Micro Seiki
BL-99V
BL-99VW
BL-99VM
(1985 - 1992+)

Ahhh - chances are you and I will never, ever, see (or hear) one of those - too scarce outside Japan.

The BL-99V is the original, armless, version ; the BL-99VW was delivered with the SAEC double-knife edge WE-407 tonearm ; the BL-99VM had a Micro Seiki MA-505MKIII tonearm.

All three represent Micro's smaller air-bearing vacuum turntable : smaller because the bigger lineup is the much bigger SX-111FV.

The suspension system is a combination of highly viscous oil, an air chamber, heavy duty tapered metal coils and compressed rubber insulators. This four-way combination allows the SX and BL belt-drive turntables to be placed on a live loudspeaker and not suffer any kind of feedback - or so the literature says. This system was patented by Micro.

Next up is the all important platter : here weighing a simple 3,6kg of aluminium. With the FG servo DC motor, the inertia moment amounts to 600kg/cm2.
The inner part also has center slits to let the record itself be properly bonded to the platter - as Luxman (aka Micro...) and Victor had done since 1979/80 in the PD-555 and TT-801. The air here only acts as record + platter bonder and doesn't provide air isolated bearing as in the SX-111FV or SX-555FVW - can't have it all. The dedicated RP-99V pump is, previsible my smaller than that of the bigger SX...

Next is the frame : just heavy at 12,25 kilos of real wood and very good-looking, too, as veneered in walnut. The 1,8kg tonearm base is typical Micro : machined from solid brass and bolted in six places onto the metal sub-chassis which looks somewhat like that of the Luxman (built by Micro Seiki) PD-300 series. The rest is two speeds with ±3% pitch control and simultaneous or separate power on of turntable and/or air pump.

Not rare at (in Japan), even if people were already more into CD when the BL-99s were launched...