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View Full Version : Sony DD TT from the '80's - what was it ?



steveinspain
20-10-2009, 20:21
As a youth, I was a customer of Howard Popecks Subjective audio in Camden (London) and aside from introducing me to actually listening to music, spending vast amounts of money and a whole new source of pleasure, he also managed to sell me a Sony DD turntable - it was a massive thing with a reconstituted stone/resin plinth. I had all but forgotten about it till joining here and reading about Technics TT's. Sadly, i have no idea what the model number was, and would love to know what it was and how it rated - any one got any ideas of where I might find a source of pictures of Sony's old TT's.

If so, I will reward you of tales of one of my dealings with Mr. Popeck, who was such a gent to me then...

The Grand Wazoo
20-10-2009, 20:40
it was a massive thing with a reconstituted stone/resin plinth

Not 'Sony Bulk Mould Compound'?

Rare Bird
20-10-2009, 20:43
TTS4000?

The Grand Wazoo
20-10-2009, 20:45
Not TTS4000, that was the 1970's

The Grand Wazoo
20-10-2009, 20:49
More likely a PS-X. Maybe a 600 or 700.
Did the arm have a big squared off section at the bearing end?

The Grand Wazoo
20-10-2009, 21:04
What about a PS-X70?

http://www.thevintageknob.org/SONY/sonyvault/PSX70/PSX70.html#

DSJR
20-10-2009, 21:15
Too early I think ('77), but the PS-8750 was pretty darned good and we only stopped it 'cos we got Linn around that time and that was "the latest thing" back then...


http://www.thevintageknob.org/SONY/sonyvault/PS8750/PS8750.html

steveinspain
21-10-2009, 06:28
Bulk Mould compound - sounds like something you might find at the back of my fridge..!
The PS-X70 looks sort-of similar, but it was bigger and had fewer controls. As for a squared off section at the end of the arm - I can't remember !

EDIT !
However, it WAS the TTS 8000, and a mighty beast it was !
Thanks for the help - I will see what more I can find out later, and wish I knew what happened to it, as I don't recall selling it. I ran it with a Beard P100/500 valve amp and some Magnaplaner MG1c speakers.

So, as promised, my story.
I was a builder, driving a mini van (street cred - I had it in bucket-loads) and a scraggy scruffy mess too (me, and the van)
I went to Howard first to buy a cassette machine,and he opened the shop especially for me on a sunday, which really impressed. It was my first ever hifi shop experience.
A few weeks later, he called me to say he had something that I might be interested in.
So, off I trotted in my van late Saturday afternoon.
I was shown the beard amps and maggies, and told I could take them home for the weekend - now remember that this guy had no address for me, just my Mums address, as I was renting. I went to get my van from where I had parked it, and he got the gear outside the back of the shop. I pulled up, and once he knew I was there, he shot off, as he had a date of some sort. So, I was packing this gear into the back of the van when a copper came round the corner to see a scruffy geezer cramming big expensive boxes into a tatty van. 'Ello' ello' ello, he said, whats all this then. I explained that I had been lent the gear for the weekend, so had no paperwork to prove I hadn't nicked it, and Howard was out of reach (no mobiles back then).
I spent the next few hours at the station until my Mother was contacted and could vouch for me etc, then I was allowed to go.
Now, the maggies came ina big box - it was too long for me to close the doors, so I drove across London with the back doors open, a piece of string holding the gear that was worth 6 months income. Guess what - I got stopped by the police again, and it was only after my tale was verified that I was allowed to go home, finally.
Needless to say, I wasn't about to take the stuff back after all that, so kept it all, and thus began my life with a hifi. Still got the beard, though lent it to a friend many years back, so doubt I'll ever see it again, and the maggies are waiting in Mums attic for when I can bring them down here.
The End.

