Dunlop Systemdek IIX900

Hi,

Just wondering what people's opinions/impressions were of this turntable. I was in the market for a vinyl deck, having unearthed some of my old vinyl in the post xmas clean, and came across one of these with a Rega RB250 arm and Goldring 1012GX cartridge. Any info/comments welcome.

Cheers,
BL21DE3

 

Just a few little point that spring to mind.

I used to own one of these decks until about 18 months ago, when i replaced it with my current LP12. Basically it is a very simple , good quality machine that is fairly easy to set up and fine tune. The sping hanger adjusters are on top of the deck so you don't have to take the bottom off and lie underneath it to adjust. It uses the same kind of 24 pole AC Syncro motor that is fitted to the likes of Linn LP12/Axis, Rega P2/3, etc and so an upgrade to the normally fitted 'Basik' type PSU can be easily acheived. The fittted PSU is a very simple design and would be very easy to repair/clone should it go wrong. The Rega RB250 needs no introduction apart from saying that they can be bought new for circa £135 ( for valuation purposes) , likewise the Goldring 1012GX is a very popular cartridge and can be upgraded to 1042 spec by just replacing the stylus assy, the cost of these carts new is circa £75, I've owned 4 of them and although i've now found a design that i prefer more , the Goldring is a very fine sounding cart. (Although people often mention the upgrade path for the goldring 1000 series, it is often cheaper to just buy an new cart as the price difference between the whole cart and just the stylus assy is quite minimal).
If your Systemdek package is in mint condition and boxed , preferably in the original shipping carton then I would say a s/h value of about £200 would be resonable. If you can get it for much less than this then it is a steal, any more than £200 then think carefully and make sure it's a minter, as this is also " old, Basik, Linn LP12 money.
This deck also needs very carfull siting, as it is VERY bouncy. If you have have springy suspended wooden floors, and rest the table on a light rigid support as recommended, then you will have to be very carefull when walking near to the deck whilst it is playing as they wobble like a Jelly ( more so than an LP12), a wallshelf should be considered as a minimum for this deck. If you have solid/concrete flooring then a normal Rack/Table/support should be fine.
Some of the later decks where finished in "90's Black Ash", i much prefer the real wood ( usually Walnut) veneer ones as they polish up lovely.

Edited to add: Whoops forgot to say the most improtant thing - theysound great !
All in all a fine and reasonably good quality deck. This one was mine:-

 

Thanks for the info. The unit I was looking at was the black ash finish, and I must admit that the walnut veneer is somewhat prettier (though let's face it I'd buy a brick if it made a sound I liked ). The asking price was in the region of £150. I only had a brief look but it did appear to be in pretty good nick, there was a slight chip on the platter, though I assume you could replace the platter with a modern equivalent if required. I didn't have a chance to see it running because it was a relatively new piece of stock and the dealer hadn't had a chance to set it up. But I am quite tempted by the deck especially after doing a little research on them, plus it seems quite a reasonable piece of kit for the asking price when comapred to the equivalent modern budget TT's.
However I face a dilema as there is the possibility of getting my hands on an LP12 with Ittok LVII and Linn cart (the model escapes me) for around £350. But going by the details I remember of the LP12 I saw and some web research it looks like it's a unit from the late 70's early 80's. I know that LP12's are upgradable to a degree, if this unit does come up for sale would it be worth the asing price? Also how easy is it to identify if the unit has been upgraded?

 

Hi BL21DE3,

The Systemdek is worth a look. Like Sid has said it's a good buy. It will beat new decks at that price. Systemdek stopped making a few years ago & Audionote took over the rights. They sell it as the TT1. There was an upgrade kit from Audionote for the Systemdek, which had an acrylic platter. I think it might be still avaliable.

The Linn Lp12 is worth a look. £350 sounds like a very good price. try & check the vintage. First get the serial number. look here for details of the upgrades & serial numbers.

Does it look like this. This is an older Linn. Pre Valhalla. Note the on off switch.

Or this. This is a classic Nivrana Valhalla Linn. Note the on off switch. Note the Valhalla power supply.

Have a look for inside to see if there is a Valhalla power supply. Note don't do this while the deck is plugged in as there are some lethal voltages on the board. Careful not to touch as there maybe voltages still present.

Also look at this. Scroll down to the AA LP12 faq link. There are more details about the turntable & arm.

Get a listen if you can. If you like what you hear then you could be onto a winner.

Also ask people like Sid & Coke and Tony L as they are LP12 owners. Tony L has built & set up many.

