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3 New UBER Decks - Is this Turntable's SwanSong? 🦢

Michael Fremer has recently reviewed three new turntables designed to be the 'Last Word', 'Cost no Object' STATEMENTS!!!!........Do I recall hearing this claim before??
I love Mikey and have followed (and trusted) him for decades.
He has been the longest and foremost published 'champion' of the superiority of vinyl (uber alles) in the world.
I am thus ecstatic that he has been able to listen and compare these decks in his own room, with his own equipment virtually side-by-side
It's almost a 'given' that he will be the ONLY person on earth given that privilege....

So what Mikey HEARS.....is indisputable

Given his 'character' and desire for accuracy and honesty.....years ago, Mikey started including some 'objective' measurements in his turntable reviews.
These measurements were done utilising the Dr Feikert PlatterSpeed App which has since been discontinued.
As the App only worked with the Mac iOS of many variations ago.....Mikey has kept an old iPhone which can still operate the App.
The PlatterSpeed App had a few technical limitations.....
Foremost amongst these, was its dependence on a 7" record with an embedded 3150 Hz Frequency track to produce a test-tone which the App could process through its algorithm to produce the graphs and all the corresponding numbers.
To stamp hundreds of 7" discs with perfectly 'centred' HOLES is a nigh impossibility.
It's almost impossible to do it with a 12" disc!!!

This means that ALL the figures produced in their Chart Info are dubious and mostly UNREPEATABLE!!!!
I have Chart Infos for the same turntable/arm combination but with the 7" disc moved slightly producing different figures.
I even have Chart Infos produced with the same turntable but different arms ALL with different figures (the arms are in different positions surrounding my TURNTABLE).

So what is my point......?
The GRAPH produced with the PlatterSpeed App is accurate and USEABLE when looking at the 'Green' Lowpass-Filtered Frequency.
If the hole was PERFECTLY centred.....this 'Green' line would be perfectly STRAIGHT......but only if the turntable was maintaining its speed PERFECTLY.
The wobbles in the 'Green' line are due to the hole's eccentricity as well as any speed aberrations.
So the best performing turntables are those with the most constant and even wobbles approaching as closely as possible a STRAIGHT LINE.

Now the SAT Direct Drive Motor is actually the same as Technics developed for their latest SL-1000R except with some bespoke modifications.
It appears that SAT have corrupted what is a very good DD Motor unit....🥴

Mikey says that the OMA-K3 produced the best PlatterApp figures of any turntable he has tested 👏
Does this mean that the OMA-K3 is the most accurate turntable of these three decks.....or maybe of ALL turntables?

Mikey can't (and won't) test and review products from the past which are no longer produced because that's not his job!
But wouldn't it be great if someone WOULD review products from the past against the modern equivalent?
Classic turntables with reputations....gravitas...like the legendary EMT 927 and Micro Seiki SX-5000 and SX-8000.
And what about the NOW lauded Japanese DD Turntables from the '80s...the 'Golden Age' of Analogue?
  • Technics SP-10Mk3
  • Kenwood L-07D
  • Pioneer P3
  • Victor TT-101
  • Yamaha GT-2000
Because we know that Direct Drive is now 'Flavour of the Month' for the new Uber Decks due to their superior speed accuracy....a 'Flavour' that started with the legendary Rockport Sirius III.
But what about Belt-Drive units like my 20 year-old Raven?
So much for science and technology.......

We can do things today that were only dreamt of even 10 years ago
Except learn from history, harvest experience, expertise and craftsmanship......

Here endeth the Sermon for today 🤗


128x128halcro
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,858 posts
 
@rauliruegas  You bring up a great point, why do LP manufacturers get away with providing what in many cases is a sub par product? The answer is what I think you touched on...because they can! 
I noticed on an email that was sent to me yesterday from Elusive Disc that Analogue Productions is increasing their price structure, across the board...and to order now before the price increase. Why is AP able to do this...same reason as above! 
halcro's avatar
halcro OP
2,664 posts
 
Your wide explanation of the yellow raw frequency is really an eye open and truly welcomed.
I'm delighted to see that at least two people here are naive (or foolish) enough to believe that the yellow RAW Frequency Plot is of any value without a computer algorithm to correct for record warps, hole eccentricity etc because I think I've found that elusive pure sine wave for the Raw Frequency that Richard Krebs was unable to supply for his OMA-K1.....?

RAW FREQUENCY PURE SINE WAVE  

Over to you Mr Krebs.......🤗
au_lait
338 posts
 
Pressing imperfections are not solely the fault of the pressing plant but also parties approving the test pressing. Quality control is nearly a lost discipline.
limomangus's avatar
limomangus
1,424 posts
 
Wow ,I am old ,I remember when a AR turntable for $99 was state of art...Those were the days my friend....I thought they never end...but i did do acid and alot of pot back then.


mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn
8,570 posts
 
@rauliruegas, I think the problem with record manufacture is a matter of cost and what the market will bear. It is possible to make a near perfect record but this means higher tolerances and more maintenance. Pressing records is not a laissez faire operation. Every record is pressed in 30 seconds under some ridiculous amount of pressure. I think I read 2000 psi. at 350 degrees. All this is going to put a lot of wear on various parts. These machines require a lot of maintenance. 
This is no excuse for record stampers punched off center. I believe that is due to operator error.

Richardkrebs, give me a break. Show me the perfectly flat and concentric record. It is not my fault that this makes your work somewhat less important. I have no irons in the fire. It might have been better if you just admitted that these irregularities do cause changes in pitch that might mask turntable speed irregularities. We all want accurate turntables but there is a certain degree of insanity in this. It's just like cars. "My Porsche goes 200 mph." "But, my Ferrari goes 204 mph." Who the heck ever drives that fast! My Porsche will hold a weeks worth of groceries and I can carry my mountain bike on it's roof racks. Try that in your terribly unreliable and difficult to service piece of Italian rubbish! (just comical relief folks, Ferraris are works of art.)
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