BSR autochanger recommendation

[Vinylrecords]

For someone who would be looking for the BEST, most durable BSR autochanger, what would you recommend? I am seeking an autochanger suitable for 8 hours a day operation, playing stacked classical albums (stereo)

[Nickthedentist]

Not what you asked, but I'd go for a Garrard personally.

What era were you thinking of? Early ones are very robust but need lots of fettling and aren't too kind to records. Later ones were horribly plasticy and a bit fragile. The ones in the middle are probably your best bet, and are also in plentiful supply.

It will need occasional servicing and repair though!

And playing classical LPs well is a lot more demanding than just getting some entertainment from a pile of battered 7" singles.

[Edward Huggins]

Originally Posted by Vinylrecords

For someone who would be looking for the BEST, most durable BSR autochanger, what would you recommend? I am seeking an autochanger suitable for 8 hours a day operation, playing stacked classical albums (stereo)

This is a very demanding requirement of ANY autochanger.
Whist the earliest of the BSRs are durable, they are not really suitable for tracking Classical Stereo LPs and the later ones will be far too flimsy.
Do be aware, you will need to clean the stylus at least every hour and replace it every 2 or 3 weeks.....

[Nickthedentist]

I agree with Edward, but a diamond stylus will last longer than that, I would have thought

[ajgriff]

.... will the records though?

Alan

[Nickthedentist]

Good point. If you're not too fussy, then yes. If you are critical, then yes, I'd worry unless the records are "disposable".

[ajgriff]

Autochangers were never really designed for playing stacks of LPs. At the risk of being expelled for heresy I'd suggest that a (slightly) vintage 1990s CD autochanger might be a better option. Classical CDs are cheap, easy to come by and you wouldn't be straying into the forbidden realms of memory sticks etc.

Alan

[OldTechFan96]

The auto-changer versions of the BSR MP60 will be worth looking at:

BSR 610

BSR 510

They have balanced tonearms with stylus pressure control so the will be kind to your records.

[Techman]

Just a guess, but I think the OP wants the visual aspect of vinyl records playing and dropping, so CD or memory stick technology would be pointless.

The way I think about it is that classical LPs are plentiful, cheap and expendable. You struggle to give them away and I sometimes see boxes of them in the auctions and even I won't bid for them, even at a quid for six boxes of the things.

I would say take a chance on it and get a cheap BSR autochanger fitted with a ceramic cartridge with a diamond stylus and just go for it and see what happens. Who cares if the motor burns out (I doubt that it would if in a well ventilated plinth). Does it really matter if the LPs warp with the rising heat if they get forgotten about and left stationary on the turntable at the end of play (a large stack might even start to be affected by the rising heat during playing after many hours of use if a perspex or similar lid is closed over them). The above are things to be aware of if you actually do value the records.

[AndiiT]

Hi,
I can echo most of what everyone else says on here regarding how an autochanger handles your records, that having been said I once read a statement in a book that said "many autochangers handle records better than some ham fisted humans"

As far as recommendations go, if you want a "vintage" look the BSR UA14 with a suitable ceramic cartridge such as an ACOS GP 91 (stereo compatible) or GP93 (full stereo) or similar may suffice - the UA14 is quite reliable and robust once it has been re - greased (there's a "sticky" thread in the forum about greasing autochangers)

If you are not too bothered about the changer being a BSR, the Garrard AT5 or AT6/AT60 might be a better option as you should be able to fit a magnetic cartridge to those which would be somewhat gentler to your vinyl.
The Garrard AT6 and 60 also have a much better arrangement for tonearm balancing and setting of the stylus pressure.

Regards

Andrew

[Ekcoman]

Echoing much that's already been said I'd say UA14 and UA8 as long as been properly lubricated.

[jon_the_id]

I used to have a UA6 that once it was set up right was very reliable. I used it daily for a long while with no real issues.

[ben]

The UA16 has a longer spindle and can take 10 or possibly more records.

In the absence of any criteria as to sound quality, record care/wear etc., you would be fine with UA14/15/16/25 etc. They are the most robust with metal platters and (mostly) arms!

I would venture that even the Cxxx series form the 1970s would perform adequately. The arms, some platters and trim had lots of plastic but the mechanics are metal like the preceding series.

If you are after quality, use something like the MA70 which has a counter balanced arm, capable of tracking at low weight as with magnetic cartridges, big metal platter and better motor. Likewise the C142.

If you specify what you want in detail I am sure one of us will be able to suggest just the right model

[PaulR]

I suppose the fact that so many of these autochangers are still working after up to 60 years means that they would fit the bill if they receive regular maintenance. In fact does anyone know of any of the autochangers mentioned failing except that caused by physical damage or hardened grease?

