Micro Seiki DD-8 w/ MA-505 arm @$245 -good deal?

[annunaki]

I need some advice. Im looking at a Micro Seiki DD-8 with a MA-505 arm. The only flaws are a cracked dust cover & missing counterweights. It's selling for $245 US or ¥19800. Is this a good deal? Is it a step up from a Denon DP-59L?

[annunaki]

Link to photos:
http://m.flickr.com/photos/87516801@N00 ... /lightbox/

http://m.flickr.com/photos/87516801@N00 ... /lightbox/

[JaS]

I've no experience of the DD8 and the pictures don't work at this end, but $245 sounds cheap for any Micro these days?

Regards,
JaS

[annunaki]

Thanks JaS. I'm still out and about in Tokyo so Flickr was the best I could do using this site & the iPhone. I'll upload a couple shots tonight when I get home.

I'm looking for an upgrade to my Denon DP-59L one day and I just happened upon the Micro and that beautiful tonearm. Gonna try and do some research tonight, and if the value is good, see if I can buy it tomorrow.

[JaS]

I'd be tempted to buy it just to have a listen If it's not better than your current deck you shouldn't have any trouble selling it, as the MA-505 alone is probably worth the asking price?

Regards,
JaS

[Blue Angel]

I'd be tempted to buy it just to have a listen If it's not better than your current deck you shouldn't have any trouble selling it, as the MA-505 alone is probably worth the asking price?

Regards,
JaS

Agreed. That's a good price for Micro gear. A machine shop can easily make replacement counterweights provided the weight and dimensions are supplied to them. The cracked lid likewise can be replicated by signmaking firms which fabricate acrylic.

ba

[annunaki]

Here's the 2 photos I took. Not sure which version of the MA-505 this is. I wonder if it came stock with a particular one.

[annunaki]

There's a guy here in Japan that makes MA-505 counterweights. They are a bit expensive, but may be worth it in the end.

http://www.vcyoyo-mitsuke.jp/shopbrand/034/O/

[annunaki]

One other thing I forgot to mention is that the tonearm is loose at the base. I'm assuming the allen screws were not tightened.

I was able to plug in and turn on the table. The platter spins freely and quiet at both speeds.

Anyone have a clue which MA-505 this is?

I'll be travelling back out to Tama/Machida in the morning to take a closer look at this table. Is there anything else I should inspect? I doubt I'll be able to connect a cartridge and test it there. It's an as-is sale as most items there are. It all appears to be in good order. The folks there will tell me any defects that they are aware of before the sale.

[annunaki]

After a bit of research, I believe the stock tonearm is likely an MA-505 MKI. If I get a proper counterweight and the mechanics are true, the tonearm should be of market value of $500-$700. So, if I invest $245 in the setup, add the counterweight at, say $100, that's $345 invested. Combined with the deck, it may be worth around $700-$1000 at fair market, correct?

My goal is to use, calibrate and enjoy the TT. Later, sell the deck along with the Denon DP-59L to work my way up to something like a Music Hall mmf 7.1 or something similar.

That's the plan anyway. I've been going back and forth over this damn table all day/night. Tomorrow may tell. The stores have a big sale planned for tomorrow, so maybe I'll get an even bigger break on the price. That, and a little haggling...

[JaS]

It looks like a great deal. It's a lovely arm and who knows, the deck might be a sleeper

Regards,
JaS

[annunaki]

The back of the deck has 2 RCA outputs and a ground connection. Looking through sale posts I've noticed that the deck may have shipped with an RCA to 5 pin cable. Would it be safe to assume I could connect this deck straight to my transformer with an RCA set with separate ground? Makes sense to me.

Also, would you think the arm would play well with a Denon DL-301II? I'm not so savvy with the compliance thing.

[davidsss]

As a few others have said, I reckon the arm would be worth more than the price asked. Not particularly familiar with the DD series Micros and Micro Seiki were mostly known for belt drives, but it looks like a decent deck not in the uber ranges that MS produced at times. Looks to be mid level, my BL51 would also be mid level and it is very nice (even if I do dream of a BL99V or AP1 or SZ 1 or . . . - hey I can dream).

The MA505 is one of the more common arms MS made so I wonder if there might be some counterweights for sale somewhere like EBay, HiFiDo or the like online? Might be cheaper than getting them made. Looks like you would also need a headshell, shouldn't be hard to find.

You should be able to tell why the armboard wobbles by having a quick look. As you said it is unlikely to be serious. There isn't much to go wrong with an armboard.

I would assume there would be an internal cable which goes from the arm to the RCA sockets on the back. If you can get to that you might be able to bypass the RCAs giving you less connections between the TT and the phono stage. Just a thought as I'm not familiar with MS DD series turntables.

I reckon it is good value but you would know the prices in Japan better than we do.

DS

[annunaki]

Got it today! I'll check it out tonight or maybe in a few days. Depends on my spare time.