So what the hell is the difference between a 50H II and a 770H?
Besides the cosmetic differences (which there are few).
Elac 770:
-Tonearm shaft is ever-so-slightly wider
-Tonearm shaft is ever-so-slightly wider
-Headshell has deeper side-walls
-Tonearm mount is a different design (much better)
-Counter balance is a different design (not as reliable as the 50H II)
-Stroboscope ring has “33” and “45” instead of dashes
Elac 50H II
My personal favorite. The tonearm seems a little finer, just because the shaft is not as wide (less mass?), the counter balance has a gear inside the shaft for adjustment, and the headshell has the cool waffle-stamp on top. I transferred the tonearm mount (not installed at time of this photo), and transferred the strobo-ring with the "33" and "45" indicators.
The difference is that the 770H has a built in 12-prong jack for mounting an internal phono pre-amplifier in a semi-shielded area toward the back-center of the turntable (underneath). Elac sold this accessory, though I’ve never seen one. Since Elac wasn’t as heavily imported into America as Dual and Garrard and other UK companies, I have a feeling this accessory was used primarily in the UK, if widely used at all.
So there you have it. As far as I can tell everything else is the same. (Except that the fancy, adjustable headshell (the removable part) usually came on a 770H).
Actually Elac/Miracord and Dual were/are German companies and many more were sold in Germany than the UK. Benjamin was the name of the U.S. distributor who rebadged the tables for sale in the U.S.
ReplyDeleteYep, thanks! And later on in the 70s, Radio Shack imported Elac turntables, rebranded as "Realistic." These were not the top-end Elac turntables like the two above, but were still a lot finer than most competitive changers of the late 70s/early 80s.
DeleteI have tied 50H replacement drive parts for my 770H and they did not fit. Right now, speed lever doesn't work. Any suggestions? This has been a great turntable but movers messed it up!
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