Micro Seiki BL-99V

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 has 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 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 PD555 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, previsibly smaller than that of the bigger SX...

Next is the frame : just heavy at 12,25kg 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 all (in Japan), even if people were already more into CD when the BL-99Vs were launched...


A real BL-99V at hi-fi do's and an RP-99 at the indispensable amp8.com.