Why According to some Turntable extremists Pitch Control and Direct Drive is Sacrilege?


Why shouldnt perfect direct drive speed and pitch control be part of an Audiophile turntable system.  Not having pitch control is like missing a stereo mono switch.
Every high end turntable should have pitch control. 
vinny55

Showing 8 responses by harold-not-the-barrel

In my system ORACLE DELPHI MKII produces more music than LUXMAN PD444. I sold that gorgeous vintage DD because it simply sounds digital, with or without the original mat, with or without the original elastomer feet or replacing them with maglev feet (the best option). Learnt a lesson, and quite a costly one.
Have lived happily since nevertheless : )
And LP12 is a toy btw.
Lew, its speed stability was ROCK STEADY it spinned flawlessly. The speed itself was precise 33 1/3 RPM all the twenty minutes time takes a side of an LP record. Actually I quite often found myself just watching the strobo disc that appeared dead, minutes after minutes till the stylus reached the run-outs. Very fascinating, from technical point of view so to speak. Changing speed happened in two seconds and all the same accuracy both in speed and speed´s stability with 45 RPM, and back and worth, endlessly. Technical perfection. Everything worked flawlessly. And as for the music, all sounded hyper accurate, dynamic and thus "perfect". Like digital should, "flawless" as some people point out. Yes I had managed to achieve flawless TT combo but I hated the sound.

I´m talking about how the music flows, that PD444 completely failed.

So why on earth should I have calibrated a technically flawlessly working true high tech vintage Japanese machine ? Send it where, to Japan ? Costs a minor fortune. Ridiculous. Why waste my precious time and money and why even bother when your first impression is disliking the sound ? Couldn´t care less. Well, actually I removed the flimsy elastomer feet and it was huge improvement. I did try and I really would have liked that beautiful stylish machine. Well, it has been hyped so much during the decades so they managed to fool me. I sold it for a good price, got fast rid off it so a happy ending.
What does digital mean to different people is another question, I mean all in digital with its pros and cons. I like its advantages but I just personally have always hated digital sound.

And my ORACLE DELPHI remains my last BD deck, I just love its sound. But doesn´t spin flawlessly but that´s the least of my worries : )
Keep spinning the discs
The Anvil Turntable is a very special design, actually it remains me of another great modern TT, the Salvation designed by Vic the Magician at Trans-Fi Audio in the UK (well of course).
At the time, a couple of years back I was planning to make my own TT and just came across the Anvil Turntables online. I suddenly realized that I was looking at an incarnation of Vic´s Salvation. What a gorgeous design, so simple and beautiful ! So I got in contact with Bruce to make an appropriate motor for my platter I had had a few months already. Well, you know I was very tempted to just buy the Anvil but I had my plan to complete. Bruce was very helpful but we faced platter size problems with fitting his motor  to my a bit larger platter. Long story short, we couldn´t solve our problem so I gave up ... What a shame.

Now I can´t find his turntable shop online anymore. Is he still making them, what happened to Anvil ?
Ah it was you Bruce : ) Please to meet you again.
 Firstly, your deck is the most interesting thing since Salvation in modern High End really, IMHO. Of course the tables are different, yours is made of metal both platter and base, Vic´s is slate with aluminium platter, and the tables look different. Both platters/spindles have very tight tolerances and practically weight the same, platter damping techniques are quite different too, though. Different motors yet both very high quality. 
 Yet there is something very special in both designs that takes these decks to a higher performance level, namely the maglev spindle. I know exactly was this means because I´m experienced too. The maglev simply works. That´s why I call your design as an incarnation of Salvation, you see. The Anvil is another implementation to the speed stability subject.  The essence is the spindle ass´y, the heart of the turntable. For me there is no mystery. There are not so many that sophisticated maglev designs in the market, I´m afraid...
Looked like dry English humour, very dry. Could be from say ... what was that great funny BBC comedy show ...
: )

Let me put it this way ... my PD444 sounded like hollow... well accuracy if you like. In other words, digital. And actually its seeming dynamics sounded more like just sheer power not real dynamics, e.g. music really, just power. All in all, its sound didn´t manage to move me emotionally, spiritually nor intellectually.

I know exactly what´s happening deep inside that monster deck, that Godzilla of ancient DD TT dinosaur.
Dear Lew, thank goodness it isn´t Lenin mausoleum, is it ?
And, like you say as long as we are living happily, that´s all that counts. I couldn´t agree more. Keep spinning the discs.
Me ? I`m just a lawnmover. I focus on real life work today. I´m a working man.

Yes it´s true some live in a world of fantasies, and another in a little bubble  : )

Tomwh, 
You can try reasonably priced neodymium magnets from say
https://www.hkcm.de/
if you are located in Europe. IME they are very HQ products.
There are magnets than can support very heavy platters.
Bruce is the true expert here, I´m sure he will enlighten you more. 

But now I must be on my way ... there´s lots of lawnmoving to do ...