Lenco GL75 vs. Thorens TD-124

[rockadelic]

I have heard from some people that the sound emanating from a Lenco TT is absolutely gobsmacking especially the bass slam & zero rumble too!!! I have some doubts that this TT sounds better than the 124.
Any thoughts on this issue guys?

 

[DAVEDWACK]

Well it's been years and years since I've heard a GL75 so I guess I'm not too qualified to offer an opinion but, tell you what though I'm just listening to Eric Clapton-Unplugged on my slated up Td124/hr100/at33tpg and if the Gl75 comes anywhere close then it surely is a cracker!

Cheers....Dave

 

[Uncle Ants]

TonyL may be best positioned to respond as he has a 124 as well as an L70. I use an L75 myself ... Zero rumble? No, not entirely but probably less than matters ... It also depends - plinth construction, idler wheel type (and condition), bearing condition and motor condition all play a part, plus some Lenco motors are definitely quieter than others even after a full strip and lube. So if one person says theirs is real quiet and another says theirs is noisy whatever they seem to do ... They could both be right for various reasons. I like mine a lot, but I'd also like a 124 a lot ... And a 301 and a 401 and an EMT too while we're about it

 

[Nic Robinson]

I've recently gone from LP12 to Lenco 78 if that helps. Not sure if it's my cloth ears but I far prefer the Lenco to the sound of my LP12 at any time in its history (including post set-up by the best in the business from time to time)>

Cheers,

Nic.

 

[Tony L]

TonyL may be best positioned to respond as he has a 124 as well as an L70.

I've not seriously compared them, plus they have very different arms and carts. Both really nice decks though. The L70 in completely stock form just as it was born in 1963 and with a period Shure M3d cart is a surprisingly good deck. I have little doubt that a Lenco could be made into a very serious deck indeed.

Tony.

 

[lexi]

As UA says they need tweaking . Motor variations are common. The quietest one I have has had no stripping or anything......it will stay as is. Not as quiet as belt drive but who cares?

I think my RD11 is as good as my much modded Lenco with same Arm /Cartridge but it's only a guess and not a controlled test.

 

[__mark__]

Lenco's are fab! PLUS they go from 16 to 78. People listen to them through stethascopes to determine if they have rumble ! What doesn't?

 

[hairyderriere]

Has anyone around here remounted a Lenco in one of those PTP (Peter's Top Plate) replacements? I've seen reports and suggestions that this (with slate) forms a great basis for Lenco's mechanicals.

 

[Nic Robinson]

Has anyone around here remounted a Lenco in one of those PTP (Peter's Top Plate) replacements? I've seen reports and suggestions that this (with slate) forms a great basis for Lenco's mechanicals.

Yes, simonbrown of this parish has. He's also replaced the bearing with one of the remanufactured alternatives available (see Lenco Heaven). Simon's Lenco will be at Andrew Popeley's bake-off in July.

Mine is currently sitting in the wooden skeleton of a Dynatron music centre with the electronics removed. Actually the Dynatron housed my (now spare) 75. Apare from re lubricating the bearing I haven't done a thing to the deck - it's stock. However, it is now firmly bolted to the heavy Dynatron carcass rather than resting on springs as it would have originally been. It does look rather ugly at present (I love the LP12's look) but I have the materials to make a nice slate or ply plinth when time permits.

What is nice is that I am using the same arm and cart as was on my LP12 (LVii/DL103) so I can make a fair deck on deck comparison. To my ears everything about the sound is better and I am listening to records more than in the last 15 or so years (starting to annoy the wife and kids). It's dynamic, great bass, better image/depth and no loss of detail that I can discern. Total cost, with spare deck £100 (less the value of the LP12/Lingo) so I think that might just put me in profit.

 

[audioflyer]

Just a little thing I done with my GL75 chassis to wet your appetites.

I will follow this up in my own post as soon as I decide on the plinth construction.

 

[Tony L]

That's remarkably neat, to the extent I can't figure out how you've done it! Is it two pieces welded or some exceptionally clever panel-beating?

Tony.

 

[audioflyer]

It's the original chassis that I had with the edge refolded and the corners welded by a engineering company.

I think they made a very good job of it.

The main reason that I took this root was to allow me to experiment with different tonearms.

Sharif

 

[lexi]

So now you got an 88 or 99 equivolent .

 

[Vinylnut]

I just picked up a Lenco 75 for £10.50!!! I think these decks are seriously undervalued and can only increase in value. Just look at the silly prices 124's are going for now, as well as Garrard 301/401's

 

[barrymidd]

I just picked up a Lenco 75 for £10.50!!! I think these decks are seriously undervalued and can only increase in value. Just look at the silly prices 124's are going for now, as well as Garrard 301/401's

At £10.50 of course it is undervalued and that is a proper bargain. You would have to do a lot of work on a Lenco 75 to get it to sound anywhere near as good as a stock TD124 though. They are a bargain, but they are very cheap for a reason, they are not a top flight deck in their stock form. They are very tweakable though and as usual, the plinth will be the deciding factor of how good they ultimately sound. Concentrate on a great plinth and everything else should fall into place. I know from way back that they like a box type plinth rather than a solid one but I know others will disagree and swear that solid is the way to go.

