2 CD-4 Turntables

[texquad]

I posted 2 Panasonic CD-4 turntables on ebay last night.
One's a SL-850:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200912868720

The other a SL-701:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200912842807

Unfortunately both are missing their respective cartridges. One of our own purchased the 850 but only wanted the EPC-450C cartridge and I removed the 701's cartridge some years back for reasons I don't remember (probably to sell another on another one). I had a Walco that I had planned to installing but decided to just put it up on it's own and it sold.

BTW-I also put up a Pioneer PL-L800 linear turntable too and guess what? It's cartridge less too! (it's a AT12Sa and I may sell it separately)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200912857454

 

[winopener]

The turntables are different (the 701 seems a rebranded BSR, while the 850 a rebranded Dual) but the cd4 demod inside is the same? Probably the 701 has a 4dd5 and the 850 has a 4dd10?
Anyone knows?

 

[texquad]

I think the 850 just has a nicer BSR changer. I don't know about decoders?

 

[Doug G.]

Panasonic units would not have JVC demodulators in them. They would most likely have the equivalent circuitry as their contemporary stand-alone units like the SE-405 or Technics SH-400 if late enough.

Doug

 

[winopener]

Good point, i mixed Panasonic with JVC.
For the 850, i can't remember any BSR with this type of changer, without the upper swing arm. That was typical of Dual decks, see here:

http://www.dual-reference.com

The series is the 1200 but i can't find a exact match.

 

[quadjoe]

Good point, i mixed Panasonic with JVC.
For the 850, i can't remember any BSR with this type of changer, without the upper swing arm. That was typical of Dual decks, see here:

http://www.dual-reference.com

The series is the 1200 but i can't find a exact match.

I have a Dual 1229Q and I can tell you that the Panasonic 850 is most certainly not a Dual deck. BSR did make some "higher end" tables starting back in the mid '70s that used the umbrella type spindle. Here's a BSR 710 on eBay that has just such a spindle, but it isn't the same exact unit as it has different operating controls: http://www.ebay.com/itm/BSR-710-Tra...d_Players_Home_Turntables&hash=item27d18bd854 At one time BSR was the largest manufacturer of turntables in the world, and most, if not all, were made in Great Britain.

 

[DudeRocks]

I posted 2 Panasonic CD-4 turntables on ebay last night.
One's a SL-850:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200912868720

The other a SL-701:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200912842807

Unfortunately both are missing their respective cartridges. One of our own purchased the 850 but only wanted the EPC-450C cartridge and I removed the 701's cartridge some years back for reasons I don't remember (probably to sell another on another one). I had a Walco that I had planned to installing but decided to just put it up on it's own and it sold.

BTW-I also put up a Pioneer PL-L800 linear turntable too and guess what? It's cartridge less too! (it's a AT12Sa and I may sell it separately)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200912857454

The model I picked up didn't have any sled type headshell, it's just a piece of metal for 2 screws stuck up in there. Did you happen to change it out for a sled type shell and what did you use or recommend to possibly replace this with?

 

[quadsearcher]

The model I picked up didn't have any sled type headshell, it's just a piece of metal for 2 screws stuck up in there. Did you happen to change it out for a sled type shell and what did you use or recommend to possibly replace this with?

That post is from 2013.
BSR turntables I had did not have a sled, and it looks like these marketed by Panasonic do not either. I recall it being difficult to change cartridges on those.
I looked last night for SL-701 and saw three on ebay. The sellers seemed to be trying to avoid showing or telling that there was no cartridge. One had a picture of the tonearm apparently playing a record, but the cartridge connectors were laying on the record! If I understand correctly, the strain-gauge cartridge that came with these is kind of the whole point of getting one. The demod is mounted in the case which makes for short wires so that's a plus, but I doubt a BSR table would track much at all without the original cart. There's little in the way of adjustments that are typical of other turntables.

 

[Doug G.]

Panasonic pretty much exclusively used BSR turntables in their all-in-one units, including the CD-4 versions. The Panasonic semi-conductor (strain gauge) cartridges track at 2+ grams so those BSR turntables were able to accommodate them.

