New Teres Direct Drive Motor Available as Option

Lewm, empirical research (i.e. observation) for something as subjective as audio presents a very weak argument. I think Ketchup brought up a very valid point.

If we are to assume that physics tells us a platter will decelerate due to stylus drag, we would be mistaken if we were ignore the fact that the same force acting on the cutting lathe will have the very same effect.

From my own experience I have a few LPs that when listening to I have always thought that the transients were a little bit too quick and sharp to be real. (I am sure everybody on the BB has a few LPs that). I always put that down to the sound engineering ‘tweaking’ the recording a little, but Ketchup’s postulation does go some ways to explain the phenomenon. Simply put, it is not inconceivable that the cutting lathes used to create those LP’s slowed down more on transients than what my current TT slows down.

Sadly, we do not have any numbers or hard data pertaining to the amount of stylus drag and the effect said stylus drag has on a platter.

Regards
Paul

Just curious. Isn't the common warp in albums causing more variation in pitch than the differences between direct drive and belt drive?

I have a Cardas sweep record with what appears to be an average warp and the pitch variations are very clear as the stylus travels faster over the warp.

Am I wrong that flattening the record should come before worrying about belt versus direct drive in terms of pitch control and prat?

I think it's important, Jj, but we do already have vacuum platters, reflex clamps, ring clamps, and concave platters to help with warps.

Paul, I think you misunderstood my intent. My main point was that we need someone who is or was in the record-making business to tell us whether Ketchup's point has any validity. And I am only saying that my guess is that it does not, but I admit I don't know. Now you have cited your empirical and subjective experience to contradict me, while also saying that this type of evidence is not acceptable. Your opinion is certainly as valid as mine, but one would need to know more about cutting lathes to settle the matter.

Lewm,
First, you say that stylus drag might be a good thing. It might, but there is much more to it than stylus drag. My instincts tell me that a cutting head cutting a lacquer puts much more drag on the lathe's platter than a modern stylus does playing vinyl. The trick might be to use a lighter platter than that of the cutting lathe and, along with a stylus, hope that the speed variances are about equal in magnitude and duration.

Second, I would love to hear what some people in the record making industry have to say about speed variances in cutting lathes, but I fear whar I might hear. I think a lot of people into "pro audio" seem to think that we're nuts and that we shouldn't hear any difference between A or B, whatever they might be, or that we couldn't possibly hear something so subtle, whatever it is. How often have you heard that?

Whether my point has any validity or not will take A LOT of very careful experimentation that I bet will NEVER be done, but let's for a second assume that it has no validity what-so-ever and that cutting lathes are rock solid with respect to speed stability. If we assume this, then all the rim drive (Teres), mylar or tape drive (Galibier/Teres) belt drives with massive platter (Maplenoll/Walker) turntable designers are just wasting their time trying to reinvent something that has rock solid speed stability and has been around for years.