My latest score, its a good one

[Bob in STL]

I bought three items last night, all used.

First is a Jolida J9 (see picture below). I have two systems set up, one is surround sound system with a Yamaha P751/Denon DL-110 added in to play vinyl in my main livivng room. The system performance was restricted by the Denon receiver's poor phono input. Not anymore. Now it sounds very good with the addition of the Jolida Phono Preamp. My other system is a two channel system in my basement and it is still in development. It has a TD-160/SME 3009/M97xE for vinyl. The Jolida really helps bring the richness of this combination out. Right now I am swapping the Phono stage between the two systems.



My next purchase was a Kenwood KD-550. It came with a Sumiko Oyster cartridge (stylus needs replacement) and the standard Kenwood arm. It needs a clean up. So far I adjusted the tonearm's tracking force and the A/S and I set the motor speed. The last owner had the VTA and cartridge overhang set way far off and I have not got to that yet. I played a test record just for kicks. The dust cover is broken and the hinges are missing. The good news is that the motor and platter are perfect, as are the feet, the tone arm, and the massive plinth. It weighs a ton (well actually about 40 lbs). I put it aside for a winter season restoration project. I bought it for $50 with the thought of someday adding a nice arm and telly trying to improve it.





Last purchase was a very clean Marantz 6300 for $175. I did not really want this deck, I just wanted the Shure V-15 Type III cartridge installed on it. I plan on putting this cartridge on my TD-1650/SME 3009. Also planning on a Jico SAS stylus upgrade. I spent some time setting it up, the previous owner had it dialed in pretty darn good. I fell in love with the sound of the V-15 type 3. I was doing comparisions with my the DL-110 and after awhile I just stopped and kept listening to the Shure. I really like its big warm sound. Vocals and acoustic instruments sounded very good to me. As you can see in the photos, it needs a new stylus but still, the Shure's performance was excellent. I am also impressed with the operation of the 6300. Still, I think I will eventually sell it. You can only have so many TT's and I can possibly recover my costs by selling this one.







Overall all a nice day!

Cheers, Bob

[EdAInWestOC]

IMO...you should not waste your money on a replacement stylus for the Oyster. I have heard a lot of cartridges and found the Oyster as a decided under performer. For the money there are much better cartridges than the Sumiko Oyster.

For instance...try replacing the Oyster with a Denon DL-110. The DL-110 is available for a reasonable amount of money but its performance is definately above its asking price. No stylus you can place on the Oyster and no tonearm you will place it on and no phono preamp you will hook it to will compensate for its sound.

Apologies to those who own this cartridge but please, as soon as you can, get rid of this thing. Its pretty bad. Sorry.

Ed

[raphaelmabo]

Well you can get two Oysters for the same price as one DL-110 and you still have money left to spend... comparing them is really like comparing apples and oranges. The Oyster has a nice and warm sound, a bit laid back.

But if one seeks replacement, then the Sumiko Black Pearl or even better the Sumiko Pearl, is an excellent choice. Tracks well, good tonality, good detailing and high musicality. Does not have the lush warm mid bass sound as as the DL-110, but for almost half the price I say the Pearl is better value for money. And yes, I used to own the DL-110. Being a high-output MC design, one can't replace the stylus in an easy way... I got the Sumiko Pearl and it has a replaceable stylus. I will keep on hanging to this one for the time being.

And unfortunately no, the Pearl replacement stylus doesn't fit the Oyster.

[Bob in STL]

IMO...you should not waste your money on a replacement stylus for the Oyster. I have heard a lot of cartridges and found the Oyster as a decided under performer. For the money there are much better cartridges than the Sumiko Oyster.

For instance...try replacing the Oyster with a Denon DL-110. The DL-110 is available for a reasonable amount of money but its performance is definately above its asking price. No stylus you can place on the Oyster and no tonearm you will place it on and no phono preamp you will hook it to will compensate for its sound.

Apologies to those who own this cartridge but please, as soon as you can, get rid of this thing. Its pretty bad. Sorry.

Ed

I have another friend that says the same things about the Oyster.

Take a look at the second picture of the KD 550. It looks like the tonearm pivot point is set too high. Also note that the cartridge was mounted in the forward most spot of the headshell, meaning to me that it is most likely not in the correct place. Until these items are addressed I cannot say anything definitive about the sound of the Oyster.

I spent less than one hour on this deck so far ... in that time I set the speed controls on the motor (w/ pitch adjustment pots at center) and I adjusted the tracking force and anti-skate. Visual inspection tells me the tonearm and cartridge need more adjustment but I was just trying to assess the overall health of the deck. I have no long term plans for the Oyster. I played a record that I use for sanity testing to do an end-to-end test. Music came out cleanly on both channels so this tells me the tonearm wiring and connections are ok. There was no hum/noise so this tells me the grounding and the PS are probably ok. The music sounded ok, not horrible at all, but not what I would call really good either. I was surprised that when I tapped on the plinth with my finger I did indeed hear the "thump" sound transfer to the speakers. I thought this giant heavy plinth would prevent that?

I bought this deck for its potential. It appears the design enables arm swapping and that intriqued me. Beside, it looks kind of cool and seems worth a $50 investment.

thanks, Bob

[Bob in STL]

Well you can get two Oysters for the same price as one DL-110 and you still have money left to spend... comparing them is really like comparing apples and oranges. The Oyster has a nice and warm sound, a bit laid back.

But if one seeks replacement, then the Sumiko Black Pearl or even better the Sumiko Pearl, is an excellent choice. Tracks well, good tonality, good detailing and high musicality. Does not have the lush warm mid bass sound as as the DL-110, but for almost half the price I say the Pearl is better value for money. And yes, I used to own the DL-110. Being a high-output MC design, one can't replace the stylus in an easy way... I got the Sumiko Pearl and it has a replaceable stylus. I will keep on hanging to this one for the time being.

And unfortunately no, the Pearl replacement stylus doesn't fit the Oyster.

Since this is a medium mass tonearm I will just try my DL-110 on it.

thanks, Bob

[Bob in STL]

We been talking about the Oyster which is the mosr irrelvant part of the deal.

I just cleaned up the Marantz 6300 and played it again. It is a very nice table. Looks great and fun to operate. The Shure cartridge is amazing. Wow, the V-15 T3 sounds beautiful. It has a sound that appeals to me. I expect the mileage is high on the stylus so I am going to stop playing it but right now I would say I like it more than my DL-110 and my M97xE is not even close to it.

I made this deal for the Phono preamp and the Shure V-15 T3 and I am happy that I did. I am going to start looking at stylus options right now. If anyone has any preferences let me know. I understand Jico SAS is a favorite.

Cheers, Bob

[nat]

You also got what looks like an Osawa mat on the Kenwood -- its a fine mat and probably worth what you paid for the whole shebang.

[Bob in STL]

You also got what looks like an Osawa mat on the Kenwood -- its a fine mat and probably worth what you paid for the whole shebang.

Good to know. I did notice the platter mat is very heavy, seems like a good one.

I will post some pictures after I clean it up and put a cartridge on it.