Anybody heard Galibier or JC Verdier turntables?

Come to Denver with some of us May 13 and find out for yourself what a Galibier and Teres have to offer. Sorry, you'll have to find out what the PV sounds like on yer own. :)

Doug, your comments leave me wondering about bearings and the experiments you mentioned that Chris had tried. Thom is off, I believe to Toronto for the week, so we may not get a response from Galibier about bearing life. I know that you're probably considering that the Teres and Galibier bearing are similar, but I wonder how much they have grown apart.

I know Basis also uses a fairly hefty platter on their higher end tables. Those bearing last for quite some time. I have to admit I don't know the details of the differences in bearing designs between the tables discussed here.

Newbie curiosity: As the platter spins, is the repulsion of the magnets so precise and evenly distributed that the elevation of the platter remains constant within minimal tolerances? If so, it is impressive engineering. I assume that the minimal tug of the string pulling the platter does not disrupt the bearing holding the magnets in alignment.

SirSpeedy,

Interesting ideas about the PV's magnetic bearing. So when exactly did you hear a PV and a Galibier in the same system?

Dan,

I don't know where Thom may have taken his bearing, but the description on his site still sounds pretty familiar to a Teres owner.

Our new one is operating just fine. The experimental one failed but it was just an experiment. "Sir" Paul and I would prefer even harder materials for the bearing surfaces. Not only for longevity but for reduced friction, as emphasized by Bigbucks5 and SirSpeedy.

The magnets are very large in diameter. The shaft/sleeve (bearing) clearance is minimal. You can watch the platter rotate, and it doesn't move up and down at all. Different record weights affect platter height imperceptibly, and if it actualy does, would tend to compensate for the presumably thicker LP with respect to cantilever SRA.

If you think that's a problem, you can use the supplied ball bearing to fix the height of the platter so it is unaffected by weight increases or decreases. Some say the use of the ball improves performance by providing a path to the bearing housing for spurious vibrations.

Just caught this, and off to Ottawa in the morning.

I don't know what all this talk of bearing wear is about. The longest running rig I've been able to inspect is going on 4.5 years old now and I don't see any sign of thrust bearing wear beyond the break-in dimple that forms during the first 30 hours of operation.

We never left Delrin for the thrust surface. In our experiments, we got a slightly more incisive sound with metal thrust plates (as if we needed it), but our trials with stainless and brass gave us the "willies" in terms of the possibility of risk of galling. Once we observed this with one sample, we were unwilling to take the long term risk when the Delrin served us so well.

Also, keep in mind that the thrust plate is replaceable as well as having two sides available for use. It can be flipped over.

In response to Doug's question, apart from minor geometry changes (wider top support flange and expanded central oil reservoir), it's essentially the same bearing that Chris, I, and the other three constituents of the "Teres-5" collectively designed in January of 2000. I assume that Chris is still implementing a replaceable thrust plate too.

Those of you coming to the Front Range on the 13th and 14th would have had the opportunity to hear a Schröder clad Platine-Verdier, but I just learned that it's owner put it up for sale.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier