The AIWA AP 2500 is a great turntable. Manufactured in 1977, the golden age of turntable design. Make no mistake Aiwa were a good Hi-Fi company back in the day and the AP-2500 is proof of that. It runs very silently and is built like a tank weighing in at an impressive 10.5KG thats 23Lbs! It has a well made tonearm designed by Micro Seiki. The arm is fairly light weight and would suit many high to medium compliance cartridges. Ive used it with a Shure V15 mk III with original stylus and the AT540ml to really good effect. The AP2500 also uses the same excellent direct drive motor as in the Micro Seiki DD40/DD7 and the KENWOOD KD 500/550 turntables. Being a FG servo controlled direct drive, the specs are very nice compared to other well respected turntables from the time: Wow and flutter WRMS: under 0,03 % and S/N ratio DIN- B: 75 DB. The platter including the original rubber mat weigh an impressive 1.75KG, precision made and turns on a dime. The heavy plinth is a composite of stone & mineral fibre designed for its anti-resonance properties. It works well as this machine it is a clear sounding & musical turntable. The tonearm lifter can be easily height adjusted & the 2 part tonearm weight can be precisely set in different configurations depending on cartridge. Even the feet are height adjustable! The auto stop & lift is another excellent feature and means you can relax knowing your precious stylus and vinyl are not being worn out when the record ends. Condition: This particular unit is in excellent condition. The plinth is superb with no noticeable marks or scratches, the metal faceplate has slight age related marks, still great considering its age (see pics). All buttons & lights function perfectly. Speed is steady at both 33 & 45. The tonearm is in near perfect condition with no play and it performs perfectly. The original headshell has minor age related marks (see pics) and is fitted with a used but good Audio Technica AT110e cartridge which sounds as good as I have ever heard it - this turntable really makes it sing. The lid is in great shape, it has minor polishing swirls, nothing major. It has been cleaned and polished prior to listing, there are no cracks and hinges are perfect. I replaced the old plastic RCAs with new high quality gold plated RCA connectors & the original 45 adapter is also included. This turntable sounded wonderful through my Yaqin amp and Kef R300 speakers. Its very smooth, detailed and the soundstage is wide, the At110e sounded great and this deck will take cartridges of much higher quality. It really is a top notch, audiophile quality turntable