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which is the best buy?


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Hi Bill

I was wondering what arm that was. Most of the KD-500s I have seen have been mounted with Grace arms. I'm not familiar with the SMEs so didn't ID it. I see someone asked that question too.

No mention of the cartridge either. The fact that is it a KD-500 with an SME arm suggests that the cart would be pretty high end too.

My estimate of 400+ will probably be a bit low. Might end up at 500+!

D

went for $405. Stonkin bargain. The arm is worth a fair bit, who knows what the cartridge is and I just looked up the KD-500 seems it has a cult following and weighs 15kg for the deck alone?

shoulda coulda woulda. But i didn't.

Bill

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went for $405. Stonkin bargain. The arm is worth a fair bit, who knows what the cartridge is and I just looked up the KD-500 seems it has a cult following and weighs 15kg for the deck alone?

shoulda coulda woulda. But i didn't.

Bill

It is a great table! I managed to score one through Gumtree for $250 a few months back mounted with a Grace G840 arm and a Shure V15 Type 3 cart installed. Bargain!!! It is now my main spinner. No cover though.

I was tempted to bid on this ebay one just to scavenge the dust cover, but there was a bit of interest in the table around SNA so I thought I'd let someone else have a crack at it.

And yes, the base alone is every bit of 15kgs!

http://www.thevintag...ood-KD-500.html

Now Spocka - make sure you come back and tell us all about this Denon when you've had a bit of a listen, OK?

Dave

Edited by Prana69
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It is a great table! I managed to score one through Gumtree for $250 a few months back mounted with a Grace G840 arm and a Shure V15 Type 3 cart installed. Bargain!!! It is now my main spinner. No cover though.

I was tempted to bid on this ebay one just to scavenge the dust cover, but there was a bit of interest in the table around SNA so I thought I'd let someone else have a crack at it.

And yes, the base alone is every bit of 15kgs!

http://www.thevintag...ood-KD-500.html

Now Spocka - make sure you come back and tell us all about this Denon when you've had a bit of a listen, OK?

Dave

I believe the base is made of an Acrylic composite like Corian which is rather inert. Very durable but like stone can crack if you drop it.

Also I've read that the sonics of the table are compromised by the material, it doesn't absorb the vibrations but transmits it to the arm/cart. Owners have suggested replacing the feet with ones made of sorbothane or ones with some form of suspension - e.g. mag lev.

Edited by triode12
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I believe the base is made of an Acrylic composite like Corian which is rather inert. Very durable but like stone can crack if you drop it.

Yes, it is a very dense acrylic which looks and feels like marble. It also break off in chunks like marble. Both my KD-500 and the similar KD-5070 have small pieces missing and they have come away like marble off a tombstone.

Also I've read that the sonics of the table are compromised by the material, it doesn't absorb the vibrations but transmits it to the arm/cart. Owners have suggested replacing the feet with ones made of sorbothane or ones with some form of suspension - e.g. mag lev.

Coincidentally, I have the table resting on shock absorbing feet that came with a NAD CDP. But I did this to raise the table, not to absorb shock. The original feet do not raise the table very high, and as a result the phono cable that goes into the arm under the table rests in a bent position at the base. Over time, this "bent stress" can result in a broken wire inside the cable. I know, because I had to buy a new cable for mine.

DaveR

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Spocka won the Denon though, not the Kenwood KD-500. We're just hijacking his thread and bangin on about another great turntable we should have bought because 10 is not enough. ;)

Those are some great feet though. Height adjustable? Can they cope with 15kgs?

DaveR

Edited by Prana69
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That's going to feel like a lifetime! What suburb is pickup, and where are you?

D

I might buy another TT before Sunday comes around!

Pick up for the denon is in Ringwood and I am in Sandhurst near Frankston, so a nice easy cruise down eastlink.

Mike

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Hi Mike

The "should I buy a new cart/ which cart should I buy" question comes up a lot on SNA. The answer comes down to:

1. Price. How much do you want to spend?

2. The arm on the table (low, medium, high mass arm). Determines whether your arm can accommodate the cartridge you are interested in.

3. Your listening preferences. What style/s of music you like, as some carts are more suited to different styles of music.

You should probably start a new thread.

You should have a look and listen to the Nag on the Denon before deciding whether you actually need a new cart. That OS-300 is an excellent cart and worth close to $200 new. I have heard a few Nagaoka carts in the $100-200 range and they all impressed me. Very smooth and warm and detailed with all styles of music. It's an MM by the way.

Did the seller indicate age and condition of the cartridge in the listing?

I'm just down the road in Mordialloc, so if you need any set-up tips/assistance, I'm not far away. I also have a 60x magnifier so you can have a good look at the stylus and see what condition it is in.

DaveR

Edited by Prana69
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Hi Mike

The "should I buy a new cart/ which cart should I buy" question comes up a lot on SNA. The answer comes down to:

1. Price. How much do you want to spend?

2. The arm on the table (low, medium, high mass arm). Determines whether your arm can accommodate the cartridge you are interested in.

3. Your listening preferences. What style/s of music you like, as some carts are more suited to different styles of music.

You should probably start a new thread.

You should probably also have a look and listen to the Nag on the Denon before deciding whether you actually need a new cart. Did the seller indicate age and condition of the cartridge in the listing?

I'm just down the road in Mordialloc, so if you need any set-up tips/assistance, I'm not far away. I also have a 60x magnifier so you can have a good look at the stylus and see what condition it is in.

DaveR

do you think its worth investing in a phonostage for it? or just play it through the vintage marantz 1070 or kenwood KA-7002?

Mike

Mike

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The Marantz 1070 and the Kenwood KA-7002 both have excellent phono stages. That's all you need at this stage. Don't go changing too much too soon. Get hold of the deck first and see how it sounds, then if you want to invest more in an outboard phono, do it then.

Does your 7002 have wooden cheeks, or is it bare metal? My main amp is a KA-8006 with wooden cheeks. Looks gorgeous and sounds even better! You can see it here when Pete (pete_mac) and John (skippy124) Mac did their restoration for me:

http://www.stereo.net.au/forums/index.php?/topic/29798-ka-8006-a-kenwood-recapping-and-restoration-odyssey/page__hl__ka-8006

D

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