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JVC QL Y5F - worth considering?

RemoWilliams

RemoWilliams

Addicted Member
I suppose the shiny veneer and overall aesthetics are winning me over - there is a nice, well looked after example available locally for 625.00. Like many Japanese higher end and fully automatic turntables of the era it is on the complicated side with unavailable chips etc. but the JVCs do appear to be quite reliable generally.


I already own a Sony PS X60, Sansui SR 525 and Pioneer PL 15R in different set ups and if I decided to purchase the JVC I would most likely sell the Sansui. Though perhaps I might not want to sell it.


I do know there are some worthwhile mods to the plinth, being the weakest part of the design, which would, with a proper base to put it on, produce a very capable player.


Is it worth having? I doubt there is anything new at the asking price that would even come close and I do enjoy vintage turntables.


Any thoughts on the pricing in today's market? Bearing in mind I am in Canada where generally we tend to pay more.
 
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I noticed the Y55F as well though the seller is asking 775.00, has the two tonearms but is it worth the extra money?
 
RemoWilliams said:
I noticed the Y55F as well though the seller is asking 775.00, has the two tonearms but is it worth the extra money?
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Not to me but that would be your call. You have plenty of decks - do you really want to pay a premium for 2 arms? Personal call there.
 
The QL series is very nice, though I think the prices for used turntables lately are crazy. I have a QL-5 that I picked up at a garage sale 10 years ago for $10. It was sitting under a potted plant!
 
IMO the Y55F with both arms is well worth the difference in price. The Y55 has a better drive less wow and flutter, plus having the other tone allows for a higher mass cart, if you like current MC carts
 
My opinion is based on owning a QL-Y5F, and a QL-50 with a SME 3009 series III tone arm, and a QL-Y66F. I still own all these tables and currently rotate them in service. While I consider the QL-Y5F the least favorite of the three, I still consider it a nice quality table.
 
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The QL Y5F is a medium-low mass servo arm, the first run of JVC’s servo arm tables of 1980. It’s a great all-rounder! I’ve used 5 gram high compliance carts to 16 gram low compliance carts on it; it will do it all with great precision and great sound. I’ve never mod’ed the plinth, and I don’t think it needs it. The Y5F will play a much greater range of carts than the newer JVC servo-arms. Plus, it’s a first for JVC in the genre of TTs.
 
I use a Y5F as my main TT for the past 5+ years, and have always liked its precision. I have a Miracord 770H as a backup, but haven’t finished cleaning and lubing it, because I haven’t felt the need to get it done.
I’d call it a nice mid-range table, but then I don’t see the need for some of the extremes available today. What’s the sense of paying exorbitant prices for cartridge/TT combos if you have a so-called weak link in your setup? I do run an ortofon MC, but have numerous AT LC series, all of which compliment my mid-fi system!
 
With the second arm I think you with have a wider range of cart compliance Y55 than the QL-Y5 which just has one arm. But I was un-able to confirm that, but you should be able find out at vinyl engine.
 
CT Jim said:
I use a Y5F as my main TT for the past 5+ years, and have always liked its precision. I have a Miracord 770H as a backup, but haven’t finished cleaning and lubing it, because I haven’t felt the need to get it done.
I’d call it a nice mid-range table, but then I don’t see the need for some of the extremes available today. What’s the sense of paying exorbitant prices for cartridge/TT combos if you have a so-called weak link in your setup? I do run an ortofon MC, but have numerous AT LC series, all of which compliment my mid-fi system!
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There are very few TTs made today that better the specs of the JVC Y5F
 
$625 Canadian? That's about $500 US which seems about right. Sure glad I got my QL-A7 before the world went nuts (I paid $150 maybe ten years ago and thought it was an extreme extravagance).
 
I have the subject deck. Playing it with a Shure V15 VMR cartridge with sas stylus. I feel you'd have to pony up a good amount of money to get similar performance in a current model. When it come to turntables I usually by quality vintage. Vinyl was king and there was a lot of competition so quality was excellent. Manufacture's were tooled up and able to put out top notch products.
 
