Has anyone seen this? A really beautiful turntable

Such is the life of an early adopter. 

I started a thread on it several weeks back. No one here owns one yet and I do not suspect there will be a lot of takers. It is more like a conversation piece. The background noise on even the best pressing is a lot higher than any reasonable modern belt driven turntable so in reality a solution in search of a problem. But it is cool.

Mike

Terry9,  have a SOTA Cocmos and an SME 30/12 and no matter how hard I try I can not hear the bearing on either turntable. How do I know?
Like Michael Fremer I have Pure Vinyl and can record records to the computer which by the way I do not due on a routine basis. I recorded the same record run out track from both turntables trying to figure out which one made more noise. Switching from one recording to the other, with the exception of slight differences in frequency response (different cartridges)
They sounded exactly the same even EQ ing the bass way up (rumble).
All the audible noise was on the record not the turntables. I can not tell if an air bearing makes a difference but given the above results I seriously doubt it. It is an exercise in technology for technologies sake just like this thing. Which means that rich people make more dumb mistakes than us regular guys:)

Oh and Terry9, good work on your own table. I'm not surprised that you are in love with it as you should be. We all love our own children regardless of just about anything.

1+ larry, 
Audiophile rule #27 is for idiots. In this example the noise on the record is a constant and the same in both examples so just like a math problem it cancels out. Next, since when are air bearings not mechanical? There is a shaft in bushings just like any table except this one. Just the thrust plate is air. Clear audio and SOTA accomplish exactly the same thing in a far more elegant fashion using opposing magnets. A  more appropriate use of a compressor is vacuum hold down. My SOTA with it's new magnetic bearing still sounds exactly the same as the SME without as far as I can tell. Admittedly an oscilloscope trace would be more accurate than my ears but I did boost 20 Hz 10 dB which is as far as I could go without breaking a subwoofer from the rumble on the record. No difference. The noise on the record is far in excess of the noise made by the turntable...unless you have a broken bearing or an old idler wheel drive turntable. I have heard those rumble bad enough that you can hear it. Compare one to a modern belt drive table by recording them both with the same record and you will hear the difference. People that do not have boosted subwoofers generally do not care or notice the rumble it seems.
They are just psychologically attached to their turntables which is not a bad thing at all. You have to like/love you equipment as Nelson Pass said' " Audiophiles just want to be happy." People love their old 356 Porsche's.
Dynamically they are seriously flawed in comparison to a modern 911. But, who cares. They are still really cool cares and give you an experience that can not be matched in a new car. Audio equipment is exactly the same except we want to argue endlessly about what better is.
My car is faster than yours!  Who gives a f___.

ct, it may sound different to you but not to me. I think spending hours trying to limit the rumble from a TD 124 qualifies and yes, I had the table almost entirely apart. I have never taken either my SOTA or SME apart. No reason to. Neither table makes any noise that I can hear as far as sonic differences between the tables I can not say. The SME is set up for low compliance cartridges and the SOTA for medium. I would have to by an Identical Air Tight or Koetsu install it in the SOTA and add a lot of weight to the arm. That would be a little too rich for my blood.
Terry9, absolutely congratulations on making your own turntable. As far as bearing type is concerned from an aesthetic point of view no thrust plate makes sense and with opposing magnets easy to do. A shaft is a shaft and air rushing through tight spaces makes noise. Try whistling. Does this noise make a difference? Who knows. But if I can't hear any noise why would it matter. As far as sound better, that is a psycho-subjective analysis you can not trust any human to make accurately which is why there is so much mythology and BS in the Audiophile world.
I like elegance and fine machining in a mechanical device more than anything. In my mine the simplest solution that solves the problem is always best. I can appreciate the Walker Proscenium Black for what it is but I would never buy one. It is way too complicated and IMHO darn ugly.
Rubber bands and springs work just fine. Yes, my SME is also pretty ugly, even worse with a Kuzma 4 point 14 hanging off it but boy is it built.