Braun PS-500

[fiddlefye]

Four years later I am going to add to this thread in case anyone goes looking for another of these Braun units. I recently bought the Bruan PS 500 locally on CL here in the Vancouver area. I jumped on it having used some of the braun speakers previously and also loving the Dieter Ramsiness of it. First of all it is a very lovely example of the German post war Bauhaus design movement. Very minimalist. As far as quality build goes it is quite robust, the platter is well over 2 kilograms but since my kitchen scale only goes up to 2 kilos all I can say is that it exceeds it by a substantial margin. It has an idler actuated belt drive system. The drive shaft off of the motor spins the rubber idler, idler spins a tapered (for pitch adjustment) aluminum spindle. The spindle is notched to hold the belt which then spins the sub plater. There is a cast aluminum suspended sub-chassis with oil dampening that is reminiscent of an AR XA or a Thorens td 145/160 albeit far more robust then either. If I spoke German I would be laughing as there is a whole forum for Braun Hifi and from what I have been able to google translate thus far the folks over there are modding these unit to simplify them by removing non essential parts related to the auto return function which can also be disengaged by a switch at the base of the tonearm just above the metal top of the plinth. Sound wise I found mine to be lively and rich right off the hop and I am using an Audio Technica 155lc mm on the stock toneame but with a micro seiki headshell. The original aluminum headshell has an antiquated mounting system with very little flexiblity so I put it aside for now. I myself have taken out some of the auto return pieces since mine had a broken plastic disc that was part of the mechanism so it was not working and subsequently the arm would only travel to the middle of the last track before getting hung up and skipping. It sounded good before I fixed that and now it is even better. Lots of character with less warm cudliness of the AR that I sold to make space for this. The detail is not lacking either, it has a nice "boppy" sound that is surprising while the speed noticeable smooth and a consistent base driver. Is it the finest deck I have ever owned? No, but as much as I can recall of each of them this one has a unique and approachable sound and feel that sure is surprising! The Germans seem to like it, so while I don't listen to marching bands and Uumpah music (nor Hasselhoff) I can say my horns via mid sixties jazz and vocals via Simon and Garfunkel are well suited and at home.

You hit the nail on the head with your description of the character of the 500. I've been running an Audio Technica AT-13ea on the arm and it works perfectly. Obviously the arm isn't nearly as massy as it looks.

 

[canadapuck]

You hit the nail on the head with your description of the character of the 500. I've been running an Audio Technica AT-13ea on the arm and it works perfectly. Obviously the arm isn't nearly as massy as it looks.

Weird as is sounds the arm really does not seems too had at all. How do you find the all metal construction affects the overall sound? The comparable units from Thorens and Garrard both benefit from a heavy wooden plinth but this guy, with its oil suspension doesn't ring nor rumble so perhaps its best left alone?

 

[fiddlefye]

Weird as is sounds the arm really does not seems too had at all. How do you find the all metal construction affects the overall sound? The comparable units from Thorens and Garrard both benefit from a heavy wooden plinth but this guy, with its oil suspension doesn't ring nor rumble so perhaps its best left alone?

It all is so well engineered I wouldn't (and did not) do a thing to it. There is some really good damping material on the inside of the metal case and that is itself quite heavy and stiff. The whole thing was designed as a system. Very well thought out, even by much later standards IMO.

 

[Tubologic]

It all is so well engineered I wouldn't (and did not) do a thing to it. There is some really good damping material on the inside of the metal case and that is itself quite heavy and stiff. The whole thing was designed as a system. Very well thought out, even by much later standards IMO.

I fully concur. The PS-500 is a real "sleeper" and MUCH better than its looks/origin might suggest. (it's not a flimsy plastic turntable but heavy and robustly made). Try to get one (in good condition) if you can't afford a TD124 or a 301, sooner or later its virtues will be (re)discovered by audiophiles ,with subsequent price increase. Currently it's still a bargain and it's hard to resist to Dieter Rams timeless functionalist/minimalist ("less but better") design style. A classic.

 

[fiddlefye]

I fully concur. The PS-500 is a real "sleeper" and MUCH better than its looks/origin might suggest. (it's not a flimsy plastic turntable but heavy and robustly made). Try to get one (in good condition) if you can't afford a TD124 or a 301, sooner or later its virtues will be (re)discovered by audiophiles ,with subsequent price increase. Currently it's still a bargain and it's hard to resist to Dieter Rams timeless functionalist/minimalist ("less but better") design style. A classic.

It really is a thing of beauty in that Dieter Rams way. .

 

[canadapuck]

It really is a thing of beauty in that Dieter Rams way. .

I'm glad to know that others are also happy with the sound of this unit and there is more to it than just what my eye likes!

 

[canadapuck]

I took a few more snaps of my actual deck and also of the unit that it sits on. Those speaker boxes are a bit of a conundrum. Too heavy to sit on a shelf but I haven't gotten around to putting them on stands...

 

[liemjerry]

Hello
anyone can give suggestion what if Braun PS-500 is vs CEC BD-5200, semi automatic belt drive TT, made in Japan. anyone know?

 

[beatcomber]

It's interesting that there are several Canadians posting in this thread that own PS-500s. That makes me think that these were more widely available in Canada than in the States, where they are quite rare.

The one I recently bought was originally purchased in 1971 at the Audio Lab in Harvard Square (which is still in business). The fellow who sold it to me told me that the Audio Lab was promoting Braun hifi gear, and he bought a matching tape deck and speakers.

 

[fiddlefye]

It's interesting that there are several Canadians posting in this thread that own PS-500s. That makes me think that these were more widely available in Canada than in the States, where they are quite rare.

The one I recently bought was originally purchased in 1971 at the Audio Lab in Harvard Square (which is still in business). The fellow who sold it to me told me that the Audio Lab was promoting Braun hifi gear, and he bought a matching tape deck and speakers.

I've puzzled over the numbers of certain pieces of gear in Canada that are rarely seen in the US. The Braun PS-500 is one such, the Fidelity Research FR-24 arm is another. I am guessing that there was a Canadian distributor in the 60s that brought in some interesting lines that were largely ignored elsewhere, but have nothing but circumstantial evidence to back that notion.

 

[Studie]

I am also Canadian and I have a PS-500! Recently had to do my own repair on the power switch cable, it ended up snapping and I replaced it using some braided fishing wire and a little bit of clear nail polish to prevent the knot from coming undone.

My little next project is to add RCA connectors to the unit, but looking around for the right cable and color to match the original color of the Braun cables. Want to keep it looking "OEM" as possible.

I love this turntable, it looks the part. Dieter Ram's designs were well ahead of their time.