is this a bargain?

This turntable looks as good as any new £200-£300 one I have seen. I am not after it as I cannot afford it, but it just seems like somthing not be missed.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3035130766&category=3283

It looks very solid, although the lack of a power switch suggests its a semi automatic, but where is the speed selection? maybe its manual. It appears to be made out solid MDF or somthing similar but maybe its just plastic. Does anybody know if this turntable sounds as good as it looks?

 

Rotel were never know to produce good turntables. So really that makes this unrecomendable. How do you work out it's an MDF base?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3035146835&category=3283

That the bargin but its not a TD160 mor like a TD150.

 

The Rotel RP-830 is a perfectly competant turntable. It was never going to set the world alight, or compete with an LP12, but it was a recommended budget TT IIRC.

Cheers

 

Hi

The Rotel dates from the early 80s. At the time Rotel released some British designed gear. The amps were good sellers. The matched this some speakers & a couple of turntables, RP830 & RP850, so an all Rotel system could be purchased.

The turntable was better than a lot of the cheap competition at the time but wasn't up with the market leaders. I wouldn't pay to much for one.

This turntable has a manual speed change & wasn't suspended.


SCIDB

 

Wasn't this based on a rega style design?

IIRC it was well rated for the cash.

 

Why would you want a deck that can compete with an LP12 anyway? I just run mine through a bass boost equalizer and get really knackered records so I can emulate the incredible jumping properties of the LP12 from a properly designed turntable...

All IMHO of course

 

this could get interesting me thinx..........

 

Yeah - I know - I just love shoving my oar in on LP12s as this is one area in which I'm pleased to not agree with the majority (though if you put a Naim ARO arm on it and give it a decent PSU it sounds OK)

 

LP12 (1988 model), SME V arm and Ortofon MC 3000, all modded and tweaked, one of the best TT sounds I've heard. Not a traditional LP12 set-up of course, and apparently the SME is a b'stard to make fit to an LP12, dunno why, looked easy enough to me........

Arm jumping is a set-up issue, or a compliance problem between arm and cart. Bass boost, well that's obviously there to help counter the nasty shouty Olive geen stuff they're usually saddled with further down the line

Cheers

 

dom,
you hold him down i'll kick him...:chainsaw: :gatling:
cheers

julian

 

Worse than that, you could try and make me listen to some

Cheers

 

Hi

It may have been loosely based on it. It didn't have the Rega build quality IMO. The tonearm wasn't as good.

It did get a number of good reviews at the time. If it goes for less than £50 (£25 to £50) then it's a good buy.

The thing with the SME arm is that it is a heavy arm. This causes problems with balancing the deck. It was a bit of a pain. When SME came out a number of people (flat earters) thought it was a load of rubbish. It seemed to upset the flat earth apple cart. This sort of behaviour was rife in the 80s.


SCIDB

 

It had a bespoke arm board (Aluminium and some sort of composite custom made up in a sandwich), and different springs as part of the mods. It had a custom made platter as well. I seem to remember the chassis being filled with mastic of some sort as well. I saw the thing in 1992/3, and it was two years into the upgrades. The thing spent a lot of time at an engineering company for the board to be made and they fitted the SME to it for him. The messed up the first one as it warped when they cooked / cured it.

The springs were made up by a modelling company, but they were never quite right, he was always waiting for a new batch, not because it not level, but because it's sideways oscillations were often a problem, either to much or not square. It really was a labour of love, and I don't know if it was ever "finished" as such. It was phenominal sounding though. Really really good. For the money involved though he could have had something else though. When the Rock Reference came out he was worried, as it seemed to start from a higher base. Dunno what he has now, lost touch unfortunately.

Cheers