Sansui SR-838 Stereo Integrated Turntable

The SR-838 was near the top of Sansui's turntable range of 1979. It was a quartz-locked direct drive model with a plinth contructed from 1.5 inch thick chipboard finished in a lovelly jet black finish with a piano-like high gloss lustre with a contrasting silver coloured control panel. It relys on a rubber and coiled spring suspension system to provide isolation from external vibrations.

The strobe pattern appearing on the lower part of the platter's rim is illuminated by a built in strobe lamp whose frequency is locked to that of the quartz oscillator. Since the strobe is always synchronised with a servo frequency, not with the AC power frequency, only one stroboscopic patten is needed. This has aesthetic and ergonomic benefits.

The SR-838 also incorporates an electronic brake implemented by a special circuit in the servo system which generates a reverse drive current for the reverse drive torque to achieve rapid decelleration. This allows rapid, fuss free speed change while the platter is rotating.

The Sansui SR-838 is very rare in the UK as most British audiophiles buying a turntable in it's price category tended to favour belt drive turntables (from manufacturers such as, Linn, Thorens, Ariston, etc.) due to brainwashing by the UK hi-fi magazines (you know who you are - shame on you!). These turntables appear only very rarely on eBay.co.uk (3 examples in the last 7 years).