A Copernican View of the Turntable System

Interesting views.
Most think, that a Turntable, no matter which one, is a perfect unit and every manufacturer has enough knowledge to make it in a way, that it can't be improved. That is a master mistake.
The combination cartridge/Tonearm is hugely overrated, more or less the calculation (resonance) is a waste of time today, different Arm Tube materials, also because there are features, which are much more important for reproduction (Bearing quality, Geometry, energy transfer, ability to guide a cartridge, absence of ringing....)
The Armboard is a really interesting kind of view, Never discussed before. And very important. The best Arm can't show its abilities when the resonances from the Turntable are reflected in it. Same the other way from cartridge.
Or both sides are added and the search of the right cartridge will never end :-).

Designing a good turntable needs a lot of brain, knowledge, understanding and precision. But this is no guarantee for commercial success. Here we meet the territory of the "I like it" Fangroup. Here the starting begins from a total different level, here is the master idea from the first Design...

PRAT

"Oh groovy baby... yeah..."
(Austin Powers)

Each his own...

...is there really hope for the future?

No.

Some time ago I did also listen to SME 20 with Graham Phantom Arm and my Takeda Miyabi Cartridge.
I am also interested in some sentences why this turntable is good or not ... :-)
We all know, Turntable matters. But this "matter" has a lot of views, most rate something, because they like it or not, or the table does "something" or not, listeners who insist on a feet whipping presentation loaded with PRaT have normally a different view to such items than those who are mad about neutral reproduction. We all know, each his own.
Most turntables produce sonic masking and different equalizing colorations. This is based from construction. The better ones do not highlight some frequency areas and change the kind of performance based on that. Based on that (brain, which is rare) most are confused when they hear a Turntable which does nothing, only spinning the record with the right speed and adds nothing into the reproduction process. A good Turntable has no sound. When a Turntable "sounds", then this is based on mediocre knowledge about what-is responsible-for-what.. Sounding is for example, when a turntable accelerates everything, even Schubert Chamber Orchestra will have some "drive", no matter what you do, the sonic fingerprint is always present, no matter what kind of music you listen to. Those who gave up, prefer after a while only one kind of music ('...my System runs best with Blues, Jazz is horrible..')..
So, the question:
How much better should a turntable "sound" when it delivers a perfect 'normal', right performance?
And, why it is this the way it is? And is the sound also good, when the table itself is not in the 30k+ area?
Or, when it has no 3-4 motors ... we should ask Turntable manufacturers why they did this or that...
*Ahem*. Or no. Better not.. :-)

Here is a review with some interesting explanations. Probably it can answer some questions. A few years ago Basis had more technical papers about his thinking at his site, but this here is helpful, too.

click me

... one of the better product placements

the 3 standard drive principles in tt design

Cheap? Cheaper? Cheapest?

I do however maintain, that absolute level of platter and tonearms is pretty important.

Analog reproduction (or better, superior analog reproduction) is based on precision. And knowledge what-is-responsible-for-what. Our times are modern, "something" is offered and when there is a good review about it, that's the absolution, no matter how mediocre it is in reality.
Marketing replaced brain and Analog is unfortunately THE example par excellence for it.
The real problem today - imo - is, that a customer has to rethink the design, to control some parameters... it isn't his task. He pays some money and relies that he gets something serious. Level Armboards, round platters... do not need NASA science, but it is the profit that counts today. Not for every manufacturer, some try to do a real good job (and they do) but would you accept a car which drifts always a little bit to the left side, and the manufacturer/dealer will tell you "Hey. come one, thousands of happy customers and you are the only one who is so picky...lower tire pressure on the right side"

I do however maintain, that absolute level of platter and tonearms is pretty important.

Done right ?

You see, right side ----> Timeline Strobe.... :-)

03-06-13: Peterayer
Syntax, I presume that digital level also reads 0.0, 0.0 while it rests on the platter.

click me softly

Like Halcro wisely wrote, we do not need luck, we need someone who does something right.....btw. did you ever check the Pulleys from the super-duper VPI TNT motor .... but I think, the unlevel Armboards from the Raven are the compensation for the unstable motor management.....it is a design feature

I'm still working on the cable solution at the moment

My personal choice for isolation from ground hum is using cold coins below them. Best sound is from Krugerrands, 3 coins stacked, US Gold $ is next best, I can imagine that they have similar results below Direct Drives. YMMW of course