Japanese "Golden Era" Direct-Drive Turntable Standouts

I'm looking to upgrade from my Micro Seiki DD-5 turntable. It's a gorgeous little table, but it's time to take a step (or two) up. I'm fascinated with this era and looking for something a little out of the ordinary. Thinking about the Micro DD-7/DD-40 or DD-8, Kenwood KP/KD-990, or Yamaha GT-750. They have the right price, reputation, specs, and feel.

I know there are better tables from the genre/era like for example the Yamaha GT-2000. But I can't afford something too exotic. Just want to have, I suppose, a "better" version of the type of table I have now.

Suggestions??

 

I'm a big fan of Victor (JVC) tables and arms. They invented the DD motor and were a supplier to both Yamaha for the GT2000 and to Micro Seiki as well.
You can find Victor plinths with one or two armboards that use the constrained layer build principle and they will fit several motor drive units. The TT 71, TT 81 and TT101, the rarest are usually used. They also built world class tonearms to go with them.
If your interested in JVC, I started a thread on the turntable forum on AK. Look for JVC QL-?? owners thread. Info on my build starts on page 11.
I feel your going in the right direction as tables of the quality and performance that your looking at will never be built again. Well.... almost never, Technics has come up with an outstanding table. But being new it certainly isn't cheap.

BillWojo

 

Al the decks you mention are pretty solid picks. In that under $1000 range in today's market, I'd add the Pioneer PL-50LII (or if you can stretch a bit, the PL-70LII). Really beautiful tables with a very nice tonearm, and the LII version brings in the coreless motor, which I think is a much bigger deal than a lot of people acknowledge.

The Kenwood also brings the coreless motor, most of the big Japanese companies had moved to them in their high end decks by that time, including the Yamaha deck too. Not as big a fan of their tonearms, but they certainly work OK.

I have a really nice Micro Seiki DD-40 and love it, but it has a more standard iron core motor supplied by Matsushita, same motor as used in the Kenwood KD-500 series tables. I also have a Micro BL-91 as my main table, but of course it's belt drive, that's a really great sounding table with the MA-505XII tonearm and heavy platter, really smooth, lots to love.

The Micro Seiki DD-8 has the big, high torque motor that was also used in the PLX-1000, just a more conventional wood plinth package. It's a really clean design too, I like the looks a lot if you can find one with an interesting wood grain, some are a bit plain. I always wanted to get one and polish the platter, think that would look really nice. Think it probably is a JVC motor, not coreless, but I guess they were going for high torque instead.

And like Bill said above, some of the Victor decks are really nice too.

Maybe talk to @TheVinylAddict, he's got a whole houseful of great vintage Japanese direct drive decks, even spilling into the garage, probably wouldn't miss a few, I'm sure his wife would thank you

Anyway, a lot of great tables out there in that late 70s/early 80s vintage. A little earlier was the Dual CS-701, the first of the coreless motor direct drive designs in 1973. Kind of dated in the looks department, but a super performer, especially with some upgrades. The EDS1000 motor is now legendary, so they are hard to find these days, people buy them up just to strip out the motor, often building it into their own plinth.

 

JVC became part of Matsushita in 1953 but was wisely allowed to do there own thing. They invented a lot of neat things including Quartz Locked technology. In 1965 Matsushita introduced the brand name Technics to sell electronics. That is how Technics was free to use the quartz locked technology. There is a lot of interesting bits of history surrounding the Japanese industry's.
JVC was actually founded by the Victor Talking Machine Company in 1927, two years later RCA purchased Victor Talking Machine Company. It was operated as a joint Japanese and US venture. I'm sure there are a lot of old Victor Talking Machines still around in Japan if they survived the war.

BillWojo

 

Maybe a used sl-1200 doubt you could better.

 

I had great results with a Denon DP75, and the DP80 is the TOTL unit that was available in Japan. You can often find these on Ebay with fairly reasonable prices.

