Project One DR-I turntable?

[phergus_25]

I found this at the house and it seemes to be of pretty good quality. All metal outside parts and has a built in isolation feature. Any one know anything about it?

Pics to come.

-greg

 

[phergus_25]

 

[lini]

Afaik, that's the second Project (now: Pro-Ject) turntable model, a modified Teslar design. Should be reasonably good quality.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

P.S.: The second screw & nut for the cartridge seems to be missing on yours...

 

[memepool]

I very much doubt it has anything to do with Pro-Ject but it looks like a copy of a Dual CS505 from the 70's.

If it's a good copy it should sound ok.

The SME style anti-skating weight ( bit of fishing line with weight hanging off ) looks like it's in the wrong place though. I would have thought it should be inside the arm in order to work. It's probably easy enough to rotate it around though.

You should replace the Cartridge / stylus and probably the belt, clean the belt path and maybe change the bearing oil.

This site http://www.soundfountain.com/amb/ttadjust.html has lots of good info on this kind of basic servicing which you can do yourself.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini Afaik, that's the second Project (now: Pro-Ject) turntable model, a modified Teslar design.

Really? Have Pro-Ject been around that long? They were never available in the UK until the 1990's.

 

[phergus_25]

if it would be worth it then i think that I might take it and have it serviced by a pro, then read up and throw a decent cartridge on it. think its worth that?

 

[phergus_25]

Quote:

Originally Posted by lini Afaik, that's the second Project (now: Pro-Ject) turntable model, a modified Teslar design. Should be reasonably good quality. Greetings from Hannover! Manfred / lini P.S.: The second screw & nut for the cartridge seems to be missing on yours...

the way the cartridge attaches it by a single screw on the back that loosens the wold assembly. from what i can determine.

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phergus_25 the way the cartridge attaches it by a single screw on the back that loosens the wold assembly. from what i can determine.

I don't mean the big screw for the whole headshell, I mean the second screw for the cartridge itself that's missing - i.e. on top of the headshell you see two gooves for the screws/nuts, but I can only see the nut and screw in the left groove.

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[phergus_25]

o, got ya.

so my question is now, would it be worth it to take and get it worked over by a pro or just buy a new table? The new ones look so damn sleek.

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phergus_25 o, got ya. so my question is now, would it be worth it to take and get it worked over by a pro or just buy a new table? The new ones look so damn sleek.

It probably just needs the bearing oil changed and a new drive belt. This is something you can do yourself or get a friend who has a turntable to help with.

It may look old fashioned but you will probably have to spend quite a bit today to get anything better. A Rega P3 would be the next step up from something like this. I doubt the Music Hall or Pro-Ject Debut would be that much better.

 

[memepool]

http://www.6moons.com/audioreviews/project/project.html

Lini it says here that the original Pro-Ject 1 was a tweaked up late Soviet era deck from a factory in the Czech Republic discovered and then marketed by an Austrian, called Heinz Lichtenegger in the early 90's.

phergus_25 does this deck have any country of manufacture or any other identifying markings? It looks like it's from the 1970's to me but I guess it would then have all the hallmarks of a 1990's Eastern European design?

 

[lini]

Quote:

Originally Posted by memepool Really? Have Pro-Ject been around that long? They were never available in the UK until the 1990's.

Actually, I'm not sure either that this Project /One turntable story I've read somewhere is true, 'cause I've also read another version as to which Project /One was a special Pioneer line-up in the late 70s - and if one checks out something like a PL-12, the similarities are indeed quite obvious. Then again, both versions could be true to some extent - maybe Pioneer had these turntables made by the Czech Teslar company...

As for Pro-Ject: I think their first model turned up in the late 80s and looked somewhat different, and I also don't remember these to be commonly distributed during the first years. The first time I've seen & heard one myself should have been ~ 1989 at NF-Laden/Joker HiFi, a nice shop in Munich that's otherwise specialized on loudspeaker diy stuff...

Greetings from Hannover!

Manfred / lini

 

[phergus_25]

ok, heres another one, Pioneer PL-4 direct drive TT. seems to be from the 80s. Any good?

 

[memepool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by phergus_25 ok, heres another one, Pioneer PL-4 direct drive TT. seems to be from the 80s. Any good?

No. The best budget Pioneer deck was definitely the PL-11 or PL12 from the 70's, which as Lini has said is actually very similar indeed to the one you have.
I would stick with the one you have you are really not going to get anything better for less than around 700 USD. Also it seems to be quite rare so it may be worth something to Pro-Ject fans in the years ahead.

 

[phergus_25]

in that case does anyone know anyone in ATL, or surrounding area, taht can fully service a table like this?
thanks
-greg