advertisement


Sony PS-X800 - any experience?

Underwhelming, frankly.

Being a Sony, it’s beautifully engineered but I’ve heard three now and, frankly, I just can’t get excited about them. The sound is clean, detailed and tidy but, frankly, flat, sterile and, to be honest, rather boring!

The SL-10 sounds much better, IMHO, and if you fancy a Biotracer, look for a PS-X75 or a PS-B80.
 
My daily driver is it's grandchild? the PS-X555es -currently demonstrating that it is that rarest of all beasts-thoroughly happily compatible with London cartridges which sing in these crazily complex tone arms. Do NOT even consider buying unless it can be demonstrated that all functions work -these earlier Bio-Tracers used custom IC's which are basically unobtanium today.
 
Thanks for the info. Sounds like if one was on a quest for a high performance, low hassle "end of the road" DD deck, this one might best be left off the list.
 
A Sony PSX-800 was my first serious turntable. It was the early '80s, and I was about 12 or 13 and I saw it in the window of the local Sony/B&O dealer. I fell in love there and then and, much to the despair of my mother, I pretty much emptied my savings account in order to have it. The really daft thing was that it then took a whole summer of fruit picking to afford an amp and set of speakers to go with it (oh yes, and the Audio Technica head amp needed because the deck come with a Sony XL-44L MC cart) so I couldn't actually use it for months. I loved it, took it to Uni too, and then fitted an Ortofon MC200, which worked brilliantly with it. Finally sold it to a friend so I could get a Sondek, like everybody else. I have fond memories of it and still have a number of cassettes I made on my Nak RX-202 from LPs played on the deck - they still sound great.

In more recent years I bought a really nice restored example of it's cousin, the Aiwa LP-3000 for my collection. This is a really cool deck in many ways and performs surprisingly well considering the tech within. I would probably recommend you look for one of these instead. IIRC Beobloke had one too for a while (and may still have it) and gave me some useful guidance along the way. As the collection was getting a bit out of hand I sold mine on a few years back on here.

f603c94bf625f3dd91113b8e0af8eae708c91199.jpeg
 
I sold my LP-3000 at the last Audiojumble as I'm desperately trying to thin out the turntable collection, but it was a magnificent thing and sounded superb. I still miss it in some ways!

Of course if you really want to hit the linear tracking high end you need one of these. http://www.thevintageknob.org/pioneer-PL-L1.html

And in an appalling piece of self-promotion, yes, I do have one and, yes, it is currently for sale!
 
Beobloke said:
I sold my LP-3000 at the last Audiojumble as I'm desperately trying to thin out the turntable collection, but it was a magnificent thing and sounded superb. I still miss it in some ways!

Of course if you really want to hit the linear tracking high end you need one of these. http://www.thevintageknob.org/pioneer-PL-L1.html

And in an appalling piece of self-promotion, yes, I do have one and, yes, it is currently for sale!
Click to expand...

Could you remind me by linking the advert please?
 
well... I have a ps-b80 and a ps-x800. And both of them exhibit the same odd characteristic: with medium to low compliance MCs (for instance a Jubilee and a denon 304) they absolutely sing. But with MMs I've had disappointing results: yes, they sound a little sterile, airless and flat. Haven't seen anybody say that about them before but it's a strong impression... I think they are both wonderful: they make most of the stuff to be seen in Munich etc look really silly. I thought I had given up expensive MCs but they are so good on these that I can't!
alex
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top