 

I'm not sure if they'd count as "golden era" but I know Sansui and Technics released some absolutely amazing and reliable turntables in the mid 70s to early 80s. Techmoan on YouTube has a Sansui from that era, and it looks absolutely wonderful.

 

Don't be afraid of the rare Japanese 100VAC TT's as they can be operated from 120VAC with a step down converter, easily available on Ebay. But now is not a good time to have anything shipped from Japan, shipping has gone through the roof.
Just for fun, get on Yahoo Buyee and look at the turntables for sale. Put a towel over your keyboard so you don't short it out, lots of drool worthy gear we never got.

BillWojo

 

Thanks Bill. A whole new rabbit hole to head down! I like those.

 

Thanks Davey. That's a fine looking DD-40! The DD-7/DD-40 seems like a "one-step up" table. The DD-8 seems like a "two-step up" table. And agreed about the DD-8 design. Such a clean, classic look. If I go that route I may re-veneer because I like that sort of thing and to save money. How are you think of polishing the platter? Thanks for the suggestions the Pioneers. And I actually like the look of the Dual a lot. How do you feel the Yamaha GT-750 stacks up against these others?

 

A couple of tips. If the GT-2000 or 2000L are out of reach, then skip the GT-750 and get the GT-1000. You can get these for around a grand. Much better and closer all around to a 2000 platform, but harder to find.

The KP/KD-990 is the same as the KP-7010 (Japan market - KP means Japan market, KD US market) just the 7010 was released a couple years earlier. Virtually identical in all aspects. If you can stretch a couple hundo more, the KP-9010 / KP-1100 is outstanding. There is no equivalent to the KP-9010 for US (no KD) it was Japan market only. KP-1100 is identical, just made a year earlier.

Note the KP-990, 9010 and 1100 all have the vaunted X-Brace under the hood (look it up, I think there's a pic on vintage knob), and some run them "naked" without the plinth and showing off the x-brace. Perfectly stable that way, which says a lot.

The S/N on the 9010 / 1100 is published at 90 db, and it's due to the X Brace. I own one and it's a fabulous table. (also own the 2000L above). THe 990, 9010, 7010 and 1100 are NOT lookers, they have a boring, dull, pedestrian appearance with a flimsy dust cover. BUT everything about it is under the plinth and in the tonearm. Don't underestimate it, it is a fabulous table and hard to come by in good condition because people just hang onto theirs and don't sell them.

The DD-7 / DD-40 (US Market) --- if you can find the DD-8 go for it too, it is a couple hundred more on the used market, but the DD-7 is easier to find due to the DD-40 being US released. There is no DD-8 US equivalent that I am aware. (again, I own the DD-8). As Davey said, it has a higher toque motor, but the DD-7 is good also. I like to think of the DD series TT's as "simplicity but excellence." No captive cables, a highly efficient tonearm, it just does the job, thank you and does it well.

The Pioneer PL-50, 50L, 50Lii -- great TT"s as Davey mentions. The PL-70, 70L and 70Lii are a nice step up again. I literally stole one (70Lii) for $1000 shipped that I love, and they can go as high as $2K. BUT I see them going for a little over a grand at times from some sellers.

Thanks @Davey for winning points with my wife --- but I'm not selling any of the above any time soon! Note they are in climate controlled storage offsite too, no room in the house for any storage these days with two 20 year olds still here! But I make religious trips to the storage locker to swap them out every few weeks.

Other ones to watch - a bunch of different Denons - I like the DP-59L, doesn't have the "ufo" design and works very well. Denons with the DP-75 or DP-80 are great too.

There are just so many from than era -- JVC, other less expensive Yammies (lilke YP-D9), many other Kenwoods,the list goes on and on.....

Don't ever underestimate the trusty SL-1200 too.

 

Please add Technics SL1100 to your list. Same motor as the venerable SP10 Mk1

 

How do folks feel about Trio? Basically Kenwood right? And what are the models to get?

 

The platter on the DD-8 is zinc so harder to polish than aluminum. I have a setup I put together that I mount my drill press motor and shaft in upside down, and can attach turntable platters on and spin them for polishing. It wouldn't be feasible to polish the DD-8 platter by hand, but it could be chucked in a lathe in a machine shop.

