Sony Linear Tracking Turntable Portable PS-F5

[infernoacid]

The sound seems to be warping, like no constant speed. Or is this normal to the song?

[Nikonman2000]

THE Player itself looks like it was from the 2000's or the 2010's!

[wdharvey1]

I'm amazed at the sound! But, Sony WAS an early innovator of sound reproduction...THANKS!

[n2uid01]

GREAT SOUND!!!!!!!

[kinmanyuen]

Dear santa!........

[Neojhun]

Great thing also it has it's own preamp from phono level. Just wish it had better jacks than 3.5mm.

[madcowpate]

@delosdmi The sound glitch you're talking about is not a motor or belt problem, but a very slight warp in the Huey Lewis vinyl - you can tell from the wobbly reflection of light off the disc. This could be remedied with horizontal (rather than vertical) play.

The PS-F5 does occasionally have problems handling warped vinyl even with horizontal play, but that's one of the vagaries of linear tracking, not a "big mistake" by Sony.

[SuperRecordman]

Fantastic piece of vintage 1980's electronics. CLASSIC ITEM :)

[noisedownloader]

Come on guys..! we all better raise a war for the vinyl and turntables come back again, digital sounds sometimes seems to be too much artificial, and the art departament of record presses would generate new jobs...!

[StarionX]

@noisedownloader I've gone through some stores like Best Buy and some companies do make turntables (other than iON). Denon also sells a 100th annerversary turntable, but it very expensive, going for as low as $1,300. The DP-29F model is more reasonable at about $120.

[delosdmi]

The speed is not stable, you can tell by the way it sounds. This was one of Sony's big mistakes, that is one reason it was not made for very long.

[salchst]

@delosdmi Yes, you are right! I have a sensitive ear, and this is pretty easy to detect, cause it sounds sour.

[BrunermanVideo]

Can you play both sides with that without having to flip it?

[2agray]

Oh I remember these! They were very expensive for their day and I really wanted one as a teenager but no go with the parents. Very neat idea. Sounds damn good! I had no idea they sounded that good.

[Pistonhips]

Want

[elmueble]

Great suond!

Damn, I wish I could get one of these in Mexico...

Someone sell me one, please...

[cosmojay]

Wow! That sounds great! Ahhh, the good old days.

[Shintsu2]

Cool looking - but I think the motor isn't running a consistent speed. It seems to be okay and then slows down. I can hear the shimmering effect of it slowing down - speeding up - slowing down in parts. Namely 1:58 through 2:26. Cool regardless of how well it works though, never heard of such a crazy device before!

[2n918]

Will it play 45's also? Thanks for posting.

[pelka284dot]

All I can say is "Wow! Wow! Wow!" What a neat machine! And it sounds incredible to boot! Is the sound we are hearing here the actual turntable playing the music or is it digital computer reproduction from an MP3 supplied by YouTube? I just bought a linear tracking Technics TT on eBay and I can't wait to start messing around with it when it arrives on my doorstep!!!

[UzumakiNarutoX3]

Cool design! They should produce them again.

[LHUPA]

So, you have a fine thing and a super presentation!... I notice that it looks like the Soundburger turntable but upright. So, I have an Audio Technica Soundburger compact portable turntable since 1983 and still working well today in 2011! Japanese firms as Panasonic, Audio Technica, Sony, Sharp and others were the best in touch in the world at the era to unveil futurist creative compact phonographs!

[LHUPA]

I notice that it looks like the Soundburger turntable but upright. So, I have an Audio Technica Soundburger compact portable turntable since 1983 and still working well today in 2011! Japanese firms as Panasonic, Audio Technica, Sony, Sharp and others were the best in touch in the world at the era to unveil futurist creative compact phonographs!

[RJS3566]

Had one. It didn't last long.

[thatmuse76]

The only problem is there is a bit of waver in the sound. I had a Sansui "auto reverse" turntable from around this period that spun the record from just the center and had a stylus on top and one on the bottom and if the record was not "COMPLETELY" flat, it would warble a little bit at the beginning. A very cool idea, just not a completely effective one. I'd still pick one up for the novelty of it.

[Oldbmwr100rs]

The early '80s were such a great time for innovation in home electronics.I barely remember this sony, but I had a technics SL-5 linear turntable for many years,eventually it had a problem with the cartrige wiring in the tonearm, which was a problem with those.I just didn't get into it to try to fix it,I think I should have though.

That's a cool find though,I'll have to keep an eye open at the garage sales for one of those if they're so valuable.

