Pio1980
AK Member
Depends, the better ones can go a few Benji's up.
What are the best vintage linear tracking turntables?
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13mh13
Active Member
Huh???
HamboneF18
Super Member
Rabco runs more than a few $100. What others? Air bearing types?
Pio1980
AK Member
Offhand, Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Sony, Yamaha, Revox Linatrack (tho a rpita to swap carts).
Few air bearing integrated, the Versa one of the best. These tend to be expensive and somewhat demanding of tlc.
Pio1980
AK Member
The basic turntable unit.
HamboneF18
Super Member
Which models? Must not have sold many.
13mh13
Active Member
twiiii
Lunatic Member
Lets see we sold Yamaha, Thorens with a Rabco arm, Revox and B&O. The B&O had the lowest wow and flutter and the lowest rumble. but it was the trickiest to keep operating and of course the little plug in MMC cartridges are no longer available. If I were buying new it would be a Bergmann, but as I don't have the space it would probably be a CLear-Audio Ovation TT with the TT5 arm and swing out base for the arm to mount on. But with the prices of European TT's going through the roof I see why you might be interested in the Yamaha. WE didn't sell that many because YAmaha never supported the things they built as they should have. So I would probably pick a Revox. But I'll stick with my old Thorens with the Rabco because they are dependable and easy to set up and maintain has been my experience for close to 50 years. Finding good belts for the TD 125 is the challenge today.
13mh13
Active Member
Screw 'em all .... 'cept dat 1970 Schlumberger. It was over-built, by the deep pockets of an oil company. Not meant for hifi stores ... just elite CEOs and heads of state. And now that ex-German broadcast engineer YT vlogger chose it for his extraordinary collection of DJ and broadcast gear ...
KentTeffeteller
Gimpus Stereophilus!
The original Rabco arm and turntable, I'd agree with you on. When working right. But the HK models, not as great. Not as robustly built. Not as maintainable.
Pio1980
AK Member
Rabco initially only made the SL-8-8E servo arm, usually paired with a TOTL Thorens TD-124-125. They produced the ST-4 integrated ca 1971, a bit of a rarity these days, before H-K acquired them.
PanaMat produced a line of P-mount integrateds that improved the RABCO SL-8 FB servo system and simplified the B&O approach. Arguably, the SL-MA-3, SL-10 & 15, SL-7 and the underappreciated full size SL-QL1 version of the SL-7 were all the best of the P mount LTs.
Mitsubishi best in general production were the LT-30 and the LT-20. Pioneer best was the scarce PL-L1 Followed by the PL-L-1000, next the PL-L800.
Yamaha offered iirc three good ones, the TOTL PX-1, next PX-2, lastly PX-3.
Revox offered a series of integrated turntables incorporating the Linatrack swivel gantry linear tracking system, tho I wouldn't call it's linear cartridge carrier an "arm" in the conventional sense. I did mention its a rpita a to swap carts on it.
There were/are a number of high-dollar boutique integrated LTs folks generally may or may not heard of, I mentioned the Versa as an exceptional example.
And this, the Coloney;
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Pio1980
AK Member
Nearly all of the cylinder media phonographs had linear tracking via lead screw advance. The Edison Diamond Disc players used a lead screw with a pivoted follower assembly including the horn.
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Pio1980
AK Member
ogenerallyob
Obliquely, yes, as Boutique group.
Reading this thread is a treat. So many beautiful designs, ideas, feats of engineering. I don't have anywhere near the best of the best but have and appreciate the B&O TX2 (need to get the RCA cables redone on it and have it tuned up, but I do have a new SoundSmith cartridge), and have a few Technics versions (SL-DL1, SL-QL1, SL-5)
Most of these are ones that are far out of my reach, that I'll never be able to own, but it's great to see the high end models that they were inspired by
Most of these are ones that are far out of my reach, that I'll never be able to own, but it's great to see the high end models that they were inspired by
I can only speak for Revox (B790, B795, B791, B291, B291-S, H9)...somewhat. They were manufactured between 1977 and 1992 in not so moderate numbers (B790 ~45.000, B795 ~35.000, no idea about the others). B291 and H9 were bought, and heavily modified (tonearm and bearing mostly), by EMPIRE AG.
Revox Linatrack arm-shebbang was/is? also used for playing Edison Cylinders at British Library National Sound Archive, where they had/have? one other to play Transcriptor Discs as well, and at Deutsches Musikarchiv. All were built at the mentioned institutions, using Revox B77 and Studer A80 capstan motors, if I recall correctly.
lini
just me...
Of which the former belongs to Technics' best ones and in my view also is the nicest one in terms of visual appearance. But even the comparatively modest SL-5 is a surprisingly good model, if equipped with a good cartridge/needle.
Greetings from Munich!
Manfred / lini
Pio1980
AK Member
Right! The sensible budget end of the line.
Over the years, I've had several tangential trackers. There were: 3 Pioneer PLL 1000s (1 for sale), a Sony PSX800 - sorry to have sold it, 2 clunky Revox B 790s, 1 B&O (what a joke), 1 HK Rabco ST8 tinker toy, 1 from Germany that was so badly designed that it is unmentioned and a Yamaha PX2.
IMHO, this one is the best, a PX3.
IMHO, this one is the best, a PX3.