Is any of this stuff any good?

My friends uncle sadly passed away recently and they are clearing his house.

It seems that he was a bit of a Hi Fi enthusiast and there is quite a lot of (mainly old) kit which needs to be either rescued or disposed of.

My friend has asked me to help him identify which items are worth keeping/selling on. Most of this kit is 'before my time' and I could use a little help.

I do know that the Leak stuff and the KEF speakers are well worth saving.

Here is the list:

Leak:
Delta AM.FM Tuner
Delta 70 Amp
Stereo 70 Amp (bit old and battered and without casing lid, so probably not working)
Through Line Stereo (tuner) and Stereo 30 Amp - these two together in a very well made mahogany(?) cabinet.

Tandberd TR1010 FM/AM Receiver and Akai GXC-46D tape deck together in cabinet (probably a hidden amp in the cab too I'd guess but haven't looked in detail yet)

Technics SL-PJ27A CD deck

Sony:
TC-K411 Tape Deck
TC-K611S Tape Deck
MDS-JE510 MD Deck
MDS-JB930 MD Deck
CDP-XE510 CD Deck
MD313 Mini Hifi with TC-TX313 tape deck and speakers
MD333 Mini Hifi with TC-TX313 tape deck and speakers

KEF Carlton speakers

All advice will be gratefully received!

 

None of that apart from the Leak Troughline and Tandberg TR1010 are particularly collectable. Those should sell in forum classified or eBay and be worth the hassle.

The Sony TC-K611S was a nice a cassette deck, so it might be worth reasonable cash to a tape enthusiast.

The rest should certainly sell - it isn't junk - but isn't sought after.

 

Thanks Rob

 

I can imagine the room full of 2x tape decks, 2x minidiscs, 2x cd players... Everything doubled!

 

A Hi Fi enthusiast and also a prolific hoarder by the looks of things.

Evidently there are also some monster D.I.Y/kit speakers with a single very large (approx 360mm) drive unit per cabinet.

 

Definitely worth looking at the drivers - could be any one of several sought after vintage units. If Tannoys it's jackpot time!

 

I've just found out that there is also a Thorens TD124 mk2 in there as well!

My friend is bringing it up on Sunday for me to take a look at and has offered me first refusal on it.

There's just two problems with that:

1) I already told him how much it's worth (sometimes I'm just too honest).
2) I already have a nicely sorted TD125 mk2 with an SME 3009 type 2 improved.

The TD124 seems to have a fanatical following but can it really be better than the TD125? (Cue argument over idler wheels vs drive belts etc...)

 

Wow depending on condition a 124 is worth big bucks..... Definitely check those drivers!

As for it being better, visually yes IMO but wouldn't bet on it sonically. Both are excellent.

 

Well it really is a TD124 mk2 and it's currently sat in my living room.

It's very dirty but seems to be complete. It is fitted with an SME 3009 with an ADC detachable headshell and ortofon VMS 30 mk2 cartridge.

At the moment it is fitted into a home-made cabinet which also houses a Tandberg TR1010 receiver amp and a n Akai GXC-46 tape deck.

I was hoping to get it working for a quick listen this evening but frustratingly the mains lead is a funny old style little 3-pin affair.

I now need to decide if I want it and how much I'm willing to offer for it. God only knows what I'll do with it , it's not like I can listen to both turntables at once.

There are some old KEF speakers there which my friend says are labelled KEF Carlton. However his description of what they look like sounds much more like a Cambridge R50. He describes wooden slats on the front grille and they are huge he reckons approx 100cm high x 50cm wide. Any ideas? Could they be the drive units from a KEF transplanted into a larger kit cabinet?

I haven't seen those large single driver kit speakers yet.

 

Kef often reused model names, so that Carlton could easily be a 60s model and an 80s/90s model.

Probably this:

http://www.kef.com/html/gb/explore/about_kef/museum/1960s/Carlton/index.html

It will be worth considerably more than the later version.

 

Hi Rob, yes I was looking at the 80's version.

I reckon you are right. I'll ask him to send me a picture to confirm.

 

Despite going to bed at 1am I was so excited about the TD124 I got up at 5am to give it a light 'recommissioning' so that I could play with it.

All things considered it seems to be in pretty good order, the rubber parts (drive belt, motor isolation bushes, vibration damping feet) all need replacing but there doesn't seem to be anything horrendously wrong. It does need a plinth though.

It is certainly well made and would look very pretty indeed if mounted in a posh plinth. Sound wise I would say it is on par with my TD125 more or less. They do sound slightly different but I strongly suspect that is more due to the cartridge (and probably the stylus at that) than the decks themselves. For what it's worth my TD125 mk2 with an Ortofon M20 FL super is slightly more 'airy' and brighter and the VMS 30 mk2 equipped TD124 is slightly 'richer/full bodied.

I dearly like to add the TD124to my collection but they seem to fetch silly money nowadays, especially on ebay. I reckon a complete and working example could fetch as much as £1000+! I'm sorry but I just don't think they are worth that much. Either that or the TD125 is criminally undervalued.

I think my friend would part with it for £700 (ish).

I need a second opinion; am I missing something? Will I regret it forever if I don't snap it up? Or am I doing the right thing in trusting my ears which tell me it isn't any better than what I've got and therefore a waste of money?

 

I'd say that it would be well worth buying for keeps if you were a collector of such things, but it's far harder to justify £700 on a TT that will still require much work and fettling to get fully to spec for your own use.

£700 is a bargain if it includes the SME and Ortofon though, so even if you just break it into TT, arm and cart you'd be well into profit in a sale.

A good clean SME 3009 is going to fetch north of £250, and the VMS will add another £50+ if working well.

But I'm very disappointed that we've not had any pics yet.........

 

These old turntables and arms can have stunning good looks; but how do they compare in sound quality with a modern production turntable of decent quality and sensible price?

 

A TD124 or 125 will be fully competitive with anything made today. You have to pay attention to condition and the correct plinth with the idler decks such as the 124 (which is hybrid) and something like the Garrard 301/401 in order to minimise drive noise. The motors make most in use today look like toys, though the need for such things is open for debate.

 

Hi Rob,

Request for photographs duly noted!

Here is my TD125 mk2.

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The plinth is a home-made effort constructed from thick MDF and sprayed satin black to match the rest of my kit. SME 3009 type 2 improved tonearm and Ortofon M20FL Super cartridge. The platter mat is a period Audioref one which came with the deck.

And here is the TD124 mk2 which my friend is selling on behalf of his uncles estate.

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It too has a 9" SME tonearm but I think this is a 3009 series 2. Note the ADC detachable headshell. The deck was fitted into DIY teak veneered cabinet but it really is crying out to be put into a nice plinth.

 

Tandberg TR1010 receiver anyone?

http://i983.photobucket.com/albums/ae313/mikepickwell/Hi Fi/P1050418_zps29d03ece.jpg




Or how about an Akai GXD 46 D tape deck?

http://s983.photobucket.com/user/mikepickwell/library/

 

I've found a much better image hosting website.

Here's a better of the TD125:



and the TD124:

 

Excellent stuff. That's a nice looking 125. Is the Audioref mat the one that feels sticky to the touch and clings to the record?
I might be thinking of the Spectra or Dumpa mats...... memories

Lovely clean looking 124 and pre improved 3009.
I'd pay £700 for that pair without hesitation.

Check that the Akai actually works.
It's 40 years old and the belts have likely turned to goo by now.

 

It's just a soft pliable rubber mat really.

Just for you Rob: