Realistic LAB-400 Reviews

Realistic LAB-400

by Che

Picked up my Lab 400 for $50.00, brought it home gave it a bath and it looks & plays awesome. I love this table. Has that old school classic look and design.
Upgraded cartridge to a Nagaoka MP110 and installed new rca cables. It's a Keeper !!

by puptent

I've had mine since I was a pup, and still believed in Santa. It was my first good TT. The last fifteen years or so it's been a dedicated mono TT. I downloaded the service manual here, and it will get a well deserved over haul. I don't think I will ever sell it.

by gkolll

Great turntable, had it for 20 years. Of course it was made by CEC. On its back label it is written 'Custom manufactured in Japan for Radio Shack'.
Check out another turntable identical to LAB400 made by CEC, as well, the NIKKO P70, sold as Transonic-Strato P70 in Germany.

by pepmyster

Finally. After searching for years for a Realistic TT to go with my STA 2100D, Got it. What a beautiful TT. Quiet, nothing bad to say, works in every way. Just plain and simple, It's a keeper for sure. I paid the price but I wanted that one. Used to work at Radio Shack , I should have bought it then in the 80's, but, at least I have it now.

by Izzohead

Bought used for cheap, with no headshell or cartridge, and the only known issue being a wobbly speed. After a good cleaning and lubing of the pots with CRC Contact Cleaner and 2-26, then cleaning and lubing the motor spindle she ran faithfully.

Man this table is an absolute treasure. Definitely invest in a nice cartridge for this one, it will put it to wonderful use. Silent, stylish, sturdy. My favorite of the Realistic LAB series, I love the dark faceplate and switches, it simply screams cool. Simple to start, stop, and repeat, boiling down automatic tables to their essence. Don't sleep on this table, Japanese made quality made during the peak of vinyl.

by Qmvp20

Absolutely life keeper.
Have had many different high end turntables but this Lab 400 is super reliable, quiet, and operates with ease.
Of course deserves decent cartridge.
Combined with my McIntosh preamp and amp it’s perfect.

by bolam9925

we have not heard this deck play since we bought it new & it sounds great through my surround sound system.well worth keeping it all these years.i am now reuniting my old records with the record deck.only bad thing i have lost the manual.

by shaguar00

EVEN BOSCH WOULD ENVY THIS TURNTABLE. I needed my first turntable since I was a kid so I can share analog stereo and the joy of an entire album with art and liner notes with my teens. I got a pristine version in an estate sale, complete with a perfect dust cover and even the 45 adapter. Stunningly silent motor with zero hiss or buzz through my amp, even with a basic Gemini cartridge (which will soon be upgraded). I love the vintige look, shock absorbing feet, and I appreciate the fully automatic features with repeat option and live speed tuning. I searched for this model locally based on the vinylengine.com reviews here. Thanks to this site and contributors for the pdf service and owner manuals for the LAB-400.

by RBarrish

Found mine at a Garage Sale. $20, just lucky. Cleaned up very nicely and works great. No issues. I will update the original cartridge. This replaced my original Dual and I agree with the comments above.
Dead quiet and smooth running. If your in the market and come across one don't hesitate!

by donpobre

Got this one recently for $100 in very good and working condition and with Shure R47XT cart this turntable produced phenomenal sound, solid built and keep a steady speed.

by George1955

I love mine - My son destroyed the one i bought new and I found this one from an online marketplace. I wish someone would upload a service manual. On the one I got the platter wobbles - not really set into place. I think the guy I bought it from sent an incorrect platter. otherwise no issues at all.

by electrajojo

This turntable was not made by CEC. It was designed and made in Realistic's own factories beginning in 1978. Why people continue to come up with these stories (another being the STA-2100 built by Foster)is mind boggling when they had numerous factories building their units in the 70's all owned by Realistic. That's one reason why the quality was so good.

by zastin17

Any reason why you wouldn't rate this TT 5 stars is beyond me. Perfect in every real world way. Dead silent. Zero audible noise from the motor. Built like a tank, Heavy platter. Cartridges like the Grado which has problems tracking on heavy tonearms seem to track perfectly on this. It's zero compromises in terms of performance. When powered off you can spin the platter with your hand and it will continue spinning for several minutes which shows how good the design is. (no friction) This is essentialy a Marantz 6350 without the hype. The lab 400 looks nicer to me though. For manual cueing, I tend to press start then move the tone arm to the track I want to play before it drops the stylus.

by jbrender1

Excellent sound and look. Auto Repeat and Auto Stop are nice features. Heavy duty Platter and stobe. I had 2 Marantz 6300's, 1 Technics and 1 Pioneer Turntable and had nothing but problems with them. Even after servicing. Paid way too much for those also. Picked the Lab-400 up from Craigslist, and was happy to finally hook up a vintage turntable up that works flawlessly. I hesitated many times to buy a Realistic but always had my eye on this particular model because it was the only Realistic that looked good with great reviews. Many of their other models are very cheap looking, this one reminds me of a cross between the Marantz 6300 and a Pioneer PL71. Very happy with this decision.

by richartisticwoods

I have 2 of these and they work fantastic, and they have that stylish wood plinth look even though they are just vinyl covered. I had to make some adjustments for stylus set down distance and the repair manual helped out immensely. The strobe unit works well on these tables. I have always liked Realistic brand equipment from the '70s and these haven't disappointed. They have a nice repeat function on them and it works well. No drawbacks that I can tell. Sounds very good.

by Nehntek

This is a fantastic table at the price I paid of $150. I found it through my local craigslist. Because it was manufactured in the 70s I figured I'd have to dial it in, maybe repair it. Nope, it's in beautiful working order. I wasn't too keen on Realistic brand (Radio Shack / Tandy) back in the 70s. I am so pleased with the sound coming from this 40 year old turntable.

by mbetts

Nice Turntable made by CEC which made many other name brand tables like Marantz 6100-6300 tables.
Easy smooth operation and quiet. Sound when set up right is great for the price point.