Dave, It's telling for me to learn that you prefer the PD444 (direct-drive) vs your other 3 turntables, which if memory serves are either belt-drive or rim-drive types (do you have a Terminator Salvation?). I have come to the same conclusion, as is obvious. Does the PD444 use a coreless motor? I have developed a preference for the sound of those that do.
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Lew, I haven't yet had the PD444 motor apart for service, knock on wood. The literature describes the motor as flat, slotless, brushless, DC servo-controller with Hall sensors. Like L07D it uses magnetic levitation, in this case to relieve about 4/5 of the 2.5kg platter weight. It has a much lower-torque, lower-current motor than the L07D. The design work is rumored to have been done by Micro Seiki. The motor may be JVC. I do find the DD sound of PD444 and L07D more appealing than my much modified VPI TNT. With the VPI converted from rubber belts to thread it was possible to tension the thread for a cleaner, faster-paced "DD-like" sound. Both Luxman and Kenwood go further in that direction. |
lewm, "a coreless motor? I have developed a preference for the sound of those that do." So, does this suggest interest in the new Technics SL-1200GAE? http://www.sl1200gae.info/about |
Tim (Pryso), I would not dare to buy yet another turntable, but if the new Technics does indeed have a coreless motor, as I also read, then it may prove noticeably superior to the original SL1200, which made me wonder why they built it to look exactly like the SL1200. Its appearance has thus been seized upon by some as reason to question the seemingly high price, which really is not so high, IMO. Albeit, I would not trade my L07D for the new Technics, despite the fact that the former typically costs less when you can find one. Dave, Sounds like the PD444 motor is indeed "coreless". It may be my imagination, but I "hear" coreless motors as giving a little more life to the music, as compared to iron-cored motors in direct-drive turntables. One exception is the SP10 MK3 with Krebs mods. The Krebs mod goes a long way, probably all the way, to achieving the coreless sound. Plus the Mk3 is peerless when it comes to a sense of drive and rhythm. I am sure that an unknown factor in the direct-drive equation is the servo mechanism and how it works to maintain constant speed. That too could surely affect musicality. I forgot that you also have an L07D, but it cannot mount 3 tonearms like the PD444. |
I run three turntables with five tonearms on two systems. One system includes a Luxman PD444, modified in small ways but mounted on 1 lb. brass cones resting on Aurios media bearings, which yield a vast improvement over the factory footers. The other system includes a second Luxman PD444 set up identically to the first, but with different tonearms. That system also includes a Garrard 401 with Thomas Schick tonearm, running more often than not an SPU. The Luxmans have outlasted and bested every belt drive turntable I've had over the last 40 years. The Garrard 401 simply has a different presentation entirely that while less objective than the Luxman PD444, is vastly entertaining and engaging in selective ways that benefit some music over others. Phil |
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