Miracord 50H Turntable

I also previously posted a thread on this topic about idler drive turntables and mentioned the Miracord 50H,one of which I purchased in 1971, using it not as a changer but in single play mode. I challenge the fact that it was a lower end product. I still have a copy of High Fidelity Test Reports, 1973 edition. The 50H's list price was $199.50, the same as a Thorens TD 125AB and Garrard Zero 100. A Dual 1219 was $175. The only turntable which was more expensive was the Empire Troubador 598II at $350; however, this came equipped with a well thought of Model 1000 ZE/X cartridge. Interestingly, an AR-XA was $90, and a Lenco L-75 was $99.95.

i had a Miracord in the old days with a Stanton 681EE cartridge that brought me great pleasure. If the table is in good condition, it will bring smiles to you as well.

Nostalgia, OK. Sonics-forget it! Buy a used modern turntable, not a changer.

my Miracord 50H turntable one day the changer not working, records still drop but the tonearm not playback just one record and rest. Anyone know how to fix it ?

I too fully endorse the Elac Miracord and Grado products. I have put Elacs up against the so called high end tables and have found them to be equal or superior as observed on my tube driven Altec VOTT's.

As far as rumble goes, simply keeping the idler wheel properly conditioned works well for me. Granted, the Miracords don't have the sex appeal of the pricy "salon" tables but sound great and will keep your vinyl in nice shape provided its properly maintained.

Thanks for the responses. Because it was my Dad's, I would never get rid of it even when I do upgrade. I'll spend whatever I need to now to improve it. It's in excellent condition and I look forward to listening to it.

Now about those thermionic tubes...:-)

Sean :

Yeah, imagine that. Heresy, it's shear heresy to think that something designed in the 60s & 70s can sound musical.

Actually my experience with these old tables that can change records started by a whim. I spotted a Dual 1019 sitting on a dealer's used shelf for $35. Picked it and a Grado Blue up for $100, took it home cleaned it up, changed the grease, mounted the cartridge, set the overhang and VTA (with shims...more heresy), plugged it in and fell off my chair during the first track. Yeah there was rumble but you gotta remember that back in the 60s, getting your system to output much of anything below 40 HZ was a minor miracle. Yeah the bass was a bit soft with a kinda fat midbass but boy could it boogie. Nice and open too comparing quite favorably to my P3 rig.

Hey, my point is that for less than $150 and with proper set up, Kleiman can step into enjoyable analog with a vintage piece that's also a keepsake from his Dad.

Relax Sean, it's just Twl going nostalgic on us :^) Just watch, he'll start talking about thermionic tubes next..!

Are you guys trying to say that not only do TT's sound different from one another, but that they can sound better than CD's ??? Perish the thought.... : ) Sean
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Sell it to 1953 and buy a Rega.

Have to disagree with the above response. Assuming the table is in good condition, the only thing you'll be giving up to higher priced tables is rumble and the ability to track some of the higher end cartridges. Like any other table it's finding the right combination of arm ,cartridge, & deck.

I've spent about a year collecting & refurbishing old Elac, BSR, and Dual tables and I'm constantly astonished at how good they can sound when properly set up.

For the higher mass Elac arms a lower compliance cartridge is generally the rule. The Grado Prestige series are particularly good matches for the Elac 50, 750 & 770 series tables. I suggest the Blue or the Red for the 50H. You should also replace the interconnects with a modern, high quality, low capacitance pair. The overhang gage on the table is quite accurate and some of the headshells even have a VTA adjustment. The resulting sound is DEFINATELY high end and will shame any CD player under $500. Plus it's way retro-cool. My system is extremely revealing (Apogee Studio Grands, Mod Squad Phono Drive, & Reference Line Electronics)and I hear no signs of mistracking on my 50H, 750MKII, or 50HII when I have taken the time to set the table up like any other high end table.

You can get the table rebuilt to pratically brand new condition at theturntablefactory.com. Cost, minus shipping would be ~$100. The Grado Blue can be had $65 or so. Astonishing value IHMO.

If you are going to pass on the 50H, let me know and I'll find a home for it.

It is a low end table but there are worse ones out there. It could be a good start to get into vinyl. The problem with the low end tables is that they have loose bearings and don't retrieve the information as well as they should and the cartridge isn't held in the perfect relationship to the groove like it should be. This results in mistracking and heavier wear to the records. If you wish to continue in vinyl, then you should upgrade ASAP in order to save your record collection from the high frequency "lathing" that occurs with the low end turntable systems. At the level of the Miracord, it is questionable whether it will sound any better than CD.IMHO.