What was Micro Seikis Best Sounding Ever Turntable and Tonearm?

[Audioo]

Ive heard alot about Micro Seiki turntables and tonearms but never owned one yet. Are they still considered the best turntable company? Id like to find their best overall sounding tonearm and turntable.

 

[guiller]

A good starting point is this: http://www.thevintageknob.org/index.php , e.g.

http://www.thevintageknob.org/micro_seiki-SX-555FVW.html
http://www.thevintageknob.org/micro_seiki-SX-8000_II.html
http://www.thevintageknob.org/micro_seiki-AP-M1.html

There are less exotic models listed there as well, like:

http://www.thevintageknob.org/micro_seiki-DD-100.html
http://www.thevintageknob.org/micro_seiki-DQX-1000.html

 

[bimasta]

Some of Micro's better known and commonly sought after tables are the BL-91 and the RX-X000 series turntables (e.g. RX-5000)

Great question — not only did Micro Seiki make some of the best TTs ever made, they had a big hand in the design and manufacture of countless great ones for other brands at the time — and that time was the peak, the "Golden Age" of vinyl.

I can testify to the BL-91's greatness. It's one of the best belt-drives (or string-drive) ever made — and I include the current crop of BDs that cost $5K and up up up — and it's absolutely gorgeous.The tonearm that usually accompanies it, the Micro 505, is very, very good, but not quite up to the TT's standard. If I were to find a BL-91 today, my turntable quest would be over.

I was lucky to hear a number of "shoot-outs" between the BL-91 and the Yamaha GT-2000. At the time, they were seen as the best Belt Drive and Direct Drive available, and both were "complete systems", i.e. included great tonearms. The occasion was a very dedicated audiophile "club", listening through an exceptional system, and the general group consensus was we all wanted both, to choose was an agonizing choice — but most bought the BL-91. I bought neither because I'd just shelled out for a Linn LP12/Ittok, two Thorens TD-125's (+ SME and Syrinx tonearms), and a collection of new cartridges — my audio budget was already busted.

I corrected that Micro mistake years later when I found a NOS DQX-1000 and grabbed it. It's not a candidate for "Greatest", but for me it's the undisputed "Goodest"....

 

[Audioo]

From what i heard they made tonearms for other brands like Jelco did

 

[theophile]

Since the current audio company TechDas is Micro Seiki(they'll machine any vintage Micro-Seiki for you for a price) then the best Micro Seiki is the Air Force Zero.

The turntable model pictured below is the TechDas Air Force 3 Premium.

 

[theophile]

 

[bob smog]

I really like my MA-505 tonearm. I don't often throw around the term "jewel-like" but it definitely applies to the 505.

 

[sansuisanta]

In 2007 or so I came into possession of a BL-51 that my father bought in the late seventies. This beautiful turntable was stuck away in a garage for long enough to have accumulated a layer of dust 1/4" thick on the dust cover. Aside from that it was in fine shape; I cleaned it up and took it to my local vintage stereo repair shop for a checkup and a new belt. Now it's linked up to a Pioneer SX-1250 and two sets of Large Advent speakers, and it sounds great.

 

[Nat]

I'm a Micro fan - my first new turntable (in 1976) was a Tannoy/Micro TM 44, and for years I used an RX1500 FVG with two MA 505 III arms, and now I'm using a BL 51.
But I question the premise of your question - probably 'the best' was the most expensive, and you can simply look that up. And if buying that 'best' turntable and arm means that you scant the rest of your system, the best will never sound at its best.
The RX 1500 was clearly better than the BL 51, but the difference in my system has been not that obvious - granted, I am using a different arm and cartridge (though not 'better' or 'worse', just different - an SME Series IIIs and high compliance cartridges. I have a good system, but I don't have (or want) a dedicated listening room or an unlimited budget. I suspect that most other listeners are in a similar situation. In audio as in life, it is good to keep in mind that enough is a feast. Your enough may be at a different height than mine, but keep in mind that there is no 'best' - it's contextual, and not just in audio terms - your expenditures of money, time, and attention have to fit with the rest of your life. What used to be known as WAF (wife acceptance factor), and is now DAF (domestic acceptance factor) matters tremendously.

I also question the frequent attribution of Micro Seiki build or design of other arms and tables. There is a German site that claims that Micro made a large number of tables sold under other names, and people frequently claim that Micro made this, that, or the other table or arm, particularly when they are selling the table or arm in question - it might increase the sale price. I have seen little evidence to support all these claims, and just looking at them, it seems to me more likely that other companies such as CEC made some of the low end tables sold under the Micro name (but I will admit I have no concrete evidence of this, either). If Micro was large enough to make or design everything ascribed to them, you would expect that, when they went under, someone would have noticed. But I haven't found much on the web about their demise - they appear to have been incorporated into another small electronic parts company.
I may be wrong, and I'd love to know more.

 

[Jacob Bucci]

I bought a Miida T3115 (house brand Denon GT-700) with a bent tonearm off eBay a while back, so looking for a replacement tonearm the MA-505 caught my eye as having almost identical alignment specs. That German site mentioned by Nat says the Denon GT-700 is a MS OEM, and so it was no surprise that the 505 sounds incredible on the Miida.

 

[Nat]

Note that I have grave doubts as to the accuracy of the many claims made by that German sites. It's hard to find actual information to disprove their claims, nor do they offer any evidence to support their claims. I just find it implausible that so many components could be made by a company that was not one of the major players.
Which is not to take anything away from the MA 505, which is a very nice arm.

 

[Hue&Eye]

I bought a MS in the 1970s from Tech HiFi and I thought that model, DD-24, sucked. Feedback galore and the arm mounted was incorrect for that type of TT plinth and it couldn't be adjusted at all. I returned it and bought a Technics SL1200 that blew it away.