middlecreekguy Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 What happened to the linear tracking shift that was taking place during the `80`s? It looked like a great idea. From the outer to the inner groove, the cartridge would track the same. Theoretically anyway. Yamaha made a beautiful linear table that I would love to have if I could find one. Don`t know the model #. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chickey Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 I actually have one...an old Technics SL-L3 direct drive linear tracking turntable. It sounds fine, but it should not be confused with more serious contenders (belt driven, non-linear tracking). I bought it as a novelty - the direct track access is pretty cool, and it's OK for casual listening. But I'd look elsewhere if you are considering a turntable purchase for serious listening through your Klipsch. C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middlecreekguy Posted February 28, 2003 Author Share Posted February 28, 2003 ---------------- On 2/28/2003 11:19:11 AM chickey wrote: I actually have one...an old Technics SL-L3 direct drive linear tracking turntable. It sounds fine, but it should not be confused with more serious contenders (belt driven, non-linear tracking). I bought it as a novelty - the direct track access is pretty cool, and it's OK for casual listening. But I'd look elsewhere if you are considering a turntable purchase for serious listening through your Klipsch. C ---------------- I have a SL-5 attached to my computer. I know what you mean, it`s not top of the line by any means. But why did`nt the hi end market start producing these. It seems to be based on sound science. Am I wrong? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 The high end market DID and still does produce various versions of the Linear tracking tables with air bearing tonearms. These mid-fi versions were mediocre at best. There are several air bearing arms that can be used with stable tables like the VPI HW-19 series as well as a host of others. http://www.eminent-tech.com/graphics/tonearmparts.jpg The Eminent Technology ET-2 linear air bearing arm is one of the more well known versions. It used a modifed aqaurium pump to float the arm, pump in another room for noise isolation. Rockport has a no holds barred aproach. There is a well reguarded DIY version Linear Tracking air bearing arm floating about as well by Poul Ladegaard. http://www.aiko.com/roscoe/arm1.html kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KGK1958 Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 Bang & Olufsen made several models as well. I have a B&O 8000, direct drive, linear-tracking. I like it, but it's difficult to find replacement cartridges and cables for it. B&O used that funky 5 pin DIN plug and had a proprietary cartridge design. I used to sell them, so I have a soft spot in my heart for them. Kevin Klipsch and McIntosh...a match made in heaven. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hardy Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 I have a b&o TX2 that I have been very impressed with. This is a later b&o offering, and is not very sturdily made, but there's no doubt that the definition and "air" around individual voices or instruments is superior to all of the midlevel swingin' arm tt's I've heard (and owned). This TX2, which I acquired for $7 with the typical broken stylus (I bought an MMC4 from the b&o store in Boston), IMMEDIATELY replaced my long-serving Philips tt in the main system the first time I heard it. I suspect it's the best-sounding tt/cartridge for about $110 on the planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 Mark, I am surprised you have found this to be true. I have heard several of the B&O tables and I thought they were really less than what could be achieved by a nice belt drive with good pivot arm. They were long on looks and short on performance. I thought their version of the linear arm was not up to snuff. when you say compared to other tables, what are you referring to? kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Hardy Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 ahh, well, you've caught me up, Kelly! I am NOT comparing the linear b&o with, say an LP12, or an Oracle, but to more massmarket fare, e.g., my trusty old Philips AF877/Grado F1+. Again, bear in mind that I have a grand total of about $110 invested in this. I also like the sound of the (low-end) b&o MMC4 I bought for this TX2, although it is a bit "lean" for my taste. Definition and presence is great for $100 if you ask me. Y'know, I've wanted an LP12 since I started in this hobby (ca. 1977), but it's always been above my spending ceiling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strabo Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 I was always afraid of it causing groove wear. I fear that an arm on a pivot would allow more free movement than one on a track of some sort. They probably work fine, but my limited brain just couldn't get over the trust I'd have to put in a tracking bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 I have an old Rabco arm (1960's?) by the way...this "straight-line tracking" stuff is nothing new, nor "1980's"........how's about the original Edison cylinders? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Favog Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 The Yamaha linear TT's I think had a PX prefix in the model number. I once sold the Technincs version too. My only gripe at the time was the limited choice and quality of the P-Mount cartridges available. We only had the ones from Ortofon (TM-10, TM-15 etc...). Doesn't ClearAudio also make a high end linear track too?? Lots of chrome and lexan... