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After market Motor + Belt drive for Verdier

I have been looking to upgrade my TT motor and belt drive for some time now. I use a Nouvelle Verdier and its only sore point is its motor and silk thread drive. It is not bad, it gets the job done. The sound is neat and in general non-offensive. However, when I used a 0.25 inch magnetic tape (reel to reel) to drive the platter the overall sound became more dynamic, voices sounded younger, instruments sounded happier. It was as if the pitch of all the instruments became more realistic. But then I also heard more of the irregularities of the motor rotation, the timing of instruments messed up a little. The background was no more as clean as the thread drive.

This told me two things:
1. Silk thread is good but it affects music in a way that makes the performance a bit sleepy.

2. The stock motor is not good enough to accommodate a tighter coupling with the platter.

So, I am now looking for after market motor and belt drive solution. I looked at Teres motor but for that to work they require a sensor to be placed under the platter but my TT doesnt have enough gap between the platter and plinth to place the sensor. I am looking for some viable suggestions here.

A friend of mine suggested me to consider a flywheel between the motor and the platter which will absorb the motor irregularities. I dont know if it is worth a try because I see many good TTs do not have a flywheel, that means a good motor is all I need I guess but I am open to the flywheel idea also.
pani
pani OP
1,219 posts
 
Thanks for the info Topoxforddoc. I wonder why pay GBP 850 for a battery PSU, isnt it okay to just hook up a high amperage deep cycle battery that can be bought from a shop for about $150 and a charger for another $50 ?

The question to answer is, is a stock Verdier motor with a silk thread drive is really good enough for a TT as good as a Verdier. It is a common observation that in the end how the platter rotates has a huge impact on the over all sound, much more than cartridges and tonearm changes. In fact it is right at the foundation of a turntable sound. Does the Verdier need/deserve a better motor drive system ? If yes then which one ?
maril555
619 posts
 
There is also a way to convert stock Verdier motor to DC, posted on Callas website. I'm not sure that will accomplish the same improvent, as GT PSU
rugyboogie
199 posts
 
Motor that I have tried is a Scheu DC motor which I bought from Signature Audio when they were closing as a back up motor.
Another Brick and Motor store gone.....
No improvement in the sound and the speed stability wasn't as good as the Philips motor in the Verdier.
Test for speed was the Timeline.

Agree with CT0517 re the height of the thread drive being low on the platter gives the best results. Also the mentioned washers for the motor are a must as well.
Threads that have given me the best results are un-waxed dental floss
and silk thread.
The stock linen thread supplied by Verdier is very good but the rubber belt is not to my liking at all.

Have tried several types of materials for a base/platform for my Verdier.
Found that I am happiest with the Brazilian cherry.
Base material that I have tried are Baltic birch, Douglas Fir ply, caramelized Bamboo, Black Slate and Black South African granite and various combination of the above.

A dedicated battery option peaks my interest.
Anyone interested in getting one made as a group purchase?
ct0517's avatar
ct0517
2,041 posts
 
That is great info Topoxforddoc and Rugyboogie. Thanks for sharing.
Am also Interested in the battery option as a next step.
Count me in for any kind of group buy that gets considered.
pani OP
1,219 posts
 
I think it is not just the motor but also what is used to connect the motor to the platter plays a big role. A Mylar tape or reel to reel tape goes a long way in telling what exactly the silk thread is missing on. If any of you guys happen to try that, please share your views.

Regarding battery, a friend of mine uses photovoltaic cells and claims it is the cleanest he has heard. It is cheap also. He has placed a 300 watt halogen light just above the photovoltaic cell to generate power on the fly. I wonder what is the additional benefit of using $1500 battery supply over using a simple hospital grade deep cycle batteries which costs less than $200 !!!

For the TT platform I am thinking about two options, either a acoustic revive rhb-20 solid hickory board or a Yamamoto soundcraft qb100 cherry board.
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