Wow and flutter Rega P7 and P9, anyone measure?


I measured on a Rega P5 using an AP test LP "wow and flutter" which is a 3150 Hz tone with a Fluke Multimeter connected to the speaker terminals. I noticed the frequency varied between 3145 and 3155 Hz (estimating since I dont know how fast the digital readout is sampling). Would the wow and flutter be estimated at 10/3150 = 0.32%? This was using the standard Rega belt (black) and stock subplatter.

With the use of two belts on the P7 and P9 has anyone taken direct wow and flutter measurments? Wondering if the results were lower?

thank you
-Theron Day
theron_day
Your number of 0.32% could maybe be defined as "short-term speed deviation" .... with "short-term" being defined by the Fluke meter's ballistics on the short limit and how long you looked at it as the long limit.

But wow & flutter is measured very differently: the test tone is applied to an FM discriminator (similar to the circuit that demodulates the audio in an FM tuner), and the reading is taken from its output. And in order to have any correlation with anybody else's numbers, very specific filters are applied to the signal before the discriminator as well as the discriminator's output, and the meter's ballistics (i.e. peak or averaging) have to be carefully defined.
I bought a Rega P5 last Spring and before I acccepted it I asked to see it spinning. The platter was not perfectly level, so i asked for another subplatter. The other one was dead on. So the subplatter can be not perfect when new. I would also think it could easily be slightly out of round, as the aftermarket machined aluminum ones are supposed to offer a significant imporvement. (I have not purchased one)
But I did buy the 'white belt', and two extra shims.
Elizabeth that is a scarry issue pertaining to your P5. I like that table but would be concerned if I were to purchase one .

Chuck
The dealer staff could not see the deviation. But I have nearly super close range vision (nearsighted) (the deviation was about the thickness of two sheets of paper.)
They did not have a problem swapping the subplatter.
So I think the normal P5 buyer would not even notice the deviation fron flat. However, I was able to get it swapped no problem, and i would think anyone else purchasing one new, would be able to have another subplatter aquired if they found the original to be sub-par. IMO.
Buying used, then buy the aluminum machined replacement subplatter if you have concerns about the stock subplatter.