I have never heard of the turntable… not in itself a deal killer… but not too mainstream. The more mechanical a devise the more I want to be close by for possible service. Adding an air bearing in my mind would require a local dealer that would service. Import it? I would never consider it. Solid state components I have imported. It’s a risk tolerance thing.
- ...
- 16 posts total
@pmcarro the forum @terry9 is an advocate of Air Bearing Technology used in a TT. Maybe @terry9 can investigate the TT and give you a basic outline of what to expect, I am sure he can comment on ay concerns about static. For me the Air Bearing is a method to use a supply chain as a method to by pass the usual machining required for a TT mechanical interfaces, where very tight interface tolerances are to be produced. The Air Bearing Manufacturer is producing the mechanical interface to a very tight tolerance, leaving the TT manufacturer to be more concerned about rigidity of Structure and the important Geometric Dimensions between Platter Spindle/Platter and Tonearm/Headshell. Longevity of the critical tolerances dimensions being maintained are always a concern, certain Brands, have offered quite costly Models, where many of the well used TT's that have imploded in this area of maintaining a tolerance tightness. History will strongly suggest it is always best to question the longevity that can be achieved for the critical mechanical interfaces being maintained to the tolerances in place when new. Big Name Brands have been responsible in the past for producing TT's that have had very short lived mechanical interfaces where excessive movement developed after not too long periods of usage. |
Thanks for the nod, @pindac . But I don’t own a Holbo, I’ve just experimented with some ideas while I built my own air bearing unit. There are several sources of noise, the most important being the bearing and the motor. Also, resonances can arise in the plinth or the platter. From a casual inspection of the Holbo, it looks like a thrust air bearing to take the vertical load and a conventional bearing to keep the platter centred. Also, Fremer says this. Since thrust friction is a big source of noise, and if air is taking that out of the equation, that’s a big factor in the Holbo’s favour. Ultimately you want to be rid of the horizontal noise too, but that’s more common in the highest end TT at 100 times the cost. Resonances are less of a problem when there is no thrust bearing noise to excite them, but then there is interaction with the tonearm. The air bearing tonearm looks like a fairly conventional unit, but the beam seems a little small to me - compare the Kuzma with a 20mm diameter beam. Then again, the Kuzma arm costs more than this whole unit. Also, those adjustments will be fiddly to get the best from the unit - but again, the unit isn’t costing big bucks, which is the cost of fiddle-free performance, as Fremer notes. The motor does not look like it’s isolated from the plinth, which is an error, no matter how the motor is made. That said, the great thing about belt drive is that you can take the motor out, mount it on a separate plinth, and reduce motor noise by orders of magnitude. The late Tom Fletcher of Nottingham Analogue pioneered this solution a generation ago. I understand about being your own importer - its a chancy business. But the rewards can be big too. Do you feel ... lucky? It’s really impossible to give an opinion without hearing the unit because so many things can go wrong. That said, it may be very good for the money - and a little DIY could be enough to make it very good indeed. If Fremer is right, then this is a distinct possibility. As for a dust magnet - never seen that. Anyway, what’s dust doing near a turntable? A vinyl room should be clean. And the cartridge body as well as wand should be grounded where feasible. A few considerations which occur off the top of my head. Whatever you decide, good luck! |
- 16 posts total