Which vintage direct drive?


What's your preference of vintage direct drive, a Sony TTS-8000, a JVC/Victor TT-101 or a Pioneer PL-70, or for that matter, one that is close in used price? I can't afford a Pioneer Exclusive or a Sony PX-9.

My tonearm will be a Trans-Fi Terminator.

I am half-way tempted to use the drive unit of Dual 721 because I have heard that it is really good. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated 
enobenetto

Showing 2 responses by pindac

Another affordable DD and not Spoken of too often on the Forums is a
Aurex SR - 510.
The SR - 510 was the top of the range model.

I own a few of these and one of them I have stripped it back to expose what lays underneath, and within the Platter Bearing Housing ,
as I have with my other owned Vintage DD’s.
There was a little bit of Plagiarism going on at a certain time of manufacturer for different Brand DD’s, and I would assume certain parts of the designs were not with a Patent.

I am more impressed with the materials Aurex used on the SR-510, than has been used on the TTS - 8000, when it comes to the mounting of the Motor, the Coils and the Bearing and Housing.

Out of Three TTS 8000 I have owned only one has not had noticeable sideways movement, when finger pressure is applied to the Platter Spindle in the Bearing Housing

The TTS 8000’s I have Stripped Down, have a Gold Residual in the base of the Bearing Housing.
I also know of a TTS 8000 to have visible bottom of the Platter Spindle/Thrust Pad Damage.

The Gold Residual I have never checked out for its material, as to date, the intention is to Completely clean out the Housing and exchange and improve on all the original Parts used.

If I were to initiate a investigation, I would ask that it was checked to see if the Gold Residual was a metal, and if proved not to be a staining from a once present lubricant, but proven to be a metal.
I would then have it checked to see if it had materialised from from the Sintered Bronze Bushes contained within the Bearing Housing.

It has been made known to me that when a independent strobe has been placed on a TTS - 8000, there has been a speed fluctuation seen, that has been described as caused by a eccentric rotation.
This explanation fits in with my experience of feeling the Platter Spindle Move sideways in the Bearing Housing.

I would not encourage anybody to buy a Vintage DD, with the assumption it might not require a little fettling or more to get it back to a offering a improved performance over the condition discovered when purchased.

The TTS - 8000 as a vintage purchase is in my view,
is one that requires more investigation into the Mechanical Interfaces than another model.
A owned SP10, Two DP 80’s and Two SR - 510’s do not raise the same concerns about the wear being witnessed when investigated.

I have not given up on my TTS’s,
they are to be worked on to overcome some of the conditions that have been witnessed.

The Stage 1 Operation, is to have New Bushes produced to replace the Sintered Bronze and a new design for the Spindle Base and Thrust Pad.

There is also a Stage 2 and Stage 3 but lets see how Stage 1 delivers when compared to a unmodified model.

The Stage 1, is easily achievable for all the Vintage DD’s I own, and will probably be carried out on the SP 10 as a second experience.
The following is a extract from a Thread on another forum about the
Aurex SR-510.
It is a ongoing experience offered to the Forum Members about how Vintage TT's compare to known renowned DD's from the era, ones that when in top condition, have a reputation for being very capable and comparable to very expensive modern design TT's.

My Report on the SR 510 was about how the use of materials across the TT's compared, the following is a report on the Sound Quality comparison to another very respected Vintage DD.
If the OP wants the link to the full thread, they only need to ask.

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  since I don't have a SP10 at the moment, I can't make this comparison. But it plays at eye level with my Micro Seiki DDX1500 (also with TP92 tonearm), which makes the Toshiba (as a drive with a "good" tonearm) a bargain. I made the comparison with the spring-loaded Micro Seiki feet under the Toshiba. Since I don't have the original feet, I can't judge how big the influence of this line-up is. The DDX1500 is also equipped with spring-loaded feet.