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2020 update : JC Verdier La Platine

A recent encounter with a JC Verdier dealer as well as a recent Audiogon discussion thread led to the start of this thread. He was in my house updating my La Platine which had been in storage for ten years with thread and oil. While he has high regards for the deck, his newer clients nevertheless prefer a Techdas iii than an 'old' La Platine. Given the proliferation of expensive decks in the past dozen years, La Platine has become very much under-appreciated. 

It's clear to me that the influence of the La Platine is everywhere to be found. Specifically, the magnetic suspension system that was employed 30+ years ago. Even SOTA offers their newer decks with mag. lev. features. And if you read this review: https://www.callas-audio.nl/Callas%20Platine%20Mod%20Kit%20Review.pdf, the Continuum Caliburn uses the same concept, which was not acknowledged in Fremer's review, albeit with more sophisticated , and expensive, execution.

It is also clear to me that there is much misunderstanding of the workings of the La Platine. I for one have contributed to this. The motor of the La Platine, for example, has been much maligned. The thread drive is another aspect of the turntable that have been described as inferior. With regard to the motor and thread drive, I have been set straight by Chris @ct0517 and Lyubomir @lbelchev. Experimenting with the different types of silk threads, the tightness to the platter  and a renewed understanding of the soundness of the Philips motor have been rewarded with better dynamics and transparency. 

The funny thing is that during the past two years of re-engagement with audio, I have questioned ownership of every components in my arsenal except the La Platine. It has always been a keeper. I wonder if La Platine owners would contribute to celebrating this 'old' deck with tales, advice, and insights?

Cheers!
ledoux1238
dover
2,360 posts
 

 but also because silk doesn't last long.  as it shreds one gets all sorts of speed issues. 

This flabbergasts me.

I have been using surgical suture silk thread for 40 years on my TT - it's pulling a 26kg platter. I've only ever had one failure, when I went overseas for 2 months and accidentally left the TT running. Came back and the silk belt had broken.

My silk belts go for years without needing replacement.

I also ran surgical suture silk on my Verdier - no shredding or breakages on that either. Pretty sure that the silk belt on my Verdier ran for about 3 years until I sold it.

 

mr_gray
133 posts
 

@dover suture silk is alot tougher than the silk thread i've been using. also i used floss as a belt once and it left wax all round the platter.  i then used a very sharp chisel to try and remove this wax and i roughened the surface of the metal.  so i think this makes my table uniquely thread shredding!

but speaking of which i found my silk thread spool last night and used it to make a fresh double loop.  i recant on suitability of linen.  the silk thread for me is the difference between a good table and something quite sublime.  it must be the noise.  late last night, when the good quiet power was running, i listened to kate bush (the red shoes) and princess chelsea and it was amazing.  profound even.

dover
2,360 posts
 

@mr_gray 

 i then used a very sharp chisel to try and remove this wax and i roughened the surface of the metal

This is pretty bad. The Verdier is designed for the platter to dominate the motor, not the other way round. You really should fix the platter.

If you use 2000 grit wet and dry sandpaper you can gently sand the platter rim  - what you do is smear some light oil over the rim to reduce the aggression of the sandpaper , and then gently spin the platter hold the 2000 grit wet and dry sand paper ( wetted ). This should take off any roughness while removing minimal metal. That Process is more gentle than most metal polishes.

With regard to Linen vs silk - after reading earlier posts I did some research on the merits. I was surprised to find the linen has less elasticity than silk, but linen is woven flax which is more course than silk which is softer. This might explain you preference for the silk. Note here that Verdier suggest very low tension with the Linen, silk you can run higher tension with less noise issues. The designer of my TT suggested chalked silk, which may be he intended a low level of tension, similar to the Verdier, hence the chalk to add a little grip.

Linen thread has wax in it and I'm pretty sure the Verdier linen thread is a low wax linen. Ideally you would want no wax.

Cleaning the platter -

I use heavy duty degreaser CRC Electroclean to degrease the rim, using a microfibres cloth, and then use electrical contact cleaner CRC CO to remove any residue from the degreaser. This works extremely well, and I have found that the platter stays cleaner and shiny much longer than with polishes.

I found the surgical silk leaves no residue.

 

mr_gray
133 posts
 

I really appreciate the detailed pointers here. I will do this. Thank you. 

lewm
13,827 posts
 

The discussion of belt material and tension caused me to wonder whether anyone has tried roughening the sides of the Verdier platter so as to afford a better grip by any belt material one might choose. Every La Platine I have ever seen in the flesh has a sort of "brushed chrome"  or brushed aluminum look to the platter. I wouldn't think that was the best choice for reducing belt slippage.

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