| Product: |
General Comments |
| Date: |
28/08/01 (1218 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Beautiful sound, resistant to vibration, Total control over balance
Disadvantages: Expensive stylii, Expensive pickup!
Firstly, I should give you a little bit of background. I am (or was) very anti-vinyl. Even back when it was the way you got your new album, I would always tape the record and from then on use that. For many people, vinyl is an all-round experience, but I never really liked it.
When I was young, my family had a Dynatron music system with a Garrard record deck. The sound from that, playing a 12" single was immense. However, in the eighties, we were forced to hate records due to the awful quality of the vinyl used and the awful plasticcy tackiness of those "midi record decks". We all went over to CD didn't we?
Cut to 1991. I am living in a shared house in Harrow, but, due to my northern upbringing, would frequent jumble and car boot sales of a weekend. One day me and one of the housemates, an top-laugh Irish lad called Paul, went to a Scout Jumble in Harrow and that is where I met my Ariston RD-11S - I am still to this day not sure whether that is an '11' or a '2' represented by two ones. I digress.
Someone had quite obviously donated their separates system to those mighty Toilers of the Woggle, and I was most pleased when I was told that the price was £1.50. Oh yeah! Now I shall tell you what it's like.
Firstly, it is seriously heavy; well it should be, it's a serious record deck. Wooden plinth and all manner of weights and pulleys to adjust the arm. I must confess that I am not too bright when it comes to record decks, so if I say anything that rankles with the true hi-fi aficionado, I apologise here and now.
Back to the description. Underneath the smoked Perspex lid, lives a very heavy metal turntable, and apart from the arm mechanics, there is but one switch - On or Off. Speed adjustment is achieved by removing the metal turntable and placing the drive belt onto the other cog wheel on the capstan. We now return you to That Saturday In 1991.
As soon as I got home, I wa
s eager to test it out (well, obviously!) and I had the very record. I had been to the local library that morning, and in the New Record section of the music department was "God Fodder" by Ned's Atomic Dustbin. A friend had told me to look out for them, and this was that mythical thing - Virgin Vinyl. Trembling with lumps of fear, I plugged the fearsome Ariston into my little Sony "midi system" phono input. I had up to this point been playing records on a rather nasty Marantz midi style solid plastic deck, and it had not been pleasant. Dropping the stylus into the run in groove, I was assailed by seriously high quality sound. No idea how old the stylus was, but it sounded oh so very good.
That was 10 years ago. I still have my Ariston, and it is still functioning 100%. Reading Hi-Fi World and Computer Audio magazine the other day, I noticed in their "Classic Hi-Fi" type section, they raved about my little RD-11S. Who could but agree with their praise after having experienced old records played on a quality deck? If you see one of these in your local Free Ads, or know someone who is getting rid, blag it. Your ears and your record collection will love you for the rest of your life.
Summary:
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Last comment:
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tanny - 11/09/01 Nothing quite like that virgin vinyl feeling : ) Excellent op! |
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