regarding the Tiger Paw tranquility

Just as I proposed.

from the Tiger Paw website,

“Magnetic levitation has been used before, and is currently used, by a small number of exotic turntable manufacturers; however our application does not actually raise the spindle from it’s contact with the thrust pad but it does dramatically reduce the force and friction between the two surfaces. We basically reduce this by around 90%.

Tranquility has taken a considerable amount of time to develop and draws upon a broad range of specialist experience in turntable component development, and utilizes a unique array of high quality rare earth magnets in a specific arrangement to ensure that the fields are perfectly aligned in order to deliver precisely the amount of force required. In particular we’d like to thank Mark Holterman for his contribution and collaboration along with his original work with magnetic systems.”

Thanks for all the answers

Hi, @Cakyol...
You are correct. Slippage is not an issue/ not possible if the lower magnet is adjusted carefully. I have found that the best method to ensure proper operation is to loosen the lower magnet ( CCW Lefty- Loosey). Then spin the entire platter assembly with the belt removed and time the result with a stopwatch. Repeat this procedure as long as the spin time increases. At some point loosening the lower magnet 1/4 turn will cause the timed result to decrease. So move the lower magnet 1/4 turn clockwise again and verify the maximum free spin time. On my machine the max free spin time is 5 min 10 sec., for example. ( I have an olllld bearing ) I suppose it is possible to set the magnets such that they very nearly scrape against each other. Perhaps this is a cause of the reported slippage. However, if the magnets are aligned properly, scraping and slippage will not occur. The rubber grommet, as well, may or may not fit the inner platter you have and may not be useful or necessary. The upper magnet has to lie flat and flush on the underside of the inner platter. And, of course, the slotted set screw has to be tightened after adjustment to prevent the lower magnet from moving over the long term.
Setup takes a little time and experimentation. The results are very enjoyable to my ears, anyway. 

I hope this this helps and answers your question(s).

At constant speed there are no longer the rotational forces incurred during start up to overcome inertia. As I understand it the design doesn’t attempt to levitate the platter, only relieve stress on the bearing. So some friction would be expected, no?

@geoffkait Or maybe not??

I suspect there is sufficient friction between the bearing and the platter to prevent slippage whilst record is playing.

I am trying to understand the comments which seem to discuss the concept of 'slippage' due to magnetic coupling. Either I am missing this or they are. There is no magnetic coupling between the subplatter and the top main platter. The platters STILL are on top of each other. All that the magnets do is to introduce an upwards LIFT to the ENTIRE assembly. The main platter still FIRMLY sits on top of the subplatter. So, how is it possible to affect the speed in this scenario ? If the subplatter turns, the motion is 100% transferred to the main platter. There can NOT possibly be a slippage between them.

Please explain....

This mod gets quite a lot of good press. Nonetheless, I,too,am interested on the thoughts to the OP’s question. Assuming that there are negatives...Although, like I stated in the other thread, there has been rumor of slippage between the upper magnet and the lower magnet assembly, leading to speed inconsistencies. I have no personal knowledge of this, as I don’t own Tranquillity. 

Thanks for responding but I was referring to the magnetic levitator for the bearing.

If your referring to the brass footers, I use them in different ways and situations with varied results, sometimes they are a + but many times they muddy things up.