Around this time I was working with DJ Casser and his Black Diamond Racing Shelf. His Shelf material was so much more effective than acrylic, it had to make a better plinth too.
more about Black Diamond Racing founded by DJ Casser
The Miller Carbon Story
Had a real nice conversation this morning with Origin Live’s Mark Baker. Mark makes some of the very best turntables on the planet and I was interested to learn more. This was our first conversation and so he was interested in me as well. This reminded me of others who have asked.
The following story is only superficially about the Miller Carbon. The larger and I would say more important subtext is you can do it too! Please dear reader note the number of times something was tried not knowing whether or not it would work. Like all things in life: The more things you try and the more effort you put into it the better you get at it.
The Miller Carbon Story
My first turntable was a Technics SL-1700 with Stanton 681-EEE. It was 1976. Still have that turntable, anyone can see it, right there on my system page. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367. Rack on the right. Bottom shelf.
Next, after college, came the Listening Room and with it a new turntable. This was way before the internet. All we had was Stereophile On Dead Tree. After reading all the reviews it came down to a VPI package or Basis/Graham. What to do? Cast your mind back, way back, to the primitive past. I faxed my question to Stereophile.
Michael Fremer called me back!
The Basis/Graham was my own decision. Fremer didn’t talk me into anything. Quite the opposite. He was a source of much useful information that helped me make up my own mind. So it was that I learned early on from Michael Fremer what it is that a reviewer really is supposed to do: provide the reader with the information they need to make their own informed decision.
My first high end mod was to remove the cheap rubber power cord from the Basis motor and replace it with an inexpensive power cord. Cheap, but proven to be better than all the freebie PCs and I wanted to find out if it made any difference on a turntable motor.
It did! Same exact improvements heard on the other components it had been tried on before. How or why, who knows, but I heard it. Other mods followed. Different belt materials were used. Silk, cotton, floss. Each had its own influence on the sound. Fascinating!
This was all part of the process of investigating turntable performance in order to upgrade. Easy to read about different materials, mass, motors, bearings- but what does it all mean in the real world? This was my way of figuring it out for myself.
Teres Audio seemed to be the value leader. A complete turntable was too expensive, but the motor could be added to the Basis with only a slight modification for the speed sensor. When this worked out extremely well it gave me the confidence to go for the platter and bearing.
But what about the plinth? Around this time I was working with DJ Casser and his Black Diamond Racing Shelf. His Shelf material was so much more effective than acrylic, it had to make a better plinth too. After a good deal more planning a BDR Source Shelf was cut into a unique sort of egg shape. Another piece was cut 4” diameter, drilled and tapped to be used as the nut to hold the bearing. Two more pieces about 3 inches in diameter were cut and stacked to make the tone arm mount. Three Round Things with Cones were screwed into the bottom of the plinth. The Miller Carbon was born. http://www.teresaudio.com/fame/40.html
The following story is only superficially about the Miller Carbon. The larger and I would say more important subtext is you can do it too! Please dear reader note the number of times something was tried not knowing whether or not it would work. Like all things in life: The more things you try and the more effort you put into it the better you get at it.
The Miller Carbon Story
My first turntable was a Technics SL-1700 with Stanton 681-EEE. It was 1976. Still have that turntable, anyone can see it, right there on my system page. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367. Rack on the right. Bottom shelf.
Next, after college, came the Listening Room and with it a new turntable. This was way before the internet. All we had was Stereophile On Dead Tree. After reading all the reviews it came down to a VPI package or Basis/Graham. What to do? Cast your mind back, way back, to the primitive past. I faxed my question to Stereophile.
Michael Fremer called me back!
The Basis/Graham was my own decision. Fremer didn’t talk me into anything. Quite the opposite. He was a source of much useful information that helped me make up my own mind. So it was that I learned early on from Michael Fremer what it is that a reviewer really is supposed to do: provide the reader with the information they need to make their own informed decision.
My first high end mod was to remove the cheap rubber power cord from the Basis motor and replace it with an inexpensive power cord. Cheap, but proven to be better than all the freebie PCs and I wanted to find out if it made any difference on a turntable motor.
It did! Same exact improvements heard on the other components it had been tried on before. How or why, who knows, but I heard it. Other mods followed. Different belt materials were used. Silk, cotton, floss. Each had its own influence on the sound. Fascinating!
This was all part of the process of investigating turntable performance in order to upgrade. Easy to read about different materials, mass, motors, bearings- but what does it all mean in the real world? This was my way of figuring it out for myself.
Teres Audio seemed to be the value leader. A complete turntable was too expensive, but the motor could be added to the Basis with only a slight modification for the speed sensor. When this worked out extremely well it gave me the confidence to go for the platter and bearing.
But what about the plinth? Around this time I was working with DJ Casser and his Black Diamond Racing Shelf. His Shelf material was so much more effective than acrylic, it had to make a better plinth too. After a good deal more planning a BDR Source Shelf was cut into a unique sort of egg shape. Another piece was cut 4” diameter, drilled and tapped to be used as the nut to hold the bearing. Two more pieces about 3 inches in diameter were cut and stacked to make the tone arm mount. Three Round Things with Cones were screwed into the bottom of the plinth. The Miller Carbon was born. http://www.teresaudio.com/fame/40.html
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- 81 posts total
DJ was a commodities trader on the Chicago exchange. He moved into fabricating high performance carbon fiber parts, specializing in custom work on America’s Cup racing boats. Carbon fiber is inherently vibration damping owing to its composite structure. DJ was an avid audiophile and started experimenting, eventually developing the Black Diamond Racing Cones, Shelf, etc. So now you know where the Racing in BDR comes from. Suddenly, in the prime of life, lung cancer got him in 2012. https://www.schmidtandbartelt.com/obituaries/detail.aspx?id=5017 As good as it was, the approach DJ was taking to vibration control turned out to be just one small part of the problem. Ultimately it seems the materials he was using were great at certain aspects, but wind up channeling vibration into another area of the spectrum. This was hard to hear at the time, because it was compared to other things back then much more successful overall. When compared to springs however it quickly becomes apparent his approach imparts an unnatural hardness or glare. A much more sophisticated approach is called for. The part above is only the birth of the Miller Carbon. It was initially driven by the Teres motor pod. This pod was upgraded to battery power. It was at this time a belt drive table. Upgrading to battery power was my second experience with improved sound quality coming from nothing more than improving the power to the motor. |
Not damping the platter, no. However a lot of different clamps and clamping methods were tried. Also three different platters. Chris Brady made 4 different platters- solid acrylic, lead-filled acrylic, a black resin type material, and various lead-filled versions made of stabilized hardwoods such as cocobolo. The difference between platters is clear and easy to hear. My favorite of and the one I have been using for years now is my clamp made from BDR Shelf material. Combined with a carbon fiber washer it forces the record down onto the platter from the outside edge. About a year ago I added fO.q tape to the washer, and around the perimeter of the clamp. This is the best I have been able to come up with. More recent experience with springs and isolation has me re-thinking a lot of this however. |
- 81 posts total