Nude Turntable Project

08-27-12: Dover
Victor 101 -
Could you get rid of the flimsy bottom cover completely and mount the nude deck via an inverted tripod ? It doesn't look particularly rigid from the photos.
Potentially could you remove the internal transformer and some of the electronic boards from the main chassis and mount them separately to eliminate as much vibration as possible. Make sure all internal joints are as rigid as possible.

It is pleasing to see my suggestion in August last year to remove the flimsy bottom cover being successfully trialled at last. Thanks to all who have tried it.

09-10-13: Halcro
Despite the availability of accelerometers and other devices designed to measure and quantify vibrational energy and its transfer within materials…..I have seen no scientific evidence to support the many statements made by audiophiles on the nature of ‘vibration draining’ in regards to turntables….and any quantification of such?

You appear to be saying that the "improvements" you claim your new TT support structure are merely a figment of your imagination since you state "I have seen no scientific evidence to support the many statements made by audiophiles on the nature of ‘vibration draining’ in regards to turntables"

My view is that there are several sources of unwamted noise and vibration in TT's. That is one of the reasons that TT manufacturers publish noise floor specifications in the form of xxdB.
When playing a vinyl record, the stylus generates noise and vibration as well as the music you hear, resulting in vinyl record wear and stylus wear.
Most turntables have a platter that uses a spindle and thrust bearing to provide the ability to rotate. When the platter bearing rotates, this generates noise. Worn bearings are a direct consequence of this friction.
Both of these phenomena are a source of vibration and noise.
In order to "see" it, I would suggest you purchase a stethoscope and have a listen to your turntable, whilst it is working. Then have another listen when it is not working. This simple experiment may be revelatory for you.

I am delighted to hear Banquo confirm my listening impressions.
I am well aware of the audiophile’s ‘need’ to hear improvements with any change. Especially a change invested with a personal ‘attachment’? :-)

One other difference to note is that everything seems quieter. I don't mean the noise floor has dropped, but rather that I seem to want to turn the volume up nowadays.

This is what I meant by the term “purer”……and “turn the volume up” is exactly what I do also……
Incidentally….I spoke too early about the ‘fix’ to the speed read-out.
Yesterday it went to 33.32 rpm on ‘start-up’ before hitting 33.33 rpm…

I’m intrigued Banquo about your bass problems?
Are these a function of your speakers, room or amplification?
Surely not a source issue?

Your TT may have to be confiscated siting indecent enclosure :)

Perhaps a thong. But then one's other turntables would be attracted.

I hope Halcro does not mind this diverting of his thread topic from nude to TT101 nude, but I have a TT101 question for other users: Even after Bill Thalmann blessed mine, I still have the following occasional problem. The TT will start up and go to 33.32. Then after 5-10 seconds, it goes to 33.33. After about a minute or two more, it will go to 33.34. Very shortly thereafter it will shut itself down. The tachometer reading disappears, and the brake effect does not occur. The platter spins freely until it loses momentum. If I manually press the STOP button BEFORE the unpremeditated shutdown, there IS a correct brake effect. I had been thinking that there is a problem with the reverse servo mechanism to explain this, but you guys have me thinking that there may be some inordinate drag on the platter, meaning my bearing may need service. On the other hand, if that were so, I would expect to hear a frictional sound (the table is dead silent) and I would not expect the platter to spin so freely and silently after shutdown. Comments?

I am embarrassed to tell Bill about this glitch, because it worked perfectly in his shop when I picked it up. But of course I will tell him eventually. He is a kind and patient man, moreso than I.

Lewm: My table basically went through all the symptoms you describe and then some. My tech reasoned through and tried testing many of the complex explanations. But in the end, we discovered that it was all attributable to bad solder joints on the 'feed thru eyelets'. He resoldered ALL of them. He said he knew of companies that used such type of boards and that they had reliability problems. Since you're handy with a solder gun, I'd try this brute method first before potentially wasting time investigating the subtler possibilities.

Aigenga: No worries. The thing is, I did note the number of turns and even marked the spot but when I put it back together the platter was completely locked up. Obviously, I screwed up somewhere--but I believe I know how to count, so it's still unclear to me what happened. I have zero plans on doing that again for the next 30 years.

Halcro: I don't have a general problem reproducing bass, but the double basses on that Mahler record, while better after the pantsing, sound far from adequate. I blame my speakers or the lack of subwoofers. Or, for all I know, it's the record itself. I just purchased another better copy of that record so I can test the last possibility soon.

fwiw, I don't have anything invested in the new set up except 15 minutes of time (2 to take the cover off and the rest to realign the tonearm and cartridge). The improvement is remarkable. It's along the same trajectory as the improvements I noted when I moved from my sp10 to the victor.