2. misc-audio
  3. 147568-4331

anybody buying into magnetic levitation "eliminates the effects of any vibration" ?

it is a cool idea but the claim is preposterous, if the bottom magnet moves that forces the top magnet to move.  If the bottom magnet vibrates, the top magnet follows suit. As an extreme example lift a corner of the base and the top moves right along with it. It may  dampen the motion and act like a spring, but they are still coupled together,

They say it is not attached in any way to the bottom, but it is because you also have the vibration from the base plate through the posts to the top plate. Without the posts the top would just slide off to the side so they have to be mechanically coupled

To read the hype you would believe it is like a magic carpet that just floats in the air, but it is definitely coupled to the base. I'm not saying it might not be the best sounding base in the world, I'm just saying what they are claiming is  impossible, and if someone is making claims that are absolutely not true it makes you leery.
herman
terry9
2,342 posts
 
Opposed like magnetic poles act like a spring. Vibration is transmitted, but excursion is reduced and damped. The spring constant determines the stiffness of the spring.

Maglev is a great technology, but not close to a cartridge, IMO.
gs5556
1,235 posts
 
I don't buy it at all. The people who have an economic interest in vibration isolation aren't playing around with magnets. They offer products that work:

https://www.newport.com/c/table-top-isolation-platforms
mgolpoor's avatar
mgolpoor
55 posts
 
Magnetic levitation has worked like clockwork on my Clearaudio Performance turntable for years and has never presented any issues to cartridges. I don't see why this should be an issue for your application which is so much further away from sensitive equipment.
jnorris2005
185 posts
 
Common sense dictates that levitating the turntable would increase its susceptibility to airborne vibrations.  It may decouple the table from its mooring, but that isn't the only source of vibration.
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
23,365 posts
 

jnorris200546 posts03-21-2019 11:36pmCommon sense dictates that levitating the turntable would increase its susceptibility to airborne vibrations. It may decouple the table from its mooring, but that isn't the only source of vibration.

>>>>I’m glad you brought that up. The reason airborne vibration is not very important for turntables is because the resonant frequencies of the tonearm and cartridge are very low, by design, circa 10 Hz, much lower than the lowest frequency generated by most speakers. That’s why it’s the very low frequency seismic vibration in the range 0-30 Hz that is the real issue, you know, since that range contains the Fr of the tonearm and cartridge. Of course, other components ARE susceptible to airborne vibrations. 
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