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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 🤗


halcro
dover
2,341 posts
 

Another poster wrote:  every DD I have heard sounds thin, lacking body, are grainy or have a grey wash through the sound, possibly due to error correction servos.

Seemingly these DDs were not good examples of the technology ie made to a price, as the majority of  cutting lathes were/are DIRECT DRIVE.

If you are going to bash DD you have to throw out the DD cutting lathes and drive them with a rubber band.

What you fail to understand is that most cutting lathes have a 70-80lb flywheel and significantly more drive power than most domestic direct drives. - even the Kenwood, Technics & Victor. The dynamics of a cutting lathe and its requirements are quite different to the dynamics of replaying a record.

And you appear unable to comprehend that critiquing specific examples of direct drive does not mean that direct drive is in of itself a bad thing.

 

verdun47
2 posts
 

"you fail to understand"  Presumptuous.

"cutting lathes have a 70-80lb flywheel and significantly more drive power than most domestic direct drives".   

Correct - the process is controlled by the DIRECT DRIVE motor.

'The dynamics of a cutting lathe and its requirements are quite different to the dynamics of replaying a record'.

It is the same signal - the lathe requires much higher torque to cut the disk – replay is a smaller load – proportionally how much different I don’t know.

"does not mean direct drive is in of itself a bad thing"

What do you mean?

Do you mean direct drive can be good? 

Or in K3's case a stunningly spectacular achievement: Michael Fremer tells us so, despite your take down of the man. He is a terrifically fit 74 - his apparent age likely isn't much different to you. Michael reports K3 is a cartridge differentiation champ eg "an utterly natural, transparent, and convincing presentation via the Anna D with airy flute roundness, sparkling, effervescent percussion, and zero overhang." 

"blows the chrome doors off the Caliburn" ... Michael Fremer.

brunorivademar
14 posts
 

My Thorens TD 124mkII, not even working at a full 100% is giving me readings of +- 0.04% speed variations. Wow 0.03. I’m confident i’ll be lowering those numbers even Further with a few mods. 1500 rpm 4 pole motor = no cogging. Same with lencos and Garrards. I suspect the EMT would measure even better because of it’s massive 16 inch platter. Also forget about noise. That problem has been solved years ago with high mass plinths and vibration transfer.

brunorivademar
14 posts
 

With regards to speed stability only 3 tables I believe take the crown.

Rockport Sirius III

Grand Prix Audio TTs

Wave Kinetics Reference

All in the 0.000~% (according to their measurements of course)

The OMA, Techdas and SAT measure measure rather poorly tbh

 

 

 

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