Tables That Feature Bearing Friction


I recently had the opportunity to audition the DPS turntable which, unlike most tables, has a certain amount of friction designed into the bearing. This, when paired with a high quality/high torque motor, is said to allow for greater speed stability--sort of like shifting to a lower gear when driving down a steep hill and allowing the engine to provide some breaking effect and thus greater vehicular stability. I am intrigued by this idea and was wondering what other people thought about this design approach. Are there other tables which use this bearing principal? One concern I have is that by introducing friction you may also be introducing noise. Comments?
128x128dodgealum
Please take into consideration in all discussion about what drive and platter weight that is is not alone about constant speed.
There is the "2nd system" (mentioned before ) and its energy transfer into the platter: - the act of extracting information from the groove by the stylus. There is more to the platter than (high) torque, inertia and constant speed.
It has to handle complex energy transfer (and/or damping) provided by the stylus demodulating the groove.
Bringing this into consideration will clarify some points which came up in the last posts by Berlinta and T_bone. The high mass platter plus the low tension thread made of aramide or similar will too give some answers, why there is no problem with vibration or resonance being transmitted or initiated by the thread.
As for the hypothesis of the high inertia (which is fully backed and put into "half-commercial" product by Jean Constant Verdier in his Magnum ) providing close to ideal constant speed, it would be helpful if Kirkus - who is respected by us all - could clarify or illustrate the point.
If I try it might soon become too dogmatic again.
I am on holiday now and will - randomly and infrequently - follow this thread, but I will make no personal remark to anyone anymore and will not answer to any directed to me either
Hello Lewm,

No, I don't agree with Dertonarm's contention. If you reread my posts, you'll find that I'm trying to point out that there are several ways of approaching the challenges to run a platter at constant speed, ALL of which are flawed in one or several ways, as soon as we are dealing with reality.

I am very much familiar with Chris's table, in fact I suggested the use of an eddy current brake acting on the platter as soon as he started making platters with brass or aluminum bottom layers and I heard both a prototype and the first production model in comparison to his then top of the line tape driven tt. His direct drive turntable offers exceptional speed stability(significantly better than his tape driven decks) and is proof that it can be done(and, again, look at one of the last generation cutting lathes).

I'd prefer to discuss real world experiences, but Dertonarm made such a big deal out of the supposed mediocrity of most, if not all contemporary turntables that there simply was no point in "getting real".

Strangely, I have not gotten a response from him...

Best wishes,

Frank
The "air-pulse" drive (no pulse would exclude a problem) has some considerable problems while looking close to a theoretical ideal first. It not only will require considerably (really serious...) periphery, but indeed a "assist"-motor to bring the (high mass) platter to requested speed first and than de-coupling. The question is whether it really will provide a "better" drive mechanism - as fascinating as the idea itself is.
Lewm, regarding my belief in Dertonarm's contentions... if you look at the first paragraph of my second of two consecutive posts above, I state...
I, for one, am not at all convinced Mr. D is right (though I would love to listen to the table he created) about high mass BD (even though my preferred TT at home is a HM BD with slipping thread drive). I expect DD is probably 'better' because I expect it is easier to control the electromagnetic slippages than the mechanical ones.

Regarding Chris Brady's DD TT... in paragraph two of the first of those two consecutive posts, I state...
It is obvious through Chris' assertions here that he believes his new DD system, and perhaps others', improve(s) upon those highly-praised BD TTs). I am sure they do.

I, for one, would love to have the chance to listen to that TT. I am sure it is fabulous. All the anecdotal evidence points to a conclusion that he has made one of the top commercially available TTs out there. But your next point:
Rather, these are good data that have to be explained.

is the crux of what I was trying to get at. I believe that Mr D's point is that anecdotal evidence of one or two commercially available TTs sounding better than another couple of TTs is fine, wonderful, and nice, but beside the point. He has asked for technical arguments WHY DD should be less of a compromise when attempting to create the perfect TT and so far noone has come up with the technical arguments, the physics, or experimental results detailing why that should or could be so. I think he would welcome the philosophical debate. I know I would.

And yes, I think the escape clause for most of us will be to say that we haven't heard the best BD TTs or DD TTs out there. But again, for Mr D, that is beside the point. I may not agree with his assertion that high-mass thread-slippage BD TTs are the best method to approach perfection, but I have no science or experimentation to back up my disagreement, so instead I hope to learn.

Cheers,
Dertonarm:I knw that is more easy in this way because you don't have the precise-scientific information/tests on the " neutral " build materials that are very important part on any TT build/design. Yes I know your answer: futile.

Regards and enjoy the music.