Sony PUA 7 to re-wire or not

Your arm is not the PUA-7 but a simplified cheaper version with different base and without proper armlift sony designed for their best models. I must admit the armlift mechanism on the original stand alone PUA-7 is one of the best ever (i own many tonearms but none of them have such precise armlift, this is very important to have precise armlift, especially for expensive cartridges with delicate cantilevers). There are many reasons why the arm removed from PS-X70 is 3 times cheaper than original Sony PUA-7 made for all turntables as the separate unit. The stand alove version is better, it’s rare and hard to find, expect to pay over $1k if you looking for a mint condition PUA-7, while the simplified version is very easy to find and not rare at all.

Knife-edge bearing must be avoided, some modern cartridge manufacturers do not recommend to use knife-edge bearings with their cartridges.

You can buy Cardas Litz tonearm wires for about $50 set. It’s absolutely crazy to pay 200-300 quids for 4 internal toneam wires. It’s a rip-off, especially for such a cheap version of Sony tonearm. Normally high quality vintage tonearms will impress listeners with stock internal wiring.

It is not necessary that you will prefer silver wire over copper wire, just because someone said silver is better.

How many people on here own the original stand alone PUA-7 tonearm ? I couldn’t find anyone who can comment on anything related to this particular model, except for the links to the vintageknob website.

My Sony PUA-7 is fine with stock internal toneam wiring. 

@best-groove we can try, i have to find my scanner first to make sure it works. 

The issue when 2 arms are actually not the same
can also be found with the Micro Seiki MA-505.

When MS sold table models including this arm
it was actually not the same arm when bought separately.

No guessing which one is superior.  

Exactly what i'm trying to say. It's a good example of the obvious difference between something that comes as a package deal with turntable and something that offered as a separate unit for audiophiles for use with any turntable (from the different manufacturers). Micro Seiki did  it many times with their OEM tonearms, one of them is Luxman TA-1, same name, but two completely different version made. The stand alone version with removable armtube and stabilizer is so much better engineered and pimped up compared to the simplified version that comes with the table only. The price difference between two versions is huge, but the model number is the same. 


Only blind man can't see two different versions of PUA-7, the cheaper and simplified version is the one that offered with SONY turntable only. Some people who comment on here may never had the original PUA-7 i am talking about. No questions that the arms are different and better design. 

And only a much better version has been offered alone in the box for high price. This tonearm is better engineered. Anyone can look at the armlift (see how it works?) and at the mounting base, this is what completely missed or simplified in the cheaper version. I have this PUA-7 and my previous SONY arm was the 1600S (NOS). 

The PUA-7 has its own geometry, different alignment method and their own Sony protractor. Stand alone PUA-7 version is 4 times more expensive than those arms removed from the turntables. 

I use mine with stock internal tonearm wiring. 

Huuu, what am I missing, is it so really essential?

I think SONY engineers expected better sound with their own protractor/alignment method. Pretty common for japanese manufacturers.

Do you by chance also have the template to center the exact point of the tonearm to be fixed on a virgin plinth?

Yes, same template designed to point the mounting holes in the plinth (one big and one very small).

Sony PUA-7 method is not Stevenson
Technics method is also not Stevenson but very close

Template is very helpful because the user must drill not only a big hole for tonearm shaft, but also an additional small hole for armbase to prevent rotation of the armbase while the vta on the fly mechanism is in use. 

 

I appreciate that - I correct one thing though - the Sony Ps-x9 had a PUA 9 arm, not the PUA 7 - it's a longer arm.

Oops, you're right, the PS-X70, 60, 50 turnables. 

Back to our popular mechanics section (with correction and new images):

This is very rare SONY PUA-7 tonearm with original manual and mounting templates. Cartridge alignment method was developed by SONY, so the original template is necessary to set up your cartridge correctly (if you don’t want to use alternative methods). In terms of usability this is the best toneam i’ve ever owned, it has the most precision and very smooth armlift mechanism (always spot on when you up and down it), VTA on the fly and very easy to use antiskating.

