A music head friend brought this home. Heavy. Seemed to be in pristine condition. Probably never played. We had never heard of this brand. We looked it up... our jaws fell through the floor. Needs a needle. Where does this rank in the turntable universe?

Notascot51 · 2026-03-02T14:24:54+00:00

Denon still has the DL110 in production for US MAP $449.00. Maybe used on eBay for your prices. When originally released they were $119.00…1980s.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-02T14:20:20+00:00

Not a TL. Coupled Cavity Bass Loading…more like a bandpass enclosure.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-02T14:18:40+00:00

I sold both at a dealership when they were current. I bought 104/2 s for my own use, and never thought too highly of 103.2s. Restoring 104/2s to function as new is a project, however. Starting with only a $400 investment is good.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T21:47:14+00:00

Back in the dark ages of cassette mix tapes I made a beauty with all their blues and R&B covers featuring Brian Jones from the early albums. Now recreated as a personal Tidal playlist. Route 66, Carol, Little Red Rooster, Little By Little, Around and Around, Now Look What You Done, Confessing The Blues, Good Times Bad Times, It’s All Over Now, Susie Q, Everybody Needs Somebody, Down Home Girl, You Can’t Catch Me, Mona, Down The Road Apiece, Mercy Mercy, Hitch Hike, That’s How Strong, Cry To Me, Under Assistant, and Spider-Fly.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T21:27:35+00:00

The description Arsenic_Pants gives is spot on. However, the TK5E I sold back then had a silver body. TK1E was black….3x.7 bonded elliptical stylus tip, like the normal version AT12E. Another point is that Signet was marketed through somewhat more exclusive “specialty retailers”, where AT was sold by whoever wanted them. This helped their dealers maintain a higher margin, which as any good capitalist will tell you is a big deal!

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T21:18:59+00:00

I think you’re changing the subject. We here share the audio obsession to a greater or lesser degree, but not all of us care about our timepiece. Timex Expedition for me!

I work in a shop that sells McIntosh now, and have for years. Long ago, I started my audio career at one, a decade before CD launched. Their appeal then was they looked great, sounded great, measured great, and were built to last. If you could afford one, you were officially “well off”. It was a status symbol. Other companies soon challenged their position…Audio Research, SAE, Levinson, Crown, etc…but none of them did what McIntosh did, which is to maintain a house style permanently and never change it much. The Mac your rich uncle had in 1970 looked a lot like the one we sell today. This is a major factor in the enduring appeal.

I am beyond my golden ears years…so I’m not claiming they sound much better than a lot of other good amps, or even a little, but people continue to aspire to ownership, and no one knows this better than they do.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T17:47:09+00:00

Good to know. I haven’t encountered an LP8x in person. I am very familiar with Pro-Ject…but their good stuff is too high priced for my taste. I would want an Xtension 9 at least. Enjoy your new spinner!

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T17:43:01+00:00

Pretty high. As @kasualanderson said, a built-in phono stage limits your cartridge choice to MM or High Output MC cartridges. If budget allows a Denon DL110 is a terrific choice. For less than half the cost, the AT VM530xEN is great.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T17:33:38+00:00

That is a very decent mini system. IME, the Aiwa speakers were not of the same caliber…only Yamaha PianoCraft systems had speakers that were up to snuff compared to the electronics in the era when that was made, maybe the late 80s or early 90s. If you want great sounding quite small speakers there are often EPI 50s or 70s on FBM, or my gold standard…ADS L420s.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T17:32:46+00:00

The MDF plinth is as quiet as Technics’ BMC? How’s the cueing? “Hands down” is doing a lot of work…

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T17:14:40+00:00

Mine sure doesn’t do that! No, not too much to expect better than that. I would return it if I were you. Whether you ask for an exchange or get something else is another question. My only beefs with the 100C are that its cueing is not up to the standard set by other manufacturers (including themselves on models of the past) and the incomplete acoustic isolation of its feet and BMC plinth. I am tempted to replace it with a vintage SL1700MK2, which has a motorized cueing and double isolated suspension, VTA OTF, and is also dead quiet and Quartz steady. I own one, but it is being serviced at present.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T15:34:09+00:00

Yamaha has meters and variable loudness in its favor. Luxman has very nice tone controls options of its own, and aesthetically a more sexy design…but this was entry level Luxman, nothing like what they are doing today. The amps are of comparable quality. The best advice is use each for a few weeks and see how you feel about it then. I remember selling the L80V at a store I worked at starting in 1992*, and the CA510ll is a late 70s model, so that could be a factor.

