Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below

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Posted on April 18, 2014 at 16:55:31

Doug G.
Audiophile

Posts: 925
Location: Upper Midwest
Joined: September 21, 2005

Somebody posted about hostility on here and the resulting thread happened.

What I find much worse is when somebody writes to ask for advice and some of you jump in there and tell them, basically, what an idiot they are for choosing a particular piece of equipment.

This guy just wanted advice and was made to feel like he picked the WORST table in the world.

Shameful.

Doug

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RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below

hifipaul

06:51:27 04/21/14

2

RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below

Crazy Dave

15:29:56 04/21/14

RAbsolutely. I also threw mine into a dumpster after taking it all apart

Elizabeth

18:30:45 04/21/14

...

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RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below

hifipaul

06:51:27 04/21/14

2

RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below

Crazy Dave

15:29:56 04/21/14

RAbsolutely. I also threw mine into a dumpster after taking it all apart

Elizabeth

18:30:45 04/21/14

RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below

painter27

18:27:43 04/19/14

2

That is entirely beside the point....

Doug G.

08:07:41 04/20/14

Guess not, heh? /nt\

Opus 33 1/3

04:55:38 04/21/14

An alternative take

Mark Kelly

03:12:32 04/19/14

?a bit more tact could have been employed?

hifitommy

23:43:24 04/18/14

;8^) /nt\

Opus 33 1/3

03:56:36 04/19/14

You're still being jerks...

Doug G.

19:09:30 04/18/14

3

RE: You're still being jerks...

painter27

18:04:30 04/19/14

Curious Doug ?

Fred J

08:43:13 04/19/14

First off taht person would need to be an 'expert' on the Zero 100 (there are none)

Elizabeth

20:34:03 04/18/14

Unfortunately Doug...

EdAInWestOC

18:02:09 04/18/14

2

RE: Unfortunately Doug...

elix

06:59:04 04/19/14

Exactly. And well said. nt

Elizabeth

20:36:45 04/18/14

It's wise to consult the Vinyl Asylum Archive

Fred J

17:35:51 04/18/14

Also a +1

Elizabeth

20:37:25 04/18/14

RE: The guy jiust wanted advice -

painter27

17:30:54 04/18/14

Well. actually . . .

Opus 33 1/3

17:06:25 04/18/14

Well. actually . . ., posted on April 18, 2014 at 17:06:25
Opus 33 1/3 Audiophile Posts: 4184 Location: D.C. Area Joined: February 19, 2014	He did. At least ONE of the worst. But a bit more tact could have been employed. Opus 33 1/3

RE: The guy jiust wanted advice -, posted on April 18, 2014 at 17:30:54
painter27 Audiophile Posts: 5057 Location: wi. Joined: January 7, 2003	And he got it. A lot of it was good advice. : )

It's wise to consult the Vinyl Asylum Archive, posted on April 18, 2014 at 17:35:51

Fred J
Audiophile

Posts: 21808
Location: Southern Wisconsin
Joined: April 24, 2002

Before buying any vintage table and a number of current ones
rather than just buying blind and hoping or even preying for the
best.

The Vinyl Asylum Archive is the single most valuable analog reference
I'm aware of, stupid not to avail ones self of all that collective expertise.

Would you prefer we blow smoke up the guys ass tell him what a wonderful table the POS is so he can waste all kinds of time and money before he
comes to the realization what he has is in fact a POS ?

Unfortunately Doug..., posted on April 18, 2014 at 18:02:09

EdAInWestOC
Audiophile

Posts: 6828
Location: Glen Burnie, MD USA
Joined: December 18, 2003

The Garrard Zero 100 was not a very good turntable. I'm not speaking from opinion alone but as a former owner of a Zero 100.

The table looks like a technical tour de force and that's exactly what a lot of people thought back when they were released. It looked like it could be a great table and a long term member of anyone's analog rig. Sadly...such was not the case.

Garrard was the manufacturer of a couple very good turntables in the 301 and 401 but the Zero 100 was not in their league at all. The idea of an articulating headshell to mitigating tracking errors seemed like a great idea but the execution was not up to the idea.

The pivots in that arm assembly are way too sloppy to do their job without lending problems of their own. What should have been the best part of that turntable turned out to be its Achilles heel. Sad.

The drive mechanism in the Zero 100 was overly complex and required too many parts to perform a simple job like spinning the platter. Even something as simple as spinning the platter at a pre-determined speed was not done well on the Zero 100.

In the end the Garrard Zero 100 should have been a product to be proud of. Unfortunately the execution was not up to the concept and what sounds like a very good idea did not makes it into a concrete product.

Garrard could have used a winner back when the Zero 100 was released. Its a good looking deck. A shame.

Ed
Life is analog...digital is just samples thereof

You're still being jerks..., posted on April 18, 2014 at 19:09:30
Doug G. Audiophile Posts: 925 Location: Upper Midwest Joined: September 21, 2005	and could have answered him with something like, "Even though many consider the Zero 100 a problematic table, here is what may be causing the levers not to latch." Is that so difficult? You're all missing the point. Doug

First off taht person would need to be an 'expert' on the Zero 100 (there are none), posted on April 18, 2014 at 20:34:03

Elizabeth

If there is a resident expert on the Zero 100 who can solve all the issues that POS provides..I would like to hear from them. Since no one has even provided such expertise, I can safely say we have no such experts.
I confess I was #1 in just pointing out thhe obvious that the Zero 100 is a piece of crap. It is, no getting around it.
If you have one which is already working, and the arm is not falling apart (that is the parallel part bushings are still tight (a small miracle all by itself) Then you have an intersting bit of history. Which is no worse than any other average TT from back then.
Though typically the arm joints of the parallel parts are all loose, and worthless anyway.

