Sony PUA 7 to re-wire or not

Dear @best-groove : You can make the SAEC/cartridge set up using Löfgren A or B in exactly the same way you do with any other tonearm/cartridge.

The " best " ?.  Well exist audiophiles that like the double knife bearing design, even today some of them are enthusiast of the vintage 3009 and 3012 by SME that comes with knife bearing kind of design.

SAEC is very good looking tonearm but for me certainly not the " best ".

R.

@best-groove : SAEC was a " disaster " including in the 8000 model. Not near to any of the " standard " alignments.

R.

Dear @best-groove : Good.

Btw, my take with all those vintage japanese tonearms is that as me in those times they did not understand very well the critical importance of true/real alignment accuracy and obviously ( like me. ) did not understand in deep the advantages of Löfgren A and B and the terrible disadvantages of Stevenson alignment.

Before I really understand in deep thw whole alignment subject and to understand in deep each one of the different ( normal ) alignments I used the protractors that came my Technics, SAEC, Dynavector and other japanese tonearms.
But every one has the " rigth " to learn and a few years ago I learned. Today exist several " audiophiles " that just don’t understand in deep the whole subject and I think that perhaps they will never do or maybe yes, who knows.

Examples: Technics EPA-100 by its specs the effective length is 250mm and according Stevenson alignment the overhang should be 14.593mm instead the Technics specs of 15mm and in the offset angle the correct value is 20.824 instead 21 and the P2S is wrong too. Yes, nearest but non-accurated.

In the PUA-7 is worst according Sony specs: overhang should be 14.617mm instead the 14mm in specs.
SAEC is the same but the 8000 model.

But what really confirm their " misunderstanding " on the whole alignment subject is that they choosed Stevenson alignment and additional out of accuracy.

Anyway, good that you finally will mount your PUA-7.

R.

Dear @best-groove : Look, not only Sony but Technics or Dynavector comes with its dedicated protractor. Almost all tonearms comes with.

The PUA-7 is no exception. According to SONY manual the P2S distance is 235mm and the overhang around 14mm.
These Sony information means that the alignment of your tonearm is not something " special ". Sony decided ( as almost all japanese vintage tonearms. ) to use Stevenson alignment that's the worst kind of alignment with the higher tracking distortions and tracking error over all the LP surface but the last 3mm. Go figure ! ! ! 

That's what you want to listen? Higher everywhere distortions?. 

If I was you I will use any other protractor but Sony one and choose between Lôfgren A ( Baerwald ) or Lôfgren B where both kind of alignments has way lower any kind of distortions.

Already discussed in many other threads that Stevenson is a universal ABERRATION and a great MISTAKE for we true music lovers and true audiophiles take it seriously. For me is a big " joke ".

But, is up to you.


Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.

Dear @totem395  : only for your records this is a second source that confirm too that the PS-X70 tonearm is the PUA-7 and not an inferior design.
Sony can't do that with a TT that in those times seen a fierce competition against Denon/ Pioneer, Kenwood and the like and if we take a look to its specs even today is really competitive:

https://www.vinylengine.com/library/sony/ps-x70.shtml   


Btw, here the up date of the PUA-7 :

http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-PUA-9.html

and the link is a third source about.

R.

Dear @totem395  : Could be with MS but not with this Sony tonearm where in this link you can read is the PUA-7. The only differences with the stand alone version is the tonearm mount base and the arm lift and that's all, the tonearm design is exactly the same no doubt about. The information in the link is very clear and only the Sony tonearm designer could says a different " tale ":

http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-PS-X70.html

as @lohanimal  pointed out his tonearm was lifted from that Sony TT model.

Btw, @frogman is rigth the AN is the best internal tonearm wire we can use but before pull the triger the OP needs to be sure the tonearm is in perfect operation condition and if it's then is worth to invest in the AN rewiring. All vintage tonearms must be up-dated with a top today internal re-wiring due that the oldest original wire is totally outdated after 20-40 years. Certainly in those old times just does not exist a wire with the quality level as the AN, no way.

As afact the internal wire quality level in any tonearm design is extremely critical to preserve " intact " the valuable and sensitive recorded signal information that the cartridge pick-up from the LP.

We all know that at each single link in the whole system audio chain that the cartridge signal always is more or less " heavy " degraded so we have to take care at each single link and we have to remember that after the transducer/cartridge the first degradation link is that tonearm internal wire ( along the headshell wire/conectors. ) and the audio signal that must pass through the tonearm internal wire has to run on it not for 3cms. but a lot more and at each fraction mm. the signal is suffering degradation and we don't want that and need to put at minimum that signal degradation.

AN makes a paramount quality level differences for the better. Yes, manufactured with silver that's way better conductor than cooper and that at that extremely critical link we need nothing but the best because the information we lost in that internal wire we just can't recovery in any way, it's losted for ever ! !

R.

@lohanimal  : Yes, that's my idea too.

R.

Dear @lohanimal  :. This is the PS70:

http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-PS-X70.html

that comes mounted with the PUA7. Btw, that tonearm is not a knife-edge bearing design.

Here you can see botht versions: the stand alone and the one mounted in the TT:

http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-PUA-7.html


R.

Dear @lohanimal: My take is that first find out if that tonearm is in good operation condition and for this you have to mount it in your TT and listening to it before you can or could think in a tonearm up-date.

Regards and enjoy the MUSIC NOT DISTORTIONS,
R.