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Revox or Sony

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Hi All, Well I have been enjoying my Onkyo PL 33 linear tracking turntable very much, it is a part of a Onkyo system, and it is a p-mount linear tracker, direct drive, it kills my Technics SL 1400 direct drive, so much so, that I will sell it, I'am now a full convert to linear trackers, no more pivots for me, now, I want to invest in another linear tracker, and my choice is either a Revox B795, Revox B790 or a Sony PL X800 or a Sony PL LX 500, also, what are the differences between the two Revoxe's ? and between the two Sony's ? and then between the Revox and the Sony, which should I go for ? Thanks. Groovetube.
 
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Definitely the Sonys, or Yamaha PX-2 or PX-3. The ReVoX Linatrack's prime virtue is superb operating ergonomics.

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Hi, Also, are all of the tables that I mentioned, all half inch mounts ? are there any that are p-mounts ? Thanks. Groovetube.
 
The Sony LTs PS-X800 and PS-X555ES were the best LTs Sony ever offered, both 1/2" mount carts. Generally reliable but unusually complex, especially the '800, repairs of malfunctioning units can go from routine to OMG!

For P-mount cart LTs, it's the Technics SL-M3 for full size wood grain finish, SL-QL1 for full size painted finish, and for the smaller crown jewel Technics P-mount LTs, The SL-10, SL-15, and the SL-7. The SL-QL1 is generally urecognised and underpriced for the quality level, the SL-7 fairly common in spite of its original selling price. Either will be the big bang for buck in this line, a lucky bargain notwithstanding. Broken lid latching occurs with mishandled SL-7s, be aware. All these TTs can malfunction from deteriorated tracking drive belts and hardened tracking rail grease, which are manageable.

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I have a B795.

If you get either of the Revox tables, make sure the box that has the cartridge mounting hardware is included.

The downside to the Revox tables is mounting the cartridge. On another thread, it was suggested to mount a P-mount adaptor one time and then use P-mount cartridges going forward. I have not gotten around to trying this but it sure sounds logical to me. :)
 
TubeHiFiNut said:
I have a B795.

If you get either of the Revox tables, make sure the box that has the cartridge mounting hardware is included.

The downside to the Revox tables is mounting the cartridge. On another thread, it was suggested to mount a P-mount adaptor one time and then use P-mount cartridges going forward. I have not gotten around to trying this but it sure sounds logical to me. :)
Click to expand...

P-mount highly recommended for cart swapping in the Linatrack ReVoX TTs, otherwise carts with easily replaceable stylus inserts that will be available for a while. The Shure MM carts like the M97xE and the V-15 series are good permanent options with the availability of quality JICO replacement stylii, particularly the SAS. I absolutely would NOT put a Grado in a Linatrack due to the difficulty changing stylii on the mounted cart.

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Hi, Thanks guys, I'm still split 50/50, between the Sony PS X800 and the Revox B790,795, any thoughts on which way to go ? and why ? I will not be using P-Mounts on any of these tables, half inch all the way baby. Thanks. Groovetube.
 
Have you had the opportunity to see these tables in person and take them through their respective functions/operations?
 
The Sony properly working is the best overall by far imo and fine for most 1/2" mount carts, the Linatrack TTs an ergonomic joy to use but fussy about cart choice and setup. A good but not great TT otherwise.

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Hi, Thanks all, I will now be looking to buy the Sony PS X800, that seems to be the general consensus all round, and taking into account my own thoughtsand intuition, I feel very comfortable going in this direction, if any one has any last thoughts, now us the time, I live in Austt, so. If anyone knows of said tt for sale, please, let me know, either here in Australia, or overseas, I will pay the postage. Thanks. Groovetube.
 
This will have to be properly packed and preferably professionally refurbed and guaranteed to be worth shipping, unless you can do the work yourself. A good deal on PX-555ES or Yamaha PX-2 in similar fettle should be considered as well.

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As a Revox B795 owner and user for many years, I am also hunting a reasonably priced Sony 555.

The Revox needs very high compliance cartridges to do its magic, and putting cartridges on it is a pain, p-mount highly recommended!

The Sony is more flexible, and in many ways more sophisticated - but whether it sounds better.... I'l tell you once I manage to get one!

The Sony arm is low mass rather than the ultra low mass of the Revox - which makes it more suitable for most high compliance cartridges, and the electro damping feature allows it to work very well with cartridges well beyond the ideal for the arm.

The Revox also has some low frequency damping - laterally the arm is "stabilised" magnetically, and the tiny unipivot bearing is damped with a special type of grease...
Vertical damping is very light, lateral damping quite substantive.

DO NOT try to run a mid compliance MC in the Revox - I was told years ago by a dealer that an Empire/BenzMicro cartridge would be a good match - it wasn't.

The Sony on the other hand would most likely handle that MC quite well... even though it is not in that arms "sweet spot".

In terms of long term reliability and maintenance, the Revox is the better bet. All electronic parts are standard - no custom IC's - so relatively repairable when something goes wrong.
The Sony can be a nightmare if the electronics go haywire.

This is NOT an easy choice - if you choose the Revox, I wouldn't mind a lead on a reasonably priced 555....

bye for now

David
 
Hi, I plan to eventually acquire both, Sony ps x800 being the first choice, but that depends on availability, the Revox is very available, from what I have read, the Revox B790 is the one to get, over the Revox B 975, please confirm. Thanks. Groovetube.
 
Any of the Linatrack TTs should be fine but the early B795 with the composite plate will probably have alignment issues. The B790 will have the most substantial build of them FWIW.

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Revox vs Sony

Hi all.
Revox turntables are -by far- more common and generally sell for a much lower price than sony PSX 800's.
Besides, they are much easier to service.
My own B790 only needed replacement of a single cap, and is now working flawlessy.
It's a real plug n'play, well engineered turntable.
While I can't comment on sound quality, the only downside of the Revox is, as many forumers said, cartridge mounting.
The special mounting kit is unobtainium ; rare specimens sometimes show up on ebay for an outrageous amount of money (around 400USD...!), exceeding the price of the table itself !
Mine came with a Denon DL 103: I know this shouldn't be the right fit (too heavy, low impedance...), but it sounds really good anyways...Which means the choice is probably somewhat wider than high impedance MM cartridges.
When the stylus is worn, I'll have to make a choice: either get a new DL 103 and mount it as similarly as possible as the old one, or try and get a kit somewhere...

Still odd nobody makes a replacement for the mounting kit; just looks like a plastic template , a few spacers and two counterweights, shouldn't be too hard remanufacturing...
 
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