Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?


I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
halcro
Halcro
You have edited out the most significant comment by Gunther Frohnhoefer of Acoustic Signature with regard to wow and flutter

But, yes, the direct-drive motor will still produce better wow/flutter values because we use belts, and belts are worse in wow and flutter than a direct-coupled motor.

It appears that they use stretchy belts. I suspect they have focussed on lowest noise and the stretch belts are a bandaid.

As an aside he claims the 6 AC motors get the 32kg platter on the Invictus up to speed in under 10 seconds.
My Final Audio VTT1 which uses one large AC motor can get its 26kg platter up to speed in less than 1 revolution ( 1.8seconds ).

So I can only conclude that the Invictus uses weaselly motors and stretchy belts. I also owned a Platine Verdier - weaselly motor and stretchy belt - the replacement of the Verdier drive system with that from the Final demonstrated clearly that low power motors are a source of instability even when using high inertia high mass platters. For best speed stability in belt drives you must have high inertia, high torque stable drive system and non stretchy belt such as silk or kevlar.

I also note that he comments that compared with Direct Drive motors he can get high quality AC motors at lower cost. He seems oblivious to the possibility of using AC motors in DD's or Induction motors for that matter.

Overall I am not impressed and sceptical about a TT, the Invictus, that has no published specifications on performance nor any technological information available. Furthermore their Tiderfolon bearing is simply an self lubricating material - it is not possible for it to be frictionless as claimed on their website. I use a custom self lubricating polymer bearing in my 1960 Pioneer broadcast idler drive TT ( that blew away the Platine Verdier in speed stability ), its not that radical.
  

Halcro
You have edited out the most significant comment by Gunther Frohnhoefer of Acoustic Signature with regard to wow and flutter

Dover,
Unless I was prepared to type out the whole two page interview here...I was bound to leave out many things he said.
I think it's debatable what the "most significant comment" may be..?

Halcro, yes but he ascribes the poor performance of belt drives with regard to wow and flutter to the belts  - and as I pointed out in my post, the belt system used in the Acoustic Signature Invictus is flawed, along with the motors utilised not having enough grunt to drive the platter properly. 

Dover,
I think his main point is that 'super' wow & flutter figures were unnecessary  because of record hole eccentricities which to me is just a 'cop out' 🙈

Halcro - yes I agree, Acoustic Plan's view on the importance of wow and flutter is a cop out, particularly for a statement product with a price tag to match. Any improvement in wow and flutter must improve the enjoyment of music per se - musical timing is fundamental. They should shed some of the bling and provide a better drive system. Unfortunately I suspect market demand for bling over substance is a driver these days. Go at stand at an audio show and see how many folk make value statements on performance based solely on looks.