BSR overtook Voice of Music as the #1 record changer manufacturer because they sold them so cheaply, the end manufacturers couldn't resist.

Doug

 

[texquad]

The model I picked up didn't have any sled type headshell, it's just a piece of metal for 2 screws stuck up in there. Did you happen to change it out for a sled type shell and what did you use or recommend to possibly replace this with?

I made no changes and I can't believe I'm seeing a post with pictures from 21 years ago

 

[Sonik Wiz]

I made no changes and I can't believe I'm seeing a post with pictures from 21 years ago

How many years???

 

[texquad]

How many years???

Woops,I was looking at the year in joined QQ. Still that post is "as old as the hills"

 

[Doug G.]

I can't believe the post I made about Panasonic not using JVC demodulators was that long ago. It seems like it was last week!

Doug

 

[Robkyle]

Well it's still timely, I just bought two Panasonic Turntables for the demodulators in the last year.

 

[Quad70s]

I always wondered whether turntables with built in CD4 demodulators existed.

Now I know

 

[gvl_guy]

I always wondered whether turntables with built in CD4 demodulators existed.

Now I know

The ONLY time I didn't have CD-4 playback issues was when I bought my first quad system, a Panasonic. The turntable was more-or-less a BSR with a strain gauge cartridge and built in demodulator. Never a problem. Now? Always a crap shoot.

 

[DudeRocks]

That post is from 2013.
BSR turntables I had did not have a sled, and it looks like these marketed by Panasonic do not either. I recall it being difficult to change cartridges on those.
I looked last night for SL-701 and saw three on ebay. The sellers seemed to be trying to avoid showing or telling that there was no cartridge. One had a picture of the tonearm apparently playing a record, but the cartridge connectors were laying on the record! If I understand correctly, the strain-gauge cartridge that came with these is kind of the whole point of getting one. The demod is mounted in the case which makes for short wires so that's a plus, but I doubt a BSR table would track much at all without the original cart. There's little in the way of adjustments that are typical of other turntables.

I'm the poor sap who actually purchased one of the SL-701's that you are talking about. Not only did the seller misrepresent there would be no cart installed but he broke the connectors on the wires when he removed them before shipping it! I now have to learn how to replace the wiring in this things tonearm, when I was expecting a working turntable to be delivered per the video! To make matters worse, he agreed to wait a week to ship it so I could go on vacation, which means yes we were chatting about this back and forth and made an agreement. He decided he would ship the very next day regardless without telling me, and it wound up in the rain on my porch for several hours as I then had to waste valuable vacation time on the phone with various friends and relatives to go pick it up! Luckily it didn't get too wet. Regardless, the tonearm is shot until those replacement wires come in from China, and no one can deliver one from Ebay or Amazon for about a month out! It's just sitting here until then... and about what the guy did with the cart that was in the pictures of the listing that he decided to take off the table before shipping it, he sold it seperately in another listing.

 

[DudeRocks]

PC issues, please disregard this.

 

[proufo]

There are no CD-4 turntables. Most of the capacitance that affects CD-4 reproduction is in the RCA cable. If needed, use a different low-capacitance cable or put the demodulator next to the turntable and use a short regular cable.

Now what is ideal is a suitable cartridge with a line-contact stylus and a tangential tonearm with very, very precise VTA alignment capabilities. Clean records help.

 

[DudeRocks]

There are no CD-4 turntables. Most of the capacitance that affects CD-4 reproduction is in the RCA cable. If needed, use a different low-capacitance cable or put the demodulator next to the turntable and use a short regular cable.

Now what is ideal is a suitable cartridge with a line-contact stylus and a tangential tonearm with very, very precise VTA alignment capabilities. Clean records help.

You do know we are discussing CD-4 turntables like the Panasonic SL-701 with a build in demodulator? Or we could start talking about a Dual 1249 which isn't technically built in CD-4 but had much improved skating adjustments to help with CD-4 playback, good article on the Dual here: Dual 1249 turntable