Sony linear tracking turntables from the mid-80s (PS-FL77)

Are they hot garbage, or are they decent enough for non-audiophiles?

PS-FL77

 

I think the biggest issue is all the mechanics that are used in the design. I'm sure it's fine if it works, when everything is operational. According to Vinyl Engine, these were last made in 1985 with production starting in 1983. So, no only are these things at least 35 years old, you are going to have a hard time finding repair parts because of the limited production time. I owned an linear drive Technics model around the time this model was sold. And with high use, with complexity of the drive for the tonearm sled, something is going to break. For the most part, if it breaks, it's just not worth fixing. Even with the Technics models which were longer in production and sold in higher quantities, they aren't worth fixing. In the case of the Technics, it's just cheaper and easier to find another one. In the case of this model, you're just not going to find parts. That being said, it would probably be smart to do some preventive maintenance like checking the grease for replacement.

 

Great info, I will approach with caution.

 

If it's cheap enough it would be worth a punt just out of curiosity.

 

It came as part of the Sony Precise V7 system. Would've loved this as a kid in the 80s. It had a CD function, but didn't come with a player. I guess they were just too new and expensive to include.

 

Finally got back to me. She wants $160 for it!

What's worse is she wants $225 for the other four components, and she doesn't even have the original speakers with it.
Not to mention, none of it has been play tested. Oy!

 

REMEMBER: If you need an IC or other proprietary part they are NLA. This is a problem when TTs aren't used much.

 

I read enough to know they are quite complicated machines, so they're difficult to work on and parts are very hard to find since the short production period ('83-'85).

 

Linear tracking TT's from the 1980's were another of the "80's excesses". They were done just because they could do them,they looked/felt cool at the time and not because it was convenient or performed better than their conventional counterparts.
I suggest you to have fun with it just like you would with another toy but don't take it seriously because you're not going to get a better sound quality from it as a conventional Technics or a Rega from the same era.

 

That would a "Thank you, but no thank you" from me. I really cannot see a value much over £50 for the TT and the rest is simply for the WEEE bin.

 

Not garbage in correct working order, but not great either. Can you live with MM (and one range of MI cartridges), low mass T4p mount choices which are getting lesser, and live with the extra mechanical complexity, the likely need for an overhaul, cleaning, lubrication (and the belt which moves the tonearm) and all this gadgetry? And bear in mind, the examples of this I see in as found condition fetch higher prices, than they're really worth given their need for repair and overhaul. Things for you to consider as a part of your decision making.

 

No chance I'm laying out that kind of cash on a risky machine like that, so don't worry.

It is amazing to see what some people will pay for these (I did some checking), but with all the variables it's clear they don't realize what they are getting into. I imagine that is what prompted this estate sale lady to price it as she did. Good luck to whoever wants to pay it!

 

Those look like little APM loudspeakers. APM = Acoustic Pistonic Motion, a planar speaker. I had both some smaller ones in my Sony ZX7 cassette corder and I had the APM-22, which were favorably reviewed in British sound magazines. Might be worth it just for those. I always liked them. The theorist in me always preferred a linear tracking turntable. I realize other turntables outperformed them, but on the subject of alignment, I thought the argument that "LPs were cut using linear technology, why not play it back the same way", made sense. Please note I am not current on LP technology. Feel free to correct my memories. I'm mostly a fan of Sony products, although not all of them.

 

Strangely enough, whoever owned this little Sony system didn't have the original speakers. They're currently hooked up to some old JC Penney MCS speakers. Shame.

 

so cool looking!

 

Oh that is a shame. Ouch. Well, if you ever run into a set for next to nothing, they're worth hearing.

 

Definitely decent enough for non-audiophiles.

Back in April 1987, I purchased a Sony rack system as my first real stereo. One of the components was a similar design Sony PS-FL7II turntable. Besides being a front-loading, remote controllable turntable, the novelty of the PS-FL7II was that the rest of the components of the rack system can be stacked on top of it. The turntable itself sounds ok, probably on par with my current belt drive Technics SL-BD20. The design was a gimmick and eventually it no longer was able to track across the LP.

I still have most of the components from that Sony rack system....the integrated amp, the graphic EQ, the 3 way floor standing speakers, and the rack....and they all still work til this date.

 

I have always heard that linear tracking turntables are better at tracking (than normal tables) since you're not dealing with the off-set angles of normal tonearms and the issues that inevitably come with that. To me that's really the most intriguing thing about them. That said, I've never personally used one, so I can't say from experience whether or not this is actually true.

However, their electronic and mechanical complexity (and the inevitable electrical problems and maintenance) would make me wary of them, especially so many years later. Plus, I'm not sure of the actual quality of these things and the potential impact that could have on the sound. They might track really well, but could be subpar in other areas.

 

I bought one back in the day day and quickly got rid of it. Did not sound very good

 

“The design was a gimmick and eventually it no longer was able to track across the LP.”

I don’t think it was a gimmick at all, rather the tech came at a Poor time when turntables were not as popular due to cd’s becoming popular and the cheapening of products of the time in general.
The belt required to move the tone arm needs to be replaced once in awhile, and movement will be restored. I’ve owned 3 of the ps-fl7ii and also technics Sl-bd20, 22, 24. The Sony linear weighs twice as much as those and had a far superior sound to those technics “plastic box of air” players

 

I had one. Skip it.

 

I have the FL7 II. Owned it since 1985 or so. Still works fine. Well, the plastic cover no longer works so I manually remove the cover before opening the LP lid. I think it sounds just fine. But I don't expect that much out of a turntable anyway. I do like the reduced distortion inherent in tangential tracking.

 

That is the Biotracer model, an excellent TOTL LT. Just got the PS-FL7ll, had the belt replaced and cleaned up inside and now it's in my A/V cabinet so I have a cool compact TT there. Sounds fantastic.

 

Yes, precisely. I have one (not this one: a much more technically complex quadraphonic deck from the mid-seventies) and it completely eliminates inner groove distortion.