Looking for a vintage (japanese) direct drive

Yea, that one was made in various guises into the 90s, pretty amazing table. The wood cover is just for show to cover the big terminator style aluminum chassis and motor, and so is just thin veneered particle board, so some people do sometimes run it naked like below. Others apply some damping inside since it can vibrate. But it was a pretty amazing table...

 

Nice but PITA to work on if there's a problem. Servo armed Denons are in my area beginning to show up with problems. Keep it older, and simpler and you'll see less issues. The Kenwood KD 550 is a nice option, and performs well, solidly built, and maintainable. I can recommend one highly, they've been solid, reliable turntables. I love and own the Pioneer PL 518 which is a nice performer and generally a reliable turntable, the rubber feet are often in need of replacement but in nice order performs very well. I have a Kenwood KD 3100 which is lower end as a third turntable, which is a good cheaper choice, but on the lightweight side construction wise. But it does perform very well. I have a Technics built JC Penney/MCS Series semi automatic, a 6210 if I remember correctly, which is nice.

 

PL-L1000

I have 2 denons that are useless due to arm failures.

Sansui 929 is another nice option.

 

The servo armed Denons with the computer controls have always impressed me but have scared me off due to potential failure and the difficulty of finding a tech to work on them. Had a couple opportunities to buy one and passed. If you've got a working one I'm sure it sounds amazing.

 

I have two Kenwood decks, the KD-770D which has electronic cueing and auto lift and a KD-5070D which is fully automatic and has a 1” top layer “Rock” plinth. I enjoy both very much and heartily recommend them.

The 5070D has a Sumiko Bluepoint EVOII HOMC mounted and sounds fabulous. I’m using the 770D with a Ortofon 2M Mono cart. Using a dedicated mono cart is to my ears so much better than a mono switch, it’s like hearing two entirely different pressings if the same record.

The 770D was $300, the 5070D $250; both were found on Craigslist.

 

Yea, I'm pretty sure they have the same servo motor as my Micro Seiki DD-40 I mentioned above (may have been sourced from Matsushita, that's what I've said before around here, but not sure now, could've been JVC too, that was the source for many of the motors in their high end decks). I actually used the Kenwood service manual to check out the control board in my motor since it's not covered in the Micro Seiki manual, and the Liquid Audio site for details on taking the Kenwood motor apart. That said, I much prefer the Micro MA-505 tonearm and overall style. Still, the Kenwood is a solid machine if you like the looks, and can still be had for pretty cheap since they were plentiful in the US (maybe not in Belgium, though ).

 

Good luck in the search for what is increasingly a mythical turntable as desired by the OP. As already mentioned by one of the sage members posting into this thread...the vinyl resurgence has been going on for a while. So what that means in terms of used Japanese DD turntables is less what anyone would want and instead being what anyone can get. All relative to a given price point, of course. Add in the depth of the used market in Belgium versus the vast consumer expanse of the USA, that may not leave the most plentiful of used markets of vintage Japanese DD turntable to work with.

Do your homework, research what you can and work within the market that you have. I am envious of tales of vintage bonanza equipment finds for mere tuppence as this never happens to me. I'm in NYC in US of A and there are never '57 Strats found in attics, Dodge Daytonas found in barns and SP-10 Mk3s found in Goodwill storefronts. Which means all the good stuff has already been discovered and picked through down to the mere serviceable level of finds. Nuthin' wrong with that but even that level is often not cheap. It is an internet enabled world, nuthin' goes undiscovered which means everything gets a price tag hung on it. Gotta pay to play.

What I'm really suggesting to the OP is what you get is less defined by what and how you want it and is instead defined by what you have to work with. Best of luck in your search.

 

Oh, not by a long shot. You would be amazed at what is buried in the closets, attics and basements of America.

 

Absolutely. The Boomers have been downsizing for a few years now. That’s got another 10 or so years to go.

 

I have had my technical 1200mk2 since 1987 and never had a problem and listening to it as I am writing this and in my opinion they are the most reliable

 

^ This. Japanese direct drive turntables from the 80’s are hardly rare. They’re easy to find, good performers, and excellent bargains.

 

I have a beautiful SR-929.

 

I agree on the Servo arms. I had two different Sony's (PS-X600 and 800) and both were really good until the arms started acting up.

 

First of all thanks very much for your very informative and knowledgeable post and the time it must have taken you to put it down. Much appreciated and very helpfull!
I allready found 'the vintage knob' as I was googling around in the past few days, trying to find my way in the 'bush of direct drives' ;-).
Those Pioneer pl50L, etc... are a thing of beauty !
I take it that the JVC QL-A7 would be a rather good choice ? Well, I mean, it would be the best out of the 4 models available here that took my interest (the others being Kenwood kd550, Pioneer PL570, Pioneer PL550), this also seems to be confirmed by the specs (wow&flutter, S/N,...) I found on 'the vintage knob' ?! The tonearm, a Victor UA-5045, also seems to be well regarded from what i can find online.


I know someone who has a small collection of vintage DD's and is selling some of them, so I will probably visit him this weekend, just to see & feel some of these decks 'in the flesh'.
It is difficult for me to get a feel for example for that kenwood 'faux-marble' just from looking at pictures and as I have never seen one before, at least it will help me to decide if I like it or not and if I should cross it off my list and go with something else.

