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ERA turntable

Discussion in 'classic' started by murphydog, Feb 7, 2023.

Page 1 of 2
  1. murphydog

    murphydog Canine member

    Any thoughts on these tts? A friend has just been offered one.
    SME arm would suggest it might be a reasonable deck but I’ve never come across one before.
     
    murphydog, Feb 7, 2023
    #1
  2. cobbers

    cobbers pfm Member

    Mk6?
     
    cobbers, Feb 7, 2023
    #2
  3. Tony L

    Tony L Administrator

    I’ve been curious about them since learning they were designed by JC Verdier. I suspect they were designed to a price, but I’d still like to pull one to bits and see exactly how it works.

    PS If the price is good, i.e. not more than the now rather inflated price of a 3009, it would be hard to go wrong. I’d expect it to be broadly comparable to a TD-150 as that is what it would have been sold against. What if any parts are available is anyone’s guess though.
     
    Tony L, Feb 7, 2023
    #3
  4. Copperjacket

    Copperjacket pfm Member

    Copperjacket, Feb 7, 2023
    #4
  5. Fergus

    Fergus pfm Member

    That’s in my neighbourhood! He’s posted it a few times.
     
    Fergus, Feb 7, 2023
    #5
  6. Tony L

    Tony L Administrator

    You could win on that as even missing the finger-lift the 3009 Imp. is worth more than that.
     
    Tony L, Feb 7, 2023
    #6
    Darmok likes this.
  7. murphydog

    murphydog Canine member

    It’s not that one. Are the arms really worth that much these days?
     
    murphydog, Feb 7, 2023
    #7
  8. cobbers

    cobbers pfm Member

    The Mk6 isn't a bad little turntable 10 inch platter like a certain British kit but to my mind rather more professionally built - IIRC a 48pole motor that didn't need a flick to get it started in the right direction - the plinth was pressed steel - beware the electrics inside IIRC rather crude and the least professional part of it.
     
    cobbers, Feb 7, 2023
    #8
  9. stevec67

    stevec67 pfm Member

    SME 3009s are crazy money. I must sell my spare ones, I got them in the 90s on various decks for buttons.
     
    stevec67, Feb 7, 2023
    #9
    Darmok likes this.
  10. Yank

    Yank Bulbous Also Tapered

    I owned one of these tables back in the '70s, and as with the one pictured in the ad linked above, mine had a full size platter.

    It was a rather crude affair all over, if ERA spent any money on it at all it was on the bearing. The "suspension" was four strips of double-stick foam weather stripping.
     
    Yank, Feb 7, 2023
    #10
  11. cobbers

    cobbers pfm Member

    I had one in the early 2000's for a short time - obviously had a 3009 on it at one time because of the cutout - fitted the arm from an 'end of life' QED R232 on it to use it.
    Very deep subplatter which you couldn't remove or change the belt without disassembly of the plinth.
     
    cobbers, Feb 7, 2023
    #11
  12. Tony L

    Tony L Administrator

    They’ve rebalanced now after being hopelessly out of fashion in the ‘straight black rod and no ergonomics or features’ thing of the 1980s. The fixed-shell Improved is a little out of place with modern medium mass/compliance though there are still some carts which match well (e.g. Ortofon MMs). The detachable shell Improved and especially the earlier standard Series II are now seen as the decent versatile arms they always were. The 3009/3012 aren’t the last word in anything, but they are beautifully made, so easy to use and I have no desire to upgrade or alter what is an absolute design-classic vinyl front end that sounds superb (mine is on a similar period TD-124 and very happy supporting an MP-500).

    The eBay sold-item pricing of 3009s is a bit random, and it appears bizarrely unconnected to version, but it is seldom less than £300 and can be anything up to twice that for a really nice boxed example. The Series I is crazy rare and a good one would be £1.5k+. Likely double that or more for mint & boxed.
     
    Tony L, Feb 7, 2023
    #12
  13. Darmok

    Darmok "In Lation, Trans Lost."

    Junk!

    plus 1 x4

    Plus one.

    Rubbish, they are unless fitted with a SME 3009 S2, ripe and ready for a transplant.

    I bought one cheaply fitted with a lowly modern Ortofon T/Arm.

    Sold on to my Bro In law, the Ortofon arm fell to pieces.

    The sub chassis / plinth on the Era Mk6 was / is a pressed steel affair, I never once saw any other Mks of any other version Era.
     
    Darmok, Feb 7, 2023
    #13
  14. Yank

    Yank Bulbous Also Tapered

    It was the Renault 12 of turntables. :)
     
    Yank, Feb 7, 2023
    #14
    Darmok likes this.
  15. Fergus

    Fergus pfm Member

    Fergus, Feb 7, 2023
    #15
  16. Tony L

    Tony L Administrator

    It is a really bizarre design, there are a few pictures here (Liquid Audio). I’ve a lot of respect for JC Verdier, I’m listening to one of his preamps now and it is a lovely sounding thing, solidly made and easily serviceable, but unless I’m missing something obvious that is not a good turntable design! Thin pressed steel, no suspension, the motor and bearing mounted on the bottom sheet, the armboard on the top sheet. It looks like an inherently resonant structure. I don’t get it. A TD-150 is a flimsy cost-cut thing, but the design logic negates this as the bits that need to work as a non-resonant structure largely do so, and the bits that don’t are isolated by the subchassis. The Era bearing sounds like it might be interesting though.
     
    Tony L, Feb 7, 2023
    #16
  17. Darmok

    Darmok "In Lation, Trans Lost."

    Darmok, Feb 7, 2023
    #17
  18. Darmok

    Darmok "In Lation, Trans Lost."

    I compared my Thorens TD150 "Studer version" fitted with a vintage Ortofon tone arm absolutely trounced the Era Mk6, that is why I sold it on quickly, toot sweet.
     
    Darmok, Feb 7, 2023
    #18
  19. Tony L

    Tony L Administrator

    Early Ortofon arms are cult items, which one did you have?
     
    Tony L, Feb 7, 2023
    #19
  20. Darmok

    Darmok "In Lation, Trans Lost."

    Darmok, Feb 7, 2023
    #20
    Tony L likes this.
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