Micro Seiki AP-M1
(1987 - 1991?)

Micro Seiki's ultimate turntable : not the last one but the best.
The mat and power supply were "shared" by the Marantz Tt 1000mkII, a turntable produced and engineered by Micro Seiki for Marantz. The AP-M1 was never officially exported but it is probable a couple of units traveled here and there - the US literature is in fact only the original japanese with a semi-transparent sheet added with the succint description in english... The production run must be of a hundred, or much less.

Based on the same motor as that of the SX-8000II, the AP-M1 brought performance even further with dedicated vibration-damping, oil-insulating and a special construction material - while remaining far more traditional in looks.

Oil-suspension insulating system : contains a precision "floating" spring mounted on a damping disc and floating in vibration-damping oil, all contained in an insulator housing. This therefore isolates effectively the entire pivot/shaft/rotor from external vibrations.

Vibration-damping construction : based on COS-MAL-ZM11 zinc alloy for high rigidity, high internal vibration damping and very high signal-to-noise ratio. The base is supported by tripe-construction insulators using ferrite, felt and alloy. The side panels are of Brazilian rosewood to diffuse any kind of vibration modes - and to contribute to the classic look of the AP-M1.

Precision motor unit : ultra-precise 8-pole synchronous motor driven by a bi-amp BTL amplifier with a CR oscillator added for frequency control.

Separate power-supply + motor control : equivalent to that of the SX-8000II ; provided with a variable torque generation system - 100V for startup and 50V for play for more stability of platter rotation.

Unique spindle design : newly developed tapered spindle shaft with a self-adjusting centering mechanism consisting of spring and damping oil to ensure the record is properly centered.

(click the thumbnails below to see the related graphsic illustrations ! )