Stompingsevens

I'd like a gold Franck Muller Sunset..............

This is hilarious, it seems that anybody who tries to give Martin S some constructive criticism is branded a 'troll' and are accused of posting 'nonsense' and 'rubbish'. I think you need to show a bit of humility matey and for the record, I agree with pretty much everything Tiscapital has posted. Those Technics decks are poor IMHO and you can do far better going for some similarly priced second hand quality decks that play MONO if that's what you listen to.

I would also add that I think a lot of collectors buy the records to 'own' them so are not actually too bothered about how good they can potentially sound. I know plenty of collectors who have 'library's' - beautifully filed and presented record collections but rarely listened to. I think a lot of people just like to be able to say they have them. I am slightly guilty of this, I have thousands of LPs that I very rarely listen to anymore as I dig playing 45's and 78's and mixing it all up a bit, I can't remember the last time a played a whole LP. I really need to get rid of them so someone else can enjoy them................! Having said that, If I am going to spend all this time and energy searching out obscure 45's and 78's, when I do find them I like to be able to listen to them and draw as much information from those grooves as possible so I did invest in a 'high end' system about 20 years ago. All second hand but nice quality and it's been a great investment as I have enjoyed my records so much more over those years. I went Mono and valve and have never looked back!

Oh Dear, You're one of those.....................

Hi, You still seem very angry. I would not make assumptions about a DJs (or anyones) 'standing' by the equipment they use and nor should you. I was merely commenting that if you use low end equipment you are less likely to notice small differences in sound either negatively or positively. I then suggested is that it is a bad idea for your cartridge/ stylus to play your records with ANY fluid. If you google any 'high end cartridge care' on-line I think you'll find that this is correct, including the piece I quoted, which states - Also use fluid sparingly as it can degrade the rubber suspension inside the cartridge if applied too liberally. This was not just in regard to Alcohol but any fluid but you seemed to have skipped over that bit. I think a bit of humility might be helpful. I am also sorry if I've insulted your selection of equipment but I always thought Mono records should be played with a Mono set up but again, it's all subjective - you might want to check this out on line too though as I think you'll find your listening pleasure greatly improved if you switch to a Mono cartridge/ stylus. I think you'll also find that 'Tiscapital' agrees on this point. Finally, don't be so angry - it's not healthy!

Mono cartridge/ stylus and valve amplifier - it's the way forward. If you are playing mono records on a stereo setup you are losing so much of the information available from the grooves. IMHO that is - it's all subjective!

Nice............!

Agreed, very interesting. I would strongly suggest that if you haven't already, the next step would be to invest in Mono cartridge/ stylus. The 'Expert Stylus glider' is great value for money. I would also recommend the Loricraft record cleaning machine as it uses a vacuum to suck the dirty cleaning fluid out of the grooves and leaves the surface of the record entirely dry. One can also 'leave a 45 to soak' whilst not damaging the labels. I bought my unit 20+ years ago and it only just gave up the ghost. To my surprise 'Terry' at Loricraft is still going and I shipped it back for a full service, two weeks later my machine was returned in perfect working order for a very reasonable price indeed. Loricraft also 're-vamp' old Garrard 401 turntables which I use for my 78's (also with an SME arm and cartridge wired for Mono). These turntables are outstanding and can be used for all speeds. I use a Lynn deck (SME arm, Mono cartridge) for my 45's just because I got one cheap so many years ago and have never heard anything better. But, of course, it's all subjective!

Buy a (second hand?) Lynn deck and stick an SME arm on it and get your stylus and cartridge custom built by 'Expert Stylus' then whack all of that through a flat audiolab pre- amp and then stick that through a Jardis valve power amplifier and then through some old Tannoy 15" dual concentric speakers and you will hear details on your records you have never heard before. It constantly surprises me how much record collectors spend on records but then buy low end systems. 99% of the music I listen to is Mono and it is so important with playback to get a Mono cartridge/ stylus. Just because things are 'popular' doesn't mean they are good - do you watch Eastenders or Coronation Street?, very popular but perhaps lacking in quality!

As I stated, the Technics are IMHO 'lower end' turntables but with regard to my original point about not playing records when wet with cleaning fluids please don't take my word for it, just google high end cartridge care and see what you find. For instance - Clean Your Stylus Needle Using Appropriate Methods Clean your stylus tip regularly with a good stylus cleaning fluid and brush. How often, depends on how clean your records are. There are a number of proprietary fluids on the market but steer well clear of anything containing isopropanol alcohol, as this can slowly dissolve the glue holding the stylus needle into the cantilever (depending on the brand of cartridge). Be careful to use a fairly flexible brush and always pull the brush along the stylus in the same direction the record travels. Also use fluid sparingly as it can degrade the rubber suspension inside the cartridge if applied too liberally. This was the first one that came up, there are many others You seem both angry and to be showing a certain lack of humility, I only commented that its a bad idea to play records when they are wet with cleaning fluid. It's common sense really.

Cleaning fluids 'clean' and can help to break the contact between the stylus and the cantilever which are glued together - yes they are glued! If you have a crappy system you might not hear the difference but if you are using a decent system, stylus, cartridge you certainly will!

Price and condition please. Thanks!

Never play records 'wet' with any sort of cleaning fluids. This can interfere with the contact and adhesive between the stylus and cantilever, it can have seriously adverse affects.

Condition and price please. Thanks!

PM'd you