Best set-up for 78rpm

I'm hoping Steve will chime in here with some recommendations: I currently have a Rega P78 turntable with Rega cartridge for my 78rpm turntable. It sounds fair, but is just not quite what I was hoping for sound-wise. I am interested in trying the GSP "jazz-club" phono-pre, but wanted to get some advise from those that play 78s frequently. By the way, love the sound you are able to get out of 78s Steve, for example the Buddy Holly track Bo Diddley from For The First Time Anywhere collection.

 

I read a review on the Jazz Club and it might actually be what you are looking for or you can use a DJ mixer (BTW, there are DJ turntables that play 78s as well). If you wish to go the DJ mixer route, all you need to budget is a little over $200 and my employer at www.northernlightfx.com will help you find one suitable for you, but the one I use is the American Audio Q-2422SX.

 

My setup is an older modified direct drive, using a mid 60s Shure M44-7 cartridge with a 78RPM stylus. I figure shellac is variable in sound quality so I don't expect much from it.

 

Well, by best do you mean BEST or just best?

http://www.recordplayer.com/archive.htm

 

I have a good vintage rig for 78s

A Thorens TD124 (one of those old rim drives) an SME 3009 and a Grado Mono Elliptical cartridge. I have a number of great 78s, so I have focused on playback.

Rim drives were born to play 78s. I have heard great results from Rec-O-Kuts, Empires, Duals, Lencos (perhaps the best 78 players ever made) as well as Garrard and Thorens.

For the phono stage, trodes are the way to go. I have an EF86 (pentode wired) preamp which is stunning for everything but the early triode recorded discs. I am rebuilding a Scott integrated amp just for this purpose. I will have a row of Telefunken 12AX7s to boost things.

Jason

 

Jason--does your Scott have any of those alternate EQ settings on it? (IOW, one of them would be "RIAA", and there may be a couple of others.) That would be sweet.

One thing I recall reading is that not all shellac was cut at 78RPM--some record companies cut at slightly different speeds (anywhere between 72RPM and 85RPM, with a few exceptions). I'm sure someone online has a reference chart about the different EQs and speeds the record companies used.

One introductory site I found:

http://www.historicmasters.org/78.htm

 

Scott 222C...

Well, no actually. The EF86 preamp has six different EQ settings. I find, for casual listening, that I don't change the setting much. I just shave a bit off the treble, which I can do with the tone pots. The only time it really makes a difference is for acoustic (pre 1925) discs. These should be played more or less without any EQ. My current pre has just such a setting.

Over the years, I have found that usung the dual triode 12AX7s as the preamp tube makes a bigger difference than eq flexibility. I did think about getting a pair of Fisher 50C's. These would be the best of both worlds, the EQ settings and the 12AX7s, but I found the Scott first. Most of my 78s are either the RCA or Columbia curves. The RCA later became the RIAA standard and the Columbia is not far off.

Jason

 

if you want THE best - I know of no better turntable than SME
http://www.sme.ltd.uk/html/model30.html

my old company sold one to a guy just for 78s!

tim