SCIDB

 

Hi SCIDB

Thanks for the info. I'm going to try and drop into the dealers tomorrow and have another nose around the LP12 and see if I can spot any of the details you've pointed out. One thing I do remember is that the lid was kept in the open position by a prop, so according to the LP12 history this makes the plinth/lid section circa 1979, of course I'll have to check for the Nirvana/Valhalla modifications etc. Of course this is all academic since the unit may not come up for sale, but I must admit it's quite fun researching the history of hifi components.

Cheers,
BL21DE3

 

Bit of an update.

Dropped by the dealers this afternoon to have another squint at the LP12. Going by the links that SCIDB gave me yesterday it's certainly a pre-1979 model. But unfortunately it had no serial number on the back or the base of the plinth, so I can't tell the exact year of manufacture (I assume the serial no. must be located internally). The power supply was still the original big red button and the whole unit was in very good condition, the dealer mentioned that the arm and bearing were in perfect condition. So I'm still very tempted though I'm not sure if it is worth £350. And it still actually has to come up for sale (but fingers crosssed ).

Thanks again for the info on the decks.

BL21DE3

 

If you have a look on ebay at the moment, you'll find an extraordinarily high priced Ittock for sale, currently at about £620.00, so I reckon £350.00 all in has got to be worth a punt if you can get it.

Fingers crossed for you, and if you do get it, pm me, as I may have some documentation relating to early LP12's which may be of interest.

Goomer.

 

Not sure about that particular ittok on ebay, its a private auction and I always find them very odd, because they always seem to go to rediculous levels, can't help but wonder if a number of people are working together to sucker people in?

 

Pick two LP12 owners at random, ask them which date and revision is best and I guarantee you will get two different answers. The LP12 has changed a fair bit over the years, sufficiently for preferences for any given era to be legitimate.

IMHO condition is everything, age is simply a preference thing - if it is imacculate cosmetic condition with a genuinely sound bearing and a non-knackered Ittok then 350 quid is a absolute bargain (there is actually a 200 quid profit on eBay to be had if you don't like it!).

I'll happily give a few pointers as to how to spot a shagged LP12 if requested, but I'm off to watch IACGMOOH now!

Tony.

 

Hi BL21DE3 (can I call you B3?)

If you live anywhere near Tom Alves (Crieff, Perthshire) and if you don't go for the LP12 and if you're not in a great hurry, I would be happy to bring a Systemdek IIX900 up with me when I visit Tom (which should be in the next few weeks). I'm sure I could find you a good one (from my garage stock) at a good price.

Just let me know
7SM524V

 

TonyL:
I'd appreciate some pointers on spotting a defective LP12, just so I'm prepared should it become available.

7_V:
Thanks for the offer, I'll certainly consider it if the LP12 isn't available.

Cheers,
BL21DE3

 

The beauty of the LP12 is that every part is available as a spare. The key is to get one where the most expensive parts are all on good condition.

The plinth costs about 225 quid, and can suffer from warpage – to be honest there is no such thing as a perfectly flat LP12 plinth in my experience. Just don't get one that is too twisted. The top plate is quite expensive at over 100 quid, but there is little to go wrong here. A good hard polish will get even very dull ones looking good.

The main bearing can usually be had second hand for about 50 quid from a good Linn dealer or 400 quid as part of the Cirkus update kit of you want a brand new one. Take out the inner platter and have a look at the rounded head of the bearing. If it is flattened, scraped, or otherwise marked then it is trash. This is a critical part of the deck, and if it ain't right it won't sound right.

The outer platter costs 170 quid and is easily bent if dropped. If it is bent you need a new one. If it goes up and down as the deck goes round then it's knackered.

The motor is about 100 quid, and may be well worth replacing on a deck as old as the one you are considering. If it sounds noisy I'd change it.

The spring-hangers, springs, grommets belt etc are all included as part of a full service by a Linn dealer for about 50-70 quid.

A new lid is 60 quid.

The Ittok is harder to test without totally freaking the seller out (i.e. taking it off the deck). You can get a reasonable idea by free-floating the arm and gently blowing it across the playing surface – look for any notches and sticking points. The Ittok is especially prone to this as many dealers and punters over-tightened the arm pillar and as a result crushed the lateral bearings. Do a similar test to the vertical bearings.

Hope this helps.

Tony.

 

TonyL:
Thanks for the pointers on what to look out for. Now I just have to wait for the deck to actually come up for sale .

BL21DE3