2020 update : JC Verdier La Platine

i am in contact with Galibier and hope to order a motor from them.  of course u don't just get a motor.  u also get a new belt system.  i have tried mylar tape here last week.  i can't make a loop neatly enough.  Wow and Flutter goes to hell.  But the sound is very compelling!  like a Garrard 401 on steroids (i apologise for this simile but it is quite apt in this case).  huge drive, but high fidelity also.

i really like my AC motor but lets face it, it is a 150 AUD generic ac motor taped to a crucible filled with coins.  i am pretty sure Thom Makris, with his decade of involvement, does better :-)  it would be high hubris for me to expect otherwise.

i think macro timing with the AC motor is fabulous and i love i can play records and don't have to wear my shaknspin in a holstre anymore.  but i think its less articulate in crucial moments (start of the note) than the DC motor sometimes and this makes it less musically impressive sometimes.  really what i am responding to is the fact that the Platine has so much scope to be improved.  everything you do you hear.  a great motor driving it will really pay off (i think).

@ledoux123 , yes, the new company which had taken over Verdier’s production had replied to my query, but they said Eric Verdier insisted that the new spindle would not work in older units. Anyway, they were just gearing up for production at the time, so would let me know when they actually start production. I have not heard from them since!

Actually, I have yet to take my Verdier apart to check whether it has the newer or older spindle, probably will do it in the next month or so! 

@thekong what is a distinguishing characteristic of old spindle versus new that will enable identification?

re: new cobbled together AC motor.  the fuse in the speed controller unit was burnt out.  i replaced this and tried linen loop on basis Thom Makris says silk can be blurring.

well it seems to me like i am back on top of the world!  the AC with a proper fuse is not just a bit better than the Verdier motor - it absolutely puts it into the ditch.  it is possible the fuse has been a bit how u going since i made the motor since i wired it improperly the first time i had it powered up.

last night i heard hifi at a rarefied level.  i have an old Dr Zhivago record.  i'm not terribly familiar but iut had all sorts of sound effects.  previously i'd hear a rumble and a trumpet and some chanting.  it was all very unclear.  suddenly last night it is like someone found the master recording and is playing it on reel to reel.  everything so articulated.  extraordinary range.  bass for days.

instead of hoping Galibier will save me i am now wondering how his motor could possibly best this.

@mr_gray , the following is a quote from mtemur’s post regarding the change in dimension of the spindle! But, as stated in my previous post, according to the new manufacturer, Eric Verdier insisted that the new spindle would not work with the older units. Quite confusing !
 

“According to Eric Verdier, the shaft diameter was changed in 2011 from 19.99mm to 20.01mm due to an update in the manufacturing process of the zamac bearing. My Verdier is a 2011 model, while my friend’s is from 2010. We ordered the new shaft and replaced the old one on his turntable. After some break-in time, the sound noticeably improved with the new shaft. There have been steady design improvements since the Verdier was first introduced in 1979.”

@mr_gray 

@dover do u reckon the SOTA motor and speed control unit would be worth having a crack at?  third price of galibier and ac sort of floats my boat.

i think macro timing with the AC motor is fabulous and i love i can play records and don’t have to wear my shaknspin in a holstre anymore.  but i think its less articulate in crucial moments (start of the note) than the DC motor sometimes and this makes it less musically impressive sometimes.  

Also somewhere you mentioned I think a woody sound ???

I would caution you that you can end up on a path that never satisfies.

From the photos of your set up my advice would be to tidy up what you have first. In my view and from my experiences with a multitude of top end TT’s there are changes I would make to your set up -

1. I believe that both the motor and platter/arm should be on the same platform, in other words put both motor and TT on 1 Well float.

2. Before you invest in another platform get a proper rigid TT stand. You want to ground the TT to drain energy.

3. The motor you are running with the LDA power supply should be rigidly mounted, this will change the sound/performance substantially - it should be a vast improvement, at worst it might highlight issues or failings - but you need to find out before you decide to throw more money at another motor.

4. With regard to the Acoustical Solutions mods - the huge polymer platter sitting on the original platter - personally I think you should remove it and find out whether it is doing more harm than good. The Verdier, if you are running with no ball, then the platter is well isolated from ground, and at worst when you combine 2 significantly different materials ( aluminium/plastic ) then a significant portion of any energy passing though that joint actually gets reflected backwards - so energy from the cartridge record interface will get reflected back to the cartridge and muddy the sound.

On my Verdier I used a mat that was a mix of barium lead and acrylic - about 7mm thick. Copper mats can dampen aluminium platters significantly - it’s called bimetallic damping - where 2 metals close in propagation speed can combine to kill resonance very effectively.

fyi I used most of the time a couple of FR64S on my Verdier ( primarily because I had more than one and I could do direct comparisons with my other TT’s using identical arms/cartridges - but I also own many other arms.

With regards to the Sota vs Gallibrier I can’t answer that because I haven’t heard either. My original suggestion was to try a Garrard motor with the LDA because it has a lot more power - but that would be experimental - I never tried it. Be aware that the Garrard motors use an eddy brake to load the motor so that it produces more torque.  Because of the cost of the Sota system I would probably try that first. but then you will always wonder what the Gallibrier might do. You need to get off the train at some stage though and just enjoy what you have - personally I would focus on achieving a musical enjoyable sound first - tidy up what you have now - there is more performance there without spending any more - I’m sure.