 

True about the servo armed Denons - but the post you quoted with the 60L - the 60L is not servo armed...

Kenwoods - there were so many nice Kenwood tables made in the late 70's and early 80's it makes my head spin.

The Denon's with Servo, and even others, are definitely tables that are a maintenance consideration - lots of chips in those where once they go, there is really not much you can do unless you can find a new board. Like 40 year old electrolytic capacitors, the saying for some of the Denon's is becoming "There are Denon's that have failed, and those that are going to fail."

Plus the Denon's are one of the TT's that use the magnetic strip under the platter for rotation timing / sync. Countless people are not aware of that, and damage that strip when they clean or mess with the underside of the platter. Something to watch out for there.

I have a 59L, and it's a great table. But I keep waiting for that day I wake up and can't repair what's wrong with it! But again, it is a wonderful table, worthy of a status to any I've listed earlier.

Sansui 929 - this is a real sleeper. One came up in my area for around $600 in great condition, I paused on it and it was gone. Doesn't get the recognition it deserves, but it is right up there with any I've mentioned.

 

Forget the complicated electronics. A standard non-servo controlled tone arms works well enough in the higher-end vintage turntables. I would consider replacing the electronic direct drive board electrolytic capacitors in pre 1990s TTs sometime in the future.

 

@TheVinylAddict : Would you consider the Kenwood kd 700 d also to be a good option (not a lot of info to be found online)? It is a very 'clean' looking table and is also available but slightly above my budget, it looks to be in mint condition though....

 

No worries, I hope something in there was of value! It didn't take as long as you might think to rattle that off, long-winded messages are what I do for a living... lol.

Vintage knob - it's OK, sometimes I think it falls a little short, and it's not being updated these days. But it's great as they at times offer an opinion where gear ranks, and have quick spec sheets. There's vinyl engine which I am sure you found - useful of course for the manuals, including service manuals.

The QL-A7 is a fine table, worthy of a look. Many JVC's are. Here is a list of JVC's currently available at HiFiDo Results for qlHiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase . Here is a list of one's that have sold: Results for ql-a7HiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase

HiFiDo is a great resource for one big reason - what they price items at is a real good gauge of how they stack up in value, used pricing. Their pricing is a good way to see what is going for more, what might be "better" than another item. Many times on Ebay or somewhere else you see an item and wonder "is that a fair price, are they charging too much?" Hifido is a great place to go look.

You may pay a premium after shipping at HiFiDo - you won't find "bargains" or steals. But you won't grossly overpay either. What's nice about Hifido - every item is gone over by engineers, old parts replaced. If you see "2 year Guarantee" that means it has been maintained meaning things like caps have been replaced. If they offer 2 years, that's a good vote of confidence. 1 year guarantee means it might have been maintained, but not deeply. 6 month guarantee means pretty much tested and it works, but no maintenance. And "As-is" means just that.

Cheers.

 

KD 700 (or KP700 in Japan) is a fine table. So is the 770 mentioned earlier. IMO better than the 550 you were looking at. But behind some of the others I have mentioned.

Using the tools I mentioned, here is a list of "Trio" (Kenwood) tables at HiFiDo that have sold:
Results for trioHiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase

Here are the Kenwoods that have sold:
Results for KenwoodHiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase

Here are the Kenwood, Trios currently available
Results for trioHiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase
Results for kenwoodHiFi-Do McIntosh/JBL/audio-technica/Jeff Rowland/Accuphase

Notice all the 700, 7070, 800's, 770 etc all sell for a notch or two below the 9010 and 990. There is a reason for that.

As you are picking up already KP means Japanese 100V model, KD is the same model but 120V for US market.

BUT also note all these tables are worthy and great tables - the ones below the 9010 and 990 don't have the X brace skeleton structure, which is a big addition to the cost of making the TT.

Oh, btw for Hifido - for descriptions, go to the Japanese version of the site, translate.

 

@TheVinylAddict , what transformer do you use for the tables that are Non-U.S. voltage? IIRC you mentioned this in another thread but I don't remember.

 

Here are a couple of links to it. (All three links below are the same product)

There are cheap ones out there, this one might seem pricey - but read some of the horror stories about the cheap ones. If you find a good one between this one I offer below, and the cheapies lemme know. There seems to be a gap between low end and high end.

300 Tru-Watts™ 115 Volts to 100 Volts Step Down Transformer - Use 100-Volt Japanese Electrical Devices in USA/Canada – AJD-300
ACUPWRAJD-300 Japan to US Step-Down Transformer (300W)
https://www.amazon.com/AD-300-220-240V-110-120V-Transformer-Converter/dp/B00AU6M1U6

 

To those reading here - see? Someone just bought the PL-70Lii that has been out there for a while on Ebay... one that I was going to purchase!

Who is the culprit? LOL

 

Great info, thanks ! I will know more when I get to see them saturday, but the JVC (QL-A7) and Kenwood (KD700) have my attention at the moment.

 

Wow, this looks awesome!

 

Yea, they are very nice tables, there's some more pictures in my profile info section, but it's easily one of my favorites of that late 70s era.