Cartridge for Pro-Ject Debut II

[Fretless]

Marlux seems to be a Dutch or German rebadging of 70's Marantz equipment. Some TT's and other units for sale here, prices are low-ish.

[Neonknight]

I don't believe Marantz manufactured turntables at that time period. They re-branded CEC turntables, so that one is probably sourced from them also.

[Fretless]

I have spotted a Technics SL-1900 direct drive for 200 euro - is it worth it?

[Daniel Quinn]

170 quid buys you nothing better.

Even the arms okay.

Having spent rather more than anticipated on lencos ,a rather nice direct drive seems appealing. If I was still at work it would be a no brainer.

[Neonknight]

That would be a solid choice if its working properly. Might even come with a very respectable cartridge that you could do a new stylus for and be at a great place for a reasonable price.

[Fretless]

Currently in communication with the seller - maybe I'll go and have a look this weekend.

[Fretless]

In preparation for the installation of the Logic TT I have put the Debut on a plate from an old Target (?) wall-stand with some rubber rings under to decouple it slightly. The plate will probably be necessary as the DM101 is far bigger than the Pro-Ject and may need to stick out over the front of the wooden shelf.

Also, I have bolted two extra clamps through the shelf at the back, around the wall-supports. The DM101's hefty 13Kg might require some additional reinforcement. Think this will be sufficient.

[Fretless]

Well that shelf-strengthening exercise has had quite a dramatic effect on the SQ of the humble Debut turntable. Tightened up the imaging / soundstage / detail quite considerably. Overall sound is fresher and more authoritative.

Now playing Vangelis 'China' which features a lot of dynamics and stereo effects with a rich mix of electronic and acoustic instruments. Really very impressive and shows me what a difference the support can make to the deck's performance.

[antonio66]

Was ordering something from Amazon and I chucked this Record Clamp in, it was only 6 euro.

Actually it isn't a clamp, just a cleanly -machined aluminium cone with felt underneath. Mass is about 180g.

I know there are pro's and con's about these things but, at first listen, it does appear to improve the imaging from the Debut and stabilise the speed (which can be a touch vague) somewhat.

Nice. Happy bunny.

[Fretless]

Yes, further listening this morning with a couple of favourite Tangerine Dream LP's ('Ricochet', 'Cyclone' and 'Underwater Sunlight') and the Debut 2 is making noises of a quality that I wouldn't have thought possible from such a simple, entry-level deck.

The improvements - solid & level mounting, rubber mat and record weight - have really paid off and this is now sounding like a turntable that the budget-conscious audiophile could easily live with. If it wasn't for the slight instability in platter speed, although I have to listen quite hard on sustained notes to hear it. Later models like the current Debut Carbon have probably got better motors.

Imaging, dynamics, detail, controlled bass. All the boxes ticked. The A&R P77 is also sounding, fuller, sweeter and crisper - it obviously needed a good, long run-in after 20 years of unuse, I am wondering if I should get it re-tipped as new styli are completely impossible to find.

The ancient NVA amps are also performing better than I remember from my vinyl heyday back in the 80's. Phono stage was built into the preamp in those days and powered initially via an umbilical from the power-amp. This then got replaced by a separate PSU which is a ridiculously heavy box - RD was already into big transformers back then. I suspect that the PSU actually weighs more than the power-amp.
Long ago in the mists of time, the pre-power link was a simple NVA SC shoelace - I didn't know any better and thought all the hot-air about cables was just plain nonsense, I mean, it's all about the components innit? That link has now been upgraded to NVA SSP Mk2 which has kicked new life into the old warhorse. This 35-year-old system has never, ever sounded better. So I now have two great NVA-based systems: Vinyl/Digital in the lounge and the All-Digital setup with Cubes in my little music-room.

What a luxury!