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2020 update : JC Verdier La Platine

A recent encounter with a JC Verdier dealer as well as a recent Audiogon discussion thread led to the start of this thread. He was in my house updating my La Platine which had been in storage for ten years with thread and oil. While he has high regards for the deck, his newer clients nevertheless prefer a Techdas iii than an 'old' La Platine. Given the proliferation of expensive decks in the past dozen years, La Platine has become very much under-appreciated. 

It's clear to me that the influence of the La Platine is everywhere to be found. Specifically, the magnetic suspension system that was employed 30+ years ago. Even SOTA offers their newer decks with mag. lev. features. And if you read this review: https://www.callas-audio.nl/Callas%20Platine%20Mod%20Kit%20Review.pdf, the Continuum Caliburn uses the same concept, which was not acknowledged in Fremer's review, albeit with more sophisticated , and expensive, execution.

It is also clear to me that there is much misunderstanding of the workings of the La Platine. I for one have contributed to this. The motor of the La Platine, for example, has been much maligned. The thread drive is another aspect of the turntable that have been described as inferior. With regard to the motor and thread drive, I have been set straight by Chris @ct0517 and Lyubomir @lbelchev. Experimenting with the different types of silk threads, the tightness to the platter  and a renewed understanding of the soundness of the Philips motor have been rewarded with better dynamics and transparency. 

The funny thing is that during the past two years of re-engagement with audio, I have questioned ownership of every components in my arsenal except the La Platine. It has always been a keeper. I wonder if La Platine owners would contribute to celebrating this 'old' deck with tales, advice, and insights?

Cheers!
ledoux1238
mr_gray
144 posts
 

@dover - for sure.  this AC motor experiment will hopefully yield some discernible result.

i did put the motor on iso acoustics gaia feet last night.  i had done this previously and hadn't liked it.  but i guess i wanted to try again because the logic of it is that the motor as it is produced alot of "chatter" which then goes into the credenza and then into the table etc.  if i could stymie that at source perhaps we get an improvement.  stethoscope said i was onto a winner for sure.  the Gaia feet vastly reduced mechanical noise in credenza.  

the music was sublime.  it was much improved.  i would describe this situation as me having fixed an actual problem.  not just a tweak.  the problem being the motor chatter being transmitted into the credenza.  

the outcome was more range.  more highs.  more lows.  greater differentiation of lows.  it wasn't subtle.  i am now at the point where it is hard to believe it could get much better.  whilst wow and flutter is very low (0.03/0.02) speed variation of 0.2 rpm continues.  

mr_gray
144 posts
 

hello music lovers.  alot has been happening:

- have put the motor on cms feet then a stone plinth then gaia feet.  this makes for much less noise into cabinet.  big success!

- have put turntable on a granite platform.  so now it is on cms footers, then granite, then some Les Davis constrained layer blocks.  big success!

- also cleaned up cables alot and removed all traces of my digital system (which wasn't being used except for movies really)

Motor still not done yet.  had an issue with delivery of the pulley.

Last night i swapped linen thread back for silk. on my slightly more refined system one could easily hear that the silk massively outperforms the linen.  linen was very low tension to get OK speed stability.  the silk can have a little tension.  pacing with silk seemed better and also the sound more beautiful, more musical, more voluptuous. 

i think a critical issue is dealing with motor vibrations at source. particularly so for me, as the motor and platine are on the same cabinet.  motor noise has in hindsight been limiting what the platine can do.  now that i have made a better attempt to isolate motor noise (Isoacoustics Gaia are the real hero of that story) things are much improved. i have ordered a lowly wellfloat platform to see if that can further improve on my improvisations.

mr_gray
144 posts
 

i received the wellfloat platform in the mail and installed it straight away.  the wellfloat is a4 sized and around USD $280.  it is perfect for the verdier motor drive.  it does an astonishingly good job of not letting the motor drive noise into the supporting furniture.  now the only noise i hear in the table (stethoscope) is from the actual thread.  highly recommended for the verdier owner.

ledoux1238 OP
353 posts
 

@mr_gray Thanks for the update. I have a layer of solid wood with  5cm thickness and another layer of marble with 2cm thickness, both on ebony + brass cones and cups, underneath the motor.
 

I eagerly await result of your motor adventure.  

I have been using a Jasmine motor for the past month and returned the original motor to service briefly this week. It worked fine for a day and then speed started to drift again, so the motor is definitely needing a fix..again. I’m curious if anyone had to replace the speed regulator chip, and had to do it a second time? 

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