Servo Controlled Arm

Eldartford, I was mainly referring and complaining about the Pioneer PL-L1000 servo arm that it uses a linear motor and it moves laterally BOTH directions, ie, left AND right. Almost like a air-bearing arm, hence the tendency to jerky motion on eccentric records. Pioneer is the only manufacturer I can think of that did something like this. It works great in theory but it puts a lot of demand on quality of the roller bearing. It certainly is fun to operate though. Yes, I still prefer the Sony, Yamaha, Technics, Rabco, or Goldmund approach. Thanks for the comment.

I just received a JVC QL-Y5F today and the servo controlled tonearm does work! It sound very good and very stable and no problem tracking warp record. Now, I really wonder why people don't use more of such design...

Hiho...Most people, audiophiles included, don't understand servo design, or appreciate the performance potential. Perhaps they have experienced crude servos, like early cruise control in cars, and not been impressed. Most audio manufacturers don't have people with control system expertese, and would prefer to stay with tried and true pivoting arms. Design and development of a good servo arm requires a large investment, and the small market does not justify it.

Besides, pivoting arms work well (if you can ever get them set up right).

Eldartford, thanks for the comment and explanation. I understand the financial difficulty in such project but I just wish audiophiles are more open-minded about such devices and not write it off so handily by preconceived notions. Look what happened to decades of engineering in direct-drive turntables being almost completely dismissed by audiophiles. Many esoteric turntables are made not even based on real engineering and, in fact, by someone with a band saw in their garage, while the flagship product by whole team of R&D in a electronics giant never even got noticed in The Absolute Stereophool land. It's our loss. Sometimes, I wonder what would happen to analog if CD were introduced a decade later than its original date. Think of the possibilities in vinyl playback...

Hiho,

I, too, believe that the design and engineering of some of these old tables yielded wonderful performance that is too often dismissed by folks who've not heard them with open minds and ears. Vinyl was king during the era of their development and listeners were no less discriminating then than now. Nor were the engineers and designers less capable. Competent service shops still exist to restore many of these tables to proper function, an element (and relatively small expense) that will compromise performance if bypassed.