[TyufeHtuiddv]

This Hipnotaze me

[SlimeTron5000]

Dub LPs to cassettes instead

[tyreemixer]

Great video ! Great comments about the year . I own a MINT Mitsubishi SS- Z40 vertical turntable stereo system . Good to hear how recording was made . Good editing . You can DJ W/ anything ..... a couple of yrs. ago some Dj's were doing it W/ 2 reel to reel decks (probably just for kicks i'm sure ........tho was common to see a reel to reel in the DJ booth back in the 80's ) Eisenhower High class of 1985 !

[retroforever]

I never saw this in 1983.....

[REJ0INDER]

vinyl > cd

[1926VictorCredenza]

Phillips invented the CD, not Sony. Sony did, however, make the cassette and CD more portable.

[KJ4IPS]

@1926VictorCredenza Actually, Magnavox made the CD Standard, but later was bought by Philips, which renamed itself Philips Magnavox afterwards.

[wrestlingwomanfan]

This must be the closest they came to a walkman that played records

[windoes98se]

wow phenominal sounds quality

[socksnundies]

Bloody technology. Awesome. Sounds good too.

[Speakershocker]

cooooool

[Desmaad]

The sound is excellent!

[Thevalleyoftar]

HUEY

[artifactingreality]

considering its from the 80s, that thing looks very modern. Almost like a wii... except that the wii looks crap by comparison. I suppose if you went on holiday in "the old days" and you wanted to listen to your albums... this is what you needed.

[TwinMillMC]

Sounds nice except the slight speed fluctuation noticeable at the beginning of the record. Maybe due to the warped record hitting the inside panel as it spins? Were these equipped with an Audio Technica cartridge? Highs sound a bit distorted as well... maybe time for a new stylus. : )

[DJelectfire]

this would be wonderful to take to a reocrd store or any other place that sells records (dollar store!) - so you could pre- listen to a track.... before buying it--

LOLZ @ 3:57- that OKC got even metioned! =D

[powerman2027]

sounds awesome.

[edgarbarradaskate]

even though im watching this video on low quality .. the sound is just awesome

Vinyls FTW!!

[gznubouit]

Wow! I mean, WOW and FLUTTER :) Must have been better back then!

[beautman1]

@gznubouit Mine plays with adequate speed accuracy; no worse than any conventional lower end japanese turntable.

[webbusinesskit]

Wow, never seen one of these before - weird!

[stratocat9999]

The lack of excessive rumble was a surprise, but the disc is obviously slipping. I assume you cinch down some sort of hold down to keep the disc stable, but yours is definitely slipping. It's cute, sounds surprisingly good, but I wouldn't give 300.00 for one, let alone 1000.00, when for that price I can get something high end. They do pop up on eBay sometimes for a reasonable sum. But I agree, it was innovative in design, and I think it even won an award. Thanks for sharing! Cheers!

[watchitnz]

Awesome machine. I would of loved one of these when I was a kid.

[PsychedelicVideos]

direct drive eh? how much abuse can these things handle? might buy a set to try djing with.

[recordplayer45rpm]

@PsychedelicVideos I sopose you can rig of a slip mat to do it. I think a standard turntable would be easier and less expensive. These units sell for around $300 working in poor condition and mint in box $1000.

[PsychedelicVideos]

@recordplayer45rpm ill steal a few then.

[bcdhifi]

@recordplayer45rpm I paid $50.00 for one new back in the early 80's.

[oatstao]

@PsychedelicVideos

hey , this is NOT a DJ turntable whatsoever, so while the fantasy of scratching/back cueing on the vertical is just a dream.

3 factors upfront make this impossible and impractical.

See next reply for the 3 factors :

[oatstao]

@PsychedelicVideos

1-The tonearm is specially designed to play in the axis point

notice it's at the bottom and not the top and 'floats' and any

vibration or slight knocks are not friends to this arm.

2-the flexible nature of vinyl will skip it when you try to do any thing

(this is why the technics 1200 and others rule, they play vinyl flat

which in turn takes vibration down to the ground, not to the needle)

3-size, height ez tipping

*the direct drive is for accuracy/power only

[mattd28]

very cool, decent sound it seems too :)

[mathewbailey08]

Anyone familiar with the Sharp vertical linear tracking turntables? The first time I saw one,it sort of looked like some sort of laser disc (videodisc-not DVD or CD )player

[extremehockeyfan]

THAT IS FRICKIN COOL!!

