PS-B80
(november 1978 - 1982)

Here is a really complex beast - more of a showpiece than anything expected to sell. And given the price that was asked, Sony indeed didn't sell many.

However, the PS-B80 was to embody the future for LP replay... if that format had had a future beyond 1983. Using the PS-B80 is a true joy: the ECT tonearm does wonders and so did the VFB system, the electronic stylus force control, the X-Tal lock, the Magnedisc servo control, the electronic tonearm damping and even the included stylus cleaner.

Today, only one problem can arise: if the electronics go haywire... you're cooked. Some units still function fine, some don't and there is no way to tell if a B80 will go crazy - or not. A fate which befalls all electronica-filled components, Sony or not. My own PS-B80 works fine, but I cannot be sure this lucky situation will last...

The PS-B80 was however a grand engineering feat when developped in '77 and '78 and its smaller, later siblings (PS-X600, PS-X700, PS-X75 and PS-X800) made and still make many music listeners very happy.

This post is made from various japanese, french, german and north-american catalogs.
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