@ledoux1238 didn't this thread kick off with you saying how good the original motor is and now here we both are posting images of new motors!
2020 update : JC Verdier La Platine
A recent encounter with a JC Verdier dealer as well as a recent Audiogon discussion thread led to the start of this thread. He was in my house updating my La Platine which had been in storage for ten years with thread and oil. While he has high regards for the deck, his newer clients nevertheless prefer a Techdas iii than an 'old' La Platine. Given the proliferation of expensive decks in the past dozen years, La Platine has become very much under-appreciated.
It's clear to me that the influence of the La Platine is everywhere to be found. Specifically, the magnetic suspension system that was employed 30+ years ago. Even SOTA offers their newer decks with mag. lev. features. And if you read this review: https://www.callas-audio.nl/Callas%20Platine%20Mod%20Kit%20Review.pdf, the Continuum Caliburn uses the same concept, which was not acknowledged in Fremer's review, albeit with more sophisticated , and expensive, execution.
It is also clear to me that there is much misunderstanding of the workings of the La Platine. I for one have contributed to this. The motor of the La Platine, for example, has been much maligned. The thread drive is another aspect of the turntable that have been described as inferior. With regard to the motor and thread drive, I have been set straight by Chris @ct0517 and Lyubomir @lbelchev. Experimenting with the different types of silk threads, the tightness to the platter and a renewed understanding of the soundness of the Philips motor have been rewarded with better dynamics and transparency.
The funny thing is that during the past two years of re-engagement with audio, I have questioned ownership of every components in my arsenal except the La Platine. It has always been a keeper. I wonder if La Platine owners would contribute to celebrating this 'old' deck with tales, advice, and insights?
Cheers!
It's clear to me that the influence of the La Platine is everywhere to be found. Specifically, the magnetic suspension system that was employed 30+ years ago. Even SOTA offers their newer decks with mag. lev. features. And if you read this review: https://www.callas-audio.nl/Callas%20Platine%20Mod%20Kit%20Review.pdf, the Continuum Caliburn uses the same concept, which was not acknowledged in Fremer's review, albeit with more sophisticated , and expensive, execution.
It is also clear to me that there is much misunderstanding of the workings of the La Platine. I for one have contributed to this. The motor of the La Platine, for example, has been much maligned. The thread drive is another aspect of the turntable that have been described as inferior. With regard to the motor and thread drive, I have been set straight by Chris @ct0517 and Lyubomir @lbelchev. Experimenting with the different types of silk threads, the tightness to the platter and a renewed understanding of the soundness of the Philips motor have been rewarded with better dynamics and transparency.
The funny thing is that during the past two years of re-engagement with audio, I have questioned ownership of every components in my arsenal except the La Platine. It has always been a keeper. I wonder if La Platine owners would contribute to celebrating this 'old' deck with tales, advice, and insights?
Cheers!
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- 537 posts total
@lewm - i reckon u could be right. although it seems the AC motor issue is a low frequency thrum versus the DC motor which was more like bearing chatter and more high pitched. the wellfloat is dealing with it nicely. y'day i realised i was missing a phasing capacitor in my motor installation. adding that fixed my issue with using the 45 setting. so now it is golden plus i have more torque! listening last night was very good. i can now flick from 33 to 45 reliably. when i flick back to 33 it comes back to the exact same speed. this is very good. overall alot of the whimsy is gone. time is just ruthlessly spot on and i feel like the table isnt part of the band anymore. its just laying out the truth. much less fussing now over speed and less worry it will vary. one thing to note, is that bought some braided silk cord. it tightens up as you use it! i wonder if this why i sometimes see a recommendation for monofilament. i dont have this issue with the silk thread i use. silk thread continues to be my go to. dynamics with the AC motor are near brutal. piano is much better. no quavering in notes and better bass fundamental i think. i look forward to getting a better housing for the ac motor now that i've proved it works and works better than the DC motor (i think). i love the verdier motor housing and i might go and see a steel fabricator and see if he can knock one up just like it. i don't want to tear apart the original motor housing as i feel if i ever sell the verdier not having the original motor would be no bueno. right now no thoughts of moving on. instead staisfied feelings of having "made it". as in, i envisaged something "more" when i was listening to my garrard and here i am. i have alot of great garrard traits but i also have more fidelity, more tone i think, and greater enjoyment. |
AC motor is a fantastic upgrade. highly recommended. this is now fantasy hi-fi. listened to "tattoo you" by the rolling stones last night. favourite record from when i was a kid. haven't heard it in years. shocking! so much energy and life. you hear the band playing and you think Bill Wyman was a great bassist! they are a great band. so black in the black and such great clarity across the frequency spectrum. the AC motor was only $100 USD. the pulley/capacitor etc set me back like $30 USD. the important part of it that is a bit exxy is the Long Dog Audio Speed Controller - which is quite excellent i think. it is kind of weird how locked in it is to one speed as opposed to the Verdier motor which was sort of "where are we now then". tried mylar tape yesterday. very hard to get a nice skinny loop of it. very prone to eccentricity. terrible W&F figures. very impressive drive! back to suture silk for now which is pretty good albeit not as quiet as silk. i'm going to give linen thread another go. it tends to have a lot of drive and everything is so silent now i don't need more of that. i need more clatter and surprise! sometimes it feels like the drummer is in my room. it is very good. i will have furutech plugs put in my speaker cable soon. i am told this is a huge lift in transparency. i think the system will make my loungeroom sound like a rehearsal space for bands if this keeps up.
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@mr_gray , For AC motor, you may want to explore the possibility of using a dual-phase controller (if it is a dual-phase AC motor), it could perform much better than the single phase controller utilising the phase splitting capacitor! The Sota Eclipse motor package, with its 3 phase AC motor and controller, would also be an interesting option! |
- 537 posts total