New Teres Direct Drive Motor Available as Option

The Verus outer-rim drive may not be shipping yet. For an upgrade, check with Chris to see if you can try the new drive before returning your old outboard motor.

Looking at the line drawing, I wonder if the small nub on the bottom allows the Verus simply to lean into the platter while one of the 'wings' on the base stops against the stand to prevent the drive from torquing around. Just speculation on my part.

Tim

From the Teres website

"Direct Coupling utilizes a large diameter pulley, an o-ring and gravity to directly couple the motor to the platter eliminating the degradations introduced by belts and idler wheels"

How is this anything other than an idler wheel?

Methinks I'll pass on this one.

Sure is interesting. I just measured the platter height of my VPI TNT and it looks like this motor would drop straight in to my setup.....a rim drive TNT!!....wonder what that would sound like?? Certainly a totally different approach to VPI's decoupled motor/flywheel arrangement.

I've been weighing up the possible benefits of the 25lb VPI super platter - but this motor would be a much more interesting experiment (especially since I already have the original 22lb platter).

Idler wheels are not directly coupled to the motor and do allow a minute amount of slippage where as rim drive is directly coupled to the motor. I agree that the success of this application will come down to just how well the control loop is implemented.

The rumble issue as I understand it has to do with wheels being out of round, cheap cast-metal platters, and/or motor vibrations through the plinth. Anyway, I don't think it is a given that an idler or rim-drive is going to suffer rumble just because it is an idler or rim-drive.

I haven't heard the Teres rim-drive but I did have the opportunity to hear the direct-drive prototype. Even though it sounds cliche I'm going to say it anyway. It really was like lifting another veil and getting closer to the music on the recording. Ok, maybe not new technology in general. However, the direct-drive was very impressive and showed tremendous potential, but not cheap. So, this is perhaps a way to allow those who can't afford a Certus to still benefit from an advancement.

I really can't see Chris putting out something that he is not happy with and he seems to have pretty high standards. I remain curiously open-minded. Again, we'll see what the reports are when the "monkeys" get to start banging it around.

As already posted on another thread, this "monkey" will be trying a Verus out when they become available. ;-)

Chazzbo's concern about rumble transmission into the platter is legitimate and well thought of, but perhaps he's never heard a Teres. Even their belt drive motors are far quieter than those used on most other TT's. That is why Teres, Galibier and Redpoint are able to use non-compliant belts that provide superior torque coupling between motor and platter. Despite this unforgiving coupling there is NO audible rumble on any of these tables. VPI and others use rubber belts to protect their platters from inherently noisy motors. Teres & its cousins don't have to.

Now add the fact that the Verus (and Certus) motors were custom designed and custom built by Chris. Do we think he spent three years designing a NOISIER motor than the off-the-shelf ones he's been buying from Maxon? Somehow I doubt it. Paul and I worked with Chris for nearly a year trouble-shooting the last generation Reference II motor and fine-tuning its controller algorithm. He is very aware of motor speed and noise issues and wouldn't knowingly offer a motor/drive system with audible rumble.

Chazzbo's concern is legitimate, but I'm hopeful Chris has addressed it with his usual good engineering. I'll be astonished (and very disappointed) if rumble is a problem.

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Like Pauly, I'm not sure there's a huge distinction between idler wheels and a large diameter O-ring for platter/motor coupling. Either one can have or develop flat spots, cracks or other flaws that would be audible. But O-rings are readily obtainable. Getting well polished rings with no surface irregularities will be important, but fairly simple. McMaster Carr probably has them.

Given the enormous and genuine enthusiasm from idler wheel folks like Cmo and a host of others, despite the motor problems some Garrards are famous for, why wouldn't we want to hear a similar drive technology implemented with a state of the art motor? I don't understand the dismissive reaction.

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My own concern (in advance of hearing) is that the elasticity of the O-ring material might still allow some slewing on bigger transients. Paul and I hate rubbery sounding transients, we don't even like rubber feet beneath our motor or table, so we'll be listening for that. If we decide to keep the Verus I'll probably experiment with O-rings of different durometers and materials. Performance differences would probably be platter dependent, but I've little doubt they'd be audible.

My .01,
Doug