Marantz tt-15s1 tonearm wiring question/issue

strider

Hey everybody, long time no post. Hope everyone is well.

I just bought a refurbished Marantz TT-15S1 from Music Direct. I'm unboxing it, and notice the blue wire from the tonearm doesn't have a connector on it. Instead, inside the small plastic bag with the headshell and hardware there's a blue sheathed tonearm wiring connector attached to about 3/4" of blue tonearm wire. Is this correct, or did they ship me a tonearm with damaged wiring?

xsmi

My guess is that the tone arm wire is broken.

strider

xsmi wrote: »

My guess is that the tone arm wire is broken.

That's what I was thinking as well. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing something, both Music Direct and Marantz are closed for the night.

mhardy6647

it is indeed broken; the green one also looks a little ratty.

strider

mhardy6647 wrote: »

it is indeed broken; the green one also looks a little ratty.

Believe it or not, the white one is even worse. All the leads show signs of being grabbed with some type of tool. Really glad you saw this, one of the reasons why I went with this 'table was I remembered you had one and liked it.

displayname

I'm sure music direct will make it right, but that's not refurbished. It's outright broken.

Good luck and hopefully the return process goes smoothly.

pitdogg2

Those ends must have been death grip tight to need needle nose pliers or hemostats.

strider

pitdogg2 wrote: »

Those ends must have been death grip tight to need needle nose pliers or hemostats.

My thoughts, also. I've never had to set up a cartridge like this, up until now the turntables I've owned have been set up before I received them. All the tonearm wiring leads (clips?) have hatch marks on them like they were grabbed tightly with needlenose pliers or similar. What really gets me is the blue lead in the bag with the headshell. Must have been refurbished on Friday at 4:45pm...

mhardy6647

looks like careless use of hemostats.

strider

displayname wrote: »

I'm sure music direct will make it right, but that's not refurbished. It's outright broken.

Good luck and hopefully the return process goes smoothly.

Thank you. I'm confident that Music Direct will help me get this resolved, I've been dealing with them for quite some time and they've never done me wrong.

If something happens and I need to bail on the Marantz altogether, what are your thoughts on your UltraDeck? The StudioDeck would be more in my price range, but I know they share many similarities.

strider

Called Music Direct on my lunch break, had a return authorization for the Marantz and an order for a different 'table within 10 minutes. Couldn't have been any easier.

mhardy6647

You'll just have to tell us what you're gettin' instead.

strider

I ended up going with a Rega Planar 3 in white with the Elys 2 cartridge. I'd been bouncing back and forth between the Planar 3 and MoFi Studio Deck before I found the deal on the refurbished Marantz. In the end, the looks of the Rega made the decision for me.

OleBoot

strider wrote: »

I ended up going with a Rega Planar 3 in white with the Elys 2 cartridge. I'd been bouncing back and forth between the Planar 3 and MoFi Studio Deck before I found the deal on the refurbished Marantz. In the end, the looks of the Rega made the decision for me.

Good choice.

jdjohn

Definitely damaged. I'm sorry, but even selling that as refurbished, with no disclosure of a broken cartridge lead wire, is pretty irresponsible. Refurbished should mean ready to go.

BTW: good choice on the Planar 3

strider

jdjohn wrote: »

Definitely damaged. I'm sorry, but even selling that as refurbished, with no disclosure of a broken cartridge lead wire, is pretty irresponsible. Refurbished should mean ready to go.

BTW: good choice on the Planar 3

Agreed. If Marantz had boxed it up and sent it to MD as an "as is" product, that would be a different story. Pretty sure I'll enjoy the Rega, and I won't even have to buy a dust cover...

mhardy6647

Dust. Dust? Dust?!

Dust provides excellent damping -- takes away the edginess of, e.g., an A-T or cheap Ortofon cartridge.

Whaddya want a dust cover for?

guyincognito

I think you are going to love your Rega table. I have been a fan of every Rega product I have owned. The RB330 tonearm on that Planar 3 is a great tonearm. What cartridge/phono will you be using?

displayname

strider wrote: »

displayname wrote: »

I'm sure music direct will make it right, but that's not refurbished. It's outright broken.

Good luck and hopefully the return process goes smoothly.

Thank you. I'm confident that Music Direct will help me get this resolved, I've been dealing with them for quite some time and they've never done me wrong.

If something happens and I need to bail on the Marantz altogether, what are your thoughts on your UltraDeck? The StudioDeck would be more in my price range, but I know they share many similarities.

Sorry for the delay, and glad it's getting fixed. I really enjoy my Ultradeck. I demoed the Rega P6, and then the UltraDeck/Mastertracker side by side with the 1200GR with Hana SL. Obviously the UD is what came home with me.

It's performed well, and it's really only needed a new belt and lube on the barring once since I've had it. Reliable piece, and I would recommend it for the price point. I think the arm is potentially it's biggest selling point, and it's nice that the arm carries through on both models.

I won't be upgrading until I'm ready to move up pretty significantly. I day dream about the new VPI Prime 21 and the Technics 1200G. But I have other things to chase down before that type of upgrade happens.