Tables That Feature Bearing Friction

Dertonarm, we are talking about physics. The issue of stylus drag has been hotly debated before. It is a fact that any drag, regardless of how small will slow a platters rotation. A large platter mass spreads the variation over a longer period of time, but does not and cannot eliminate it. It's basic physics. Any amount of energy added or removed to the system will directly affect speed.

Now what can be debated is the audibility of such a small effect. Logically it seems quite implausible that a force as tiny as stylus drag could be audible. The audibility of the things being discussed here certainly are in the realm of opinion and theory.

Regardless of the theory there is a great deal of evidence that techniques that target stylus drag (like bearing friction and intimate coupling) produce positive, audible results. This would suggest that the theory of audible stylus drag is correct, but it certainly falls short of proof.

Thankfully, turntable design is not pure physics. A good design also includes compromises, tastes, experimentation and even some guesswork. Otherwise turntables would all look and sound the same. Really boring...

Dear Teres, yes, I could grant your last post with some technical counterpoints and facts, but the only result will be argument.

But I can not resist.

****Thankfully, turntable design is not pure physics. A good design also includes compromises, tastes, experimentation and even some guesswork. Otherwise turntables would all look and sound the same. Really boring...*****

Well - turntable design is pure physics.
A turntable is a rotating machine.
That rtation has to be constant and its dynamic forces have to be that large that the extraction of the modulation by the tonearm/cartridge system have no side-effect on the constant rotation.
Furthermore the whole machine has to be suspended from building resonance.
Period.
Would you argue about a wheel and its function??

Stylus drag is a very small sliding force in constant motion and is - coupled with any serious platter (of course not if the LP lays just on the platter and is not firmly clamped down) - really neglectable. Its a force smaller by several magnitudes compared to the energy the stylus puts into the platter while modulating the groove information. A force smaller by several magnitudes compared to any motor generated vibration.

It is not a magic stone nor does it inhibit mystery unknown physical energy which puts it outside the Einstein Continuum ( however - many audiophile seem to believe just this and are supported by commercial audio advertising....).
The fact that "taste, compromises, experimentation and even some guesswork" is included in the design of turntables is the reason why almost all turntables do indeed "sound" different and most do sound pretty boring.
If the NASA had handled the Apollo - Mission that way, man would have never set his foot on the moon.

I have yet to see a turntable design done right.
I have yet to see a turntable with written standard specifications to start with.
So far we have a few good amateurs, but no professional anywhere.

Hey Dertonarm! Show us how it should be done right. Let's have a spec review.

Hey Dan_ed, really ? I expected my post would provoke something like this. After all nobody likes big mouth with no proof behind...........
Any other Agoner interested in this ?
Specs including given reasons - or plain specs ?
Including material selection?
If some interest for this I will gladly unfold a brief but detailed enough "roadmap".
Let me know your mind.
On the other hand this is far going beyond the original thread about the bearing friction.
Maybe we should start a new thread ??

Absolutely. Start another thread on TT spec review, or something like that and let's see where the discussion goes.