A Copernican View of the Turntable System


Once again this site rejects my long posting so I need to post it via this link to my 'Systems' page
HERE
128x128halcro
Dear all: +++++ " The only thing I WILL say, and I am rather tired of repeating it, is that obviously there are such things as "bad" plinths. I have heard two such. I can readily believe that no plinth may sound better than a bad plinth. " +++++

yes and a bad plinth sounds worst than just a " plinth ". What are you trying to say?, that the Raven has a bad plinth?

how is that? why is a bad plinth? or your statement is only because Halcro prefer the naked one to the Raven? who is the right person that could tell us on the current TTs which ones comes with a bad plinth, why and where are the tests that prove it? not only this but where is the plinth reference/standard against other plinths will be tested?

your words are only words with out facts that can prove it in anyway.

Btw, you can make an " easy " test on your DP-80 ( I did it in my system before. ): find out three delrin tiptoes-like ( the small ones ) or the small metal tiptoes and over/top these three tiptoes put the DP-80 ( the DP-80 will rest on the tiptoes with its outer metal ring/chasis, got it? ).

Those three tiptoes will rest a-top on the slate plinth that now will works like a big tonearm board more than a TT plinth. Btw, take out the metal DP-80 item that cover the TT motor, you just unscrew it.

If you decide to do it then listen to it and then come back to share your experiences. Yes I know this is not a " full naked " project but near to it and you don't need to build a stand alone tonearm base.

+++++ " Better to say that with no plinth, some resonances are or might be left undamped that might more often than not be pleasing, to a given listener. " +++++

words and more words. How can you prove it?
why not think on more positive way: eliminate those " left undamped " resonances by design with out a necessity of a plinth. Could be?, Lewm IMHO all belongs to the TT design and execution of that design where the build materials choosed are critical.
Theory will be fine but you have to test and prove if what theory " say " is true and real and give you the right answer on the quality sound level you will percieve.

+++++" the fv-diagram was just a simple proposal to illustrate that the energy inside a working record playback system will travel and where and how it travels. That energy, its amplitude and reflections are responsible to a large extend for the turntable's share of what we call "sound". " ++++++

yes it is only that and can prove nothing on why the people that tested a naked TT like more than with plinth.

+++++ " It was just a proposal to illustrate the physic behind sonic discussion of a component ... " ++++++

DT that could illustrate only a minimum part of what overall is happening there. Even you don't know for sure what's happening. Like with Lewm, only words with no facts.

+++++ " It is just that I want to know why a system or a component does what it does the way it does. " ++++++

lovely statement and very similar of what I like but IMHO your f-vector diagram can't do it.
DT IMHO if you want to really know what is happening and what is not happening and why you need at least ( between other things. ) what I posted before:

******** We need to know which kind of resonance/vibrations, at which intensity, at which frequency range are pick-up by the cartridge and how we perceive it through playback in our system.
Not an easy task and certainly can't be solve because of that " force vector diagram ". Complex because we need to separate ( totally ) those resonances/vibrations coming from the TT body and if we are using a plinth we have to separate the plinth ( stand alone ) either as the ones coming between the TT body and the plinth.
We need to separate from the other focus of TT/tonearm/cartridge system own resonances/vibrations, we need to identified and determine each one specific influence in the cartridge overall quality performance level and then decide how to " cure " if need it. *********

don't you think?

+++++ " I certainly am perfectly fine, if the discussion returns to and concentrates on the ultimate audiophile fallback position: "I and a few others prefer that sound". " ++++

agree, you can't argue with only words against people that tested both approaches and that have facts and not only words like you. So permit me add to your last statement:

I and a few others that " tested " prefer that sound!

+++++ " If the arm is mounted on a separate 'island', it will be impossible to reproduce the LP exactly, as any differences between the platter surface and the arm base, for example microscopic vibration or resonance, will be interpreted as coloration by the reproducer. " +++++

Ralph, maybe I don't follow you, let me go with Lewm whom more than once posted on the subject the example of a boat in the sea where the ones inside the boat moves according with against an external person to the boat that can follow the boat movements. If this is what you mean I agree.

Now and this is only a thought that I can't prove in this precise moment:
any tiny/microscopic resonance in the LP could be take it by the cartridge like a " coloration ": inside the boat or out of the boat.
Please let me know if I'M missing something.