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 I remember sometime back in the late 70's, or early 80's a linear tracking turntable by Mitsubishi that stood vertically, arm downward. It looked kinda funny...like a single reel tape deck or something. The one I heard sounded much better than a Rabco, and from what I heard at the time it was a pretty nice turntable. I was never a fan of the Technics linear tracking models, but they were relatively inexpensive and decent on a limited budget! I never knew of anyone with a Rabco that didn't have it spending considerable time in for repairs, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnysal Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 with the rabco arm it was always "leading" or "dragging" behind...and then, of course, after a few years the rubber drive wheel turns to mush and you cannot use the damn thing. my dad still has one operating, he likes to fiddle with it all the time, gives him something to do...lol! regards, tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kjohnsonhp Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 Here is my college linear tracking turntable from the 80's. * A new needle is $30. * The track find feature is neat but doesn't always work * I always wanted a traditional style so I could move the tone arm myself and sample tracks quickly. Here is the museum Beogram 3000 w/old Sure cartridge * Belt drive * suspension platter & tone arem * cool looks * auto play and return Here is the Denon belt drive I bought in the early 90's for $3 at a garage sale. I have a Grado Red for this one. I would like sell all three and get one nice TT. For now which should I use? I think I'll use the Denon w/Grado Red but it doesn't auto return or pick up. The B&O is the most user friendly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted February 28, 2003 Share Posted February 28, 2003 Damn...I miss my Denon DP-62L (nice lookin' 'table, KG)! I had a Technics linear tracking 'table in '84 for 2 days! It worked okay, and the Audio Technica "P" mount sounded decent, but it just seemed so cheap and flimsy. I sold it to my roommate for the exact price I paid for it and bought the huge Denon instead (I'm almost sorry I sold it last month, but I hardly used it anymore). Didn't the Swiss company Revox sell a beefy aluminum linear tracker too? I recall seeing one back at the PX at Robinson Barracks in Stuttgart in '83. I couldn't afford it, that much I do remember...I also couldn't afford the Nakamichi DRAGON-CT all-black turntable (WOW, now that was a thing of beauty, IMO!) ---------------- On 2/28/2003 11:43:17 AM KGK1958 wrote: Klipsch and McIntosh...a match made in heaven. ---------------- AMEN! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
middlecreekguy Posted March 2, 2003 Author Share Posted March 2, 2003 God! I need to go to more garage sales. That is a beauty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynnm Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Hey Kelly How did you pull off the name change and retain your body count ?? ROTFLMAOAWMU Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 3, 2003 Share Posted March 3, 2003 Forget that direct drive TT crap, unless you are going to have a separate isolation plenum like the old Technics SP10, or plan on being a DJ pushing your records back & forth with greasy fried chicken fingers. The un-weighted rumble in direct drive TT's is generally very gross, & highest at the worst possible frequency ranges, where most pickup/pickup arm combo's resonances are. And speaking of high-end linear tracking TT's.....anyone remember the Goldmund? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaptnBob Posted March 4, 2003 Share Posted March 4, 2003 I had both the Rabco ST-4 turntable and SL-8 arm. The arm was the only piece of high fidelity gear I've ever gotten mad at enough to punch. The ST-4 wasn't bad, and would track records other turntables wouldn't, but it was a "system-buster" that is, at the end of the record, when the arm lifted, it would drag the stylus sideways across the last few grooves before clearing the surface with mighty THUMP. That and you coundn't have it near a window facing west because the evening sunlight would reflect off the mirror on the back of the arm, shine into the photo cell that controlled the arm lift, and make the arm go up and down until dark. Oh yeah, the dust cover had a very low melting temperature, one easily exceeded in the back seat of a 1975 Opel car. It was a clever design, though, with lots of interesting ways of dealing with various problems. Harman Kardon brought out their own version sometime in the late seventies which actually worked ok, but by then cds were on the horizon and had I gotten a Thorens 125, so I didn't look into it too closely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted March 4, 2003 Share Posted March 4, 2003 Yeah, my Rabco arm has been in pieces for years. Actually I bought it real cheap, with the purpose of modifying it, or to use as a guideline to make my own. Then Goldmund came out with their version which seems to work very well, albeit $$$$$. But that old Rabco, what a contraption! Kjohnsonhp....by the way....that's not a "sure" (Shure) phono pickup in that B&O Beogram turntable. B&O, for the most part (if not entirely) made their turntables with integrated tonearms & pickups. That's probably a B&O SP12 phono pickup in that arm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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