This is the Sansui SR-212 which was offered by Sansui around 1974. It has the typical Sansui styling of the time with a nice wood base, smoked plastic dustcover and Sansui logo at the front left. It’s not a high end turntable but it’s a good budget minded performer.
The SR-212 has an S shaped tonearm, suspended chassis, wood base and RCA outputs. It’s also a 2 speed belt driven semi-automatic turntable with an auto return. It also features a stable synchronous motor, aluminum alloy die cast platter, gold plated connector terminal pins and a stock SC-37 induced magnet type cartridge.
As you can see it has two speeds – 33 and 45. The manual tonearm lifter lets you raise or lower the tonearm at any point on the record independently of the auto return mechanism. The controls include:
- Counter Balance Weight
- Skating Force Canceller
- Manual Arm Lifter
- Cueing Lever
- Statically Balanced S Shaped Tonearm
Sansui isn’t usually at the top of the heap when talking about quality turntables but this table isn’t too bad a performer and with a few mods could be pretty good.
You may come across a Sansui turntable by accident or have one given to you by a friend or relative. If so, clean it up, install a new belt and start spinning. They aren’t worth a ton and usually sell for around $100 to $150 but I did see one that was fully restored and in beautiful condition sell for over $400 recently. That’s not bad!
Seeing this just gave me a Belt, (pun intended) and found memories. Purchased this turntable while in the Navy, in Yokosuka Japan, downtown Tokyo, in a giant electronics department multi-level store. Everything but the controls are the same. My model had to two leavers that you pulled forward to start the platter. The other was for cuing the tone arm. The glass top was dark smoked. Was and excellent turntable, but in a few years I upgraded with a Technics. But sometimes like now, I sit and think of all the equipment I’ve had along the way, and wish a few pieces I’d like to still have in my possession.
i have one all original and in good shape probably just need a belt and i want $226 for it and i am in Vancouver BC
hi Abdul do you still have the tt SR-121?
thanks
els,
My Sister in Law just gave me one of these! I am super excited to get it and add it to my 1979 Pioneer SX-780 Receiver Stereo and matching Pioneer HPM-60 Speakers!!! Since 1979 I never had or used a turntable and only used a Dual Akai tape deck. I replaced some of the speakers in the original cabinets and I always wanted vintage Sansui products and now I do! I am now ready to start playing my wife’s collection of vinyl and to start buying new!!!! I did not want to buy any of the new turntables on the market today and I only wanted good old school units!
T. Barron, just a thought, if you have a Akai tape deck, I assume you had to record the music onto it, if not from the FM receiver, and pre-recorded 7 inch reel tapes, how did you acquire the music that play from it? No sarcasm, really would like to know.