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Stylus Drag

Hello all,

I was wondering, does stylus drag vary significantly based on the musical content of a record: frequency or dynamic vs slow passages? If it does vary based on the musical content is this amount insignificant relative to the amount of overall drag arising from the friction of the needle in the groove?

The resaon I'm asking is to understand that even if the speed setting is compensated for stylus drag if at a micro level it is still varying based on the musical content and if this is heard sonically.

Thanks,

Andrew
aoliviero
stringreen's avatar
stringreen
6,503 posts
 
You really shouldn't hear any with your Raven. If you do get it repaired.
halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
Atmasphere is correct.
You may not consciously 'hear' stylus drag as pitch change......but there are so many subtle clues embedded in the grooves which rely on perfectly stable speed control.
Remember that only half the analogue signal is contained in the record......Amplitude.
The 'Time Domain' to complete the sine wave is provided by the turntable rotation.
Any deviation in perfect speed results in a distorted sine wave just as if your amplifier was distorting?

And yes.....I have noticed via the Timeline....that heavily modulated passages cause more stylus drag than others.
I can see this effect on my Raven AC-2 quite clearly whereas on the Victor TT-101......the quartz-controlled DD motor compensates without any visual clues.
nandric's avatar
nandric
4,086 posts
 
Not sure about Australian but a Dutchman would never buy
any Raven considering the 'speed stability' and , more in
particular, the price difference with the (victorious)
Victor TT-101 (or TT 80?). BTW the 'stylus drag' is invented
to justify megabucks TT's. I of course understand
such stories when told to our 'more beautiful halves' but
to your own friends?

Regards,
hifitime
715 posts
 
I personally can't imagine a platter that only weights even 5-10 pounds being slowed down enough by a short complex passage, to be bothersome. These turntables weight over 150 pounds, so, a good portion of that must be platter weight.

If a record has a passage with that much drag, what happens to the soft cantilever suspension? The stylus, cantilever, suspension, and coils with pole pieces, might be moving in and out enough to possibly cause some poor sounding results too. Possibly more bad results, than a heavy platter slowing down from this intermittently.

If you drilled a hole in the record, let it play until the stylus hits the hole, I wonder how much a heavy platter would slow down when the whole stylus, cantilever, coils (magnets if MM), plus who knows what else would get ripped out?

I don't worry about a heavy platter slowing from a short complex passage myself. A cheap light platter is a different story. That's one of the reasons why better turntables have a heavier platter. I do hear variations on budget tables, but very rarely upper-end ones. Don't forget about Newton's Law about something staying in motion.
halcro's avatar
halcro
2,664 posts
 
Newton's First Law of Motion:-
The velocity of a body remains constant unless the body is acted upon by an external force.
'Friction' is an 'external force'. Why do you think a motor is required to keep a platter spinning?
I personally can't imagine a platter that only weights even 5-10 pounds being slowed down enough by a short complex passage, to be bothersome.
Don't imagine it..........get a Timeline and SEE it!
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