Sony PS-X5 Thrift Store Find

I'm resurrecting this thread only because now I have to report installing an SME 3009 arm with an ADC Astrion cartridge. The improvements are nothing short of astonishing, bass is the most noticable, next is imaging, the mids and highs are just more fluid and alive now. Hard to believe a few mods like this could make such a difference.
 
I have a TT like these, mine is a manual with adjustable speeds for 33 and another for 45 as user controls next to the speed select push buttons. Just RC time constant local oscillators that do drift with temperature though. Probably an early model of this series. It has two sets of strobe stripes on the platter, 33/45 at 50 and 60Hz powerline frequencies. Got it on sale in the summer of 1977 new.
 
I find myself wanting to listen to all my albums all over again, low level detail is also much improved. I wouldn't of thought a tonearm would of made that much difference but I stand corrected.
 
... I remember a thread on a Rickenbacker forum where F.C.Hall himself (family owner of RIC) answered a microphone/PU thread related to new Rick' PUs and stated that what makes 90% of the sound of a guitar is the wood and not whatever else...

An SME is no doubt better than the original Sony arm and I'm sure your SME is the "wood" of your X5 :) I know I can't wait putting a better tonearm on my TTS-8000!
The important thing is that it draws you toward music :thmbsp:
 
I'm not familiar with the TTS-8000, but I'd imagine you'd reap the same benefits I have with the addition of a much better tonearm.
 
How did the removal of the original X5 tonearm go?
Was it sort of planned in the way the arm was fitted to the base or did you have to do some drastic surgery?
 
Appears to be a lot of surgical 'dust' around the mounting hole.

Where are the arms for your TTS-8000? I've used both an SME 309 and Rega 900 and think they are equivalent. I prefer the SME, though. You could use one of each. :D
 
Axel, That has to be one of the kewlest TT's I've seen. Removal of the arm was extremely easy, three screws held it down to the plith, unsoldered the wires, and disconnected the return mechanism via a hex screw. Then just lift it off, which left a very strange shaped hole. It was weird because the hole didn't seem to correspond to the arm whatsoever, except the tonearm shaft and the arm lift and anti-skate, which is to the right of the arm. I had to grind a small amount next to where the anti-skate was and using the SME plate as the template, ground it so I'd get full adjustment. Since the plith is made of a resin, it left quite of bit of very fine dust, since I used my dremel tool with a wood sanding attachment. The entire amount of material removed was probably less than the size of a bottle top.
 
YB2,
A little Denon DA-305 is now used on the right-hand base... a 16" Sony arm will go in the other base, when I can find one! A 12" Sony will replace the Denon, too, someday.

A friend lend me his 3009 when I received the TTS but I used it only to check if the TT was allright and lock-on speeds... Now that this friend has finally put the finishing touches and adjustments to his TD-124/3009 + custom plinth, it'll be much more difficult to borrow the 3009 :D

DanTana,
very interesting to know the arm-base was almost "plug'n'play" (or plug'n'unplug or whatever) - that could mean the X series was perhaps planned at first with a derived version of Sony's own bigger PUA arms (like on the 8750)...
Did the SBMC base sort of "mellow" when you were drilling/sanding (because of the accumulated heat)?
 
I only spent about 1 minute grinding, I didn't notice that effect on the material. If I were you Axel, I'd seriously consider an SME arm for that. Just from personal experience :)
 
I'd love to have that set as it would've been in '76/78. I'm really not doing this for everything at all, but a turntable (and THAT turntable :) is someting different for me.

However, since the original right-hand base was drilled for a 3009 by the previous owner, I still may think about a third tonearm in the future!

But I like stuff that is rare and those Sony arms are. And I'm kind of a Sony guy, too :D
 
(shhhhh! I had hoped no one would spot it :)

Just kidding, of course. There's a also PUA-1600L 16" arm in Germany but it isn't complete (the anti-skating and lateral balance settings are missing) and the seller hasn't answered if those were available but not photographed or got lost at some point... So this 1600L one is a no go for me - too bad because the TTS-8000 was made for the 1600L and 1600S tonearms :-(
 
Another thrift store find! Sweet, makes me want to dig out my PSX-4 and go thru it. it was probably the bottom of the line, but is still a tank.The last time I powered it up it had problems maintaining speed, one foot was broken, and something is bent on the tonearm (counterbalance???)
What are you planning on doing with the old tonearm DanTanna? I guess I should address the speed problem first though. If I remember there are a bunch of pots under the cover on the bottom. I'm going in!
Steve
 
I've kept the old tonearm in case I want to put it back to original. The SME 3009 arm is something I'll probably want to keep. Until I find a better platform or tonearm I'm pretty happy with the results. I was looking at some Denon TT's on Ebay, one was going for $$$$ but it's specs were only slightly better than the Sony's. I think it was 78db S/N Ration vs 73 for the Sony, and .015% WRMS Wow and Flutter vs .025% for the Sony. I don't know if that small amounts would be audiably noticeable.
 
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