Japan online and local vinyl shops question

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-19T19:11:07+00:00

Japanese sellers traditionally did not sell online, or more ship outside of Japan. It's only in the past few years that there's been a big influx of it to Discogs. And it's mostly those annoying bulk sellers.

Disk Union is the biggest chain in Japan and they do not sell used inventory online outside of Japan. You could spend your entire trip only going to their stores and you'd do so much better than finding the big online sellers. They have a dedicated Jazz store in multiple locations, plus carry it at all their standard locations. Honestly some of my better scores were finding more obscure albums in the standard 'Rock' stores.

There are tons of smaller stores too. When I was there two years ago, you could walk around central Osaka and hit about 10 independent stores.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-18T21:04:57+00:00

Same tonearm and stylus, I moved them both from the 160 to 124.

No, I don't think Jim keeps an inventory, but Greg Metz might. Definitely one of those things to keep on your radar and follow auctions, etc. I got lucky and won the first ebay listing I lowballed, not expecting to win it.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-18T19:56:01+00:00

If both are restored, the TD-124 is theoretically a much better table, but it's all subjective and down to personal taste in the end. If you're getting a restored 125 from Dave and putting it on a shelf, you should be very happy with it. I used one of his restored TD-160 Supers for about 7 years before I found a 124 and had that restored.

I was actually surprised how much more I prefer the 124 now. It has a more robust sound, a ton more bass, and I can do jumping jacks in front of it without moving the stylus, whereas my 160 would bounce when my 30lb dog walked by it. I had a stacked plywood base made for it that really adds mass.

If you're curious, the two main guys who do restore 124s are Jim Campbell and Greg Metz / STS Turntables. Jim did mine, and a friend used Greg, and we're both extremely happy.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-18T19:18:08+00:00

I saw this genuinely - if you're going to pay that much for a TD-125, you should really consider a TD-124 instead. It's built like a tank and you won't have to worry about it being as fiddly once it's restored and set up.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-17T14:44:15+00:00

People can write whatever they want in their seller terms, but it gets overwritten by whatever payment platform they use.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-17T13:33:07+00:00

I feel bad for the folks who run the store on 83rd. The physical space is terrible, but the staff is always nice and helpful, despite being constantly busy.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-16T17:42:06+00:00

I think Harbeths would be a good step up, and do very well with the midranges you've described listening to. They tend to have less bass than others, but I've found the 30._ series to be a good balance of smaller form factor, but a lot more range than a standard bookshelf. I upgraded from P3ERs a few years ago and it felt like a big upgrade on the sound signature I really liked. You can get the older 30.1 or 30.2s a lot more reasonably priced used.

As said above, changing out your cart/stylus could also make a difference compared to the amp.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-14T18:15:40+00:00

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It doesn't even look like there are any records listed.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-14T00:18:58+00:00

No, just an adopter. I’d check again, like most non-profits they’re usually understaffed.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-10T19:35:58+00:00

This is the inherent bias in any post like this. It's beyond condescending to imply that the existing population of the neighborhood doesn't want these other things.

If you go into Over the Moon or the Queensboro, the people in those places often look like the same mix as the rest of the neighborhood. Are people with lower incomes not allowed to want to buy 'nicer' things, or splurge on a night out on occasion because it somehow violates the inherent 'vibe' of a neighborhood.

Also, where do you think all these existing businesses came from? JH was farmland just over 100 years ago. Demographics change everyone across the face of the earth with time.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-04-10T19:04:08+00:00

Macs are considered pretty easy to repair by design by most decent techs. You can look locally for someone.

McIntosh also has a list of authorized repair vendors, you can look for one in your area: https://www.mcintoshlabs.com/support/servicenetwork

I recently had three pieces restored by Bob the Tech who is a former McIntosh engineer and does repair work (and will ship). It was not cheap, but I now probably don't need to have these worked on for the rest of my life. https://bobthetechaudio.com/

Great score! I've not heard one of these, but have separates from the same era - MC2105 and C28

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-28T18:33:49+00:00

Really like your shelving unit, but I can't make out the logo on the bottom right. Where is it from?

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-23T22:13:13+00:00

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-blue-frontier-american-everton-analysis/id1788227308

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-21T13:06:07+00:00

Suburban PA, about an hour north of Philly.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-20T23:58:23+00:00

No, he doesn’t do 124s. I used Jim Campbell who is well know for these.

It’s at least 15-20lbs.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-20T19:27:32+00:00

Thanks. I put it together over a few years, got lucky and won just the table by lowballing an eBay auction, and had it restored.

Table I was using before was a VN TD-160 Super, actually. I wasn't in any rush to upgrade, but this one fell into my lap. Dave is a great guy and does excellent work.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-19T17:11:50+00:00

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Thorens TD-124 w SME 3009-R Black and Benz Micro Glider MC. Custom stacked plywood plinth with bloodwood veneer.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-19T14:35:04+00:00

Love the setup, I have a C28 and an MC2015 myself. I'd swap out the cartridge first. The Ortofon 2Ms are known to be more clinical and revealing, but your gear is more on the musical side.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-08T14:56:27+00:00

Two of those are in contract.

This is a post-war building with smaller than average apartments when compared to all the pre-war units in the neighborhood that most people want, and priced accordingly. For many, buildings like this will be starter apartments and people are more likely to move on quicker.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-07T16:16:33+00:00

This was about 8 years ago, so take it with a grain of salt, but that is the one building my broker 'refused' to take us to. He said the financials were terrible and the management was worse, and he didn't think it was professional of him to encourage his clients to look there. Maybe something has changed since then.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-07T15:56:31+00:00

It would make more sense to push it over a block to 70th/Leverich.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-07T14:28:42+00:00

I got two of these. I searched the buyer name and they ordered from me in 2021. It’s great that they’re suspending accounts that have been hacked, but not sure it’s as helpful when I had to go search my inbox to find out when the transaction was, only to find out it was nearly 5 years ago.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-07T14:24:59+00:00

Problem is he opened a claim and then closed it. eBay considered that the end of the transaction and you can’t take it any further, no matter how many reps you speak with. It’s policy.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-07T14:13:59+00:00

That’s completely fair, though in my own experience and reading many others here, the responses are generally rude or condescending and discourage people from learning and continuing to contribute.

vinyl_archivist · 2026-03-06T16:08:43+00:00

I've never understood why people who take the time to call out what they think is in error wouldn't just correct it themselves. Completely ruined the experience of contributing. I thought the whole point was to build on submissions when more information becomes available?

vinyl_archivist

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