Hello,

I know both of these turntables. I have refurbished them many times for clients, and I've also had several of my own units. As for the QL-Y5F, it comes from a series of turntables produced in the late '70s. These include the QL-Y3F, QL-Y5, QL-Y5F, and QL-Y7. The ones with the letter "F" are fully automatic turntables. So, QL-Y3F and QL-Y5F. On the other hand, the QL-Y5 and QL-Y7 are semi-automatic turntables, meaning they don't have an automatic start. So, it’s important to note that the QL-Y5 and QL-Y5F are two different turntables, even though they are very similar in appearance. I mention this because people sometimes confuse them.

As for the QL-Y55F, it belongs to a slightly newer series from the early '80s. These include the QL-Y33F, QL-Y44F, QL-Y55F, QL-Y66F, and QL-Y77F.

Regarding the QL-Y5F, it is a very nice turntable. It's one of the first to feature electronically controlled Q-damping and anti-skating. Additionally, its automation is of a newer generation compared to turntables from the '70s. It’s based on electromagnets and linear motors, so it’s smooth and silent. This distinguishes it from turntables like the Pioneer PL-570, which had mechanical automation.

As for the QL-Y55F, as I said, it’s a few years newer. The entire series is a bit special to me. The QL-Y33F and QL-Y44F had their competitive counterparts from other brands, such as the Denon DP-47F, DP-37F, or Pioneer PL-505, PL-707.
However, the QL-Y55F, QL-Y66F, and QL-Y77F did not have competitive counterparts from other brands. I’m talking about fully automatic turntables. Other companies at that time did not produce fully automatic turntables with interchangeable tonearms, electronic tracking force, anti-skating, and Q-damping.
I really like these turntables. The QL-Y55F is very similar to the QL-Y77F in terms of electronics design. The QL-Y77F also has an additional drive brake, a more elaborate drive system, and a taller turntable enclosure.

Both the QL-Y5F and QL-Y55F are very good turntables. However, the QL-Y55F is still a better model. If I had to choose, I would buy the QL-Y55F, even though it’s a bit more expensive. As for the straight and "S" tonearms, if there’s an opportunity to buy a turntable with both arms, I would take it. It’s becoming less common for sellers to offer both arms. Usually, there is only one tonearm. However, tonearms are very expensive on their own. It’s usually more cost-effective to buy a turntable with both tonearms than to buy the second one separately later.

There are a few issues with these turntables. If you buy a QL-Y5F, make sure to replace the capacitors in the power supply. There are several, but 95% of them are leaky and often cause malfunctions.

As for the QL-Y55F, sometimes the STK5416 chip fails. This is a voltage regulator IC. The original ones are not available, but the Chinese produce replacements. You can buy them on AliExpress for $15. I recommend getting one as a spare, because we don’t know how long they will have these in stock. I’ve tested them, and the Chinese ones work. You’ll recognize the malfunction if you turn on the power and the platter starts spinning immediately without pressing "Start". It won’t stop with the "Stop" button, only after turning off the power. I mention this because it’s a common fault.

I’ll also add that both the QL-Y5F and QL-Y55F have important features controlled by potentiometers. These often cause problems. I recommend disassembling and cleaning them.

I made a video when I was refurbishing the QL-Y55F. I show how to disassemble and repair the potentiometers. The video is in Polish, but you can enable automatic subtitles in English.
Here’s the link:


I hope this helps.

Best regards and good luck with your purchase!

Przemyslaw
 
A belated update - I purchased the QL Y5F as the Y55F became unavailable. Other than added some dampening to the plinth I have not attempted to go into the power supply as suggested. I do not use it a lot but still need to look into it given the age.


Also use a Sansui SR 525 and QR X7, Hitachi HT 500 and a Pioneer PL 518 which is the daily workhorse as it were. I like them all and enjoy using them and feel I have more than I need bit what else id new?
 
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