[johnnygiovanni63]

Rare piece of vintage japan technology, very nice!

[radiotubes]

I have this unit.I believe it needs a neddle (stylus) looks like its real tricky to replace?

[recordplayer45rpm]

@radiotubes No. The cover comes off and you can change it out the needle easly.

[WULFY1993]

cds suck :P

[thedirtydeltas]

can you fit a high end needle into this thing and get better sound?How does its play vertically does it go crappy over time?

[recordplayer45rpm]

@thedirtydeltas This unit excepts the P-mount standard cartridges and Ortofon makes one. It play vertically fine. On issue. It must have a counter weight when standing up. I have not looked at it closely.

[Rho45]

Two questions:

Does it work horizontally?

How well does it play 45's?

[recordplayer45rpm]

Yes it does. It plays 45's fine. When you switch it over to 7inch there is a shelf that holds the 45 until you lock the record to the spindle.

[mechanisma22]

do you know any companies today that make a linear tracking player like this? I want a player I can stand vertically like this!

[recordplayer45rpm]

No one makes this today. You have to buy a used one from ebay. There were two models. PS-F5 and PS-F9

[voicetube]

I used to do repairs on tape recorders and such and would agree that the unstability in speed is prolly a belt or rubber roller situation. If you clean (or replace if too gummy) the offending part, it would be near perfect!

Great blast from the past in any event; thanks for posting!!

[thedirtydeltas]

@voicetube but if you look at the actual reflection in the record it bounces,so its probably more likely to be the actual record it warped.

[voicetube]

@thedirtydeltas I hear ya and woudl not rule that out, but if you've ever played a warped record, the pitch is still usually fine (unless it rubs on something -- then you are right, the warp could cause a wobble, etc).

[skierpage]

Really cool design. Several beautiful Bang & Olufsen Beogram models were linear tracking a decade before this, but they were turnTABLEs.

You don't have to search eBay to enjoy vinyl, get a well-engineered turntable like a Rega. I have a Planar 3 resting on their wall shelf (so no exotic damping platform needed to stop the needle skipping when you jump up and down). Most of my records sounds great on it, and a few sound better than their poorly-remastered CD version.

[bulchit48]

sounds like a tape with some wow

[PJDooWop]

I hear it too.. The record may be getting hung up on something or maybe the belt's slipping? It seems to get better later in the song.

[DvdXploitr]

Love this song!! I would love to have one of those type of turntables. I've always liked the "different" types of electronic equipment. Records truly are the best in sound

[mito747]

And by the way the cd was invented by Philips.

[mito747]

There's quite a bit of wow and flutter not to mention distortion.

[Dreamlgider]

i dont see a power cord, is it running of batteries ?

[recordplayer45rpm]

It uses batteries.

[AFNYOAQIS]

Sounds great even though its on a youtube video

[mangadehi]

amazing discover. congrats!

[Audiomaniac84]

its castrated turntable :)

its made for lulz )

[scaleop4]

wow that sounds seriously good. infact better than cd.

[recordplayer45rpm]

Records do sound really good if you have the right equipment and records. You should get a turntable and then you can really hear the analog side of it. Youtube is digital and you don't hear the whole effect.

[mudito777]

1983,,this is a servo..motor electronic phase...not belt used and really sinchro music experienced,lp incredible sound for ever,,,,tanks friends,,,,

[recordplayer45rpm]

Keep checking E-bay.

[recordplayer45rpm]

Your right. We have a taste of that now but very little selection.

[mikeb1444]

I think this should be called a record player, not a turntable, mainly because, uh, there's no table, or at least no requirement of gravity. That's so cool. Any info on how much stylus pressure it uses?

[recordplayer45rpm]

It is 1.7 grams according to the manual.

[mikeb1444]

The days when people respected their equipment. I Still get new records, but my friends look at me like I'm stupid, until I hand them the Headphonts.

[recordplayer45rpm]

I know. I just love the sound.

[FastphillyCorvette]

omg..Sony came out with some unique stuff..

[recordplayer45rpm]

They sure did in those days.

[TheRickynow]

Oh back to the days when people hoped the future lay in vinyl! Of course, some of us will never give up on turntables! Thanks for this!

[recordplayer45rpm]

You are welcome.

[xGeegx]

HA! This'll be my new IPod! Imagine you some guy walkin down the street jammin to this thing! That's so awesome

[recordplayer45rpm]

They would have to be steady though.

