Upgrade from TW Acustic Raven AC-3 to what?

"Ain't that the truth. Funny how so many end users find the net result to be simpatico. I am an agnostic, haven't heard it. But I do love my own Lenco L75 with PTP in slate plinth. I am sure you have made an uninformed negative judgement of that as well."

Careful Lew. I believe we are standing in the shadow of a 21st Century Tesla here. ;)

Hi,

One method that has been used many times with belt and string driven turntables is that of extreme platter mass. I suppose I did much the same with my idler driven turntable. It has a centerweighted platter of 12.5 kg. (26 lbs.) That is heavy for an idler type, but it also implements an external rotor motor, which of course, is placed near the rim of the platter. In effect, that adds an additional equivalent mass of around 168 kg. I say "around" because it depends on the rotational speed of the motor itself. That can vary due to the fact that the motor uses a regenerative speed controller that has many adjustments for pitch preference, and can also provide a higher speed for 45 rpm. (The design does not rely on any pulley configuration.) Anyway, there are various ways to skin the cat, and that one is the one I use.

Lewm,
Thanks for the mention!

Win
Saskia Turntables

Aoliviero,

You said...

"I have been pondering the technical aspects behind TT speed stability in a qualitative way. I think there might be situations where mass plays an important role. I tend to think about this as AC vs DC, low vs high torque, low vs high platter Inertia (driven by mass). I tend to bracket in the following fashion:

1) Optimum

a) low torque, high platter inertia, AC
b) low torque, high platter inertia, DC

2) Moderately optimum
a) high torque, high platter inertia, AC
b) high torque, high platter inertia, DC

3) Not so optimum

c) high torque, low platter inertia, AC
d) high torque, low platter inertia, DC
e) low torque, low platter inertia, AC
f) low torque, low platter inertia, DC..."

I agree, but believe the absolute details of it are somewhat determined by the drive implementation and other factors that may be specific to a particular design.

Win
Saskia Turntables

The original topic was, "Upgrade from TW Acustic Raven AC-3 to what?"

That is the proverbial can of worms, isn't it? We can sit here ad infinitum, and discuss the merits of this or that implementation, but at the end of the day the user wants to improve upon the turntable that he currently owns. That turntable happens to be a very well-respected one, so his choice is likely to be another that is built with equal passion, but its builder will be acting with a different vision of how it should sound. The bottomline is that the implementation of the vision should be in keeping with the buyer's expectations. He wants a different sound that more closely meets what he feels is right for his particular system.

It isn't about technical merits at this point. Rather, it is more about choices that meet personal criteria because he already has a top-flight turntable.

Dertonarm,

Fine, but the reality is that it isn't so much the drive method, as it is the implementation of ideas. This isn't really a debatable point. Rather, it is a question of hearing a great many turntables, and listening to them in a critical way. For a long time, I believed that one way was surely best, but then I was exposed to various turntables past and present. The surprise was that the ones I liked best did not share a similar drive method. It was more a curious case of designers who share a similar vision. A turntable is more than a collection of parts, far more. It is more like the audio chain in that it is only as strong as its weakest link. Therein lies the rub.

Best,
Win

Alec,

My best wishes that you get it exactly like you want. That is one of the fun parts of our hobby, and you'll know when it is there. After all, what we do is about music, isn't it?

Regards,
Win

Alec,

As you know, there are those who constantly tweak to a fanatic point. Those guys try everything a manufacturer has to offer, and Raven owners are no exception. I know several of them, and from what I can gather they all disagree on the merits...like always. :-D

I suppose you'll have to see for yourself, right?

Best,
Win

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