Topic: Turntable for 33 and 78

[bnemerov]

misterjones wrote:  I don't think - though I'll have to look into it further - that I can simply slip the Shure N78S or Shure M97xE styli into the cartridge that comes with the Technica turntable.

misterjones,
Shure you can (sorry; couldn't resist)--as long as the shafts match up to the one that comes on the stylus provided with the turntable.
Like I said. some shafts are round and some are diamond shape (in cross-section).

best,
bruce

And Mr. O'Muck----them windup phonographs are what'll put grey in your grooves (and your records' too)! 

[Stuart]

I have the Shure M97xE in my AR--it's a solid unit. The shaft is diamond shaped. Scroll down a bit in the following link/page and you'll see the interchange info for Shure. There are also Grado options, as well as Rek-O-Kut styli for Grado cartridges.

http://www.esotericsound.com/CartStyli.htm

You can buy the Shure 97 cart and N78S needle at Amazon for $100.  The Shure M78S cart w/stylus is $55. If an extra cartridge shell isn't too expensive, I'd get it, install the M78S cart and then swap the shell/cart combos instead of just the styli. The styli are delicate relative to the shell/cart combos.  (--Might have to adjust the tracking force a little, though). All it takes is one slip up and you're back ordering a replacement from Amazon. It's your call, but give it some thought.

[nobocaster]

I have a Califone.  Do such players provide better sound for 78s than a modern turntable with a 78 cartridge/stylus?

No, not a better sound.  Totally acceptable and enjoyable for me though. 

My friend has some sort of nice set up with a modern player, multiple stylus widths he can switch out, and a whole bunch of graphic eq stuff he puts it through.  He gets a great sound out of records that are in good condition, and reduces surface noise quite a bit.  With records that are in poor condition to begin with, well they just sound like really beat up records coming through nice speakers.  They might sound better than my set-up, but not always.  Some of the most beat up, surface-noisy records I have sound best on the acoustic crank-up player. 

On my Newcomb, I can reduce surface noise a bit by adjusting the treble and bass knobs.  I record stuff straight to my computer and to tape through the headphone jack.  I'm not trying to achieve archival quality, just listening, sharing, and enjoying.

[Mr.OMuck]

Here ya Go!


http://www.esotericsound.com/turntableA.htm


After Guitars these kinds of things are my inanimate lust objects of choice.

[Mr.OMuck]

And another, cheaper model


http://www.needledoctor.com/Rega-RP78-Turntable

[Mr.OMuck]

And my favorite brand of cartridge:


http://www.needledoctor.com/Grado-78C-Cartridge

[Mr.OMuck]

Here. Go nuts!


http://app.audiogon.com/

[misterjones]

If an extra cartridge shell isn't too expensive, I'd get it, install the M78S cart and then swap the shell/cart combos instead of just the styli. The styli are delicate relative to the shell/cart combos.  (--Might have to adjust the tracking force a little, though). All it takes is one slip up and you're back ordering a replacement from Amazon. It's your call, but give it some thought.

I won't be changing back and forth a lot, but I see your point.  A headshell is only about $25, and the youtube videos indicate that a stylus doesn't always slide out with ease.

[Stuart]

Mr. J: The suggestion is based on my own experience--and clumsiness---many years ago. I was replacing the stylus on my Shure V15 Mark(?) about 35+ years ago. I had driven 100 miles or so RT to get a new one. Had the shell off and lying flat my desk and just slipped putting the new one in and bent the stylus. I was taking my time and being extra careful. As the song says, it was nobody's fault but mine. No outside factors, just a slip under controlled conditions. Not a good feeling, but it wasn't like I dropped a rare Tommy Johnson 78 I had just purchased on eBay. Anyway, got a replacement sometime later and all went well. Hopefully, this has not and will not ever happen to anyone else. Just sharing my mistake--one I never thought I'd make.

[misterjones]

Thanks.  I can always buy the single cartridge and two styli and see how changing them out works.  Here's a video on changing catridges and needles I found helpful (which also indicates a potential difficulty in removing a stylus):

[Stuart]

Thanks for posting the YT vid. The actual install is quite simple. My only concern would be as your LP and 78 collection increases, so might the frequency of styli swaps. But it (doing what I did) is a problem that may never happen. My suggestion wasn't meant to be a pontification, just something to think about based on my own experience. Like I said, it's your call. Let circumstances and budget considerations dictate.

[misterjones]

I thought about it, and I like the idea of an extra headshell.  Strikes me as a bit more convenient for switching back and forth between LPs and 78s.  So I finally decided to pull the rip cord on the Technica turntable, an extra headshell, and the two Shure cartridges (microgroove and wide groove).  I'm off to the races.  I think I'll ask for the Mosaic LP set of Monk at the It Club for the upcoming birthday (provided they don't sell out before then). 

Anyone have recommendations for blues LPs?

[Parlor Picker]

Anyone have recommendations for blues LPs?

As mentioned before on this illustrious forum - honestjons.com. They offer vinyl at sensible prices and I am sure they will ship around the world. I have always found their service impeccable.

[Stuart]

No specific recommendations per se, but you could listen to the Juke and if something grabs you, check Stefan's site to see what is available by the artist and in what format. Then it's off to see if there are any new vinyl pressings available, and if not,  checking eBay and

http://www.gemm.com/c/search.pl?field=CATEGORY&wild=blues&media_format=18

is probably the next step.

http://www.wirz.de/music/american.htm

[Papa Pea Vine Patton]

I don't have the Audio-Technica but I've heard some very, very sounding  good 78 transfers via YouTube when that turntable was in use.