About the Sony PS-FL77.....

[b-rider]

I like LT tables, I have a nice (and rare) Hitachi LT-70 that blows me away with it's sound, ease of use, and programmability.

But I just refurbished my stereo cabinet, _hit-canned a CD player, and freed up an internal shelf. I thought a Sony PS-FL77 might fit nicely in there, and allow me to run (2) turntables, one on top (either the Hitachi, a Denon DP-31L, or a Sony PS-X600), and a front-loader inside the cab. Yeah, I know there are other front-loaders, but I am drawn to the Biotracer tonearms and respect the Sony engineering and build quality.

But on this TT, or ANY front-loader where the tonearm stays inside while the platter slides in/out, isn't there a LOT of opportunity for wear with the tray mechanism itself, causing mis-alignment between the tray and tonearm? Or do the servo sensors (?) correct any mis-alignment based on lateral pressure DUE to mis-alignment (I guess this is how the tonearm is driven across the record anyway...)? What about overhang deviation, due to wear of the tray mechanism? If a LT is supposed to have stylus contact at dead-center tangent to the grooves, what happens if the tray is +/-.005-.010 too far/not far enough inserted back into position? The tonearm length is fixed, so a servo can't compensate for this.

I've dug thru about every front-loader discussion I can find and haven't found any discussion on this. Am I over-thinking it?

Anybody using a PS-FL77 and can vouch for it?

 

[Riggi]

I've dug thru about every front-loader discussion I can find and haven't found any discussion on this. Am I over-thinking it?

Yep - the "tray" is all of the guts of the table. The arm is not separate from the table, its relative position is always the same. Also, the mechanism for moving the tray is not really one that wears. It pulls itself along a well-greased gear rack with sizeable teeth that's part of the chassis.

A common problem with Sony linears is the belt for the tone arm traverse worm gear being worn/gone. Super easy to replace, and sometimes the worm gear needs some light working to loosen up some grease. Otherwise, they're great.

 

[b-rider]

So....., the tonearm moves WITH the tray? This would be the only design that makes sense for such a critical alignment requirement.

 

[Riggi]

So....., the tonearm moves WITH the tray? This would be the only design that makes sense for such a critical alignment requirement.

Yes, consider the chassis to be nothing more than a sleeve for the actual turntable.