Zaphod Beeblebrox

Did your friend buy them new? If so, then he should have all the information. I may have a brochure somewhere. I'll see what I can locate.

Its not mine. Belongs to a friend's friend. Lucky friend. Very rare and very good sounding speakers. Made in Oz too!

Looks like an Audio Definition Enterprise. Nice speaker. Is it yours? A clearer photo would be nice.

Depends. The Dual TT have always been very strong WRT tone arm quality. Even the humble 1218 (my first turntable - cost me $150.00, new) has a very nice arm. The 701 is better in every respect. Direct drive is significantly better than the rim drive, 701 and is fitted with a superior arm. Thorens make excellent turntables, but their arms were not as good as Duals. Which I guess is why Thorens bought Dual and modern Thorens turntables are now fitted with tone arms that look like Dual arms. Of course, if the 125 and 126 have been fitted with third party arms, all bets are off.

To look cool. Nah, seriously, some amplifiers (like the old ME range, f'rinstance), employed a 15 Volt trigger from the preamp to power amp, to facilitate switch on and switch off. The wire can also be used as an Earth wire for turntables as well.

You can order direct from Wagner: https://www.wagneronline.com.au/stereo-rca-audio-lead-white-pearl/prepared-leads/cables-connectors/9435/fl/ I can supply at a slightly lower price though.

These kinds of devices (also available from Jaycar and Wagner, BTW) are designed to be used at LINE level, not PHONO level. Using the device at phono level will probably lead to even more hum. Fix your turntable, rather than looking for a band-aid™.

Yep. Less of a risk, but still far greater risk than any power line problems.

And again: The problem is almost certainly NEVER going to be with your power. It is with the TV antenna. Please, people, pay attention. TV antennas are the problem, not mains power.

Actually, it is perfectly consistent with what can happen if a lightning strike occurs nearby. 99% of the time, the TV antenna is hit by a 'tracer' (a full lightning hit would do VERY serious damage to the antenna, the mounting post, roof and house structure), which travels through the entire system, via (usually) the Earth. This can vapourise various parts of the stuff connected to the TV, including parts of the power supply, and/or the front end of the amplifiers. This can cause a massive DC shift, which, because parts of the power supply have also been damaged, no longer allows the protection system to operate correctly. In any case, any DC shift over 30 Volts DC (ie: Any amplifier larger than around 60 Watts) cannot easily be protected using standard protection relays. My initial diagnosis remains: Lightning hit on the antenna.

And again: Your TV antenna is the big problem. That must be unplugged.

20 year old? And the rest. Try 40 year old.

Seriously? Speak to me.

None for you. Yours is up to date.

Sorry to hear that. Of course, NOTHING you plug into a power point will help. You need to unplug your TV antenna, as this is where 99% of all surges come from.