Turntable with stable speed.

I had the exact problem you describe with a Merrill Heirloom table. I could hear the pitch changing irregularly, often as the system warmed up and it drove me mad. I now have an SME 20/2 and never hear this effect. I would imagine any of the more expensive turntables would minimize speed fluctuations.

this is not so simple.

some (older) direct drives were constantly monitoring and adjusting the platter speed thus creating a pitch instability all the time. these models came even from companies like micro seiki. not to mention that some of the excellent measurements of the DD's have to do with some trickery in the measurement method.

there are issues with the string tension in the belt driven TT's as well. the speed is maintained constant thanks to the usually high platter weight. Quality motors make the difference here too.

Hysteresis motors are very stable (empire troubador was among the steadiest tables ever made) but no longer in production. pity

Idlers faced issued in this sector too, as the commonly used eddy current brake was not that precise and heavily influenced by several factors.

so the answer is: go for a good table, without excluding technologies. if you would like to provide a price range suggestions could be more precise

Hello all,

Thank you for all of your replies! This new table will be intended for a secondary system and therefore I'm not looking to break the bank, so to speak. However if I cannot find a relatively inexpensive table that can keep a steady speed, I'd rather not buy one at all, or wait until I have more saved up and do it right. So for right at the moment I'm hoping for around the $3K or less mark. If it can't be done, I will wait and continue saving and do something later in the year...maybe a nice Xmas gift to myself and get me something nicer. I'd be willing to hear all of your suggestions therefore.

I've been giving some thought to the Well Tempered Amadaeus table which lists at $2850 including the arm. It seems, according to reviews at least, to punch above it's weight class in many areas....but not sure of it's speed stability. I have not been able to audition one myself as of yet.

Stevecham, I am aware of the off centered holes and yes, what a pita that can be. Thankfully most of my albums are fine in that regard, but there are always those few that you'd like to listen to that are plagued with that issue.

Syntax, I see in your system list, you have both the Klyne and Lamm phono stages. How do they compare to one another?

No_regrets, Don't overlook locking into to pure 33.3. If you listen to classical music, and music with acoustic instruments played with complementing harmonies, any slight deviation from 33.3 will corrupt the listening experience.

I doubt that a TT exists that will not have some amount of speed fluctuation due to varying degrees of drag. However, there are TTs that minimize the speed change such that they reproduce music that is pleasant to hear.

I found great satisfaction with a Luxman DD that was designed by Micro Seiki. Lewm, Audiogon member, has extolled the virtues of the Kenwood L07D amongst other vintage DD turntables. From his threads, he completely understands the merits of speed accuracy and constant pitch. I recommend you review his threads.

Perform a little research on vintage DD tables (JVC, Sony, Kenwood, Luxman, Technics). They may not have the audiophile cache. However, in your price range, they offer unexpected value, especially, when compared to new DD.

Note: I have tried belt, thread, idler, rim-drive. My wife and I are very sensitive to change in pitch and true pitch.

SL-1200.... There I said it!

Add a SME arm and you should be set!