Comparison between Sony PS-J20 and Unitra GS-431

[Larisa Elena]

Hi.I would like to start by saying that i am a complete noob when talking about turntables but i really like listening to vinyls.
I have two vintage turntables received from two friends and i have no ideea which one us better, or if they are the same quality.
The first one is a Sony PS-J20 with a built-in preamp and the second one an Unitra Fonica GS-431.
I do know they might not be the best choice but they were free so i said why not?
It would be lovely if someone can explain me wich one is better .
Thanks.

 

[Montycat]

Hi Larisa, welcome to AK!

They sound like uncommon models, or at least probably not sold in North America. Are you in Europe?

The Sony here https://www.vinylengine.com/library/sony/ps-j20.shtml seems like not much more than a toy, or at least very entry level. The Unitra looks like this?

https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/gallery/image/18463

That actually looks pretty decent and far better than the Sony. There was a company called CEC that made turntables for many brands and it might have been made by them (generally a good thing) but another company, Mitsubishi, made their own as well as for ITT and some others that were more common in Europe. This has a bit of that look.

 

[Larisa Elena]

Hi Larisa, welcome to AK!

They sound like uncommon models, or at least probably not sold in North America. Are you in Europe?

The Sony here https://www.vinylengine.com/library/sony/ps-j20.shtml seems like not much more than a toy, or at least very entry level. The Unitra looks like this?

https://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/gallery/image/18463

That actually looks pretty decent and far better than the Sony. There was a company called CEC that made turntables for many brands and it might have been made by them (generally a good thing) but another company, Mitsubishi, made their own as well as for ITT and some others that were more common in Europe. This has a bit of that look.

Thanks for replying.Yes, i'm from Romania.And yes, the Unitra looks like the one in the attached link.I heard it's a Polish brand and it was quite popular here during the communist period or our country.I plan on buying a high end turntable in the future but untill then i was curious about the differences between these two models that i recieved for free.

 

[maxhifi]

Try both, and then tell us. With vintage gear, working condition plays a role as well as initial quality. You will find that this forum is kind of dominated by western people who have never seen co.munist gear, but I'm sure we would like to see some photos!

I agree though that the Polish player appears to be the better of the two, from looking at photos

 

[stratokaster]

Unitra was not made by CEC. It's an in-house design. They also made turntables for other companies, e.g. Thorens (Thorens low-end models from late 80s and early 90s were made by Unitra).

 

[Montycat]

Unitra was not made by CEC. It's an in-house design. They also made turntables for other companies, e.g. Thorens (Thorens low-end models from late 80s and early 90s were made by Unitra).

Good to know.

 

[Winters]

Hi!
I'm from Poland and I think I know quite a lot about most of the Polish record players. The main producer - Fonica was located in my city and I have met and spoken to several engineers who worked there.
And to that, I have recently refurbished a GS-431 that was found on a street several months ago.



All in all, it's significantly better than the Sony you mentioned but will require the basic maintenance / cleaning and lubing.

It's a simple record player, all of the parts are easily replaceable if something is broken. If you have the original cartridge and it's MF-100, 102 or 104 - keep it, it's a decent cartridge comparable to AT-95E. New styli are available (Tenorel 2001 styli will fit). The rubber grommet on the headshell collar may be perished - replace with an o-ring, otherwise it will be loose. Clean the switches and the potentiometer as they are prone to dirt-related failure. GS-431 was manufactured between 1982 and 1985.

If you need any parts or more info, feel free to contact me.