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thom_at_galibier_design

Responses from thom_at_galibier_design

What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?
Hi Richard, ThomHave you considered introducing a little series R Into the power supply and scoping the motor current draw to vicariously look at stylus drag as a function of motor current draw? Yes.  I've been wrestling with capturing the time... 
Why do so few low power amplifiers using 300B have balanced inputs?
To audiobrian's original question ... I'd hazard a guess that in the population of SET owners, less than 1% have balanced preamps.  I don't have industry numbers on this.  Anecdotally, I know of only one SET owner who's running a balanced preamp.T... 
What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?
Hi Pani, There is also a price to pay when the platter is massive. Light weight platters have been preferred by any "well-designed" TT designers for the same reason. I would state this differently:  no single parameter can be optimized without ta... 
What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?
Spot on - Lew & Al.  One false link I alluded to above (my first rim drive experiment) relates to incorrectly ascribing massive torque as the reason for rim drive's attributes.  Actually, it's the architecture itself (rim drive) that is respon... 
What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?
I will say this, as far as measurements are concerned. At present, my best tools are the Feickert Pro software and a Timeline, and I’m not seeing any effect (can’t directly measure music with the Feickert, unfortunately). I’ll leave it open to the... 
What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?
Hi Cleeds,I’ve seen this claim before, but never seen any proof of it. I’ve measured the speed of my turntable with it 22-pound platter as it plays an LP and never detected this sort of speed deviation. I stand (partially) corrected ... primarily... 
What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?
Thanks for the kind words, Charles. We all continue to learn, and the untapped "goodness" in idlers certainly caught me by surprise. That Dagogo review is beginning to look dated, although I stand by my comments that rigid belt coupling gets you ... 
What's the deal with idler turntables and do they have a place in modern HiFi?
Hi Gmjperry96,Given your propensity to play and learn, I say go for it.  I think you'll learn as much about yourself as you will about idlers vs. belts.I've been working on a new turntable for about 18 months.  It didn't start out as an idler, but... 
What is more accurate: magnetic anti-skating, or barrel weight attached a fishline?
Indeed overhang/underhang, in conjunction with the frictional forces imparted by the record groove on the stylus are the key actors in this play.I haven’t thought about the underhang case you brought up in a while (for the pivoting, 6" arm in your... 
What is more accurate: magnetic anti-skating, or barrel weight attached a fishline?
Hi Stringreen,Actually, lever based (gravity) anti-skate systems vary the force across the record due to the angular change of the weight (it's distance from the fulcrum relative to the downward force of gravity).  Designs with thread (string) lik... 
What is more accurate: magnetic anti-skating, or barrel weight attached a fishline?
Lewm said: Ralph, I am saying that when the cantilever/stylus is tangent to the groove, the friction force generated by the stylus to groove resistance has a vector directed tangent to the groove, too.  But because the headshell is offset with ... 
What is more accurate: magnetic anti-skating, or barrel weight attached a fishline?
TLDR (too long, didn't read - so some of this may have been covered) ...In general (because especially with anti-skate, there are no hard and fast rules), the smallest bit of anti-skate has worked best for me ... definitely err on the side of too ... 
You can only take 5 albums to a deserted Island...
Hi Marty,Darn!  I love Richard Thompson.Another luthier who has an incredible sensibility about him is Jeff Senn. I spend way too much time on thegearpage.net for my own good, but as an audio manufacturer, it’s nice to clear the palate.Apart from ... 
You can only take 5 albums to a deserted Island...
Well, Thom, if we’re taking five guitars and/or amps instead of albums, I’ll play:James Goodall DreadnaughtSchroeder Chopper (LP style)Tom Bills "Falling Leaf" archtopHughes & Kettner Grandmeister 36 amp Fractal Axe effects processor I’m borr... 
Can I use a step up transformer?
What yogiboy and Al said.  The ideal gain structure lets you run toward the end of your line stage's range - all things being equal (which they never are).Now, from a noise floor perspective, it's possible that a step-up may help, but you'll be de...