Micro Seiki SX-111FV

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

Micro's very big air-bearing vacuum turntable : very big because the smaller equivalent is the already big SX-555FVW.
Both turntables are based on the same systems but vary in size, weight and mostly on the platter assembly.

Machined from solid bronze, the spindle shaft and platter remain separated by a 0,03mm cushion of air fed by the RP-1110 outboard air pump.
This is as Luxman (aka Micro...) and Victor had done since 1979/80 in the PD555 and TT-801 - only even tighter.

There is however something brought elsewhere by Micro in this platter arrangement : sandwiched between the bronze platter and the diecast base is a slab of glass !
Yes, like in the Marantz Tt 1000. Only the glass here isn't the main platter - big difference.

The same system was applied to the SX-777 as well - see amp8.com's SX-777FV page for clean views of it. It seems in the latter case, the 0,03mm air cushion still allows the bronze platter to scratch/touch the glass plate...

The inertia moment of the motor + dual platter assembly amounts to 1500kg/cm2 ; the bronze platter weighs 10kg.

The motor in the SX-111FV is the very same brushless FG servo DC 15V as that in the Luxman PD555 or Kyocera PL-901 : Matsushita-sourced DAX-10A1PM (rotating at 666 or 900rpm) and DAX-10A1CL rotor.
The same tandem was also used in Micro's SX-777FV - and probably in many others.

The frame weighs in at 18,1kg of real wood and very good-looking wood, too, as veneered in rosewood. The tonearm base is typical Micro : machined from solid brass and bolted in six places.

The tonearm base and motor/platter are linked together through a diecast steel sub-chassis (à la Luxman PD-300, aka... Micro :) to avoid all the problems that arise when suspensions are done separately, as in most lightweight Thorens and many Thorens lookalike.

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 turntables to be placed on a live loudspeaker and not suffer any kind of feedback - or so the literature says. This system was nevertheless patented by Micro.

The rest is flimsy in comparison : two speeds with ± 6% pitch control and simultaneous or separate power-on of turntable and/or air pump.


Also produced was an SX-111FVL : an über-xxx-rare wider version which can accomodate Long tonearms.
But the normal version is already rather not too common, even in Japan : people already were more into CD when the SX-555FVW and SX-111 were launched.
The Long versions were delivered stock with a smoked dustcover sided by rosewood sideburns - a bit like an Exclusive P3.



Many detailed images of everything inside the SX-111FV at the indispensable amp8.com and another one here.