@lubachi, Phoenix Engineering closed down when the Falcon and Eagle PSU and Roadrunner were discontinued (those were the company's only three products). PE design engineer/owner Bill Carlin posted a lot of info on the design of his products on the VPI Forum, which are still available for reading.
Turntable Advice?
My SOTA Star Sapphire motor has gone bonkers, so I'm planning its replacement. Hoping to get some thoughts on my options - I think some of you enjoy a challenge like this. Major components are Aerial 10T's, Classe 6 Mk II pre-amp, Classe DR-150 amp. Primary listening is well-recorded jazz, blues and solo guitar.
I could either re-use or sell my SME V arm. I'm hoping I won't have to shell out more than another $1,500 either way. Here's what I'm thinking:
1) Get a new table and cart for the SME, have it all set up by a local pro
2) Buy an old SOTA and cannibalize the motor
3) Sell the SME V and go with:
I could either re-use or sell my SME V arm. I'm hoping I won't have to shell out more than another $1,500 either way. Here's what I'm thinking:
1) Get a new table and cart for the SME, have it all set up by a local pro
2) Buy an old SOTA and cannibalize the motor
3) Sell the SME V and go with:
- New Music Hall mmf-9.3 with Goldring Eroica LX (no head amp needed - Classe has a MC input)
- New Music Hall mmf-9.3 with upgraded cartridge (suggestions?)
- Rega RP6 with Exact 2 cartridge
- Clearaudio Concept or Emotion w/ dedicated arm and cartridge
- Used table/arm (as long as it's durable)
- ...
- 33 posts total
Apparently my post of an hour or two ago never made it. What I said then was that the term “three phase DC synchronous motor” is an oxymoron, because DC has no phases by definition. DC motors that do operate off AC convert AC to DC within the body of the motor. What is probably going on is that the phoenix derived controller operates on the AC side, thereby controlling the DC motor. Also, a stock TNT may well be superior to an original Star Sapphire but all bets are off if the SOTA has the Eclipse mod, in my opinion of course. I wouldn’t arm wrestle over it. |
@lewm, and then there is the matter of a TNT (or Aries, or any other VPI as far as I know) with the Eclipse package installed in place of the stock Hurst AC motor. Bill Carlin was talking on the VPI Forum a few years back about the need for a better motor in the otherwise nice VPI tables (he's a fan of DC motors), and proposed he and Harry Weisfeld collaborate on a package similar to the Eclipse for the VPI tables. Unfortunately, a clash of personalities developed between the two, and it never came to pass VPI owners now have a way to improve the sound of their tables at reasonable cost, thanks to SOTA! SOTA is also producing the Roadrunner tachometer, which is identical to the Phoenix Engineering version. |
The motor is NOT AC. The terminology 3 phase DC means that it is a brushless DC motor where the windings are excited by a switching DC power supply which turns the power on & off to the correct winding at a very fast pace such that the fixed magnet in the motor tries to "keep up" with it, hence the rotation: Check this out, especially page 8: https://www.monolithicpower.com/pub/media/document/Brushless_DC_Motor_Fundamentals.pdf These motors last a long time coz there is no grinding brush to wear off but the driving electronics has to be spot on and are very complicated. |
- 33 posts total