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TT-101 turntables…or any DD decks

It’s funny how in audio…..I’ve had many mishaps over the years which have led to ‘forced’ improvements in my system…..

The latest happened just 3 days ago when the ‘Power’ switch on my 35 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 turntable failed to ‘turn-off’ when pressed……leaving the unit ‘powered up’ with three diodes continuously on……
I thought to myself……time to have the unit serviced and all the capacitors replaced (at least)…..

I have thus been listening over the last three days and nights and have been struck by the perceived improvement in ‘sound’?
Everything seemed better….the timing….the solidity…the noise-floor….the subtlety…..the transparency…..
And then it hit me……
With solid state gear…..I have always kept them ‘powered on’.
My Halcro DM-10 Preamp is always on ‘Mute’ (as was the valve Kebschull before it and the SS Electrocompaniet before then).
My Halcro DM-58 Monoblocks are always ‘on’ (as was the Perraux PM-1850 power amp before them).
Most DD drive turntables I know of are all solid state……
Why should they be any different?
Why would they not benefit from the capacitors being fully charged with the transformer/power supply, PCB, transistors and resistors fully ‘heated’?

This for me…has been a more significant improvement than ‘nakeding’ the ‘nude’ Victor which I recently accomplished…

It’s such an easy thing for anyone to try out….there is simply no ‘down-side’……other than the diodes burning out? :-)

Happy listening…..and Happy New Year….
128x128halcro
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Banquo.....I meant that I have been doing this for three days to make sure that it was not just a 'good' day the first time I listened?
It sounded better after 3 hours as you say....but even better the next day :-)

Don't give up hope on your pigskin mat.......
If it's coming from Hong Kong or China......the mail can take up to 5 weeks?
And that's to Australia where we are just a 9 hour flight away :-)

Good luck......
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Yes HiHo.......that Link about Tommy from TopClass is what inspired my Thread about Vintage turntables and "Living Dangerously"......

Thanks to Lew and his ability to track down transistors and equivalent parts used by their Ref Nos......I now sleep a little easier :-)
lewm
12,456 posts
 
Dear Hiho, I stand corrected. I am in fact aware of the business, Top Class Audio. But still…

The big issue with these turntables is the integrated circuits that were used here and there. ICs come and go over time, and once they're gone from products, they are no longer made. There is no imperative for an electronics company to keep updating the same part over time. With discrete transistors, we are much better off, because such devices have basic functions that are always needed. Thus the bad transistors used in Denon turntables (known to be noisy and prone to failure) were readily replaced by Bill Thalmann in my DP80 with modern, quieter, and much more reliable equivalents. Other than the ICs, every other part in any of these tables can be replaced, therefore. This is why I harp on replacing 30-year-old electrolytic capacitors. One bad capacitor can wipe out an irreplaceable IC. However, I have had good luck finding the single IC used in the DP80 and the clock IC used in the TT101, from Hong Kong sources found on Alibaba. So it is not a totally hopeless problem, if it should arise. (TT101 uses several more ICs, however, and I don't know whether those can be found or not.)
downunder
1,329 posts
 
Hi Henry

Who will you be getting to service your Victor DD table?

Reason for my question is that my Pioneer Exclusive P10 has been playing up intermittently over the past month or so.
It seems to lose the sync lock on the speed and will speed up or slow down with no rhyme or reason. Seems to be linked with hot days?
Then the other night worked fine off and on all night when playing DJ on NYE.

Btw, do you think there are any problems with the table running for 3-4 days straight with the bearing etc?
hiho
451 posts
 

I understand, Lew. Some audiophiles treats the whole DD genre like alien products so there's no need to scare them even further. We need better education and awareness to dispel nonsense (and personal pet peeves) such as DD has speed hunting and has more vibration because the platter is attached to a motor, etc, etc, ad nauseam!

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