Nude Turntable Project

Dear Pryso,

I'm sorry if it wasn't clear but in my Intro to this Project I provided a Link to my System Page where I stipulated that I would NOT be testing the TT-81 with a plinth. To quote.....

.Now this will NOT be a scientific test in the sense that I won’t (at this stage), be testing the TT81 in a plinth.

You see I can't grasp the purpose of a plinth in a Direct Drive Turntable?
For an Idler Wheel or Rim Drive I can see that there are gears and rods and metal moving parts to support as well as the thrust bearing for the platter and similarly with a Belt-Drive there is the support for the thrust bearing and sub-platter assembly as well as support for the motor (usually) and of course there is the mounting required for the arm-board and arm.

With a Direct-Drive where the motor is in-line and supports and turns the sub-platter directly, I see no physical necessity for a plinth other than to perhaps support an arm-board assembly?

In any case, thanks for your comments and I apologise again if i wasn't sufficiently clear in the beginning?

Dear Ecir38,
Thank you for your kind words and also the link to the info on the Micro tonearms.
I find it frustrating to find any 'history' on all these vintage arms, turntables, and cartridges as I think Google does not include many Forums in its searches and that where most of this archival information is now to be found.

I simply love the Ma-505s not only for its sound but for its looks, design ideas and superb manufacturing quality. It has all the looks and feel of a pre-war Leica camera but the ingenuity of its VTA (on-the-fly), Antiskate (on-the-fly) and unique VTF (on-the-fly because of its Dynamic weighting), makes adjusting 'by ear' the easiest I have ever found in any arm.

Halcro, no apology needed. I should have read your prior posts for more background.

I have great respect for Raul's experience in audio but he is definitely swimming against the tide regarding DD plinths. Even Technics introduced three Obsidian plinths during production of the Mk 2 and 3 tables and each one was more massive than the one before. Also, every other post I've read on DD plinths claims sonic improvements when more massive plinths replace original light-weight versions.

I'm way overdue in building a plinth for my SP-10 Mk 2 and have only listened with it mounted on a 3/4" particle board to provide a platform to mount the tonearm. I must admit that sounds very nice so perhaps 40+ pounds of plinth are not necessary after all. I was just hoping you might be doing the more direct comparison. And based on the thoroughness of your review, I'm certain it would have been helpful had you done so. ;-)

Dear Halcro: First I want to congratulate you because of your really " open mind "/unbiased/non-comercial attitude to decide test/try the " naked " DD TT project, second for your detailed follow-up of your project implementation through those pictures in your site and third for your great post about the " naked " quality level performance.

The " naked " project comes to my mind several years ago when I tested with my Denon DP-80 and DP-75 ( similar looks to your Victor. ) and where I had a great success against the Denon wood/MDF plinths and against two heavy ( 40kg eac one. ) and beautiful plinths made one from green marble and the other from beige Onyx ( I still have it. ). Then I try it with my SP-10MK2's and confirm the high quality performance that the approach has against same plinted TT's that I heard it.

The naked road has some " edges " where IMHO the most important is what we are looking for.

Any plinth IMHO has its own " distortions/colorations " that put it away from true neutrality/inert, that we can think there is no such " colorations " because we can't aware easyli of them does not means does not exist, we have to remember that the phono cartridge is a very sensitive ( way more sensitive that our own ears. ) microphone that " sense " and detect tiny very tiny " colorations " that the plinths have.
Your experiences only confirm the fact:

+++++ " The first thing I noticed about the TT-81 DD turntable was the distinct absence of ‘colouration’ or ‘signature sound’. " +++++++

this is what is supposed/should be a TT: a neutral audio device!.

No plinth at all means one less stage ( with a plinth in reallity we have more that one stage. ) to contaminate the audio signal. Seems to me that the best plinth is no plinth at all.

Yes the naked/no-plinth way could be not as beautiful looking as those very fine plinths out there but IMHO if we are looking for Excellence in quality performance then the naked project is very very good " un-expensive " alternative.
The other advantage that like me with the naked/nude approach is how easy is to add two or three tonearms!.

I confirm my congratulations to you ( btw, thank you Nilthepill. ) because you don't thinked: " well that naked alternative that Raul speaks could be interesting but maybe not and forget it. ", instead of this you want to be sure what happen through that naked project and as my friend Jorge you have success too, good!!!

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.

Bpoletti and Raul,
Thanks for the kind words.
Dear David,
A lot of your questions can be answered by looking through my 'progress' postings on this site.
You will see photos as I procured arms and cartridges and designed the arm-pods and then had them cast in solid bronze and then had them painted in an automotive shop.
1) the TT-81 sits on Tip-Toes (3) which are important to pack to get level.
Also important is to position the cones so that their centerline is directly under the pressed metal wall of the motor housing. This maintains the utmost rigidity and transfer of loads so that no twisting or movement of the casing is possible.
2) No base. The TT-81 sits on a 33mm laminated shelf cantilevered off the brick wall via aluminum brackets.
3) Towers are free-standing and made of solid cast bronze each one weighing 25 lbs and fitted with screwed adjustable spikes for leveling and isolation. A 10mm solid aluminum top-plate to the pods has a centre hole drilled to suit whatever arm you might have and this plate is screwed to the bronze pod.
4) The proximity of each arm-pod is determine by the individual arm's spindle to pivot distance geometry which comes with each arm.
A Feikert aluminum distance gauge is essential for setting these up. Once set, the weight of the pods sitting on 3 spikes makes them virtually immovable in general arm use.
5) No treatment to underside of metal curved motor shield of the TT-81.

If you still have further questions after looking through the progress "links", please feel free to ask.

Good luck.