Why Linear Tracking never took off?

my first was a rabco st4 and it was a joy except the wow and flutter.

i have a mapleknoll athena and its a VIVID sounding player but i need a quieter and more reliable pump and now i have a pioneer PLL1000A which is the exact tt as the phase linear 8000a.

the sound isnt what my vpi/.sme IV gives but its fun to be able to change carts quickly.

its too bad linear trackers didnt catch on but it takes effort on the part of the manufacturer and cd came in and the need became less.

some argue that linears are always off tangency and continuously correcting. just hear one and youll realize thats a fallacy, especially the iar bearing arms.

In 1984 I purchased a Sony PS X5555 ES (ES=Elevated Standard) linear tracking, bio-tracer table with the Sony moving coil cartridge. Back then the table cost $1,400.00 new. I re-carted the table with a Dennon unit, then a Benz Micro Glider unit. I used this table into 2003 then replaced it with a Michell Gryo SE /SME V arm and the same Benz cart. The engineering incorporated by Sony to develop this arm was incredible! Full auto operation, direct drive, quartz locked, safety protection features galore! The table still functions flawlessly (built like a tank) and is packed up in its original box. But...I will admit, the later system blows the Sony away at all levels of sound reproduction. The few remaining linear trackers availiable today are of very high quality....but at a very high price tag.

I currently own a Revox linear tracker. I bought it in 1981 and it still plays nicely. Mounting aftermarket cartridges is difficult, and the "String Tensioners" have probably stretched to a degree. When new this unit was a joy to use and sounded good. However, I have since bought the Music Hall mmf-7. WAY BETTER for sound quality.

I just fired up the old Sony PSX-800 for a quick listen. The old Shure V15 pickup tracks perfectly over the complete disc at the minimum downforce setting of 0.5 gram. Try that with your SME! If you have a MC pickup tracking at 2.5 grams I guess it doesn't matter.

Also, review of the service manual tells me that the tracking angle error is held within 0.05 degree, not 0.1 as I suggested in my post. That matters for any pickup.

Hello,

I have a solution for the Sony PS-X 800 trouble, that the tonearm is not going down over the vinyl. You can do it yourself. Please contact me under MHartmaier@t-online.de