All good questions. Add to that speed variability and magnetic filed leakage. The only useful way to use magnetic suspension is to control (decrease) reaction force at the main thrust bearing with very heavy platters. Keeping your gyration point as close as possible to the platter/bearing assy CG is way more important.
Mag Lev Turntable. Your Thoughts?
One is for sale on Audiogon. Very cool BUT, I can think of a bunch of potential problems. My instinct says it is showmanship but not having actually played with one who knows? Anybody have any experience with the Mag Lev?
The first problem would be that magnetic fields are not solid. They are squishy. What happens when you play different weight records. What about a record clamp? The tonearm is fixed to the plinth. If the height of the platter changes the VTA changes. If the platter bounces at all it will cause rather rapid speed variations. What about those powerful magnetic fields right under cartridges. Looking at the video the platter certainly is not machined very well.
Is it really worth the trouble. Good tables make very little noise. 99% of it is coming from the record itself. My inclination is that the platter should be on a solid footing.
The first problem would be that magnetic fields are not solid. They are squishy. What happens when you play different weight records. What about a record clamp? The tonearm is fixed to the plinth. If the height of the platter changes the VTA changes. If the platter bounces at all it will cause rather rapid speed variations. What about those powerful magnetic fields right under cartridges. Looking at the video the platter certainly is not machined very well.
Is it really worth the trouble. Good tables make very little noise. 99% of it is coming from the record itself. My inclination is that the platter should be on a solid footing.
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Obviously sales are going really well...... Wonder just how far they will discount them? https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lis9g6f0-mag-lev-audio-s-levitating-turntable-ml1-black-features-o... |
I can only wish them and their backers well for attempting something SO radical. Bearing noise - what bearing noise? Hopefully the price drop indicates that an improved MK2 version is on the way soon. Still won't please everyone but that's audiophiles for you. For others the Mag-Lev may give you an inkling of the feeling that people must have had upon hearing radio for the first time, or even the gramophone. You see it but you still have a hard time believing it. These are (still) the days of miracle and wonder. |
You're certainly correct mijostyn, not just an 'inclination', it's stone cold scientific fact. The MagLev turntable is no more than a gimmick and a poor one at that. It ignores most of the simple engineering rules for turntables. The platter has no attachment to anything. The arm is fixed to the plinth. As might be expected, the platter is not held in a fixed horizontal plane and position above the plinth – it oscillates irregularly in three dimensions. The stylus therefore does not hold its position in the groove. It is free to move relative to the groove and does so in every dimension. VTA, SRA, azimuth, effective arm length are not maintained. The oscillating movement will cause wow. It is quite incredible the magazines that have reviewed it do not raise these issues but report 'the sound is good if slightly mushy at the top', or suchlike |
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