Alex_UK
21-10-2009, 08:53
Great story Steve, thanks for that!

alfie2902
23-10-2009, 01:27
http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss55/alfie2902/Junk/TTS8k_1.jpg

A Quote from Asylum Trader

"The Sony TTS-8000 was developed in 1976 as Sony's top-of-the-line audiophile deck replacement to their previous TOTL deck, the PS-8750. The motor was sold both in a glossy black MDF-like plinth or by itself as a motor-only (like the Denon DP-80, the big Victor motors, and the Technics SP-10Mk2). The motor used a quartz crystal-locking system, which checked itself against the Magnedisc magnetic imprint/reading system (which was later used by Denon in its DP-80, DP-100, and DP-75 motors). The motor is said to be one of the most speed-stable motors ever made, and it has separate pitch control (and if the main pitch control doesn't do it for you, you can tweak the pitch control underneath further). It has 1.2kg-cm of torque. It has a very clean sound, and is quieter than the specs suggest. These tables are reasonably rare outside of Japan."

http://www.thevintageknob.org/SONY/sonyvault/TTS8000/TTS8000.html#

kreacherx
02-05-2010, 13:25
Wonder if the are the same maggies that he demoed to me to go with the Krell KSA 100, I always wished I'd bought them! I still have the Krell, it's been sitting there for years as I cannot afford the speakers for it! also I can't lift it off the floor!!! any ideas what I can do with the Krell (no rude ones)!:scratch:

DSJR
02-05-2010, 14:03
I turned down some KMA100's for £1600 once :( At the time I should have bitten the chap's hand off..

kreacherx
02-05-2010, 14:20
:(The Krell sounded great but I have a Meridian 207 that was attacked by lightening!! & a pair of Linear Design (Aussie) speakers paper cones have had it! do I sell the Krell :violin:or build on it again (lack of moolah a problem) mebbe this good forum will give me advice!

The Grand Wazoo
02-05-2010, 15:38
Shame you never said, I was in Cornwall this week, I could've stopped by & taken the Krell into "safe storage" for you!

kreacherx
02-05-2010, 20:06
Shame you never said, I was in Cornwall this week, I could've stopped by & taken the Krell into "safe storage" for you!

& keep it warm I suppose? when I bought the krell I did a comparison with the Mark Levinson & also the Beard MonoBlocks & rang Mr Beard later who offeredme a pair of scratched mono's a a superb price!! I also paired the Krell with the Pink Triangle "Pip" - superb little preamp ISTR it was powered by a small car battery (no hum there!) The Primare pre was also good --- ahhh memories!

The Grand Wazoo
02-05-2010, 22:13
I'd be building on the Krell - a good amp is a good amp no matter what you pair it with or when it was made. And that, my friend is a good amp!

A second system never goes amiss..............

kreacherx
02-05-2010, 23:08
I'd be building on the Krell - a good amp is a good amp no matter what you pair it with or when it was made. And that, my friend is a good amp!

A second system never goes amiss..............

I'd love to but the lack of folding stuff stopped me before & stops me now, even if I sold my body i'd only get tuppence! i'm disabled,decrepit & destitute, It'll just have to remain a museum piece, mebbe a lottery ticket this week & dreams!!!:rolleyes:

nat8808
23-01-2014, 13:49
I wanted to revive this thread on behalf of Beobloke and also because I picked one up last year..

Didn't realise Mr Popeck sold them back in the day. By all means they were otherwise not at all hifi items and only had pro-audio dealers selling them to the industry. Howard must have gotten word somehow..

What arm did you use with the TTS8000 SteveinSpain?

Mine has a Resomatic plinth (which I think was a separate company from Sony made plinth yet was fairly standard).

It will be my direct drive keeper I think to go alongside my PT Anniversary for more delicate suspended deck - something different to all those Techies and idlers which are now quite hefty in price because of their popularity!

Beobloke
28-01-2014, 09:40
Update...

