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Linear tracking

Waspinators

Waspinators

Member
A friend of mine just got an '80s linear tracking Sony TT a bit ago, and I have to say it's a lovely sight. Pressing a button and having the arm land softly and neatly right on the outer groove, and the whole system just seems so much cleaner than a regular tonearm. It's almost making me wanna try to find one on the cheap. What are the advantages and disadvantages to a linear tracking system? I've even heard they completely eliminate inner groove distortion on the higher end tables.
 
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You can't really try one on the cheap without being disappointed, unless you luck into one...because like all turntables there are good and bad examples, and the cheap ones suffer from the same problems as a cheap turntable with a pivot arm. There are good ones, however...I have a Mitsubishi LT-20 that is a very nice sounding turntable. I've heard a Pioneer PL-L1000 that was very good as well. There are threads on here that mention some of the others. Revox, HK, Yamaha...they're worth investigating and you're right, they are fun to play with. I think they're a lot of fun, and the good ones sound very nice. Some people will argue against them but all you have to do is just listen to one and decide for yourself. There isn't a big problem with a well set up pivot arm, but that doesn't mean the LT tables can't be fun in and of themselves.
 
some look ugly.. there are some very nice looking.
cheap an not too bad were some japanese 80s models... like this: 300461306831 (epray)
regular sme mount, special cart, but: OM w/o weightplate is light enuff. so, light headshell with OM offers a wide range of stylii from 5 to 30. It shouldn't exceed 11g

I finally got to a LT (the smaller relative, a Saba PSP 480) for recording to Harddisk... I hated the tracking errors appearing on inner groves on some records...
 
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I have a Sony but don't like it too much, mostly because of the inconvenience. It's slow in its action and has to be level to work properly. It sounds fine but can't play 78s or anything but standard size. No speed control, although that's not a major issue. It's in my setup but I only use it rarely.
 
JVC made some LTs that work very well but look like absolute junk. I'm quite fond of my QL-L2.
 
I've got a linear tracking yamaha and I have a grado gold that I've read have inner groove problems and I was actually planning on putting it on the yamaha so that it would eliminate that issue for the grado.
 
The cutter head moves across the mother in a linear fasion. It is true that the tracking error at both the lead in and lead out grooves is greatly reduced, depending on the accuracy of the design and adjustment and it's ability to "catch up" to a sensed tracking error.


Turntables spin CAV (Constant Angular Velocity), so the stylus covers less distance per second than at the outer grooves. As such, there is always a greater perpensity to distort, the closer you are to the inner grooves. Why in the hell did they put the 1812 overture onto the inner grooves??!

There's always a balance. Reducing tracking error is good. If a linear tracking system is done poorley, the are will wobble and/or resonate, so the gains might not be there.
 
My Technics SL-7 is a fine performer, a relative had a B&O 4002 years ago and it was really nice. Neither will take a regular cart though, the SL-7 needs a P Mount and the B & O needs a B & O or a clone from Soundsmith.

The high end ones that take regular carts sell for a lot of money these days such as the Yamaha PX 2.
 
I have two, the Technics SL-10 and the SL-7. Both excellent designs and capable of producing excellent sound, but, and it's a big one, they both take P-mount cartridges, and only a restricted range is currently available.
 
avole said:
I have two, the Technics SL-10 and the SL-7. Both excellent designs and capable of producing excellent sound, but, and it's a big one, they both take P-mount cartridges, and only a restricted range is currently available.
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Ever tried a Grado in those?

I have a Grado Blue in my SL-7 and it sings, the Gold would be even better.
 
Dynacophil said:
but: OM w/o weightplate is light enuff. so, light headshell with OM offers a wide range of stylii from 5 to 30.
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Don't wish to be pedantic, but...5 to 40, actually. While not available everywhere, there is an OM40 (I have one) - look it up on Ortofon's website. http://www.ortofon.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=212&Itemid=192

Waspinators said:
I've even heard they completely eliminate inner groove distortion on the higher end tables.
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The actual record distortion which is eliminated or reduced with linear tracking turntables isn't inner groove distortion - it's azimuth error distortion, caused by a conventional tonearm changing its angle as it swings across the record, which means that the headshell and cartridge is not always at a tangent to the record groove. The longer a conventional tonearm is, the less the azimuth error is, which is the reason why 16 inch tonearms were produced. Of course, they bring other problems, such as extra weight.

Inner groove distortion is more caused by stylus shape - those with a thinner front to rear profile, such as micro-ridge or SAS styli, are less prone to it, whereas conical styli suffer more from it. It occurs because the "squiggles":D (for want of a better word!) in the vinyl groove for a given frequency become closer together at the centre of the record, as Jon Logan stated. The stylus doesn't fit properly in the squiggles, so it get forced up towards the top of the groove as it is squeezed out by the squiggles. That occurs with linear trackers as much as conventional tonearms.

Waspinators said:
What are the advantages and disadvantages to a linear tracking system?
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One advantage of linear trackers is they don't need anti-skating, as the arm doesn't get pulled to the inside of the track as happens with offset headshell angle conventional tonearms.
 
I like 'em because they're mechanically interesting, easy to use (one of mine has track selection) and sound nice with a good cart.
 
I have a Revox B795 and a B&O 4002. Both are fine turntables. (Although the Revox is kinda ugly to look at.)

Dave
 
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