Anyway, the DD-8 tables are pretty popular in Russia and so you see a ton of very nice ones around the net. I've seen a couple with semi-polished platters like the one below, but I'd like to take it all the way. I polished the power button on my DD-40, which was quite a bit of work since it was purposely made with the circular machining for a brushed look to not show fingerprints, but it looks amazing when polished to a chrome finish.

 

That DD Micro Seiki for me, would take something along the lines of a Technics SP-10 Mk II to be anything less than a sidegrade, or a Yamaha GT 2000. In short, your Micro is fine enough to be an endgame turntable.

 

Do you mean that you feel my DD-5 is enough to be an endgame turntable?

 

Yes, I did mean that. It's good enough to be my main turntable. Your DD-5 is beautiful, and well built, and performs well.

 

So used to you hitting the mark, that I did a double take on this one....

DD-5 in same class as GT-2000 and SP-10 Mkii? Huh? You might have your Micro's confused, the DD-5 is below the DD-7 or DD-8 in its own lineup.... Then the DD-8 (which I own) is a couple of rungs on the ladder below a GT-2000 (which I also own, the L versi0n). Not comparable at all.

The GT-2000L is a 60lb work of engineering art, built to last forever, and besides its brute strength, it also possesses the finesse and delicacy to produce wonderful sound. The DD-5 is Micro's entry model, built nowhere near the same spec.

In Japan, typical resale for a DD-5 is $600, DD-7 is $700 and DD-8 is $900. In the same market, resale for the GT-2000L is $2000 or more. (source HiFiDo - probably your best relative value gauge for how TT's stack up --- consistent and lots of data).

 

I'd be thrilled of the consensus was that the DD-5 is a good endgame table. But I was surprised at the remark as well for the same reasons.

 

Hey, it's all just opinion at the end of the day --- and there's no true right and wrong! It all comes down to what we're happy and content with.........

 

I was saying that your DD-5 would only be upgraded by a Technics SP series turntable, or a Yamaha GT 2000X or something even along the lines of a Kenwood L-07D, or a Micro DD-7 or DD-8. In short, even a lower end Micro is better than quite a few higher end DD from other makes unless no holds barred statement piece. Micro Seiki made some really nice performing turntables, your DD-5 probably even outperforms my excellent Technics SL-1500 or any of the non SP line servo Technics save for maybe an SL-1100. In short, don't sell it short in any way.

 

Is that an Eastern Electric Minimax phono stage? I just had mine recently upgraded in April by a gentleman in FL and sounds better than ever.

 

@djost Yes it is, sorry for highjacking this thread but may I ask what upgrades you had done? Change of capacitors? I read that someone changed his minimax caps to Mundorfs and was underwhelmed with the results so I never touched it.

 

I really like my DD-5. It looks and sounds wonderful. I'm running it with a Pickering XV-15 625e and sometimes a Nagaoka MP-150. I've got two head shells for easy swaps. There's really no need to replace it. But it's the first nice vintage table I've had and so I find my eyes wandering.

The DD-7 and DD-8 makes sense to me because they're essentially better versions of the table I currently have and love. And I think what I really want is a DD-8 and to re-veneer and perhaps upgrade the MA-505 Mk1 tonearm to one of the "improved" variants and really make it my own. By all accounts it *should* sound better. Will I be able to tell the difference? Who knows. But that seems like a worthwhile experiment to me... and possibly an endgame table.

Of course, I got curious and began looking beyond Micros. First with the Yamaha GTs - and based on comments above the GT-1000 and not the GT-750. Then the Kenwood KP/KD-990 (and also the 7010, 9010, and 1100.) And the Technics SL-1100 is a really cool table. And as you've all pointed out there are plenty of others - Victors, Yamahas, Pioneers, and... the list goes on. Thanks for everyone's input. Keep it coming if you have other thoughts.

 

Kenwood KD500/550!