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

Showing 4 responses by rugyboogie

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?
Hi Pani
Just curious how the magnetic 1/4" reel to reel tape engages on the stock motor's brass spindle. Does the tape fold into a V shape as the motor turns 33.3 rpm ?
Thanks,
Hi Pani

Thanks for clearing up the tape and capstan drive.

Agree that music on R2R master tapes is THE reference for many , I am lucky to have tapes and a couple of Studers.
As good as vinyl gets it isn't in the same league as R2R.
Had a Nakamichi 582Z, yes they were good but no match for R2R.
There is so much vinyl that we cannot get on tape therefore I/we keep tuning the Verdier.

I like what CT0517 said about cars and tuning.
Cars are build for a broad group of individuals.
Those that like cars buy better cars that have a higher potential to be tuned to an individuals taste and abilities.
Tuning the Verdier is like a high performance car.
Easy to tune and it will reveal whats in the music.

Re the power supply.
Wouldn't want to spend too much on a battery powered box, but my old ASR was battery powered and my darTZeel pre is also battery powered....... I see a pattern here.
Will explore a battery power supply and will post my thoughts. An AGM battery and a simple charger should do.

Back to the R2R.
R2R is relatively inexpensive to get started but the tapes can get costly.
Friend in Seattle invited me to a gathering that took place at his place.

Here is my post from 04 13 2009 on Mike Lavigne's system page re R2R

http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vaslt&1036349020&openusid&Rugyboogie&4&5&st1400

Take care and Viva le Verdier