What is turntable “liveliness”.


I have listened to turntables for sixty years. I bought my first high end TT about thirty years… it was revelatory. I do not swap tables often. I do a huge amount of research and then stay with one for fifteen years or so. My most recent upgrade was from a VPI Aries (heavy mass) to a Linn LP12 (light weight, sprung)…very nearly the very top level. Could we please not turn this into a religious thing about Linn… mine is an outstanding TT which compares favorably with any other $45K analog leg (TT, cartridge, and Phonostage)

The term lively comes up in descriptions. One of the differences in character I noticed between the VPI and Linn… which I thought might be considered liveliness was to me a bit of what I perceived as the images very slightly jumping around… the kind of thing you would think of when you see films of “The Flash” maybe vibrating in place. While I found this gave me the feeling of the notes wanting to jump out at me, I found it a bit disconcerting. I attributed it to a relatively light weight rig, that is really good at rejecting low frequency vibrations (it is a sprung table… known to be lively sounding) up to a relatively high frequency… but beyond that not. Something a really heavy rig would not be effected by.

 

To test my theory, I had a Silent Running Ohio Class vibration platform constructed for my turntable. The image smear, as I called it disappeared. There is no smear and it has great solidity.

Is this attribute “liveliness”?

ghdprentice

@ossicle2brain You have pointed out the points I made a concern for myself to attempt to improve upon many years ago.

My journey took me to the point that I was having Platter Spindle Bearing Interfaces optimised using the original housing to undergo modification.

That lead on to the complete Bearing Housing being swapped out for a new design one on a certain Brand of TT. 

I have more recently reverted back to having other TT's have their original Bearing Housing modified, but there are now new ideas evolving that will mean new bearing housings are to be produced for my 'go to' TT.

The efforts have certainly improved centricity of the Spindle Rotations and when the parts are bespoke produced for each Housing Spindle, the run off measurements are much improved over the OEM.

Unfortunately if very low microns being recorded are to be goal as a measurement, then the original bearing designs are not able to cut it, a rethink and substantial materials are required to produce the redesign. 

At present there is a lot on offer to minimise the impact of non-centricity of the Album, and reduce the fluctuations that can be detected in the speed.

An off board - standalone strobe will quickly show speed fluctuations due to eccentric rotations.

Hydrodynamic Lubrication is a almost impossible condition to maintain within the bearing housing when working with a typical journal bearing design. It is strongly suggested metal/metal contact will occur, this occurrence equates to noise and over time wear of a sacrificial parts metal, resulting in abrasive dust as an interface.

Removing metal/metal contact, as a result of exchanging parts, has a major improvement on the noise produced at the time of Spindle and Sacrificial parts coming into contact, the method certainly removes concerns for abrasive dust as well.  

 

Dear @ossicle2brain  : "  between the imperfections of vinyl and the cutting etc the noise or sound of almost any decent turntable is not heard when the music is playing "

Well, here I disagree a " little ": first because you can't aisle any TT ( sound devepoved by ) and second  because it depends not only by caRTRIDGE/TONEARM BUT THE ROOM/SYSTEM QUALITY resolution LEVELS.

 

r.

I had a Lynn also.....it sounded airy and dimensional, weak bass in my system  but is in need of constant adjustment.  You have to hear the component in your house on your equipment to make an informed value judgement. Even the table the turntable sits on and the floor that the table sits on makes a great difference.

I had a Lynn also.....it sounded airy and dimensional, weak bass in my system but was in need of constant adjustment. You have to hear the component in your house on your equipment to make an informed value judgement. Even the table the turntable sits on and the floor that the table sits on makes a great difference.

You read me wrong ...😊

I just said that cheap turntable with no acoustic room and cd were not so far apart...

I disliked the first cd , they were not good but at least they did not pop at first listening and were more convenient and it was my only cheap way into music anyway and all classical goes into cd release  more than vinyl release with the passing years...The return of vinyl is mostly a pop music phenomenon...I listened mostly classical almost exclusively...

There was more classical in cd than in vinyl release in no time...

i did not have money for good turntable anyway and a good acoustic was completely out of my understanding at the times...As it is even today for most people in audio...😊

 

Mahgister, if you preferred early RBCDs to vinyl as it was ca mid-1980s, then just to begin with, we are miles apart. I found early RBCDs to be so odious that I could not stand to hear them even in someone else’s house, let alone in mine.