What do you mean you “heard” the turntable

I don't understand the attraction of vinyl. Compared to digital, you only hear a fraction of the detail. I also can't believe you can hear any difference between a $500 turn table verses a $20,000 turn table. I thought the difference is in the quality of the cartridge. However, even if you buy the most expensive cartridge, digital is always going to sound better

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The attraction to vinyl is love of music. This essence of this is distilled down into Michael Fremer's iconic comment that, "There's more there there."

Its easy to hear the difference a better turntable makes. Not only the turntable as a whole, but each individual component of the turntable. This is especially obvious if, like me, you would change just one part at a time. I've heard the exact same turntable with only the motor changed. Simply going to a more steady drive you hear greater bass authority, improved harmonic development, an overall much more involving sound. Changing only the platter, I once heard Chris Brady demo two platters on the same table. Huge, obvious difference everyone in the room heard it easily. Even something as seemingly minor as the thrust bearing, the piece at the bottom of the bearing on which the bearing turns. I've replaced that and the ball bearing that turns on it. Just that one little piece within the bearing and it was easy to hear the difference.

All this is because a turntable is not just a turntable. It is a bearing, platter, motor, base, suspension, arm, and cartridge. The arm itself is not just an arm either. The arm is comprised of a head shell, arm tube, a housing with bearings that varies tremendously by design, some sort of anti-skate mechanism, mount, and internal wiring. Then there is the cartridge, which itself is made of a stylus, cantilever, suspension, coils, magnets, body, and terminals. The job of all this is to transform microscopic undulations in vinyl into a voltage that varies as the precise analog of the squiggles. How microscopic? The smallest squiggles on a vinyl record are on the order of the size of an organic molecule. 

The problem is the instant the platter starts spinning the whole kit and kaboodle starts vibrating. Which is nothing compared to when the stylus starts squiggling back and forth, with forces acting on it the equivalent of nearly a ton per square inch. 

Of course the quality and precision of each and every component involved affects the resulting sound. For certain the better and more perfectly executed the design of these components the better this will work. All this precision and perfection, does anyone really doubt it costs more to do it better? Really?

And if digital is always going to sound better, then how come no one who has actually heard the same recording compared in my presence has said so?

I think all too often digital proponents confuse ultimate accuracy with sound quality.

I was listening to my VPI Traveler w/Zu DL-103 MkII in my system, pulled that ’table and transferred my Garrard 301/Ortofon AS-309 into it’s place using the same Zu cartridge. Everything else in the system was exactly the same. Immediately the idler drive 301 made its presence known. More slam, a much bigger impact, and a more precise speed were absolutely evident to begin with.

If you can’t tell the difference between an idler drive 301 and a belt drive Traveler in an identical system perhaps there’s something else going on.

I won’t even begin to speculate on the reasons for some of the red herring distractions that have been offered up on this thread in opposition.

I’m curious; why were you using a Traveler when you have a 301?

Hello I understand what you're saying when you hear somebody else's system with entirely different components how do you know which one is making the system sound better or worse but to say the turntable you can't hear the difference I bought a new turntable and upgraded in the same line and I had replaced it in my system with the same arm in the same cartridge and I heard a significant Improvement in the detail microdynamics soundstage quietness bass weight big Improvement in sound just buy the turntable itself so yes you can hear a difference in turntables I don't know if that was your question but everything makes a difference