After release of the PS-X70 turntable with similar but simplified arm, SONY developed stand alone high-end version of the arm (PUA-7) and it’s a wonderful souding arm! While the simplified/cheaper version was available ONLY with PS-X70, 60, 50 turntables and designed for use with SONY turntables, the brand new PUA-7 was sold as a separate unit only, it was designed for use with almost any turntable from any manufacturer. The original PUA-7 was expensive tonearm, the best toneam SONY ever made along with PUA-9. Not everyone understand it.

To understand what is PUA-7 look at the image in the genuine manual, this is stand alone PUA-7 as it is.

People normally remove simplified version from SONY PS-X70 turntable to sell it as the PUA-7, but the arm is way different from rare and expensive stand alone PUA-7 you see on my pictures. Look at the armlift mechanism and the way it’s attached to the arm base, look at the DIN connector and mounting nut made of bronze, look at the armbase. I hope now you will recognize the original PUA-7. 

The rigidity of the aluminum arm pipe is 8 times higher than conventional version. The PUA-7 has long span vertical bearings and precision radial bearings, high sensitive and low fulcrum. The stand alone PUA-7 is "resonance free" toneam. Parallel copper litz wiring reduces transmission failure due to inter-line capacitance fluctuation. DIN terminal pins and headshell pins are gold-plated. Sony SH-165 shell is made of carbon clad and aluminum. Headshell plug chucking mechanism reduce resonance. I like everything about this particular model. The negineering of PUA-7 is superb, it was made in Japan in the early 80’s. This toneam can be used with wide range of cartridges from lightweight high compliance MM to heavyweight low compliance MC up to 27g with shell (with optional subweight provided by sony). 

 The price difference between the stand alone (rare) PUA-7 and simplified version removed from Sony turnables is HUGE.

I use my PUA-7 as it is, no need for rewire, it’s a high quality arm.
But i use better headshells with it.

I could not find ANYTHING valuable about Sony PUA-7 on audiogon for many years, i think we have only 2-3 users of the real PUA-7 here.
I have asked everyone for an opinion about PUA-7 but no one can answer, never! So i bought the arm and I have this arm right now on my turntable. The arm removed from the SONY turntable is not the same and in fact a different simplified (cheap) version compared to the stand alone PUA-7 version that was ONLY available as a separate unit for high price at the time it was made. Here is the arm lift mechanism i have mentioned before, the best armlift ever, anyone who tried can confirm!

SONY PUA-7’s geometry and alignment method is different from conventional Baerwald, Lofgren, Stevenson. The original tamplate i got with my PUA-7 is here.

While the Mexican prefer to bla-bla-bla about cables that will make a big difference, let’s face the facts that the two version of the PUA-7 arms itself are very different and the market value for these arms are totally different (there are the reasons for that).

Anyone can buy and compare these versions to make sure.


I would prefer to discuss new facts about the difference between the arm installed on automatic sony turntable and the high-end separate unit designed for much better turntables (from the different manufacturers), but not an old article from vintageknob or vinylengine that everyone seen years ago.

@totem395

The issue when 2 arms are actually not the same
can also be found with the Micro Seiki MA-505.

When MS sold table models including this arm
it was actually not the same arm when bought separately.

No guessing which one is superior.

Thanks. Exactly what i’m trying to say. It is so strange that we have to point people to the simple facts. I had the arm designed by Micro Seiki for Luxman, my version was a separate unit TA-1 (with removable armtube and tonearm stabilizer) and it was a way different from the cheaper TA-1 that Luxman offered with their turntables (with non removable armtube and without stabilizer). It is so obvious that for a stand alone version a manufacturer will do the best (different materials, different features, just overall a much better arm) for higher price of course. Micro Seiki (made the arms for Luxman) or SONY with two different version of PUA-7 is a good example.


Below is the only comment from anothe user i could find on audiogon:

@radicalsteve Also the Sony PUA-7 and PUA-9 have a similar design and the PUA-7 is a ridiculously good sounding arm for the money, I have not heard the PUA-9 and would be interested to know if anyone else on this thread has heard that arm. Also the Ikeda arms use a rubber (or similar compound) O-ring between counterweight and arm tubes, and probably there are other designs like this out there?