 

[david ellwood]

£10 sounds about right to me.

That said as an investment its definitely worthwhile as prices are sure to climb as the pile of bullhit gets higher every day.

 

[simonbrown]

A GL75 is a great starting point, but is probably best treated as just that. Lenco's have a lot going for them, with parts of their design being extremely good, and others being ... ahem.

The motor and the idler are excellent, the platter perfectly good so long as you address the ringing inherent in a lump of machined aluminium, the bearing is remarkably OK for a low cost manufacture, and the stock plinths are worth replacing or reworking at least. The arms are only for those who like to recondition and restore.

Even a stock GL75 is very musical though, so your £10 purchase with a reasonable cartridge should make remarkably good music (take off that horrid sprung base). Take the motor and idler, mount using a PTP heavy steel top plate on a heavy ply or slate plinth, and add a good arm and you have a very good turntable indeed. Renew the bearing and you have an excellent turntable. If you go this route you will have to be a determined DIYer though.

I love what I have now (PTP Lenco on slate plinth with a new bearing), very dynamic, rock solid bass, a good sense of closeness to the music, and it will be interesting to see how others find it. The Lenco community sites are some of the friendliest around.

 

[spacejay]

A GL75 is a great starting point, but is probably best treated as just that. Lenco's have a lot going for them, with parts of their design being extremely good, and others being ... ahem.

The motor and the idler are excellent, the platter perfectly good so long as you address the ringing inherent in a lump of machined aluminium, the bearing is remarkably OK for a low cost manufacture, and the stock plinths are worth replacing or reworking at least. The arms are only for those who like to recondition and restore.

Even a stock GL75 is very musical though, so your £10 purchase with a reasonable cartridge should make remarkably good music (take off that horrid sprung base). Take the motor and idler, mount using a PTP heavy steel top plate on a heavy ply or slate plinth, and add a good arm and you have a very good turntable indeed. Renew the bearing and you have an excellent turntable. If you go this route you will have to be a determined DIYer though.

I love what I have now (PTP Lenco on slate plinth with a new bearing), very dynamic, rock solid bass, a good sense of closeness to the music, and it will be interesting to see how others find it. The Lenco community sites are some of the friendliest around.

i second this as i have exactly the same as you. it does take a lot of poncing about with though. i have been watching people say that prices will go up since 2007 and obviously they still haven't and i doubt they ever will for a gl75 or any of it's variants (ie leak) which is why it is a bargain.

 

[Nic Robinson]

IMO with a good arm and firmly attached to a massive plinth of some sort they are remarkably good. All I know is that I'm not going back to the LP12 as at last I have a deck which really scratches where I itch. What I also like is that dramatic upgrades can be achieved for a very modest outlay.

£10 sounds about right to me.

That said as an investment its definitely worthwhile as prices are sure to climb as the pile of bullhit gets higher every day.

Not quite sure what the motivation/vested interest is behind that post. My ears tell me that the £40 odd I paid for my 78 was one of the best investments I have ever made in audio equipment and has allowed me to get off the £££$$$$ LP12 upgrade gravy train.

Cheers,

Nic.

 

[Jowcol]

Can I throw some observations in.

IMHO there is an awful lot of misinformation on the internet.

I was on here a few months ago with an observation that I put a Denon 103 cartridge in a Rega-type arm. I ran a test record and discovered that the resonance figures led me to believe that the oft-quoted compliance for the Denon 103 did not seem to be correct. The Denon 103 matched with the Rega arm OK.

What has this got to do with the GL75? Well I have seen it said many times that the GL75 arm is very heavy. The handbook describes the arm as 'of lightweight construction'. Perhaps in those days 'lightweight' meant something different, but if you check the compliance of the cartridge that Goldring supplied with this turntable then perhaps it is indeed 'lightweight'. I just ran a test record with the Denon 103 in the GL75 arm. 9 hertz.

I have spoken with experts who say that the criticism of the tonearm is unjustified. Is it likely that Lenco would make thousands of turntables and not know what they were doing with the tonearm?

My thought is that many people seem to have unrealistic expectations as to what a hifi should do. And many people mismatch equipment and draw entirely incorrect conclusions. I have done it myself. But you do have to be very careful before you tell the world that 'item x is no good'.

When I was young we used to destroy classic motorcycles by 'customising' them because we knew better than the manufacturer.