Sony PS X65 Turntable Repair - Erratic Tonearm, Automatic Not Working, All Sorts of Issues

Did I finally figure out what was wrong with my Sony PS X65? This video is longer than I like, but I think it shows my feeble attempt to resolve some issues with the table. Since there aren't many videos of folks working on one of these, I felt it best to keep the parts in tact.

[@Taketimeout3]

Just to say how refreshing it is to have an upload where the uploader shows the item being unpredictable, which is worse than not working. In attempting to fix it one could make it worse, as we all have found out to our cost, so we see that is as much a dilemma for you as it is for many of us. These are very attractive turntables but good looks, or sophisticated mechanicals does not always translate into high fidelity. There is a lot to go wrong and ultimately a turntables reputation is only determined by the faithfullness of its sound production. This is a very helpfull upload for those who own one of these and thank you for doing so. Subbed. A no-brainer.

[@millervintagehifi3034]

Thanks! You should see the struggles in the videos I leave off the channel...some of them are epic :)

[@998cooper]

Incredible how TTs became so complex in the 80s. Complete overkill for a rather very simple mechanical device. The complexity bears no direct relationship to the sound quality. Good video by the way.

[@millervintagehifi3034]

Not my best...I tried to show the different strangeness with these tables. What I forgot to mention was the alignment of the prisms on the slipmat to the openings on the platter. It looks like I had it misaligned in a few segments... I have a PS X75 coming via FedEx today. My plan is to break that video into smaller chunks and really get into all of the recap/alignment procedures.

[@scottmcclements7566]

Totally not overkill. Can you imagine your CD player reaching the end and just running forever? Basic convenience functions like those this awesome table had are now gone. This is because audiophiles (not engineers) believe it's impossible to incorporate these features and still maintain a high-quality turntable. Manufacturers are more than happy to eliminate functions, producing a table that costs little to make, yet they still charge a premium for it. This turntable, with its PUA-7 tonearm and slotless direct drive motor, is superior to 98% of what's available today in terms of sound quality. And by the way, its complexity is perfectly balanced with the convenience it offers.

[@batmandestroys1978]

Great job! Just an idea, fit some external clear led lights inside!

[@millervintagehifi3034]

Good idea!

[@vsalasarcr]

Hello, very interesting problem, I watched the entire video to observe and learn, thank you. By the way, you recommend that I buy this turntable.

[@millervintagehifi3034]

I really like mine, but if you run into technical issues they can be difficult to work through.

[@mmmbbq]

I came across this video because I was hoping to see something about removing a tonearm. But I have a PS-X50 (and a PS-X60 and another 50) and it needs new dampening silicone for the cueing bar. Your tonearm setup looks completely different anyway. The reason for my comment is this..... I got my last PS-X50 off eBay and yup, they did a total shit job packing it and the lid cracked. It cracked EXACTLY like yours, but on the other side! What glue did you use to fix yours and has it held up? I did the Testor's liquid cement that supposedly melts the plastic and bonds it that way. 1st attempt, it cracked , second attempt it feels stronger, but who knows. I really thought it would do a better job.

[@millervintagehifi3034]

I used UV glue (probably JB Weld), but there are different manufacturers.

[@spencerb8957]

Hi, I have a ps-x5 that has the same fast movement issue you had later in the video. Is the broken wire on the sensor board obvious? Do you attribute the repair more to the broken tone arm wire or the led swap?

[@millervintagehifi3034]

LED swap.

[@spencerb8957]

@millervintagehifi3034 thank you for your reply

[@dougjohnston5626]

What do attribute the "repair" to? I have a newly acquired ps-x600 with similar arm behavior.

[@millervintagehifi3034]

I’d have to review the video again, probably bad LEDs and/or maybe some bad solder joints. This one had me puzzled…it’s still working to this day 😀

[@incredofound]

Hello there , mister patient! :) I am about to buy this table and came across to your video . The pua-7 arm on x65 is superb (they say so on the forum and some of youtube video comments ) and I fell in love with the look of it. Can we do sth not to have this kind of a problem ? Maybe change the capacitors before using? (Somebody mentioned it on AKarma) .The unit I am about to buy is as good as new,used for a short time in the past, fully functional and he said that nothing has been changed inside after he bought it as new.

[@millervintagehifi3034]

If you come across one of these in working condition, I don't know that I would be in a hurry to recap or readjust anything. I would just enjoy it.

[@VikasGupta-bx5qv]

Had to stop 10 minutes in. Way too much of the back of your head.

[@millervintagehifi3034]

Sorry about that...I was working out camera placement at this point in the channel.

[@kevinapaez1298]

@@millervintagehifi3034Nothing to be sorry about, Vikas has never thought things over and over again, checking, trying, this is not rocket scince nor cooking a egg, this takes time and patience, I’m fixing a PS-X70 which is not working on the automatic and your video is giving me a great picture of what to look for, thanks for your time and help

[@michaelmiller1093]

@@kevinapaez1298 Thanks! I had a series going on a PS X75 as well, but I could not get it working :(

[@kevinapaez1298]

@@michaelmiller1093 Yeah, saw that one too, this X70 is kinna different, it doesn’t have magnetic motor, comes with a worm one, mine got working again but it became erratic, I did read all the ICs and they are kinna outta specs, I have another unit coming home so hopefully I can spare the other one and make 1 fully restored, also gonna recap all the board since there are some caps that I don’t like and some transistores, the 5 series are way more complicated than the 0 series