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Mag Lev Turntable. Your Thoughts?

One is for sale on Audiogon. Very cool BUT, I can think of a bunch of potential problems. My instinct says it is showmanship but not having actually played with one who knows? Anybody have any experience with the Mag Lev?
The first problem would be that magnetic fields are not solid. They are squishy. What happens when you play different weight records. What about a record clamp? The tonearm is fixed to the plinth. If the height of the platter changes the VTA changes. If the platter bounces at all it will cause rather rapid speed variations. What about those powerful magnetic fields right under cartridges. Looking at the video the platter certainly is not machined very well.
Is it really worth the trouble. Good tables make very little noise. 99% of it is coming from the record itself. My inclination is that the platter should be on a solid footing.
128x128mijostyn
mijostyn's avatar
mijostyn OP
8,570 posts
 
bloke77, I doubt any of us will be able to help you with this. I think it best to go back where you bought it from. 

I have made many mistakes in the past and just swallowed the loss and chalked it up to learning and experience. I would get a new turntable if I were you. 

My guess is that the attractive field that keeps the platter centered is probably generated by an electro magnet which has stopped working for whatever reason. Permanent magnets are more expensive but they don't quit. You would have to take the table apart to figure it out. Since it is probably a total loss it cold not hurt to try. Maybe you will find a blown fuse or something easy to fix.
chakster's avatar
chakster
6,144 posts
 
@bloke77 In London try andy@hifi.repair

I contacted him when I was looking for a quality repair shop for my Victor TT-101. They can fix many different turntables. He’s got a shop.
lewm
13,044 posts
 
Not that this helps in any way, but the Maglev was widely described as "problematic", even during its brief period on the retail market.  There were bizarre stories circulating about destructive malfunction events, like platter flying off into space.  I'm very sorry to learn of your problems, and I hope you can find someone to fix it.
ozzy62's avatar
ozzy62
3,132 posts
 
If this has been pulled from the market, shame on Touch Of Modern. I only recently saw a tv ad for this table.
lewm
13,044 posts
 
Maybe I am wrong about it being off the market, but I have read about it in the past tense. I have also read that problems with the system almost preclude it’s every day use. It’s just something to show off for friends.
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