At its current price point (around $4K) it will be completely outclassed by more traditional solutions. Also realize that it can't run MC cartridges.
Mag Lev Turntable. Your Thoughts?
One is for sale on Audiogon. Very cool BUT, I can think of a bunch of potential problems. My instinct says it is showmanship but not having actually played with one who knows? Anybody have any experience with the Mag Lev?
The first problem would be that magnetic fields are not solid. They are squishy. What happens when you play different weight records. What about a record clamp? The tonearm is fixed to the plinth. If the height of the platter changes the VTA changes. If the platter bounces at all it will cause rather rapid speed variations. What about those powerful magnetic fields right under cartridges. Looking at the video the platter certainly is not machined very well.
Is it really worth the trouble. Good tables make very little noise. 99% of it is coming from the record itself. My inclination is that the platter should be on a solid footing.
The first problem would be that magnetic fields are not solid. They are squishy. What happens when you play different weight records. What about a record clamp? The tonearm is fixed to the plinth. If the height of the platter changes the VTA changes. If the platter bounces at all it will cause rather rapid speed variations. What about those powerful magnetic fields right under cartridges. Looking at the video the platter certainly is not machined very well.
Is it really worth the trouble. Good tables make very little noise. 99% of it is coming from the record itself. My inclination is that the platter should be on a solid footing.
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Bob Levi for one is convinced -- he makes an interesting case (I've never heard one and the caveats about compatibility would rule it out for me) but clearly more than a gimmick in this reviewer's opinion https://positive-feedback.com/reviews/hardware-reviews/mag-lev-audio-ml1-levitating-turntable/ |
No it is not clear on the website although the reviews all stated no MC cartridge at this time but it was a work in progress. Guess the magnetic fields from the Maglev really screws with the MC signals at this time. So yes limited functionality with people not being able to use their top flight MC carts is likely going to rule it out simply on that aspect. |
@folkfreak , good link. Glowing review with lots of positive signs already. Interesting also to read the following: "I also know companies around the world are looking at upgrades for the ML1 and the engineers at Maglevaudio.com are also working late hours to improve performance." One obvious area would be to improve the wow and flutter measurements, which are given at .17%. The signal to noise figures of -73dB are impressive, but that's to be expected with no bearing present. All manual turntables are a faff, but at least this one gives you ample time to get comfortably seated as well as not worry about unnecessary stylus wear if you fall asleep (say during a marathon Steely Dan session for example). Definitely one to watch. |
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