Vintage DD turntables. Are we living dangerously?


I have just acquired a 32 year old JVC/Victor TT-101 DD turntable after having its lesser brother, the TT-81 for the last year.
TT-101
This is one of the great DD designs made at a time when the giant Japanese electronics companies like Technics, Denon, JVC/Victor and Pioneer could pour millions of dollars into 'flagship' models to 'enhance' their lower range models which often sold in the millions.
Because of their complexity however.......if they malfunction.....parts are 'unobtanium'....and they often cannot be repaired.
128x128halcro
Fleib, I have seen a lot of GT2000s, both in person whilst in various Tokyo audio emporia and on the internet. The ones I have seen all seem to have a relatively "thick" platter, due to peripheral rim thickness more than anything else, but I don't know whether I am looking at the 5.8kg standard or the 18kg optional. Did you find a photo of the latter? That's a huge difference in platter mass for use on the very same motor with the same servo feedback mechanism, unless the motor/servo is switchable so as to accommodate the heavy platter. As Dave mentioned, the L07D power supply does have such a switchable mechanism, to be used when one is using their dedicated record weight and peripheral ring (and in Dave's case, he uses it with his complex platter "sandwich").

WRT your discussion with Halcro re the LP/platter interface, I would say you're both correct. The nature of the interface is "understood", but there is no agreement how best to deal with it in order to achieve max fidelity of sound reproduction.
Lew,
There are photos of both the GT2000 and 2000x at Vintage Knob. Stock aluminum platter is pretty hefty at nearly 13 lbs. The x platter looks similar, but is gun-metal. The motor shaft on the x is beefed up to 6cm vs 2cm for the 2000, but apparently the rest of the motor was the same.
The heavy platter was an option on the 2000 so I guess the shaft could handle the weight.

How do you think these Yamaha's stack up?
Fleib
How do you think these Yamaha's stack up?

There certainly are many GT-2000 owners about, as to how they
stack up there was a thread that Jcarr posted regarding a {Japan forum} where a Victor motor designer who had a hand in the GT2000 design pursued the Yamaha and ended up taking it home.

I thought it a rather fitting endorsement.

Found it
Jcarr
There is an interesting Japanese webpage by a retired JVC engineer, in which he talks about his involvement in designing the motor drive and controller circuits for the slotless DD motor of Yamaha's GT-2000.

note, several pages
http://37282.diarynote.jp/200708032337340000/
The glass platter mat arrived yesterday beautifully packaged and included an ingenious silicone rubber record puck which squeezes the record onto the the vinyl without adding weight over the spindle..😎
The glass mat is beautifully made and I tested it on its own as well as with the Victor Pigskin mat both under and over it.
It was easy to dismiss the silicone puck as being inferior in sound to the heavy Yamaha record weight I usually employ...😊
To cut a long story short....the results were quite similar in all respects to the Achromat with the glass being slightly better....
The clear winner was again the Jico thin leather mat....
As always....YMMV..👀❓
Totem395,
Thanks for the info. It seems like torque or lack of, and speed correction circuitry are major contributors to SQ of various DD's. I saw a GT2000 years ago, but never had the pleasure of playing with it. If the motor can power a 18kg platter, one would think it's a bit much for the stock 5.8kg one?

I'm sure it sounds good. I was just wondering about comparisons. An anecdote about a Victor engineer is interesting, but.....
Regards,