakamichi cassette decks became "hot" after those, and haven't burst yet, as far as I know. I'm not sure what the latest bubble to form is.

[scottyh777]

Originally Posted by markshan

It seems that Pioneer used this number twice, one was a wood veneered DD that looks early 70s, the other was a black belt drive that looks more 80s (based on Google searches). Which do you have?

IMHO, most 70s-80s era DD tables are under rated. I have a Fisher MT-6225 that most people turn their nose up at, but I think it is a great unit.

Hello

I have a near mint 1975 (wood) PL-570 not the plastic version.

[tubeboob]

I couldn't agree more. I have a QL-F4 with a Pickering XSV cart and D-3000 needle and this thing is sonically superior to many TTs that cost a lot more.

Plus I have the added feature of quartz lock.

I grab 'em where I find 'em.

Enjoy yours!
Cheers