I need anyone's help, I am new to this forum. I am also just getting back into hifi. My question is this, I recently bought from Goodwill for $7.00, a Philips model 312 turntable. It is in mint condition. I fitted it with a ADC 230 MM cartridge that I had for 25 years. To my ears the combo makes beautiful music. My question is this, is this combination suitable for high fidelity reproduction? If not what improvements would you recommend?
If you take a concentrated look at the arm pivots, you will probably conclude with me that the technologic level of it is basement.
Just like the audio- seller who said to me that at an audio demo fair he heard better tunes from Bose milk- cartons than from Magnepan magnetostats.
These discussions are useless. You simply can expect reasonable results from medeocre material! This is such a case. Do not throw this one away, because perhaps it has emotional value for you.
Just like the audio- seller who said to me that at an audio demo fair he heard better tunes from Bose milk- cartons than from Magnepan magnetostats.
These discussions are useless. You simply can expect reasonable results from medeocre material! This is such a case. Do not throw this one away, because perhaps it has emotional value for you.
hybris, thanks for your reply. I guess I should state that the combination does sound better (to me) than a CD version of the same album that I have played. The equipment I own other than the Philips turntable is a Denon DL-1000 CD player, Denon DAR 685 receiver, and a pair of Atec Lansing Santiago 878A loudspeakers.
25 years ago I have owned a Garrad Zero 100 (that is where I got the ADC 230XE) and a Pioneer PL-71 TT.
25 years ago I have owned a Garrad Zero 100 (that is where I got the ADC 230XE) and a Pioneer PL-71 TT.
I think hybris is being a little hard on your table. Granted the bearings may not be the best in the world, but you are not putting an enormous amount of energy into them (I am assuming that the ADC is fairly high compliance), and if you like the sound you are getting the combo may be reasonably compatible. I would not think that most Philips would be a good choice with a low compliance moving coil, but they weren't meant to be used with such. So to condemn them for not being suitable for such a task seems to me as reasonable as condemning something like an FR arm for not working well with the Shure V15.
It might be worth noting that the Phillips 212, which I believe was a predecessor of the 312, was considered the best integrated table of its time by The Absolute Sound and Stereophile. And its bearings were about as rudimentary as could be -- a steel pin in a plastic bearing.
You might consider applying silicon damping fluid to the bearings -- this might be a good idea, but at the same time -- If it aint broke don't fix it.
It might be worth noting that the Phillips 212, which I believe was a predecessor of the 312, was considered the best integrated table of its time by The Absolute Sound and Stereophile. And its bearings were about as rudimentary as could be -- a steel pin in a plastic bearing.
You might consider applying silicon damping fluid to the bearings -- this might be a good idea, but at the same time -- If it aint broke don't fix it.
Philips turntable
John West ,
I like your salmons in oil, but your turntables are not quite hightech yet.
I had the same experience several albums are better on LP than on CD, but my turntable did nothing to prove that. I heard it in a moment when I played the scrappy CD!
I prefer normal LP quality above scrappy cd- versions. Not all digital is better than analog. Dutch radio is transmitted digitally, the belgian style is still analog.
Do you guess which I like the best? The belgian broadcastings!
h.
John West ,
I like your salmons in oil, but your turntables are not quite hightech yet.
I had the same experience several albums are better on LP than on CD, but my turntable did nothing to prove that. I heard it in a moment when I played the scrappy CD!
I prefer normal LP quality above scrappy cd- versions. Not all digital is better than analog. Dutch radio is transmitted digitally, the belgian style is still analog.
Do you guess which I like the best? The belgian broadcastings!
h.
Philips 212/312
Twenty years ago at different times I rebuilt 3 suspended chassis
Philips turntables.
I think the last was a 312 - if its the one with touch controls.
Basically the tone-arm has to go, before other more subtle
modifications - a lot easier - will make any real difference.
I shoe-horned in a modified Mayware Formula IV uni-pivot.
Note that most tonearms will not fit !
I had to cut down the Mayware armtube to the correct length.
Think I also shortened the counterwieght mounting.
A Haddock, Mayware or similar uni-pivot is a good choice - easy to
shorten, need to be compact enough at the bearing end to fit in,
and low enough weight to not unbalance the subchassis.
If my memory is correct the steel subchassis has an ~ 15mm hole
that the arm needs to pass through. You can check this size and
make sure the arm can pass through it.
find a cheap arm !
🙂 /sreten.
Twenty years ago at different times I rebuilt 3 suspended chassis
Philips turntables.
I think the last was a 312 - if its the one with touch controls.
Basically the tone-arm has to go, before other more subtle
modifications - a lot easier - will make any real difference.
I shoe-horned in a modified Mayware Formula IV uni-pivot.
Note that most tonearms will not fit !
I had to cut down the Mayware armtube to the correct length.
Think I also shortened the counterwieght mounting.
A Haddock, Mayware or similar uni-pivot is a good choice - easy to
shorten, need to be compact enough at the bearing end to fit in,
and low enough weight to not unbalance the subchassis.
If my memory is correct the steel subchassis has an ~ 15mm hole
that the arm needs to pass through. You can check this size and
make sure the arm can pass through it.
find a cheap arm !
🙂 /sreten.
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