modern uprights?

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phonophan79
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modern uprights?

Post by phonophan79 »

So, we've all seen the record / cd / radio units with that "old design" look to them. Well, they're growing taller. I guess this is a "modern upright"... but its only 21" high... thats about half the height of an actual upright, so that would be a strange height.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0124952617

OrthoFan
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Re: modern uprights?

Post by OrthoFan »

phonophan79 wrote:guess this is a "modern upright"... but its only 21" high... thats about half the height of an actual upright, so that would be a strange height.
Actually, it's 21" wide. According to the dimensions posted, it's 36.125 inches high, which would be slightly shorter than some old models I've seen --
21" w X 13.5"d X 36.125" h
The problem I'd be concerned about is the quality of the components. The turntable, for instance, is all plastic--including the gears, and there have been some issues regarding the turntable speed settings reported. I bought a Crosby Traveler model a year ago and found that all of the speeds were about 10 percent faster than they should have been-- 78 spun at 81, 45 spun at 49, etc. I returned it to the store for a refund.

richardh

Re: modern uprights?

Post by richardh »

ummmm, whats really shocking is that fake styling. YUK! It looks so naff. WHO buys this stuff? (sorry if I offend anyone here :D ) Me, well i'd much rather have the real thing.

RJ 8-)

gramophoneshane
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Re: modern uprights?

Post by gramophoneshane »

richardh wrote:ummmm, whats really shocking is that fake styling. YUK! It looks so naff. WHO buys this stuff? (sorry if I offend anyone here :D ) Me, well i'd much rather have the real thing.

RJ 8-)
Especially when the real thing will often cost half as much!

richardh

Re: modern uprights?

Post by richardh »

and you can retro fit a line in so that you can play your CD's through it should you wish. Both my 1937 HMV and 1936 Marconiphone radiograms have this modification. The beauty of it is is that it can easily be undone at a later point if desired.

RJ 8-)

estott
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Re: modern uprights?

Post by estott »

You should realize that we are not the market these things are intended for. A lot of them sell to old folks who have moved into smaller quarters. They still have their records but can't take along the Zenith console they bought in 1972, even if it does still play just fine.

Actually put me into the minority if you will, but I have one of the low end versions (plays records only) and I find it's adequate for my needs. I've got tons of LP's but I seldom play them- my Thomas Pacconi does OK and it has the advantage of being compact enough to shove into a bookcase. When I want to hear serious music I'll either put in a CD or use my HMV.

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Amberola 1-A
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Re: modern uprights?

Post by Amberola 1-A »

estott wrote:You should realize that we are not the market these things are intended for. A lot of them sell to old folks who have moved into smaller quarters. They still have their records but can't take along the Zenith console they bought in 1972, even if it does still play just fine.
Amen, Eric. I think nits are being picked here. LPs are beginning to make a resurgence here and these are a cheap, stylish way of playing them. I don't imagine a real audiophile buying one of these but they serve the purpose and can elicit comments from ppl that aren't into the "field" like we are. Besides, if they didn't sell, they would quickly disappear but it seems that this is not the case!

:clover:
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Re: modern uprights?

Post by OrthoFan »

gramophoneshane wrote:I wonder if the speed variation is because of the 240vt/50cycles & 120vt/60cycle differences?
I never did get to the bottom of it. When I took it back to the store--Target-- the customer service rep offered to exchange it for another one. I told her I would, providing I could test the speed of the turntable in the store. I was sent to the electronics department and told the manager what was going on. I asked him if it would be okay to unbox one so I could test the speed of the turntable, but he absolutely refused, so I went back to the customer service counter and got a refund.

For all I know I might have simply drawn a defective model, or perhaps there was something wrong with the production run. But, as noted, I have heard from others that the (Crosley) turntable speeds are not exactly accurate.

Interestingly, had the turntable worked okay, I would have kept it. It actually had a nice tone for a small portable. Not audiophile, as has been noted, but a pretty good bass response and crisp treble. I only have a few LPs, and don't see myself collecting any more, so it would have been just the thing.

I've thought of getting another Califone, but the last used one I owned nearly caught fire--I have horrible luck with used electronics equipment-- so if I get one, it would have to be a new model like this one:

Image

gregbogantz
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Re: modern uprights?

Post by gregbogantz »

As has been discussed before on this and other forums, if you want a convenient, reliable way to get the most bang for your buck in an ordinary small, portable record player, you can't do any better than buying one of the commercial types that were made for schools and churches such as those models made by Newcomb, Hamilton, Audiotronics and a few others. You can pick them up used very often for less than $50 on eBay, flea markets, Goodwill stores and the like. These machines were pretty well made (the Newcomb being the best) and they have electronic equalization built in to make them sound exceptionally good for their small size. They probably won't need much restoration as they are very simple designs, and they will work FAR better than the chinese new junk that's now being sold. The older models have tube amplifiers and the newer ones are solid state. They're all quite reliable. Some of them even have variable speed verniers in addition to playing 3 or 4 record speeds. The "powerpoint" type of cartridges that most of them use are better than the modern chinese ones and NOS replacements are readily available from a number of sellers on eBay. And all of them that I've seen have a proper stylus selection for 78s as separate from that required for microgroove records (usually a turn-over cartridge or flip-under stylus arrangement). None of this single stylus for all speeds nonsense that the new junk has. I wouldn't even consider buying new junk when there is so much good used stuff available that works better.
Collecting moss, radios and phonos in the mountains of WNC.

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operabass78s
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Re: modern uprights?

Post by operabass78s »

I used to have one of those 4 function units years back. Problem was that the weight of the 78 RPM discs did something to the (no doubt chinese plastic) internal mechanism so when I would play an LP the pitch would be flat. After a while the same malady affected all of the speeds of the turntable. They are good cheap units for the casual listener who wants to listen to thier vinyl again but not for 78 collectors; go to KAB USA.

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