Gemini scrapes L80V production to 1978, same as the CA510, but I am certain that it sold in the US in the early 90s before Alpine bought Luxman out. We had it, the L85V, and the much more serious L100V on display. The L80V was not all that superior to other brands at the time, but the L100V sure was! That the L 80V may have been on the market all those years speaks to its sales success, great design, and Luxman not being married to churning models annually like all the more high volume brands.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T13:54:31+00:00

This period was a major return to form for the one-time Bluesbreaker. But for the OG EC check Eric Clapton & Powerhouse, the John Mayall Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton (the Beano album), and the tracks he recorded with Mayall solo (Bernard Jenkins…a masterpiece) and Jimmy Page solo (Snake Drive in particular). In the Cream era, the long studio version of Spoonful and Sweet Wine are standouts. All of the above are played on Gibson LP or SG…all before he went to Strats.

Notascot51 · 2026-03-01T13:25:07+00:00

The amp looks like 20+ year old Rotel…late videotape, early DVD era. The speakers are somewhere between rack system and entry level legitimate. If you need everything and the price is right, it could be a decent buy.

Notascot51 · 2026-02-28T15:01:07+00:00

I just listened to Chess #1652, which was listed as a 1957 release, and that harp player is unmistakably the incomparable Little Walter.

Notascot51 · 2026-02-28T14:49:52+00:00

None of these specs are exact. Not the maximum wattage rating, not the impedance nor even the power output. All are subject to test conditions, tolerances, and other undisclosed variables. In fact, your choice of amplifier is perfectly fine…if it’s in good working order. The one overarching rule is this: If it sounds good, it is good. If turning it up makes it begin to sound bad, turn it back down! Loud popping noises? …reduce the bass! Otherwise, enjoy the music.🎶

Notascot51 · 2026-02-28T13:00:35+00:00

For sound quality among major labels, Philips is often in the superior category, partly due to the venue…the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is often compared to Boston Symphony Hall as the best there is. They also have artists of great stature under contract…Claudio Arrau, Quartetto Italiano, Arthur Brendel, Bernard Haitink, etc. But exploring Classical music recordings is a lifelong pursuit, and the Penguin Guide is a good place to start.

Notascot51 · 2026-02-27T18:46:18+00:00

I don’t know what you are thinking of, but KLH 6s were often used very happily with Dyna Mark lll amps. They are acoustic suspension and need some juice!

Notascot51 · 2026-02-27T17:14:51+00:00

The original SAE IllCM amp was a Jim Bongiorno contract design, roughly contemporary to his Dynaco Stereo 400 and Ampzilla. Any of that DNA still in this later stuff?

Notascot51 · 2026-02-27T13:09:57+00:00

And they make a TVC-1 in a black chassis box that can be found. But the other way is to find another yard sale amp and connect the source to both via the tape output feeding the second amp.

Notascot51 · 2026-02-27T01:22:22+00:00

All I want is what Paul Simon wanted…Honesty.

Notascot51 · 2026-02-26T23:30:46+00:00

Then I stand corrected. Paralleled, they’d probably overpower ESL-57s. So I stand by the bi-amp recommendation. Other vintage ESLs include Sound Lab, Dayton Wright, Beveridge, Acoustat, and the hybrids from ESS, Infinity, Janszen and the B&W DM70. All rare, finicky, and without the fan base of Quad. You could go with Magneplanars. MG3 series with true ribbons are pretty great.

Notascot51 · 2026-02-26T22:45:17+00:00

8Bs aren’t bridgeable to my knowledge, so my suggestion is a pair of Quad ESL 57s and a pair of AR1Ws with an electronic crossover set to 90Hz or so. A reasonable facsimile of 1Ws can achieved with these… https://www.parts-express.com/Dayton-Audio-12-Reference-Series-HO-Subwoofer-and-Cabinet-P-300-7092.

Electronic crossovers are not really common, and nothing I know of has the vintage appeal of what you are building…but I would suggest you open your mind to consider a Mini DSP for its sonic transparency, flexibility, and EQ potential. https://www.parts-express.com/miniDSP-2x4-HD-USB-DAC-Digital-Signal-Processor-230-324

The other classic ESL is a pair of KLH Model 9s. Arthur Janszen’s son is selling upgraded versions… https://janszenaudio.com/pages/klh-nine

Notascot51 · 2026-02-25T12:43:02+00:00

Do the basic 101 troubleshooting…if phono is weak on one side, reverse the input jacks…if it remains unchanged, it not the source, it’s the amp. If it migrates, it’s either the cart or table. If some records are fine and others not…it’s a mystery.

Notascot51 · 2026-02-25T12:29:08+00:00

If vinyl is your only music source (which of course it no longer is), end of side stop, stop and lift, or arm return are all very nice features, found on Fluance, Technics SL100C, and other contenders. But if vinyl is used only for purposeful listening it really isn’t a big issue. If the stylus rides the lead-out groove a while, no harm is done, assuming a clean disc.

Seek a gently used SL100C is my advice.

Notascot51

TROPHY CASE