oil change t/t

Hi Diamondude,

This topic has been visited numerous times on this forum, with one most important conclusion being agreed upon by all - that viscosity depends on the characteristics of the drive system - including everything that rotates (bearing, tolerance, platter mass, drive method, motor torque, etc.).

A word of warning about 3-in-One. Stay away from it. A friend tried some a few years ago. After 6 months, it formed a sticky varnish which he had to work at to clean off.

I think that once you understand the 3 major goals:

a) protect the bearing
b) provide mechanical stability (so the bearing doesn't rock)
c) musical performance

you'll be better equipped to arrive at conclusions that work best for you.

It is this latter point (musical performance - percieve as nuance and microdynamics) that people overlook. While I specify extremely low viscosity for my bearings, your mileage may vary depending on your bearing implementation.

Rather than cover old ground, check here if this topic intrigues you: http://www.galibierdesign.com/prd_bearing.html
It's fairly easy to separate what's relevant to Galibier, vs. general principles applicable to turntables in general.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Frank Van Alstine has contributed much to the audio world and is entitled to his opinions.

The key to all of this is finding your own comfort level. If MP-3's float your boat and you're smilin', then you're ahead of the game.

The original question related to what oil to use for an existing turntable.

There are some bearings which will absolutely work splendidly with synthetic motor oil. Others will be suboptimal.

You can take this as far as your passion and curiousity lead you.

Cheers,
Thom @ Galibier

Amen, brother Nick.

I should have been a bit more forceful in directing folks to the link to my bearing faq in the above post, where I mention to stay away from detergent additives.

While experimentation is can be both fun and productive to those so inclined, the golden rule in medicine applies here too - "first, do no harm".

Cheers,
Thom