Time now for the Mighty to Tremble, in what is shaping up to be a very exciting and significant New Year!!! Having applied all the lessons learned in maximizing the potential of Lencos, and using "Mr. Red" as my Reference and Standard, I sent out a Garrard 301 I rebuilt for the owner of a Platine Verdier, and first impressions have come back already, featuring the word "embarrassing".
Now, before I continue, let's return to logic and the Law of Diminishing Returns: if the Lenco - and back when none of the more recent mods and principles had been applied - was CRUSHING highly-regarded belt-drives like the maxed-out Linn LP12s, Well Tempereds, various Nottinghams and VPIs, then what did this mean for the ultimate performance of the idler-wheel drive principle vis-a-vis the "competition"? Given that once one reached a certain level of performance, improvements should have been incremental and not orders of magnitude?!? With Direct Coupling (and still in the absence of Giant Mass or the Glass Mod) and motor-tuning a small Lenco humiliated a VPI TNT (even if an earlier model), and again given the Law of Diminishing Returns what does this mean for the idler-wheel drive system?
Now already recently a Giant Direct Coupled Glass-Reinforced Lenco bested one of the great legends of Direct Drives, an EMT 948 (which in its turn humiliated - the word shocking was used by the owner - upper-end belt-drives by, I believe, Basis and Amazon), and according to the report, all other EMTs as well, proving it takes an idler to beat an idler ;-) (DDs now out of the picture, at least until I try out the servo-controlled and simpler variety). Now the report, from the owner of the Platine Verdier, not a mere witness, is that the Giant Garrard 301 oil-bearing (in traditional CLD birch-ply/MDF plinth) has crushed, in no uncertain terms and at a disadvantage (no platform, cheap cartridge, lesser phono stage vs the Platine Verdier with extremely expensive MC, on superb platform into much better phono stage) the superb and well thought-out Platine Verdier. As you can all imagine, the system in which this all took place is superb.
Now by this I am NOT saying the Platine Verdier is not superb: it is a work of industrial art with some amazing engineering and design ideas, and true Collector's item (if one is fortunate enough to afford it) and MUCH better built again than the "humble" Garrard 301. So what, again does this mean? It means my Fellow Idler-Wheelers, that the idler-wheel drive system is the best of the three systems currently available, and that by a fairly large margin, no other conclusion need be made. If only the superb Platine Verdier had an idler-wheel drive system, alas!!!
So far only rough and short descriptions have been sent me as the fellows involved are too busy listening to the music, but if more details come in, I will pass them on, assuming I have their blessings, and more news of great significance to boot, which I will sit on for now. Btw, these fellows deserve kudos for seriously considering both the logic and the mounting evidence, for their intrepid sense of adventure, for trusting the evidence of their ears,and for recognizing that high-end belt-drives had some serious musical issues, which is what led them to consider taking the step of trying their hands at idler-wheel drives. Similar kudos go out to ALL those who have had the gumption to do so, and to those who are seriously considering it. Reports will continue, converts will continue to be converted, underground and behind the scenes, it's too late to put a cap on this particular Pandora's Box, The Idler is Out, have fun all, have the spine to trust your ears and stand by them (and identify and reject the unreasoning prejudices with which your minds are infected, as many have already done, again kudos): the ultimate measuring device when it come to reproduction of music.
Now, I write and report this purely out of an interest in discovering the truth of the matter and out of idealism...in opposition to the Politically Correct stand - made by those who are more interested in garnering support and cheaply and easily gaining "respect" than in discovering the truth - that claims, in the absence of tests to determine if this is true, that all three systems are equivalent. But in the interest of keeping the subject alive and stimulating debate I write...Vive la Lenco, Vive la Idler-Wheel!!!! WHAT a New Year!!
