SL-N25 : (Slightly) unusual early '80s turntable
A video looking at an (ever so slightly) unusual record player.
When I saw this for sale I thought, ‘Hey that’s something I’ve never seen before’.
Whenever that thought occurs, the enthusiasm of seeing something for the first time, often results in me thinking it would be interesting to show in a video.
In hindsight this one was probably not quite weird enough. Nevertheless - here’s that video, all about a forty year old record player, one I certainly hadn’t encountered before.
In other news, I’ve been trying to get ahead with making videos before my September/October holiday and so far, if anything, I’m going backwards. I’m going to see if I can create some very short, easy to make videos. But I should let you know up front that there will inevitably be some weeks (from now onwards) without a new video release. If at any point you don’t hear from me for over a week, it (probably) doesn’t mean that I’m dead - it just means I’m working on the next thing and it’s not ready yet.
Hope you’re all well. Take care.
Comments (41)
I need to find me one linear tracking thingy that plays both sides. Possibly Sony as I am eyeing a few nice Sony components. Damn
Mat, your videos are fantastic! New member and glad to be here!
Always good to welcome someone new to the Patreon. Thanks for signing up.
Very good! I love the weird stuff you find - when you mentioned the wow/flutter specs on the manual, I was half expecting you to put a test disc on it. Either way, I enjoyed it, and I'm thinking I should look for one of the mid-grade linear tracking turntables
Great video. Thanks! Always enjoy what you do, whatever the topic.
I'm sure someone's going to ask about the tracking force, but it won't be me...
Have a wonderful vacation. If there are a a few weeks without any videos... I'll be fine. Have fun!
The mods to the colour changing head made me laugh.
He should be receiving some new glasses today - just waiting on Amazon.
There was a matching boombox and stand for these. I picked one up locally because the owner said the turntable was distorted. Turns out, he had the preamp switched on and was feeding it into the magnetic phono input. 2 second fix!
Sigh, I have dreamed about owning an LTT since I was a kid. I bought an old "Realistic" (Radio Shack brand) one a couple years ago but the belts weren't really replaced with anything good so the speed is kinda all over the place. I've just replaced with a Sound Burger so at least I'm somewhat in fashion. :)
Who's that chap who made the first record you played? With your non-rhotic accent, I couldn't tell if you were saying Richard Haughton or Horton.
You're missing out if you haven't yet seen/heard Richard Houghten's fantastic records: https://youtu.be/f7Li03ALNG8&t=0m21s
I'm a big fan of Technics' SL-5, SL-10, SL-15 etc., so this was a great treat for me. Really enjoyed it!
This is almost definitely a useless suggestion, but (after buying one on your recommendation), a SECOND Beosound A21 (for stereo) is game-changing. Without hyperbole, the best sound I've ever experienced. Using an 'ultra HD' stream, I can hear stuff in songs I've loved for decades that I've never heard before. I reckon the charges of being a B&O shill would make it not worth the hassle, but (for your holiday cover) you could do an update video on that? It would cost you about £240, right enough.
That’s a good idea - and not something I’d thought about previously.
On the subject of headphone audio, I wonder if this was a signature feature in Panasonic products of the time. I had (actually it's still gathering dust somewhere) a Panasonic stereo clock radio with this type of input. It also had a loudness button and a setting that created the illusion of greater stereo separation. This I bought in the Manchester branch of Lewis's in 1987 for the bargain price of £26.60. I was so amazed at the price that I asked an assistant if it was correct before attempting to purchase. The ergonomics of the controls were terrible and it was a bit Fisher Price in appearance but it served me well for several years. The stereo effect was remarkably good as long as I sat very close and directly in front of it.
nice unit if you want to just listen to records with headphones.
I absolutely agree with you: Nowadays, you can either buy some overengineered and overestimated stuff for an absurd load of money, or you can buy the absolute rubbish at the drugstore on the corner. There's no more reasonable and decent midrange stuff. Thank you so much for this long-gone, amusing peace of technics - eeh national ;-)
Perfect thing to watch immediately after VWestlife's new turntable video
Never apologise for taking a break much deserved for all the hard work
Really interesting video... and evidence of just how high quality the mid-market stuff was in the 80s. I've got an Aiwa 1983-ish Linear Tracker, and it's a really quality bit of gear. Direct drive, track select, and it sounds great.
If you feed the prices through an inflation calculator you will realise thee mid-market stuff wasn't cheap back then. There again if you feed the price of a chart LP through an inflation calculator you will realise that today's £20 is no different from what they cost in the early 1980's
Yet Another Excellent Video, Mat. Well made, well played....
I had been planning to cover this model for years, but the stars never aligned to find one in good condition at a reasonable price whenever I remembered it and looked for one.
My apologies.
The similarly styled SL-N5 turnatble was actually available as a package with an RX-C52 Boombox and a turntable stand (which I have seen better pictures of). http://www.wikiboombox.com/tiki-index.php?page=Panasonic+RX-C52 The SG-15L casseiver was sold with either an SL-N5 or if funds allowed an SL-N15 turntable. So even close to the bottom of their ranges they had a range of components that you could mix and match. The range was also available in red if that was your preference. Technics never did that.
There were also pink and powder blue N5s - I couldn’t get any hires pictures - but I decided to restrict the video to the N15 and N25. as going on about the Non-linear-tracking N5 would have taken things a bit too far away from the item I’d got.
Great video as always, I just missed/expected the Barry White effect when you stripped off the protective plastic :-) Seems like a pretty nifty little turntable for the price.
It would have been a record-stratching and stuttering 'take it off'
Such a nice unit, and then they cheap out on the speakers. Go figure. Definitely adding it to the growing list of turntables I want to purchase, however.
Interesting thingy, yes! I would want such a thing in my hifi system :-D.
Come see Dr. Mat - Parasite specialist! Tapeworm extraction done by hand with tweezers and a torch. Marvel at his technique for removing lice with precision and dexterity. Be astounded as he skewers pin worms on pins. That's Dr. Mat - Parasite specialist, call now!
• Thanks for the warning about silence ≠ your death, because I worry about that more than I should. I have anxiety. I stop myself from messaging (annoying) you to ask if you are still there 😞 • The moment you said it's National and designed for a 'different' audience I immediately thought, "oh karaoke" but I was wrong. • We're extracting tapeworms... and there's ear wax on the spindle clip spring... 'He's alive, Jim.' • I like the immediate braking when this thing stops. • Good job wiping the lid and not causing the record to skip; linear tracking maybe helped with that. • Nice use of the panning shot, great editing, all-around an interesting video. I'd not seen a record player of this style with speakers. • Perhaps this is a call back to the days when some buyers (youth) like an all-in-one record player without having to mess with (pay for) external speakers. • I've been known to play music via my RX-F35's auxiliary input - it sounds great. As always, sincerely, take care.🤍
What a lovely linear tracking shot of the linear tracking head 👍
That took too long to shoot - but I liked the idea.
I recorded a video... Every month I move the publication to the next month. If I die, the video will be published automatically. Too bad I can't see how many views it will get. 😄
Does it start with - ‘If you’re watching this, I’m already dead’.
If you’re looking for a short video subject, perhaps you could consider debunking (once and for all time) the myth that loud speaker cable is directional. Or maybe it is, and I’m just a Philistine…
I’ve never heard this one.
Glad I wasn't the only person thinking about extracting tapeworms.