Turntable upgrade - Page 2 - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

ajgriff · 26th Mar 2019, 9:12 pm

Perhaps I was a bit harsh on the Goldring Lenco series. Truth is of course that there are always bargains to be had if you're lucky. Not so long ago I bought a delapidated Linn Basik turntable with Basik Plus arm for £17. Much work needed but now in fine fettle.

Alan

martin.m · 26th Mar 2019, 10:13 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by DonaldStott

Quote:

Originally Posted by martin.m

The Linn was voted number one, followed by the Trio KD1033. I bought one of these turntables in 1979 and am still using it now. Personally I am not convinced that the turntable itself makes much of a difference to the overall sound, as long as the speed is stable and it doesn't rumble.

Martin - if you are an LP12 owner then you will know the Linn Mantra "Source First".

Hopefully you've been keeping up to date with the all the upgrades since 1979?

Sorry, my post was not clear. It was the Trio turntable I bought, not the Linn. £300 was a lot of money in 1979, especially for a turntable with no 45rpm.

Regards
Martin

wd40addict · 27th Mar 2019, 9:15 am

I have been very impressed with the latest generation of one-step-above-basic cartridges having heard both the Ortofon 2M red and the Goldring E3.

Either should work with the Trio and should give an uplift on what you have at the moment. I wouldn't go any higher than this without a turntable upgrade however.

Unless you have high end aspirations I think the Trio and either of the above will make a very nice sound.

DonaldStott · 27th Mar 2019, 12:11 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by wd40addict

I have been very impressed with the latest generation of one-step-above-basic cartridges having heard both the Ortofon 2M red and the Goldring E3.

Either should work with the Trio and should give an uplift on what you have at the moment. I wouldn't go any higher than this without a turntable upgrade however.

Unless you have high end aspirations I think the Trio and either of the above will make a very nice sound.

Back in the day when I owned a Trio turntable (now an Akurate LP12 via Technics SL-QL1) I found the Ortofon cartridge to be a bit bright and much preferred the Shure and Nagaoka - can't remember the model numbers, sorry?

ToneArm · 28th Mar 2019, 12:33 am

I was a satisfied LP12 user for a very long time. There was a lot of excitement over fettled lencos on the internet some time ago so I bought one to try. The Linn didn't get much use after that. The lenco GL75 is a great sounding turntable and for not a lot of money. Dead easy to work on, good spares availability. Well worth a try. I don't see much point in swapping the trio for another belt drive, they will probably sound the same. The lenco sounds quite different (even with linn arm fitted!)

One thing led to another and I got a garrard 301, then another one. In terms of sound the lenco is probably a match for the 301 I think. But the 301 is a pleasure to use, strobe platter, working brake, start/stop lever not under the cartridge etc. These things matter with a record player, operation needs a lot more touching than a CD or other such horrible things.

Glyn

ajgriff · 28th Mar 2019, 1:09 am

I understand why Glyn likes the idler driven GL75 and 301. However, it is important to realise that the Trio KD1033 is not comparable to the LP12 or any other suspended chassis design. They might all be belt driven but that's where the similarity ends. The Trio is essentially a reasonable quality budget deck mounted on springs and should not be considered as the basis for a higher end system.

Alan

26th Mar 2019, 9:12 pm	#21
ajgriff Nonode Join Date: May 2004 Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 2,587	Re: Turntable upgrade Perhaps I was a bit harsh on the Goldring Lenco series. Truth is of course that there are always bargains to be had if you're lucky. Not so long ago I bought a delapidated Linn Basik turntable with Basik Plus arm for £17. Much work needed but now in fine fettle. Alan

27th Mar 2019, 9:15 am	#23
wd40addict Octode Join Date: May 2009 Location: Stevenage, Herts. UK. Posts: 1,518	Re: Turntable upgrade I have been very impressed with the latest generation of one-step-above-basic cartridges having heard both the Ortofon 2M red and the Goldring E3. Either should work with the Trio and should give an uplift on what you have at the moment. I wouldn't go any higher than this without a turntable upgrade however. Unless you have high end aspirations I think the Trio and either of the above will make a very nice sound. Last edited by wd40addict; 27th Mar 2019 at 9:23 am.

28th Mar 2019, 12:33 am	#25
ToneArm Pentode Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: Conwy, Clwyd, UK. Posts: 246	Re: Turntable upgrade I was a satisfied LP12 user for a very long time. There was a lot of excitement over fettled lencos on the internet some time ago so I bought one to try. The Linn didn't get much use after that. The lenco GL75 is a great sounding turntable and for not a lot of money. Dead easy to work on, good spares availability. Well worth a try. I don't see much point in swapping the trio for another belt drive, they will probably sound the same. The lenco sounds quite different (even with linn arm fitted!) One thing led to another and I got a garrard 301, then another one. In terms of sound the lenco is probably a match for the 301 I think. But the 301 is a pleasure to use, strobe platter, working brake, start/stop lever not under the cartridge etc. These things matter with a record player, operation needs a lot more touching than a CD or other such horrible things. Glyn

28th Mar 2019, 1:09 am	#26
ajgriff Nonode Join Date: May 2004 Location: Halifax, West Yorkshire, UK. Posts: 2,587	Re: Turntable upgrade I understand why Glyn likes the idler driven GL75 and 301. However, it is important to realise that the Trio KD1033 is not comparable to the LP12 or any other suspended chassis design. They might all be belt driven but that's where the similarity ends. The Trio is essentially a reasonable quality budget deck mounted on springs and should not be considered as the basis for a higher end system. Alan Last edited by ajgriff; 28th Mar 2019 at 1:14 am.