Not that I need another turntable, but I really want to get this old Broadcast Electronics 12C deck back up and running.
The table is a commercial quality 3 speed idler drive. Broadcast Electronics was I believe the last company to manufacture the 12C table that began with Russco and later QRK. I've got new suspension grommets for the motor and I need to replace the felt on the platter, although I'll probably line the platter with chamois instead of felt.
I've got the awesome Karmadon cloned Gray 108 tonearm and I need to decide what cartridge to set it up with:
The arm is a faithful clone of a classic Gray Research 108 broadcast arm made of a magnesium alloy. These are a fine piece of kit.
Any recommendations for cartridges for such a set up? Under 1K USD budget, although I'd really be happy to keep it around 500.
Thanks,
eso
The table is a commercial quality 3 speed idler drive. Broadcast Electronics was I believe the last company to manufacture the 12C table that began with Russco and later QRK. I've got new suspension grommets for the motor and I need to replace the felt on the platter, although I'll probably line the platter with chamois instead of felt.
I've got the awesome Karmadon cloned Gray 108 tonearm and I need to decide what cartridge to set it up with:
The arm is a faithful clone of a classic Gray Research 108 broadcast arm made of a magnesium alloy. These are a fine piece of kit.
Any recommendations for cartridges for such a set up? Under 1K USD budget, although I'd really be happy to keep it around 500.
Thanks,
eso
Empire produced several Broadcast series cartridges ( BC-1 , PRO-1, BC-100 , BC-200 ) . I have one of them - Broadcast One . It has a magnetic system like the Empire-2000Z , but the needle is conical ( nude ) . It sounds very good .This is approximately 1978 .
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Bear in mind that broadcasters put ruggedness against abuse from DJs before ultimate sound quality. In the UK, the Shure SC35 was the broadcast cartridge, later supplanted by the Ortofon OM Pro. Where operators could be relied upon to behave (BBC Radio 3), Shure V15/III in an SME3009/S2. But how about Denon DL103? Designed for Japanese broadcaster NHK and it would probably like that high mass arm.
We have 2 Technics SL1200 and a Stanton TT in the master studio at KFJC. We have been getting by with using Ortofon OM Pro S for a number of years after Stanton went belly-up (we were using Stanton 680s, and Stanton 500s before that).. The styli/cantilevers on the Ortofons look on the delicate side, but they are well-protected against the depredations of the crew of "sensitive artists" that troop through the studio pretty much 24/7, and have held up well. Shure has a nice rep, but their cantilevers are pretty much flapping out in the breeze and unprotected, so the first one we tried got fornicated to a fare-thee-well inside of 24 hours.
That sounds like something I should look into.
I've got a DL-103r in a cocobolo body on my main table. I'm kinda looking for a different flavor for this one.
I've also got an Ortofon 2M Blue on a Denon deck that has been on extended loan to a friend. Plus I've got a freshly retipped Ortofon MC-30 Super II with a fineline stylus and boron cantilever that I need to mount on the main deck. I've liked the Ortofons I've tried, so I'll have to look into the OM Pro S too.
I was asking the guy I've had re-tip my cartridges, but he just shakes his head at setting up something with a vintage cartridge.
Definitely Moving Coil. Otherwise the quality of a good idler mignt not be revealed. Low cost with a good sound quality are Ortofon, Audio Technica, Denon. Also, in my humble experience, the best sounding mat is copper, second best is graphite, third is acrylic, delrin, or vinyl.
Definitely NOT MC for broadcast use, on cost of maintenance grounds, unless you can fnd one with interchangeable stylii.
The OP never mentioned using his new setup for broadcast. Also the cost of a new MM stylus is comparable to the cost of a new cartridge while you can always retip MC for less than the cost of a new cartridge.
Many studios did use Sure or Stanton, but thousands of top broadcast studios around the world also used Moving Coil EMT TSD 15. I heard it around 1982 and it sounded fantastic. Sure V15, while good, was not even close.
Many studios did use Sure or Stanton, but thousands of top broadcast studios around the world also used Moving Coil EMT TSD 15. I heard it around 1982 and it sounded fantastic. Sure V15, while good, was not even close.
... except for the title of the thread.
Not last time I looked.
MC was considerably oversold at the time but I never heard one I liked.
You may be misreading the title. It doesn’t say that the OP wants to do broadcasts, only that he needs a cartridge for his new setup based on a broadcast turntable.
Easy to check. For example, Ortofon 2M Blue, one of the cartridges mentioned in this thread, is $239, a new stylus for it is $209 at:
https://www.musicdirect.com/search/?query=Ortofon 2M Blue#/Ortofon 2M Blue/0/score/desc/?tab=product
Perhaps you can share which specific MC cartridge models you didn’t like and the OP should avoid.
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A standard DL-103? Not the r version?
I've been using a DL-103r re-bodied in cocobolo on my main table for quite a while.
Have any of you ever re-bodied a cartridge? It's kind of nerve wracking taking a brand new cartridge and cutting it up...
eso
@eso , yep it's just a standard DL-103 with the stock cantilever/stylus. That's the cartridge that really put Denon on the map and for good reason.
I have other versions of the 103 cart including a 103r that will get a new cantilever/stylus someday. I run a 103s on my JVC table that was rebuilt by VAS Audio with a new fine elliptical stylus that sounds wonderful as well.
I keep an eye out for broken but rebuildable 103 carts, have a few here that I need to send to VAS including a 103D version. That will get something special.
BillWojo
I have other versions of the 103 cart including a 103r that will get a new cantilever/stylus someday. I run a 103s on my JVC table that was rebuilt by VAS Audio with a new fine elliptical stylus that sounds wonderful as well.
I keep an eye out for broken but rebuildable 103 carts, have a few here that I need to send to VAS including a 103D version. That will get something special.
BillWojo
With that arm? It's not going to be the cart that's the limiting factor. 😛
It won't let me quote Pano here, but that's an interesting comment. Have you ever tried a Gray Research arm? It is a viscous damped unipivot design and the magnesium arm casting is supposed to be very nice for damping resonances. Originals are quite sought after and this replica made by a fine craftsman in Ukraine are very highly rated by those who use them.
I've already got the Super Nova vacuum platter TT with both an SME Mk IV arm and a Triangle Art Osiris 12" arm. The Osiris has a unique magnetic pivot...
And then there's the custom plinth Denon DP-3000 with a Fidelity Research FR-54 arm that is quite a nice combo:
I've made some prototype 16" magnetic pivot arms, and need to revisit that and build an update I've drawn up. Drilling a 5/32" hole straight through a 14" piece of hardwood is no simple task...
So, putting together a retro deck with a current production highly rated retro arm seems like a fun experiment. I think I've got some decent sources with which to assess performance here...
eso
I've already got the Super Nova vacuum platter TT with both an SME Mk IV arm and a Triangle Art Osiris 12" arm. The Osiris has a unique magnetic pivot...
And then there's the custom plinth Denon DP-3000 with a Fidelity Research FR-54 arm that is quite a nice combo:
I've made some prototype 16" magnetic pivot arms, and need to revisit that and build an update I've drawn up. Drilling a 5/32" hole straight through a 14" piece of hardwood is no simple task...
So, putting together a retro deck with a current production highly rated retro arm seems like a fun experiment. I think I've got some decent sources with which to assess performance here...
eso
