Technics SL-V5

Verticality was only a quickly passing fad - but everybody remembers it.

Many CD players were vertical then, including Technics' own SL-P10 (originally named SQ-CD10 and fairly different in looks as well as in technology btw) and, as CD was taking the world like Attila the Hun did some time before hi-fi was invented, a few tricks were thought necessary to renew the old LP format for its last remaining years.

Some tried the Sound Burger (AT727, Hitachi HT-03, Dual PRP5 and others), some went vertical - mostly Mitsubishi and Technics, plus Sony on the side but higher end with the Flamingo PS-F9 and PS-F5.

The SL-V5 is part of the rare ones which didn't sell well but it was also, even more briefly, available in Technics' black-brown-ish finish.
Whatever the colour, the V5 isn't up to an SL-10, of course, but providing one uses a fair cartridge, it will indeed provide a little sonic surprise.

And using it is a pleasure : press the button at the top, open the door, place your LP inside, close the door, press play - et voilà : MUSIC !
No CD player can ever duplicate the simple fun of this. Except vertical ones ;-)

I for one enjoy the simplicity of my SL-V5, the excellent sound of it (...with a Fine Line stylus) - and the looks are indeed second to none.
It just is a pity the only MC cartridge in T4P mount is the recently reintroduced Ortofon X1-MCP and not the X3-MCP...


Nudies aplenty of a V5 here.