There are dozens if not hundreds of classic turntables that seem to have faded from the public consciousness; i’m largely speaking of the casualties from the great turntable wars of the 1970s here, but our time span could be from 1965 to 1985 – and we’d still miss some worthy contenders. Case in point – the sony ps-x60. Made in the late 70s, just before the advent of the little plastic disc that was to spell doom for the vinyl industry. In some ways just another table, but this one deserves a close look. And the more we look the more there is to admire. At first sight it seems to be a somewhat typical automatic unit, although more substantial than many (well over 20lbs soaking wet), with all the control functions outside the lid – a nice touch for the white glove set. This includes the rocker switch for raising and lowering the arm, a model of sureness and accurate operation. The only inboard control is a rotary switch to select automatic and manual functions; really it’s just where it should be. The first thing that catches attention is the platter itself. It’s a substantial piece of work, slightly oversized, with a good thick rubber mat; very little resonance here. The oversizing makes removing records a breeze. Removing the platter reveals a very interesting feature: a la denon the inner rim is imprinted with a magnetic strip and there is a tape head on the table base which reads the strip, this being part of the xtal speed control system. Does it work? Well, this example is flawless. Through the usual window we can see the stroboscopic pattern; speed is achieved in just over a second, and doesn’t waver. Listening to piano music reinforces the impression of rock-steady speed. The xtal quartz-lock system works! The arm is also an unusually fine thing: again substantial and with extremely low levels of friction, there are one or two features worth commenting on. Firstly, arm height is beautifully and easily adjustable via a locking lever on the right side. Setting the height takes no more than a second or two during playing: i wonder sometimes where we have gone in the last few decades – it’s a long time since i’ve operated such a nice and friendly arm. The engineers at sony obviously believed that normal humans were going to use this turntable. The same is true for the anti-skating mechanism: adjustable during play with a beautifully executed engraved ring, there is no fear that you might give up on getting the best from your cartridge – it’s just so easy that it’s a delight to make all the necessary adjustments. It puts me in mind of many of the very expensive arms out there that make adjustments difficult if not downright impossible. Fitting an (obviously) old stanton eee cartridge and dialling in the necessary parameters (about one minute’s work) i sat back to listen. Astonishing. This baby plays, and i mean it really plays! I threw everything i could at it, from emerson lake and palmer through to 13th century plainsong, and the results were sublime. The imaging was wide and deep, vocals being perfectly rendered; speed was perfect, and there wasn’t the slightest sense of instability or frequency anomalies – and the whole experience was deeply unsettling. Why? Well, this is just another table from japan, albeit a cut or two above the average, but nothing prepared me for the utter musicality of the thing. A real plug-and-play design, this would be all the turntable 99% of us would ever need. The thing is, it just gets out of the way, and you just listen to the music. The sony ps-x60. In its own quiet way a simply superb turntable, and one that deserves a bit more in the way of street-cred. Sibling of the ps-x70, just as worthwhile but even easier to find. What is missing from the x70 is the motor for tonearm control, the litz wiring of the tonearm, logic ic for automatic sequencing, pitch controls and audio muting. The pua-7 tonearm is the same and so is the very sturdy bsl motor ; the rest is entirely equal. The originals of the series are the ps-x70 and ps-x50 ; the ps-x60, ps-x40 and ps-x30 were later additions which didn't from a magnificent promo lp (which i own :) comparing recording techniques (cbs cutting lathes) and lp reproduction at home. Previsibly, the x60 became later on the ps-x65. Speed accuracy : ± 0.003% Wow & flutter : 0.025% S/n ratio : 75db (din b) platter : 32cm platter+mat weight : 2,2kg moment of inertia : 340kg/cm2 full speed ahead : 1/2 rotation tonearm balance : static pivot to stylus length : 235mm overhang : 14mm adjustable vta : ± 3mm stylus range : 0...2,5G anti-skating range : 0...2,5G deze prachtige ogenschijnlijk onverwoestbare vintage speler is in zeer goede staat te koop. Niet lang geleden grote servicebeurt ondergaan waarbij onder andere vergulde neutrik aansluitingen op het chassis zijn aangebracht. Prijsidee 500,-. Element in overleg vooraf te beluisteren opsturen en/of paypal: kosten en risico koper