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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
ledoux1238 OP
352 posts
 

I found the thread below from WBF, in a post on Garrard 301. But the thread refers to @mtemur, a fellow La Platine owner. And his recommendation is a Transrotor belt!? It seems to fly in the face of all this talk on suture silk and linen. But I am in a belt phase myself so I might investigate the Transrotor belts. It seems that the consensus is thread produces more delicacy in sound, but belt keeps speed consistent. 
 

 

“hi @rarbonneau
yes so many opinions on internet. i have been in consultation with experienced verdier user and turntable installer @mtemur in regard to my setup. his advice has been the transrotor belt.

in the course of trying belts i've tried 3. an o-ring made of EPDM from ebay, a Goldring Deluxe Belt and then the transrotor. haven't heard any of them yet (armboards out for drilling). but i bet i will like the transrotor most because it is the skinniest. i bet the fat ebay belt would make the la platine sound like my 401. fat, physical, energetic, coarse.

it all comes down to how it works for you i think. with thread i was having trouble making enough speed for 45 rpm for example. i want to play 45 rpm records and so that is a consideration for me. 

the la platine is a fettler's dream so i would suggest start with whatever you like and go from there. if you have trouble with not enough speed, know that a belt can help alot. if you find the sound is not "solid" or too thin, know that a tight fat belt really thickens the sound.

i got very good at tying thread but i must admit if i can have a standardised belt work i will be happy for now because tying thread loops and then adjusting motor placement to get speed right is fun for first 2 dozen times but with so many variables on tables, i find it somewhat fatiguing eventually. having said that, i am sure i will get there when my other variables are nailed down, as i like to change things up.”

 

@dover Thanks for the platter cleaning regiment, very useful. Like @lewm I had assumed, erroneously, that a little roughness on the platter helps with grip. 
 

@mr_gray I wrote to LDA, and Nick responded on a Sunday with his motor recommendation; though it seems like a rather basic unit. Are you moving forward with the motor replacement?

mr_gray
134 posts
 

Yes mtemur is a real expert but I have found no joy with the rubber belts. If you want ledoux1238 I can send you the belts I have for you to try. Along with some rocol x5

thekong
221 posts
 

If I am not mistaken, I believe the most preferred belt / string of mtemur for the Verdier is the knotless cotton string from the Kondo Ginga turntable!  Of course, that is probably hard to source!

dover
2,363 posts
 

The Transrotor belt was recommended by Callas Audio simply because it was better quality than the original Verdier belt.

On my Verdier the original belt was so rough that it rode up and down the platter as it ran.

There are plenty of alternatives.

Bear in mind the original rubber belt is round and that's important because of the shape of the pulley.

The Verdier pulley again is very poorly manufactured.

In an ideal world a pulley for a thread drive TT should have a 1/2 circle groove to operate optimally.

Back in the glory days when these things mattered Micro Seiki, for example, produced different pulleys for belt drive and thread drive.

Unfortunately good engineering has long gone from audio - it's all about the shiny objects these days.

mr_gray
134 posts
 

i would love the Kondo Ginga knotless string.  I tried to get my son to make me a knotless linen loop but it never happened.  i think one would need a jig and then to grind off excess glue which couldn't be too easy.

i hope to have my new motor together by next week.  i have bought a crucible for mounting the motor (nice and heavy and being graphite i can drill holes in it for mounting and cables).  i am hoping a 40 mm pulley will work with the 250 rpm motor.  it is a mixture of affordable bits and pieces and very expensive speed controller from long dog, expensive power cables (Odin to power the LDA SC and audio note sogon has been repurposed to provide power to the AC motor).

prior to that i will clean my platter as per @dover's advice.

i did listen with suture silk last night.  it really is pretty good.  not as warm as double silk.  but good dynamics and not hard like linen thread is.

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