In the other side, nothing is perfect and always exist trade-offs. Till today the stand alone arm boards works just great ( even if goes against theory. Please remember that we audiophiles care more on what we are hearing than in theories that can't prove the other way around, at least we don't have that experience where the theory is corroborated on this whole subject. Please if you have share with us. ) and this fact IMHO is what it counts at the end of the day.

A top a desk theories are just fabolous and " sounds " great but we have to test it and prove what those theories " say ".

Every time I can I like to argue and work with facts that are IMHO what it counts.

Of cource I'M with Halcro, Chris an the other " tested " persons.

Regards and enjoy the music,
Raul.
Raul, yes, obviously if one boat is the LP and the other boat is the base of the arm, the motion between will be heard.

Absolute rigidity between the LP surface and the cartridge body is paramount! That requires no slop in the arm or platter bearings, and that the platter, plinth and arm tube are both rigid and acoustically dead.
Dear Ralph: +++++ " " If the arm is mounted on a separate 'island', it will be impossible to reproduce the LP exactly, as any differences between the platter surface and the arm base, for example microscopic vibration or resonance, will be interpreted as coloration by the reproducer... " +++++

Maybe I'm wrong or I don't understand some issues on your statement but let me add some thoughts about that I think need further explanation by you or any one that want to do it with the precise answers:

according your statement that " microscopic distortion " has enough " intensity " for the cartridge can pick-up through the TT mat and LP.
This means that independent of what happen with the tonearm ( please forget for a moment on the tonearm subject. ) that platter distortion will be " taked " by the cartridge through the mat+LP: right?

Now, if the tonearm is atached on the same TT estructure/plinth then that distortion will be pick-up by the tonearm it self and " communicated " to the cartridge in addition to.

What all these means is that the cartridge pick-up not only those TT platter distortions but additional from tonearm too on the same generated platter distortions.

What happen if the tonearm is on a stand alone base?, well that those microscopic platter distortions will not contaminate through the tonearm too.

can this be an advantage of a stand alone tonearm arm board due that exist only one distortion focus ( TT platter ) instead of TT platter and tonearm?

+++++ " Absolute rigidity between the LP surface and the cartridge body is paramount! That requires no slop in the arm or platter bearings, and that the platter, plinth and arm tube are both rigid and acoustically dead. " ++++++

agree but this is true for either approach and the stand alone tonearm board IMHO not preclude that your statement be achieved.

Ralph and dear gentlemans I'm not promoting $$$$ nothing on purpose and certainly I'm not entilted or go " till I die " for the naked TT project and stand alone tonearm board.

I just want to learn and try to confirm or not the virtues on our approach that till today is ( for the ones that tested. ) workink just great an better than the other " normal/orthodox " alternative.

All of you know my attitude that not think always on orthodox/inside the box way and yes the naked project ( like Halcro name it. ) is part of that way of thinking.

We are not " deaf " in the same way any of you are not and I'm sure that if we heard differences, not tiny ones I can say, any one of you could hear it when decided to test our approach that could be yours.

I respect all opinions but seems to me thay opinions like the one from my good friend Lewm where he is against stand alone tonearm board because " theory " say is a " wrong/bad thing/approach " ( because that boat explanation. ) with out tested by it self only could create " confussion/mix up " in other persons where is not necessity to do it.
My take here is to test by one him self to understand what is down there instead to speculate about.

Ralph, do you already tested?, if not try to do it and make the comparison and tell us if you heard/hear drawbacks in quality performance level with the stand alone tonearm board.

As anything in audio not all is totally black or white but in between.

+++++ " acoustically dead... " +++++

like you many of us use those words in audio but what those words need really " means " for have validity in our subject.

Acoustically dead on what we are discussing means for me a " stage/scenario " where the cartridge can't reproduce or can't take it a " distortion " coming from tonearm/TT or elsewhere or maybe that could be picked-up by the cartridge with no audio reproduction influence.
Till today I don't know any scientific studies on that subject with different phono cartridges in different scenarios and with different in duced kind of distortions.
So, for me these " acoustically dead " words has no real significance other than a desirable audio factor.

Regards and enjoy the music,
raul.