The Nightwatchman...

[mpw]

If you follow my threads, you will recall i sold the technics SL1210mk2 a couple of months ago.

After much waddling & thrashing about.. I decided to go the Lenco L75 way and have sourced the basic L75 from Germany.

But its going to land here in January 2018 ( and the project may take a few months to complete ) and i thought i needed a record player to spin my vinyl.

I did look around at a few modern ones but i did not have much money to spare for them and besides i have preferred the vintage ones anyway

( I know some of you disagree - but thats OK )

I did look at a fully automatic - Technics one - but somehow pulled out of it. I did not want too much automation as well - but just the return function.

Surprisingly i found a lack of availability for vintage TT's :sad:

Looking around i was offered this Akai AP D30

I liked the way it looked and i liked the shape of the tonearm and there was something nice about it in the photos which made me buy it.

I was intrigued and ( a bit apprehensive ) about lack of a quartz feedback mechanism for speed control. ( I neednt have worried about it ).

This was like a WW1 Biplane - you know - the piston engines on front of you, wind in the hair and you are on your own types...

.......

 

[mpw]

One of the reasons attributed by me for a change of record player - was the type of drive system.

This was subsequently proven wrong as the current Akai AP D30 is a direct drive system as well but with much less weight ( read damping ?? )

I was looking around for a decent cart and thought i would get the Nagaoka MP110 but an amazon glitch meant that my order was cancelled.

I was offered a Nagaoka MP30 cart - in used condition - from a reliable forum member i opted for this cart.

Played around with the settings of the Lehmann Audio SE2 PWX phono stage and found a setting which included High gain - 10dB.

Turned that ON and went to the MM mode and .....

what a disappointment - the tonearm would jump about the record and a bit of digging later - i replaced the standard mat with a NOS rubber mat i had and that brought back sanity !!

The sound was very nice and what was 9 o clock on my volume control became 8 o clock on the volume control. Maybe the High gain function on the phono has something to do with this.

Later i will switch High Gain OFF and see what happens - but for now - let it be... !!

 

[jls001]

Try increasing the tracking force slightly for the skip. If memory serves, you should be tracking at about 1.75g.

 

[mpw]

thanks jls... thats what i did in the end

I replaced the mat as well .

I had an old but unused thick rubber mat

 

[kuruvilajacob]

Akai APD 30 is a very underrated player. I have sold several of these including the one to mpw. I predicted to him exactly how it will sound. It sounds warmer than many more renowned Direct Drives. Especially the mids and lows

 

[mpw]

The cartridge + phono pre + player combo has got few things doing for it as compared to my earlier rig

1. more drive

2. The system seems to be more alive than with the DL 103

I know the DL103 is a very good cart but as i said - its the combo and not one component alone.

3. Very good resolution and very good in vocals..

I got very lucky with the Akai AP D30 and then the cart as well and the phono pre..

thanks to all FM's who sold me their gear ! :clapping:

Maybe after a few more hours on the cart ( i know its a used one ) i would then be able to add more of what i am hearing.

I do have this fantasy of changing the TT RCA cables to something of a known brand and the power cable too..

but sometimes i think why fix something that aint broke.

I am surprised as i did not expect this small rig to sound very nice.

All i wanted was something to spin my vinyl while i went after the Lenco L75

Now i am thinking i can take my time

 

[kuruvilajacob]

The cartridge + phono pre + player combo has got few things doing for it as compared to my earlier rig

1. more drive

2. The system seems to be more alive than with the DL 103

I know the DL103 is a very good cart but as i said - its the combo and not one component alone.

3. Very good resolution and very good in vocals..

I got very lucky with the Akai AP D30 and then the cart as well and the phono pre..

thanks to all FM's who sold me their gear ! :clapping:

Maybe after a few more hours on the cart ( i know its a used one ) i would then be able to add more of what i am hearing.

I do have this fantasy of changing the TT RCA cables to something of a known brand and the power cable too..

but sometimes i think why fix something that aint broke.

I am surprised as i did not expect this small rig to sound very nice.

All i wanted was something to spin my vinyl while i went after the Lenco L75

Now i am thinking i can take my time

Hi,
Please see my comments in another about the nightwatchman going to stay for longer than One's expectations. Many folks think that Direct Drives TTs start and end with some renowned brands like Technics. But you will be surprised that some other Japanese brand's certain models both DD and belt drives are excellent. A friend of mine brought a Project TT. Not the entry level model and wanted to exchange it for one of my vintage moderately priced TT. I played about 5 models and all five beat the Project hollow. But I told him that I cannot exchange. I told him to sell the Project TT and buy one of my vintage ones.

 

[apk]

Hi,
Many folks think that Direct Drives TTs start and end with some renowned brands like Technics. But you will be surprised that some other Japanese brand's certain models both DD and belt drives are excellent.

If it's not too much of a bother for you, can you tell us which are the japanese brands/models (other than Technics) considered to be good? I own an entry level Technics DD, and have always been curious about some of the other japanese companies that have produced TTs.

On a different note, what is remarkable is the level of quality and engineering that has gone into making these TTs. My Technics, by no means a high end one, runs perfectly though it is 40 years old! In an age where mobile phones stop working after 2-3 years, this is truly an achievement.

best,
apk

P.S - apologies to OP if we are going off topic...

 

[mpw]

apk

not all technics models were good.

But today - most of us go to a technics ( in the vintage domain in TT ) because its got a a certain halo and holds its price better ( arguably )

To answer you ( Mr Kuruvilla will answer for himself ) - i guess the usual suspects in the normal category would be

Pioneer
Sony
Sansui
Akai

These 4 are just Japanese brands.

I am sure there would be American or European brands or maybe Indian brands like old Cosmic which will fall into this category besides Technics.

I was told that some old Cosmic TT's come with tonearms that are suspiciously similar to SME.

I am yet to see one or verify though..

regards

 

[kuruvilajacob]

If it's not too much of a bother for you, can you tell us which are the japanese brands/models (other than Technics) considered to be good? I own an entry level Technics DD, and have always been curious about some of the other japanese companies that have produced TTs.

On a different note, what is remarkable is the level of quality and engineering that has gone into making these TTs. My Technics, by no means a high end one, runs perfectly though it is 40 years old! In an age where mobile phones stop working after 2-3 years, this is truly an achievement.

best,
apk

P.S - apologies to OP if we are going off topic...

Sorry for the delay. Every leading brands like Sony, Pioneer, Sansui , Akai and others had different models to meet competition those days. It will be difficult to mention the model numbers of all of them. Some which come to my mind are Sony PS 6750 , Sansui SR series, Pioneer PL 50 ,60 series, AKAI AP 206, etc. All these were good models. There are many more flagship models from other brands also.