[Vinylrecords]

Thanks for all the advice. Yes, classical records I can get for £1 for box of 40 at car boots, so not bothered about long term wearing them out as such. The visual element is important, I have a UA8 but only mono, and not sure if rewiring these for stereo is the way to go. However, I love the look of the UA8 with gold coloured thick tonearm. Are they easy to rewire for stereo?

I understand the later BSR decks were plastic and nowhere near as solid. But they had bigger turntables, I always thought the tiny turntable on the UA8 was too small, although it can drag a stack of albums perfectly.

[Techman]

The UA8 is already wired for stereo - I've got two and they're both wired for stereo as standard from the factory, so check out the original wiring, they won't take a low tracking weight magnetic cartridge, though.

[PaulR]

You will need a stereo cartridge, of course. I have had good results from a repro Ronette 105, but others here have not had the same luck. Conversely I bought a NOS Ronette and it was hopeless, presumably due to the suspension hardening over the years. It did provide a good mounting for the NOS one, though, as the one provided with it is rather crude.

[Techman]

I've just acquired another UA8 in an old radiogram and it was fitted with the old BSR TC8S stereo cartridge. Now these cartridges have very debatable compatibility, a bit like the stereo Ronette, be it original or reproduction. There's a rule, and one rule only, and that is if the stylus tip is mounted on a one piece metal shank that has no soft rubber (or whatever) flexible piece between it and its fixed mounting on the cartridge body, then it's NOT going to have good stereo compatibility. Folk can argue about this all day long until the cows come home, but that saying by Scotty from Star Treck regarding the laws of physics springs to mind on this one.

The other thing that opens a can of worms and gets folk arguing is the use of magnetic cartridges on these decks. The UA8 has a ferrous metal platter, which theory says doesn't go well with a magnetic cartridge, but some report using one without problems. More to the point is the tracking weight needed to track properly. When I measured the tracking weight 'as found' on my latest UA8, I found it to be almost 15g, and that was with the cap and flag missing from the cartridge, also after removing some mystery substance that was stuck on the inside of the front of the headshell. Fitting the counterbalance spring into the next available hole resulted in a tracking weight of just below 5g, which is really a bit too low for the TC8, so weight may have to be added to the headhell or a small added extension to the spring to give an 'in between' weight.

The most important thing to watch out for on these decks is the speed control knob - whatever you do DON'T try to change speed before the deck has been properly serviced, otherwise you WILL snap it off (like nearly everyone who gets one of these decks does) and they're NOT available anymore! The (new) Dansette company had some re-manufactured, but they were understandably expensive, and when I happened to check the other day, they didn't seem to be available anymore, so be very careful with your deck. I was lucky with my latest deck in that the previous owner hadn't tried to turn the control, which was as expected, seized solid. My other deck, which was given to me as a 'spares' deck, has this control knob missing, no doubt due to the reasons described above.

Edit to say: I agree with the OP when he says he likes these UA8 decks - there is something about them. The other thing to remember regarding these decks is that idler retraction hadn't been invented by BSR when these were made (around 1957, I think), so there's a 'neutral' position marked on the speed change knob that ideally should be used when the deck is not in use. The other thing that's interesting is that the manual states that the deck should not be used automatically at the 16 rpm speed, basically this seems to be because the mechanics are not able to drive the change cycle at this slow speed, only just having enough grip to be able to complete it at 33 rpm.

[PaulR]

The compliance of these cartridges with a solid shank must be pretty dire as well. I bought mine as I was trying to restore a Decca AMG 111 record player to as near as possible the condition I remember the one I was given by my parents when I was about 8. Originality is more important to me than the best function for this one, although I have had great enjoyment playing 45s and 78s on it. It does also sound pretty good for what it is. I have never tried the stereo possibilities of this as the player is strictly mono, I just wanted to be able to play stereo records with a bit less damage.

I have actually just bought the spoof Star Trek 45 where they keep talking about the laws of physics. Great fun!

[Techman]

Yes, I couldn't remember the exact phrasing of the saying which is obviously in a Scottish accent, so I chickened out of trying to type it and just mentioned it instead.

Both the Ronette and its copy, also the TC8 and its stereo 'S' versions if you've got one that works, are really great cartridges for general use with old 45s and 78s - I love them, but wouldn't trust them on any decent stereo LPs. I was once asked by someone to fit a reproduction Ronette to a record player and I found that its compliance was quite bad on a highly modulated early 70s 45 rpm single that was probably a stereo 'cut'.