Good news - Sony TTS-8000 has arrived in one piece! :yay:

Bad news - doesn't flippin' work! :wah:

It powers up but gives no response to the Start/Stop touch switch. I'm hoping this is as a result of a minor transistor failure in the logic circuit rather than a knackered motor. Still, if all else fails I suppose it'll make a novel paperweight...

StanleyB
28-01-2014, 11:26
Send it back. At that sort of price you paid for it I would expect the thing to play.

Beobloke
28-01-2014, 12:57
It was listed as 'Faulty' and the seller is well known for his 'pile it high, sell it cheap, no guarantees' method of selling. Consequently I knew the risk I was taking and am perfectly prepared to take it on the chin, although I know this is a rarity amongst some eBay buyers!

Moaning about it on a public forum does make me feel slightly better however... ;)

Macca
28-01-2014, 13:55
I was quite jealous when I saw you had bought that but I feel better now ;)

Hopefully not the motor - good luck

StanleyB
28-01-2014, 15:16
I was quite jealous when I saw you had bought that but I feel better now ;)
Feeling better about the bad luck someone else has endured is not such a good thing.

nat8808
28-01-2014, 20:00
It was listed as 'Faulty' and the seller is well known for his 'pile it high, sell it cheap, no guarantees' method of selling. Consequently I knew the risk I was taking and am perfectly prepared to take it on the chin, although I know this is a rarity amongst some eBay buyers!

Moaning about it on a public forum does make me feel slightly better however... ;)

Don't be down, I'm sure it can be fixed!

Could be just the start/stop switch. It's a touch-sensitive capacitative switch thing isn't it?

Service manual is on vinyl engine: http://www.vinylengine.com/library/sony/tts-8000.shtml

If you take some of it apart, just remember remember to be careful with the platter! Keep it magnet safe and don't let the ferrous oxide track sit on anything or be scraped off..

nat8808
28-01-2014, 20:06
I just got a Technics EPA100 for mine.. Got to work out how to keep it original by still using a lead armboard..

I do have some lead in the form of some bits that were added to damp an STD deck by a previous owner and a Pink Triangle armboard weight - wonder if I could easily cast a new armboard out of it? Probably should be painted in some rubberised solution afterwards to stop me going litterally mad!

Macca
28-01-2014, 22:48
Feeling better about the bad luck someone else has endured is not such a good thing.

I didn't know that so thanks. Good job I accidentally put a wink at the end of that comment and went on to wish good fortune.

nat8808
28-01-2014, 23:55
I didn't know that so thanks. Good job I accidentally put a wink at the end of that comment and went on to wish good fortune.

I didn't want to say anything - thought you had a twitch and I didn't want to bring unneccessary attention to it.

Beobloke
12-02-2014, 12:53
UPDATE

After two evenings on the test bench, a handful of transistors and capacitors, plus some re-soldering to the PCB, the result is......my new TTS-8000 spins once more!

Marco
12-02-2014, 12:56
At the right speed (hopefully)... :eyebrows:

Hope it's a keeper!

Marco.

Beobloke
12-02-2014, 13:01
Yes - both of them!

And yes, it's most definitely a keeper...

Marco
12-02-2014, 13:02
Cool - nice result, dude :)

Marco.

nat8808
14-02-2014, 01:57
UPDATE

After two evenings on the test bench, a handful of transistors and capacitors, plus some re-soldering to the PCB, the result is......my new TTS-8000 spins once more!

Hurray! Congratulations, it's a Sony!

So what was the problem?

Beobloke
14-02-2014, 13:03
The logic supply was running low at around 4.7V and there was precious little supply to the motor coil driver transistors, but this gradually rose after about 20 minutes. As mentioned, it turned out to be a couple of transistors and capacitors at fault.

The soldering issue was stopping the strobe lamp from working. Sony used double sided PCBs and linked each side with short lengths of wire soldered on each side. A couple of these had dry joints which was affecting the 5V supply to a couple of the logic chips.