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Unlike most people my age, I listen to records more often than I do CDs, I have a small collection of vinyl (mostly classic rock, but some other types of music as well). In the few years that I've been listening to records, I've gone through a bunch of turntables. Here is the lineup so far:
Pre-History
My first turntables were BSR record changers built into '70s Emerson tabletop stereo systems, none of which worked very well. My first truly working turntable was a Garrard 730m, which needed a new stylus at first, but once it was replaced it worked fairly well. I've been told that it was one of the worst Garrard turntable models made, with plastic parts that are prone to breakage (none of which have broken for me, BTW), and a tendency to miss the edge of the record when in automatic mode. Although not perfect, it was satisfactory, and served me well for years.
Bang & Olufsen In late 2000, I got my first Bang & Olufsen (B&O) turntable, a Beogram 3000. The Beogram 3000 I have is the older version with a normal tonearm, not like the mid '80s Beogram 3000 which had tangential tracking (a feature of their mid '70s-early '90s turntables). When I got it, it had a speed problem; 33RPM records would play too slow when in 33RPM mode, but would play fine when the turntable was set to 45RPM mode. 45RPM records would play too slow in 45RPM mode unless the speed control knob on the side was pressed in, whereupon the speed returned to 45RPM. At first, I thought the belt was to blame. The first replacement belt I got was a round PRBLine replacement sent to me by Anthony Garza of BeoMuse B&O repair shop that should've worked size-wise, but it put too much tension on the mechanism, causing it to go slower than it it had with the original belt. It turned out that the original belt was soft and stretchy, while the PRBLine belt was much stiffer. A few months later, Anthony sent me a belt that was supposedly a direct replacement for the belt used by the Beogram 3000. Although the belt he sent me was of the right material, it was way too small, and using it had the same effect as the PRBLine belt had. A few months later, Anthony sent me a custom-made belt that fit perfectly, but the problem remained. I now think that the problem lies not with the belt, but in the speed-control mechanism. I continued to use the Beogram 3000, usually keeping it in 45RPM mode.
Then, in a stroke of luck, I found a B&O Beogram RX2 turntable at a yard sale for $5. The belt was in good shape, but the cantilever (a small piece of aluminum which holds the stylus needle) was broken in half. I thought that I could replace just the needle, but then it turned out that the needle and cartridge were integrated, and couldn't be separated. I looked for another cartridge on eBay, but the one I was looking at went from $50 to $145 in the closing minutes! I decided this wasn't the best option, and then tried to bid on an identical turntable, but it too went past $50. I then became desperate. I asked Anthony if there was anything he could do. He told me that he could insert a piece of steel wire to splint the two pieces, then glue it together. I sent him the cartridge, and in a week I had it back, looking as good as new. I put it in the RX2, pressed play, and waited for the results. Success! I can barely see where he made the repair. Records played with it seem to have slightly emphasized Ss, but that's a very small price to pay to have a good working turntable. I highly recommend BeoMuse for B&O repairs, as Anthony does excellent work.
Pioneer
In mid-2003, I acquired what would be my next turntable, a Pioneer PL-518. My first direct-drive unit in several years, it was in good shape, but was missing a stylus, which shelved it until mid-2004. That was when I brought the PL-518 to a local Hi-Fi shop, where I had it's Realistic cartridge outfitted with a Shure-type needle. It then replaced the Beogram RX2 as the main turntable in my stereo system. It worked well, but had minor issues: the stiff wooden/rubber feet someone had used to replace the original spring-loaded rubber feet made it susceptible to acoustic feedback, so I had to use a set of Audio-Technica add-on feet to manage this. Also, the turntable speed was never truly steady for some reason; yet, it served me quite well for some time.
Technics
In early 2006, I finally managed to find a worthy replacement to the Pioneer: a Technics SL-1301. Another direct-drive turntable, it is similar to several home & semi-professional turntable models released by Technics in the mid-late '70s (related, in a way, to the legendary SL-1200). It has quartz control (to keep the speed locked precisely on), and an internal spring suspension (which is a bit temperamental, but works for the most part). Unfortunately, midway through 2006, it's speed control circuitry developed a glitch, rendering it unreliable. I've talked to someone who might have a proper replacement part (a long-out-of-production IC), but I'm not holding my breath.
Acoustic Research
Not too long after acquiring the Technics, I also picked up an Acoustic Research (AR) model XB 77 turntable. Soon after, I acquired another AR turntable, a plain XB. Both are in need of some restoration, but work fairly well nonetheless. I am currently using the XB, since the XB 77 seems to have some major anti-skate issues. AR, founded by Henry Kloss, produced several models of turntables from the '60s into the '80s. AR turntables, by and far, are extremely simple, compared to other turntables I've used: completely manual, with no automatic return mechanism, or even speed selector switch (the pulley on the motor is stepped, to allow for either 33RPM or 45RPM playback; switching speeds is accomplished by removing the outer part of the platter, and moving the belt to the larger pulley section by hand), just a platter driven by a motor (though the XB model added a cueing lever). However, due to their high quality and low cost, they were extremely popular. AR turntables are highly regarded by audiophiles, and many upgrades are available.
My Favorite Things About Turntables