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I had a technics product years ago that I loved.However, this model is very flat sounding.I am not sure that I want to keep it.The workmanship is not the greatest.Had to purchase a pre-amp that also doesn't cope well with "low freq".Probably OK for someone who only wants to "play" old records it is fine.
It came shipped with the belt unattached to the drive motor pully which is an advantage to me. I was assured that the belt would not arrive weakened and stretched from unknown months/years in a warehouse. This turntable works very well for me. The only reason I did not give it 5 stars is that there was no strobe on the side to confirm RPM.
It is possible to set it down gently by manipulating the lever so, but that should happen automatically. My ears/speakers may not be good enough to appreciate the improvement the new ($60) cartridge has made--in any event I did not do controlled listening experiments--but it's nice that I have the original cartridge as a spare. Or be adjustable.
My only problem with the turntable is the cuing arm drops the needle too quickly, making it slide off the runoff groove into the first track, possibly risking scratching the record. Despite this flaw, I am very happy to have new and old turntables and cartridges to enjoy all this fine music, and in case this technology ever really does go obsolete. I am not a sneering audiophile, just a dignified music lover who invested in hundreds of records in the 1980s and since.
Warning: it may be possible to break the tonearm by installing the cartridge carelessly, so unplug everything, lock down the arm, and proceed with great delicacy. So I decided to upgrade my 20-year-old turntable with something reputable that wouldn't hurt the records but wouldn't cost multiple hundreds of dollars. I bought this turntable, and, at the advice of some other reviewers, the Grado black P-mount cartridge.
Because one of the other reviewers complained that the Grado cartridge buzzes, I thought I should add this review to say that it sounds great to me.
I just put the turntable together, plugged it in and connected the ground wire. I read that the cartridge that came with it has a conicle needle and a cartidge upgrade would help so I got a Audio-Technica AT311EP replacement cartridge and put it on the turntable.
It works like a charm. Sounds great and plays all my records without a hitch (or skip).
I bought the turntable last month since I decided to get back into playing vinyl LP's since used LP's are so cheap. No problems whatsoever.
I like being able to read the liner notes without using a magnifying glass. :-P I have a Radio Shack 50 watt per channel integrated amplifier with a phono input and a ground screw.
I'm happy and have been adding to my vinyl LP collection ever since.
However, the online return was very simple - I took it to Staples - and had a replacement, surprisingly, in a couple of days, probably before the defective one got back to the factory.Now I am very satisfied with my purchase and have been enjoying my records, most of which are not available on CD. Some reviewers suggest that this turntable needs a better needle and cartridge. After not being able to listen to my records for many years, I bought this turntable. Unless you're an audiophile and have very sensitive ears, don't bother. The sound is just fine. I was disappointed when the auto-return did not operate properly and I had to return it.
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