Wave Kinetics NVS Turntable - Stereophile Review

I was very surprised that tapping on the NVS's custom
base plate produced notable sounds in the speakers. And this is on top of
Fremer's TOTL shelf unit.. To me it indicates a potential vibration problem -
surprising given the specialty of the manufacturer.

Aigenga got it. Congrats. Yes, this is a sign of inferior construction. When you
know why this happens, then you know why there are good turntables out there
and bad ones. No matter for what price.
And the next is the Start of that unit, sometimes it works, sometimes not. Now
we are in the year 2012, the 'super engineering' from that unit was maybe
2010-2011 but honestly, I think, there was not much of it. Mainly in finish but
time will tell us what will go on with it.
Well, but for some it is a wonder and they list it among the best turntables
today, no Panic, Linn LP12 is among those, too :-).
In a way depressing for everyone who tries to create something serious. My 25
year old Seiki has an adjustable motor, works like a Swiss watch and when the
Timeline is on my unit I can hammer a nail into the wall where the red point hits
it. Btw. and i can 'toc' it wherever I want (I can jump in front of it), even
beside the Diamond in the groove and my Phonostage is open for the small
output of a Lyra Olympos SL and there is silence...
I also agree with Dover in his findings.

From the manufacturer's comments on the Stereophile review...

"The platform has a natural frequency of 3.5Hz. The platform
was designed to attenuate low frequency events like footfall near the
platform, low frequency music getting passed back through the
structure, etc. At this, it attenuates roughly 40dB at 20Hz and gets
better with rising frequency. Significantly, the platform has very low
initial friction and will attenuate even very small disturbances. The
turntable itself is designed to be stiff in order to maximize the pitch
clarity the system produces. However, tapping the top of the platform
will, as Michael discovered, transmit into the arm because it bypasses
the suspension system. Tapping is not relevant to any actual use
condition."

Perhaps I enjoy my turntable differently from others, but I've found that tapping my turntable doesn't enhance the musical experience. BTW, I don't own an NVS and have no dog in this fight.

Tapping on a section of a turntable that is above the isolation built into the TT and/or platform does not tell you how it isolates from floor born vibrations.

Of course precise speed and stability of speed are a good thing. Why would you want to add to the imperfections inherent in vinyl. Less error the better.

I completely agree with Dover regarding the VPI Classic. I had a Classic 1 and the motor and belt are the weakest link and far from SOTA.

No one is perfect but some of Fremmer's statements just make no sense to me.

I just reread the review. Fremer does like the turntable and I would love to see one and hear it in person. But I wish these reviews were more critical describing both the strengths and weaknesses of a design. There is no mention of speed adjustability and no discussion about the record clamp and if it sounds better with or without. The record/platter interface is critical. What happens to that energy?

Stable/accurate speed and energy(vibration) transfer are the real issues for a turntable. Correct speed is either maintained or it is not. Vibration is either drained, damped (absorbed) or fed back into the system, amplified and heard as distortion. What does Fremer mean by "dry"? And why does he think it sounds that way?

I agree with Raul when he writes that a turntable and arm are "slaves" to the cartridge. They should not contribute any sound themselves to the playback and they should simply allow the cartridge to "be what it wants to be" (to paraphrase Louis Kahn talking about bricks).

The best thing I got out of the review was a keen interest in the Kuzma 4 point.