Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

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Latteman
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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by Latteman »

What about DJ direct drive turntables I hear you ask
The most famous/reviews for audiophiles is the Technics SL 1210 mk2 but their used value is ridiculous- there is not much else I know about apart from an offering from Sony - PS DJ 9000
Analogue Source -
Denon DP47f- Ortofon mc20 supreme
Ifi Zen Phono
Doug Self balanced Pre amp
Akai 4000DS mk2 R2R
Digital Sources- IfI stream, Ifi Neo idsd Dac; Tidal / Radio Paradise
Amplification Nva 30vdc mono blocks
Speakers Lii Audio F-15 in Open Baffle; Ls6
Weiduka AC8.8- for digital sources
Mini BMU for analog sources

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Lindsayt
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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by Lindsayt »

EMT were the leaders in radio DJ turntables.
I've been delighted with my EMT's. Especially for the prices I paid for them.

As a brand, they've been outed and the average pricing on ebay reflects this.

If you can get a fully working EMT 927, 930, 950 or 948 for under £2500, you should buy it without hesitation.
At a price of £6000+ it's difficult to justify buying them.
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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by Latteman »

I’ve totally re-plinthed my Hitachi DD turntable- having looked for a suitable one for a while and couldn’t find anything in the right price bracket I took the bold decision (a gig saw) and went to it.
It has an additional platter- Funk Firm, a Modified Goldring 102 tonearm and currently an Ortofon MC10 super cartridge.
The plinth is heavy- oak/steel plate sandwich all bolted together which protrude and act as feet.
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These users thanked the author Latteman for the post (total 4):
Lindsayt (Tue May 10, 2022 11:57 pm) • antonio66 (Wed May 11, 2022 6:36 pm) • slinger (Wed May 11, 2022 6:53 pm) • savvypaul (Wed May 11, 2022 7:28 pm)
Analogue Source -
Denon DP47f- Ortofon mc20 supreme
Ifi Zen Phono
Doug Self balanced Pre amp
Akai 4000DS mk2 R2R
Digital Sources- IfI stream, Ifi Neo idsd Dac; Tidal / Radio Paradise
Amplification Nva 30vdc mono blocks
Speakers Lii Audio F-15 in Open Baffle; Ls6
Weiduka AC8.8- for digital sources
Mini BMU for analog sources

antonio66
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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by antonio66 »

Well done, you've done a fine job there :clap:
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Latteman (Wed May 11, 2022 6:55 pm)

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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by NSNO2021 »

Can you tell the difference in the sound of your Hitachi after your Stirling efforts ?
Modified Airlink BPS 3110S with LDA DC filter
TTs, Kenwood KD 8030 with AT OC9XSH, Opera Consonance Wax Engine mk2 with modified Apheta 2 MC cart, PT TOO awaiting restoration.
LDA MCJ3 phono,Schiit Freya plus pre amp, NAD M23, Audiolab 9000 CD transport, Denafrips Pontus 2 DAC, Mano Ultra2 streamer, Cisco switch, Audio Technica ATH 70 cans, Serhan Swift Mu2 mk2 speakers & NSNO W48.5 speaker cables

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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by NSNO2021 »

Inspired by Ants recommendations I have taken the plunge and purchased my first DD TT. I have a very nice fully working Kenwood KD 8030 for what was a very attractive price, I even got to listen to it before paying.
The only downside was it was in Copenhagen but I managed to get there and back for £110 including extra legroom seats, extra cabin baggage and hold luggage for the return flight. It was a strange experience dashing so far and then spending less than 5 hours in the country but sometimes you simply have to seize the opportunity. It will be a few months before I get round to selecting a cartridge and carrying out a few small tweaks. I will keep you all posted
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Lindsayt (Wed May 11, 2022 10:37 pm) • Latteman (Thu May 12, 2022 8:12 am)
Modified Airlink BPS 3110S with LDA DC filter
TTs, Kenwood KD 8030 with AT OC9XSH, Opera Consonance Wax Engine mk2 with modified Apheta 2 MC cart, PT TOO awaiting restoration.
LDA MCJ3 phono,Schiit Freya plus pre amp, NAD M23, Audiolab 9000 CD transport, Denafrips Pontus 2 DAC, Mano Ultra2 streamer, Cisco switch, Audio Technica ATH 70 cans, Serhan Swift Mu2 mk2 speakers & NSNO W48.5 speaker cables

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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by Lindsayt »

There's a lot to be said for shopping internationally for your audio components.

A bit of creative thinking and flexibility in your holiday plans helps.

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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by r3xj0hn570n »

That's commitment. Hard to imagine you won't like it.

