Anybody heard Galibier or JC Verdier turntables?

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

Dougy,how could you come to the conclusion,from my post,that I have ever heard both tables together.Re-read my post,and it is clear that you misinterpreted my point.You seem to do that often,but I still love you.
Also,the business of bearing friction should be obvious to anyone in the hobby for a length of time.Hmm-:)
BTW,I'm making no judgements about the supposedly wonderful Galiber,as I've not heard one,and don't know alot about the design,other than it seems to be similar to the Teres.Though I like it's looks,and lack of wood better.Just my taste.Which should mean nothing,as you must remember I'm the expert on the finest of "cheap wines"!So what do I know!

I can corroborate Thom's statements regarding lack of bearing wear. I took apart the bearing in my Galibier after about a year of frequent use, and was somewhat surprised to see no indication of wear at all, other than a little dimple in the Delrin as Thom described. The oil really didn't look any different from when I installed it a year earlier. This is in contrast to some reports that I've read involving metal-on-metal designs, where users have reported the oil having particulate matter.

Dave

I don't see any real threat to a table owner's security regarding bearing friction or wear,providing it comes from a reliable,proven manufacturer.No problemo with any mentioned in these threads,as far as I'm concerned.
Just take a look at some of the "mega heavy platter" offerings on the market.Some going for big,bigger,biggest bucks.Though a heavier platter will most likely wear the bearing sooner,I haven't heard of many that do this for a "long time",and if the manufacturer is a responsible one,there's no problem in correcting it.

To my way of thinking,the "type of bearing" design should have a direct impact on perceived sound,along with a myriad of other parameters,obviously.Yet,since we are talking "bearings" my feelings are,that the best sounding bearing is "almost no bearing".Sort of!!Like a well designed opposing magnet design,for simplicity,in no friction.Or,a really great air bearing,which adds the "pain in the tush factor",like pumps and hosing,but will sound "fabs".You've got to go big bucks for the Walkers/Rockports/Continuum.As well as big "dough" for the Blue Pearl and Platine Verdiers of the world.I wish I had the money and "lazy day time" on my hands to simply play with all the stuff I've come to be a fan of.
This leaves a nice gap for the Galibers/Teres'/Sotas/Basis' to come into play.All great stuff!Simple and reliable goes a long way!
To me,the "table bearing issue" is likened to the "tonearm bearing issue".The closer you can get to "almost" no bearing,the better the sound "should" be.
It's been proven to me through listening,in arms,and this is why I love the better Air Bearing designs.Yet I am still willing to bet the house on very similar performance from the Schroder Ref,even though I may NEVER hear it.I just like it's design appeal,and there has been too many raves about it,to disbelieve any of it.
I already told my offspring I want my epitaph to read--"A fairly good tennis player,who NEVER heard a Schroder"!-:)

Yeah,I know I'm going overboard,but as I've mentioned in other posts,my system is getting updates,and won't be up for another month.I have little else to do,except to bug some of you.Sorry!!

Best!

SirSpeedy, I feel your pain. I've been 'table-less for nearly six months and as of last Wednesday my system is totally down.

I agree with you about bearing wear not being much of an issue on most any of the higher end tables. Including many we haven't mentioned here. As for bearing design I think it is one of those parts of 'table design that is dependant on many other things. For example, some designers use the bearing to sink vibrations away from the cartridge. I'm sure Walker and the JC designer have other methods for dealing with platter vibrations. IMHO, it is alot like the debate in another thread about what is the best drive design and as Thom pointed out to me about suspension vs non-suspension designs. It all comes down to how well the complete design is implemented.