Are more turntable motors better?


I did a quick search of the archives and couldn't find a thread about this, feel free to show me if I didn't look hard enough. Question is: are more motors better in a belt-driven table? Seems like pricier models are always more likely to have more motors, and manufacturers offer addtional motors as upgrades, but does it always result in improved sound? Theoretically, additional motors may tend to cancel out each others speed fluctuations, but overall noise may be higher. Thoughts?
klinerm

Showing 1 response by footsurg

Yes more motors are better in my experience. There are two camps here. Camp one: use a single low torque motor coupled to a very high mass platter. Camp 2: 2 or more high torque motors turing a low mass platter. I have been in both camps in the past, and I can honestly say that multiple motors turning a low mass (relatively) platter produce a much more involving more soulful, more punchy presentation that is at the top of the PRAT scale.

Yes more motors make more noise. Yes coupling 2 or 3 of them to a lightweight platter provides more opportunities for hum and vibration to reach the platter. Thats why the platter is low mass. Its like a bell. A large diameter bell transmits more collected energy into sound pressure waves than a smaller diameter bell. Thick massive platters tend to just collect, store and transmit more room energy into the stylus than with a low mass platter. Low mass platters don't collect or store nearly as much energy. There is less platter to do so.

I know common sense would tell you that a more massive platter will isolate the record and stylus from freewave airborne energy more effectively than a low mass one, but this assumption is incorrect.

That low mass platter being driven with high high torque is what produces some of the most involving analog I have ever heard anywhere.

I am not a physicist so I can't give you the numbers. What I can say is that hearing is believing to me. Oh yeah.....there was a question here. More motors is better!