Does it get any better? Well that depends. '70' has a few Crown machines and this was one of his favorites. I talked to him before buying an SX-724, the above being and SX-8-hundred series machine with the more sophisticated transport. How does it get better than that SX-8..?
Well for better sound quality, more tape use, the SX-822, the 2-track machine, I can't recall whether the machine pictured is a 2Tr or 4Tr machine, but it is stereo.
For MORE, the is the SX-844, a 4 channel machine.
Then there is the option of going to the CX electronics, offering bass, treble and plug in cards which allow a number of different input options including phono. One of the cards is a phono equalized low level (for a MM level) cartridge input.
Since he and I discussed the differences in the electronics back then he preferred the SX for the hard wired. He changed his mind when he finally added the CX electronics to his fleet of machines. We talked about how all the iterations of CX/SX/700/800 sounded the same when using the same amount of tape for a recording (higher speeds and wider sound tracks provide benefits and cost more tape) and after listening to my SX-724 after a recap and A Chuck Ziska tune-up, I'm really happy with the sound.
Interesting, '70' now has a CX-844 as his avatar on tapeheads, under the screen name of El Monte Slim.
So seriously, does it get any better than that SX-8.., hard to say in the Crown line up. Great machines built Missionary Tough to handle the rigors of world travel and field service.
Here is his thread about his CX-822 with pictures:
http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=25404
Here is his thread about his CX-844 with pictures:
http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=33771