[guimbadriver]

nice vertical turntable the sound is amazing, there´s a little wow and flutter in the audio but its not problem, i don´t know the kind of drive system of this turntable, direct drive motor or belt drive, but a amazing turntable...

[recordplayer45rpm]

Direct Drive, I think the record is sliping on the turntable for some reason.

[envisionelec]

The artifacts you're hearing are results from MPEG compression that YouTube imposes on every video on their site.

[thetubeisgr8]

Yes, thanx for that, but does it use a stylus or a laser to play the records. If it use a stylus, can you still get them and how do you change them? I would love a video on that.

[recordplayer45rpm]

It ueses a needle. You can open the case and replace them. Directions are in the manual.

[thetubeisgr8]

OK, a dumb question I know, but does this use a stylus in the traditional sense?If so, how do you change it? If not, how does it play the record?

[recordplayer45rpm]

To load the record, you need to select the size on the side of the unit. There is a plastic foot inside the unit to catch the record when you load it. Then when you rest it in there. You turn the black knob (on the front of the unit at the top) to lock it to the turntable. Make sure the speed is correct then you press play.

[Stephanie90212]

What would you do if you wanted to play the third song on the album without playing the first two? BTW, while Sony/Philips may have come out with the CD disk, all of its constituent components were developed in the U.S. - lasers, plastics, and pulse code modulation (PCM). It was Sony/Philips that wanted to preserve "perfect sound forever" in the form of the CD!

[recordplayer45rpm]

It does not do track searching.

You have to do it manually on the PS-F5.

On the front panel you press the lift/drop tone arm button, then press the arrow buttons to move the tone arm to the correct spot (in this case track 3), then press lift/drop button again and you have track three playing.

[Stephanie90212]

HI,

Can you actually see beneath the cover and cartridge where the exact break is between songs, or do you have to guess and sometimes try again? Thanks!

[recordplayer45rpm]

You can see in there a little, but it is difficult to line up the stylus perfectly because you are using buttons to line it up.

[W2QYVkz789]

WOW! The sound signal is vey good.

[recordplayer45rpm]

Records sound good when you have the right equipment and good quality records.

[thx2468]

THE TURNTABLE OF MY DREAMS!!! I never got one of those. ;-(

[marksoutof10]

Does this system just play LP albums, or can it also play 45rpm singles?

[recordplayer45rpm]

Yes it plays 45's. You can select the size and speed on the side of the unit. You can see those swiches on the side PS-F5 in the video at about 2 min 44 sec.

[icedrinker8]

awesome sound quality

[recordplayer45rpm]

Thanks.

[RaymondTVinyl]

WOW!! What a beautiful record player.  Pure Art.

[ra09fa]

"ultimate" insane coolness :D

[ra09fa]

btw, can't scratch this :D²

[phat104u]

Listen to that lovely record fidelity!

(I know, digital off YouTube...)

[milkbone1990]

Ah, sounds like an easy fix. So are these portable turntables very reliable?

[recordplayer45rpm]

It should be> I have not put mine though the paces because it is a collectors item and I tend to keep it in the box.

[milkbone1990]

This sounds slightly warped, or else the speed is a little off?

[recordplayer45rpm]

I believe the record is slipping the on turntable. I need to clean the turntable clamp area with alcohol and that should fix the problem. The record is a near mint promotional copy and has no warpage. However when you approach to the end of the song it improves. Unfortunately, I did not notice this until after filming and the editing was completed.

[afreddy59]

I seek this record player, i would like buy but where?

[recordplayer45rpm]

Ebay and other auction sites are probably your best bet. They typically show up every few months on Ebay in various conditions.

[mikeb1444]

That's so cool it's secretly from the future. CD's are boring and hidden. Records are cool, and the hot busicians get to have a big album picture.

[recordplayer45rpm]

I am glad you liked the video.

[Interests2009]

Sounds very good. I thought in eventually getting this turntable.

[recordplayer45rpm]

Cool.

[Interests2009]

Yup. That is once I find one whether it be online or some shop that sells vintage things of this nature. Thanks for sharing.

[guiasdeturistas]

Hi there. I am sorry for this question, because I know you really apreciate it. How much cost. I have one in good condition and I would like to sell. Thanks and sorry for bad english.

[xmvirus202]

The PS-F5 is a unique player. Thanks for this great example, it sounds amazing! Does it use a ceramic or magnetic cartridge?

[recordplayer45rpm]

It uses a magnetic cartridge.

[jasonlava]

With a built-in preamp too.

[recordplayer45rpm]

Yes it has a preamp too.