MCS was JC Penny's house brand for consumer electronics, including stereo components and turntables. Their products were re-branded from Japanese manufacturers, including Hitachi, JVC and Technics. Here's one of their very best turntables - the MCS 6700 Direct Drive Turntable.
The MCS 6700 is actually a Technics SL-1900...specifically, the 1950 model which allowed you to stack up to six LPs. The motor, electronics and tonearm all hail from the Technics model...but the frame and buttons hail from Hitachi's tables. It's a terrific combination, and to my eyes, it looks much better than the original. I especially like how the platter is partially submerged within the large black frame. The rubber-coated buttons and knobs are also quite stylish.
I bought one of these bad boys on Craigslist for $85, which was an absolute steal. It was a Christmas present for my mother, and she loves playing her Miles Davis and Dean Martin LPs on the stereo. Expect to pay $80-$150 for this turntable if it's in excellent condition. I paired it with a Denon DL-110, the younger brother of the late, great DL-160. It may be the better of the two carts, which really surprised me. The standard 47K loading sounds fine with the DL-110, whereas its elder brother required more specialized loading (MC setting on my Pro-Ject Tube Box II, or 1K-8K loading) to sound its best.
My most popular YouTube videos feature this stereo system (MCS 6700, Denon DL-110, Rega Fono Mini), and it's a wonderful sound, warm and dynamic and very musical. Oil the motor bearings and pack the inside frame with 7lbs of modeling clay, and you'll be amazed at the performance of this turntable.
I only have one complaint, and it's probably a minor one - no Quartz lock. I just don't like having to adjust the speed on the dials. I know, I know, I'm just being a big baby. Don't let that hold you back. The MCS 6700 will compete against any turntable in its class. I'd also recommend stuffing some Vibrapods underneath the feet, which also worked nicely for me.
Here's the MCS 6700 and Denon DL-110 in action. Give this a spin and see what it does for ya.
3 comments:
Hi Dan. Just ran across this post after scoring one of these turntables off fleabay for $30 Can you elaborate a bit, or do you have any pics on where you stuffed the clay? I like the idea of killing any resonating space. I have 2 greyhounds and live on the 2nd floor...already ahead of the game with the isopod isolation gimmicks. Thanks in advance.
Tom
There's one of these at a thrift shop up the street for $65. I may grab it.
I coincidentally have this table and cartridge combo as well, as I worked as a Denon distributor for years, but I modified my headshell, went with a cherrywood headshell, soldered in IXOS interconnect in place of the old factory wiring, replaced headshell lead in wires with Audioquest, and coming out of my Pro-Ject Phono Box S, Audioquest Midnight cables. Also, I am using a weighted clamp in the spindle. I have not had a problem with the speed changing, but the sound is stunning at this price point. I found my MCS 6700 on Ebay years ago now for $30.....yes, a steal!
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