Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?

Doron

First glad you no longer have the platter scraping issue.

Yes the spindle on my TT-101 has a small amount of upward
movement perhaps 1/16?

Lew, Concerning these non-offset arms, I believe the RS-A1 says tangent at 1/3 of the way from the inner groove. It's not clear if the inner groove is the lead-out groove or at the record label, but I think it means 1/3 of the way to the outermost groove or 92mm from the spindle. If it means 1/3 of the way from the final lead-out it would be 85mm from the spindle. The record label extends to 50mm from spindle (which makes 21mm from the spindle - in the label). The lead-out is at 60mm. The recorded part is to 155mm, and the record edge is 160mm. The description isn't explicit, maybe it lost something in translation.

Anyway, it makes sense that the one tangent point would be slightly toward the inside of the record. I've never seen a Viv arm. Fremer said something about the magnetic fluid being held in a chamber and the arm pivots effortlessly with no play or wobble. It won a couple product of the year awards. I thought maybe someone here was familiar. It costs over $4K.
Regards,

Hi Doron,
I hope you haven't bought a 'bad' TT-101 😱⁉️
They are sooo complicated electronically...that it's easy to do 👀❓
Three years ago I bought my first TT-101 from Foxtan in HongKong and it arrived with the 'Power' switch permanently engaged....the 'Brake' function inoperative...the motor noisy at both speeds and shutting down after 20 seconds of play at both speeds 😵😱👎⁉️
Apart from that....cosmetically it was perfect 😎....
My current TT-101 took another year for Tommy at TopClass (also in HongKong) to find 😊
So if all the main circuitry functions correctly on yours....and you can solve the scraping issues via Banquo's suggestions.....you may be 'cooking with gas' 😜❓
My fingers are crossed for you..✌️
Regards

Hello Harold,
The Oracle Delphi Mk II:
I agree with you that the new revisions of the Oracle do not bring something special to the table (pun intended:-)). The heavier platter with the o-rings on the circumference and the nylon screws to support the journal bearing does not really do anything. I especially dislike the acrylic mat which sounds hard and lean to my ears and think that the groove isolator is a much better choice.
The Oracle suspension is probably the best on the planet. You can hit with your fist on the acrylic base while it is playing and the needle would not skip.
Unlike designs like the Avid, Linn or Thorens, the springs are suspended rather than compressed, which helps getting a piston like action rather than wobble like most sprung designs. Sound wise, it is a king of micro dynamics, like the Quad ESL of the turntable world.
It retrieves air between instruments, textures and spatial information like no other.
The two main weaknesses of the design, in my opinion, are:
1. Speed stability - the oracle motor and belt were somewhat iffy in my mind. Even the turbo power supply and newer motors do not really overcome the weakness in maintaining speed stability and avoiding cartridge drag in transient.
2. The suspension is very effective at filtering noise which translates to pitch black backgrounds but it is also a source for energy drain which robs macro dynamics. Mass loaded TT always sound more impact-full and muscular compared to the Oracle, given the same arm and cartridge.

Thanks, Halcro!

Its cooking all right. Seems to work fine once the bearing/spindle was lifted a touch. Dead quiet and knock on wood, everything seems to function correctly.
Next is to re-drill the motor cavity in my console/plinth to allow for the deeper cavity that the TT-101 requires (we originally drilled it for the shallower TT-71).

I will share my experience of the differences in sound of these two motors.

Cheers and thanks again for the invaluable help,

Doron