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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by Latteman »

NSNO2021 wrote: Wed May 11, 2022 9:56 pm Can you tell the difference in the sound of your Hitachi after your Stirling efforts ?
The original idea was to change it’s aesthetics- I had already removed all auto functions and used it as a manual table- the s- shape tonearm tube was replaced by a carbon straight one and this also lengthened it’s effective length.
The new plinth allowed me to add a 12” type tonearm and position it more isolated from the motor- the transformer was also removed and stored remotely with a new on/off switch.
The sound is different- there is notability better ‘silence’ - easier to listen at low volume.
I feel the cartridge is able to retrieve more from the record and presents a really good detailed musical presentation - I enjoy it so that’s 👍🏼
This was really a test, I will endeavour to keep modifying- especially the support and feet- currently washing machine feet to a board which is on cone metal spikes- best presentation so far
Cheers
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NSNO2021 (Thu May 12, 2022 9:16 am)
Analogue Source -
Denon DP47f- Ortofon mc20 supreme
Ifi Zen Phono
Doug Self balanced Pre amp
Akai 4000DS mk2 R2R
Digital Sources- IfI stream, Ifi Neo idsd Dac; Tidal / Radio Paradise
Amplification Nva 30vdc mono blocks
Speakers Lii Audio F-15 in Open Baffle; Ls6
Weiduka AC8.8- for digital sources
Mini BMU for analog sources

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Re: Japanese Direct Drive Appreciation

Unread post by Vinyl-ant »

Got another direct drive deck. Another jvc ql-y3f.
Got it for not much as it was untested and looked a right state.
These decks are notorious for being a right pain in the arse to fix if the auto functions dont work as they use a 1970s vintage programmable ic for this. The ic is unobtainable and even if you do find one it will need programming which isnt possible.
It had no feet, a broken off arm lifter which is rather important tk the auto functions, a big gouge out of the trim and a bashed plinth, plus non working auto functions. Overall its a shed.
But it is also all original, the headshell platter mat and counterweight are all very very difficult to find and are missing from my ql-y5f, so even if it was bricked it was worth it for spares.

So far i have had to make a new arm lifter, repair the disc size switch, fit new feet, and get the automatic bits working. Which i have done, so it now sings again.

The arm lifter is very important as it is actually conductive. The original is painted in conductive paint.
The lifter and arm make contact and are in the return loop of the control servo which activates the trigger for traverse functions and the solenoid to lower the arm
So ive had to make a new one from scratch in aluminium using the little bit left of the original and working back from the remains of it

ImageJvc ql-y3f restoration by anthony cresswell, on Flickr

Had to alter my order of operations to get it right, id made a rough one first to check it worked ok, and also alter the design original design a little. There is a little tail on the original which has a small pin that stops the lifter from rotating by dropping into a hole in the mounting plate. This bit is a little superfluous and positioning it perfectly in the hole would be a right nightmare, so I decided not to bother. There isn't really a way to get it positioned correctly because there isn't a surface on the remains of the arm lifter that is square to be able to take a reference off.

here you can see it marked out on the plate after cutting the front face, permenant marker rather than blue to mark it, works just as well

ImageJvc ql-y3f restoration by anthony cresswell, on Flickr

and here all the features are machined, just needs breaking off the tangs I left on it so that it stayed put while the last features were cut.

ImageJvc ql-y3f restoration by anthony cresswell, on Flickr

Some adjustments to the lead in and the lifter height, and a cart fitted, and the old lady is singing again

ImageJvc ql-y3f restoration by anthony cresswell, on Flickr

as a side note the cart is an Audio Technica VM95ml in a RigB ally body. Think Linn k18 which I'm sure was an at95 with a metal body and a stupid bolt through the stylus. But not bloody awful. Im quite impressed with the cart.

ImageJvc ql-y3f restoration by anthony cresswell, on Flickr

It is sat on some great big rubber feet, they are 60mm wide tapered rubber cups that go under the feet on washing machines to stop them walking across the kitchen. They were stuck to the underneath of my Linn Mimik cd player when I got it, got taken off, replaced with some little ones and put away.
Its just sat on them at the moment, they need to be stuck to some discs with m6 bots in the centre so they can be put on properly. Thats the next job.

maybe some more ally and do it properly.

Still needs a bloody good clean before any cosmetic work is started

Onwards!
These users thanked the author Vinyl-ant for the post (total 7):
antonio66 (Tue Jul 12, 2022 5:20 am) • Lindsayt (Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:19 am) • Fretless (Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:02 am) • Toontrev (Tue Jul 12, 2022 9:16 am) • Grumpytim (Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:11 pm) • CycleCoach (Tue Jul 12, 2022 12:57 pm) • Latteman (Tue Jul 12, 2022 3:29 pm)
Analogue: oracle delphi sme 309, jbe series 3 cx unipivot dv20x2l, roksan xerxes tabriz vm750, jvc ql-y5f rigb at440, jvc ql-y3f vm750, lenco 75, technics sl150

Phono stages: cole lcr, benedict audio hothead

Digital: cyrus cd7, wiim mini x2, topping e30, jds labs el dac 2+

Amplification: nelson pass b1, nelson pass f5

Speakers: 15" fane aperiodic wardrobes

Cans: myryad z40, hifiman sundara + deva, fostex t50rp, sennheiser momentum on ear +over ear, b&w p5 and p7

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