If you are asking 'how to fix it" Don't !!! They are not conductive to being fixed. Ask me how I know?? Hey, DID YOU ever own one? If not then maybe you are having a problem with facing facts. I told the person the TT is crap. It is. babying them and pretending they can throw money at it? no forget it. It is a sucker bet. Sorry to say it. But I KNOW it is worthless to try to fix. Someone may decide to get it working despite suh advice. But the effort and the cost is wasted. No matter how pretty the thing looks.

Maybe the Garrard Zero100 Club menbers can chime in and tell me I am all wrong?

Exactly. And well said. nt, posted on April 18, 2014 at 20:36:45
Elizabeth	.

Also a +1, posted on April 18, 2014 at 20:37:25
Elizabeth	.

?a bit more tact could have been employed?, posted on April 18, 2014 at 23:43:24
hifitommy Audiophile Posts: 15387 Location: canyon country califiornia, orig from buffalo ny Joined: June 9, 2000	nah. why coddle him. he should just sell it as fast as possible. i don't see hostility, just honesty. he should try getting advice at the hydrogen site! ...regards...tr

An alternative take, posted on April 19, 2014 at 03:12:32

Mark Kelly
Manufacturer

Posts: 7175
Location: Willy, VIC
Joined: February 28, 2002

It is worth remembering that Garrard were jewellers and watchmakers, they got into the turntable business by building clockwork drives (the unobtainable 201)

The Zero 100 displays this legacy in the complexity of its mechanical underpinnings: there are over 100 levers, springs, pivots and switches in the auto / manual mechanism under the plinth, most of which interact with one other.

My tip would be to contact your local horological society and see if there's someone willing to take it on.

Mark Kelly

;8^) /nt\, posted on April 19, 2014 at 03:56:36
Opus 33 1/3 Audiophile Posts: 4184 Location: D.C. Area Joined: February 19, 2014	Opus 33 1/3

RE: Unfortunately Doug..., posted on April 19, 2014 at 06:59:04

elix
Audiophile

Posts: 852
Location: Chicago
Joined: January 14, 2010

For what it's worth, I think this response is perfectly appropriate and not jerky at all. You can tell someone they've bought a POS without being a jerk, and this is a perfect example of how.

EDIT: I didn't read the Zero 100 thread below. I really only meant this as a response to this thread, and that the OP of this thread posted after EDAinWestOC's post that people were still being jerks.

Curious Doug ?, posted on April 19, 2014 at 08:43:13
Fred J Audiophile Posts: 21808 Location: Southern Wisconsin Joined: April 24, 2002	You don't happen to be a Funeral Director do you ? As in the bereaved zero 100 buyer needs lots of love during his Buyers remorse mourning period, no ? ;-)

RE: You're still being jerks..., posted on April 19, 2014 at 18:04:30
painter27 Audiophile Posts: 5057 Location: wi. Joined: January 7, 2003	Well, by being jerks hopefully we are saving him from - "mission impossible". You can't help him ?

RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below, posted on April 19, 2014 at 18:27:43
painter27 Audiophile Posts: 5057 Location: wi. Joined: January 7, 2003	Can you help him?

That is entirely beside the point...., posted on April 20, 2014 at 08:07:41
Doug G. Audiophile Posts: 925 Location: Upper Midwest Joined: September 21, 2005	nt

Guess not, heh? /nt\, posted on April 21, 2014 at 04:55:38
Opus 33 1/3 Audiophile Posts: 4184 Location: D.C. Area Joined: February 19, 2014	Opus 33 1/3

RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below, posted on April 21, 2014 at 06:51:27

hifipaul
Audiophile

Posts: 735
Location: NY
Joined: December 22, 2008

As a frustrated owner of a Z-100 Garrard, I had to come to grips with scraping it as a total loss. This was after years of constant problems. It was quite a relief to be rid of it and the Japanese TT that replaced it always worked. The $65 cost to replace it was 4 days pay for me at that time but worth it.

There is a lot of frustrated anger surrounding these machines; which is arguably the reason for Garrards demise. All this bad KARMA still lingers. I'm sorry this guy got blasted but tossing his z-100 into a dumpster is probably the best way to fix it.

RE: Garrard Zero 100 Thread Below, posted on April 21, 2014 at 15:29:56
Crazy Dave Audiophile Posts: 14371 Location: East Coast Joined: October 4, 2001	He asked an honest question and you gave him an honest answer. Would it have been better to tell him how great it is, only for him to find, after investing much time and money, that he had bought a piece of junk. You did him a favor. I hope people are as honest to me when I ask a question. I am looking for the truth, not a warm and fuzzy feeling. Dave

RAbsolutely. I also threw mine into a dumpster after taking it all apart, posted on April 21, 2014 at 18:30:45
Elizabeth	So not fool would grab it and again sell it to another sucker.