Harmon Kardon ST7 turntable info?

[thxdave]

During my neverending searches for Steve's disks, I came across an ST7 turntable at a local used record dealer. The physical condition looks pretty good and the price was $125. I don't know how firm the price is and I don't have a clue as to its mechanical condition. One thing I noticed is that the B&O cartridge seems to be slightly rotated away from a perpendicular position. I gently tried to twist it back to vertical, but it didn't budge and I'm NOT going to force it (even if it WAS mine). ;)

Is this 'table worth picking up and (if necessary) restoring to good condition? If you have owned one, are there any obvious things I should watch out for?

TIA,
dave

[Damián]

Here's one on Ebay, .. perhaps you can watch the auction and see how much it closes at? :confused:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3051140777&category=48648

Edit: Also, a thread from the Vinyl Asylum http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.pl?forum=vinyl&n=26686&highlight=Harmon+Kardon+ST7&r=&session=

[quadjoe]

The ST7 should be pretty good, but I'd ditch the B&O cart. B&O no longer makes cartridges and the MMx series don't have user replaceable styli, so if the stylus is worn, you won't be able to get it re-tipped anyway.

[GabeG]

The Rabco arms can be very finicky and didn't have a great reputation when it came to reliability. Remember if an arm's bearings (or in this case, motor assembly) are damaged, you will damage your records. Tread carefully.

[RetroSmith]

125$ is way too much for that TT. Spend another 75$ and get a Music Hall!!!

[thxdave]

Thanks Mikey et al. I appreciate the feedback.

dave

[Dave B]

Dave, I recently bought an ST-7 off e-bay and had it repaired so I think I can offer some information here. I paid top dollar for this thing to use as the front-end of a vintage '70's analog system I'm slowly building. The thing is cosmetically perfect, even the dust cover is crystal clear and scratch free. However, like most eBay listings for this turntable, the listing left out an important piece of info. Does the tonearm track properly? Notice the "I have not tried it personally" disclaimer in the listing above.

This turntable's tonearm is an interesting concept in theory but a very finicky beast. The tonearm moves slowly toward the center of the disc pulled at the stylus end by the natural inward spiral of the record grooves and assisted at the back end by a rubber wrapped metal wheel riding on a aluminum shaft. This shaft is turned by a small rubber belt driven by the turntable motor.

One problem you will find is the tonearm drive shaft belt being broken, dry rotted or missing. This is fairly easy to find on-line and replace.
The second problem common to most every one of these turntables and almost every one listed on eBay, is the rubber on the tonearm drive wheel has turned to goo. This means that it no longer makes contact with the drive shaft and the tonearm will not track. This can be repaired but will cost about $125.00 or you can try doing the job yourself but it requires disassembling the tonearm carrier assembly.

In theory, if everything is in good working order and dialed in correctly, this set up should give almost cutting lathe accuracy. However, getting it set up and keeping it working can require some work.

My opinion is this: If you are looking for an interesting piece of audio hardware and don't mind spending some time and money go for it. But, if you're looking for a good, dependable turntable that you can just unpack, set up and enjoy, I'd look elsewhere.

[thxdave]

Originally posted by Dave B
My opinion is this: If you are looking for an interesting piece of audio hardware and don't mind spending some time and money go for it. But, if you're looking for a good, dependable turntable that you can just unpack, set up and enjoy, I'd look elsewhere.

Bingo! With all the other ***** happening in my world right now, I think this would be more work than it is worth. It's a nice looking table and I've always loved the design and concept of tangential tracking, but I think I'll pass right now. Thanks so much to everybody for your insight....is this a great board or what?

dave

[Joe Koz]

Originally posted by mikey5967
125$ is way too much for that TT. Spend another 75$ and get a Music Hall!!!

I agree! :thumbsup: