Mag-Lev Turntables

There have been several posts on Audiogon previously about this turntable. Rather than regurgitating previous replies, I suggest that you start by searching on the Analog discussion forum.

Just read the fine print in the owners manual.  That alone would be enough to discourage me.  If you want a conversation piece, then maybe.

I can't decide if it looks goofy or cool or both. I wouldn't want one though.

If someone gave me one, I would set it up and have it running somewhere in my house as a piece of kitsch, like one of those lava lamps, because it is fascinating to watch.  But I wouldn't use it to play LPs.  That's just me.

All,

After watching it run on YouTube videos, I’m not so sure it’s ready for prime time. However, technology improves and does oust the sacred standbys we believe are irreplaceable. This may be a game changer in terms of cost and eventually performance given more time. It’s always ok to challenge the past and the past price tag. My point was to inform audiogon users of the actual price point as some third party sellers are attempting to add $1000 of cost and then represent the item as “on sale” at the MSRP.  This practice will also go by the wayside as buying direct continues. I do believe that paying a markup at a local outlet who provides setup and service after the sale is still a good idea, as long as you know what you’re paying for. It might be to early for this technology but isn’t it great that vinyl is back and turntable innovation continues? I think so. Digital is cool, but why not have the best of both worlds? Don’t sell your vinyl! 😊

"I’m very interested in this turntable as many are."

Who are these "many?"

Looks like a conversation piece for the coffee table. Something you just have and not hooked up. Turn it on, and look at it, while your proper system is playing a record.

“Many” are all the real views on YouTube that provide proof of interest in the new product. I don’t claim that to be an adoption of technology number. What is “Proper”? I’ll stay open and aware, you never know what the next great advance will be or come from. 

To be fair, I heard one at a show. It was only hooked up to headphones, in a noisy room.

For the 2k  pricepoint, I'm sure it's about as good as any? I would stick with traditional, proven construction over novelty. 

If you decide playing records is your bag, reselling and upgrading to something nearing 5K+ retail(phono/cart) gets entry way into "what the fuss is all about" .

My 5K$ may be a point of argument, but somewhere around there is what I hear as "the gateway"

Used is the ticket, just do the homework
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa0jie-rega-rp10-turntable-completed-obm-turntables

For the price, the performance would probably be about the same?
https://www.audiogon.com/listings/lisa1708-rega-rp6-exact-2-cartridge-turntables

Yeah, I would say 5K is in the ball park for today. We can always hope that the price goes down for better and better sound. I would say it has over the years. Whatever keeps interest in vinyl going is ok with me. The mag-lev might be a lot more fun for entry level than a rega P1 or 2. I’m curious to see if it improves or some part of it spawns the next idea. Worth watching for now if not buying, I never right anything off as one novelty idea just might strike lightning. 

Your choice the Mag-Lev w/a Project 9cc tonearm & a $79 Ortofon OM10 cart for $2197. Or a Rega P6 w/a RB330 Tonearm & an Ania MC cart $795 for two dollars less $2195.

It would be cool to hear those side by side. I have a feeling the Rega wins but that would be a fair bang for buck comparison. Thanks for looking it up. 

Also saw the Mag-Lev at an audio show,  three years ago for me. The turntable was running, but visitors could only listen via a headphone. Not familiar with the LP it was playing. Seeing it running was impressive, though.

Expecting that the demo used a good LP, arm, cartridge, headphone and amp, and was set-up properly, I was very sad it didn't sound right. The music sounded muffled, and also lacking in the high frequencies. That LP was the only one available for listening. I listened only for a very short time.

Looking at the platter floating and rotating by magnetic energy, I could see that the platter was going very slightly side-to-side. I wonder what other rigid body vibration modes are present in this floating platter and how these are controlled. I especially wondered about the modes from the radially-inward-moving, eccentric, downward force applied by the arm on basically a magnetically suspended flywheel.

Here is the engineering principle that must be observed when designing a plinth for a turntable:

The plinth must be as rigid and as acoustically dead (damped) as possible. The mounting of the platter bearing in the plinth will be thus coupled as rigidly as possible to the mounting of the tonearm. If it is not, any vibration at all can be interpreted by the pickup (arm and cartridge) as a coloration.

IOW, if the arm and surface of the platter are able to vibrate at all, if they are always in the same plane of vibration, the pickup will not be able to pickup noise or coloration on that account. So a magnetic suspension simply isn't going to work; coloration is guaranteed.

I own one. 
Loved the ahhh factor. 

couple things, the wobble is bad, if a record is warped or uneven pressing.

If it were on a flat normal tt, uneven records wouldn't matter, but with the Mag-Lev, the needle lifts if the wobble is too great.

There are some albums (ELO) I can't get to the 4th or 5th song on an album

Then it is advertised as semi-automatic. The arm is suppose to lift and return. My stylus is mush thanks t all the paper it has cut through

Lastly, it caught fire. I walked in and smelled smoke. I assumed it was a McIntosh but nope, it was the ML and it melted the plastic. Now no one answers their phone.

Read this.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/is-the-levitating-turntable-company-in-financial-tro...

Wow. I never imagined a story so crazy would be behind this turntable. Kickstarter is an investment risk always and it may be the story of a startup having all kinds of problems, struggling to some how “make it” like some Hollywood movie. However, audiophiles want to be arguing about how the TT compared to other gear not waiting for repairs or grabbing a fire extinguisher. Audiophiles are also a niche group, you can’t very easily jump into this market and fall flat on your face expecting to get over and go big. It takes years just to build a customer base with a really solid product. It doesn’t look good for maglev, perhaps something good will come of the technology someday, doesn’t look like it will be a TT. Thanks for all of the informative feedback on this post, appreciated. 

I got in on a kickstarter campaign and thankfully it worked out great:the Degritter Record Cleaner.   The team seemed a class act from the beginning and that never waned.   Now they seem to be relatively successful.

Interesting read! The SOTA Cosmos Eclipse uses a Mag-Lev plater and I was seriously contemplating getting one until now. 

https://sotaturntables.com/products/cosmos-eclipse/

"Platter Fixture

Stainless Steel shaft, machined sintered bronze sleeves hand fit for each table. Platter levitates on the force of opposing magnets."

There are several conventional turntables where the platter is wholly or partially supported by a magnetic field, but in the vertical direction only.  All of them have a horizontal mechanical bearing of the usual type.  Those have nothing to do with the one particular unique turntable that is being batted around on this thread.

"The use of the new 3-phase motor in this package, combined with the mounting of the motor to the cabinet instead of the sub-chassis, as well as noise floor improvements from the new mag-lev platter assembly, yields a new Cosmos that is significantly quieter than older models."

https://sotaturntables.com/products/cosmos-eclipse/#:~:text=The%20use%20of%20the%20new,significantly....