 
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
|
|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
74.227.200.8
First, to preface, many times I change a tube or interconnect and hear little difference. If I do hear a difference it is often only a flavor change. As in the case of many of my tube changes, I could live with either one and enjoy the change. I am not easily impressed by many tweaks and listen with my own ears to how the music sounds. At times though, when trying out certain components, A B’ing back and forth, I can’t wait to get a certain component or tweak back in my system. The components presence or lack of presence is annoying to me…..kind of like listener fatigue.When A b’ing back and forth with the Speed Box SE in, and not in my system, the test does not last long. The SE goes back in my system quickly. If I try to listen to the change or figure out what I am or am not hearing, the change is subtle and not easily identifiable. That’s what’s unusual about it, the change is small, but it is more than just being a flavor change. It’s something that now tried, has to stay in my vinyl system. It makes the music more natural sounding.
I bought the SE as opposed to the Speed Box MKII because the Quartz oscillator Speed stability is ± 0.001% versus .01% for the mkII. Is that significant? I don’t know. I do know that my home AC varies from 122-125 volts over a period of time. It also varies constantly by a couple tenths of a volt. The Speed Box SE, no doubt, alleviates this fluctuation and feeds the motor a more stable power supply than a wall transformer would supply.
The SE has the ability to adjust the speed in tenths of a RPM, so for the tweakers out there, that would be a good feature. I tried listening to different speeds, but got used to slight changes very quickly. So now it stays on 33.3 all the time.
Follow Ups:
.
No Guru, No Method, No Teacher
.
When my Kenwood became speed instable I bought a Technics SL1210 MK 5. You can "hear" better speed stability. Unfortunately LP's are tweaky in terms of perfect concentricity. So there is always a bit of speed issues caused simply by the hole punch made on your LP.However the ability of the turntable to exercise speed control helps you listen to a performance instead of listening for the speed variation.
How much was the SE box? And which vendor did you purchase yours from?
Sounds like you would buy it all over again. That is the best recommendation of all!
It was $549 from Needle Doctor, which was a bit spendy for me. No reviews were available, just one mention on the asylum, so I was taking a chance that the money would be well spent. I would buy it again.Speed stabilty enhances the illusion of the music being more live and less mechanically created. It's subtle, but it is there.
That way it will be in the Review archives and that helps us all! These threads disappear in just a couple of days at best.Cheers!
... And someone know how to plug this beauty on a Thorens td160.
Hi.do we still need a speed box?
Mind you my home AC line fluctuates momentarily fron 113-115V, I don't believe I ever hear any adverse effect on my LP music from my 125II, given its really massive platter.
Let nature does the job - inertia works provided the platter of your TT is massive enough. If not, get a belt-driven TT with heavy weight
platter.Many here may hate me - I never like any DD turntables, sonically to say the least.
c-J
While a massive platter helps with AC power fluctuations, I suggest that you try an external power supply and see if you can hear the difference. You might be surprised by what you hear.As an example, the Teres turntables, particularly the 300 series, have very massive platters - the model 360 platter weighs 67 lbs. All Teres turntables use a battery to power their DC motors. Why? Because even with the massive platters, the music sounds better with the motor running off of a battery rather than plugged into the wall. Electronics attached to the battery disconnect the battery from the mains voltage when the motor is turned on. Why? Because the music sounds better with the battery disconnected from the mains.
Mass solves some problems, but not all problems.
Hi.The original poster specifically focussed on the motor speed fluctuation, ie. 0.001% vs 0.01%. Hence my response.
Now you are talking something else: "the music sounds better with motor running off a battery rather than plugged into the wall".
First off, sonic is so personlly subjective. Provided switcbing to a battery powered motor would NOT cost an arm & a leg, it can be viable proposition.
Mind you, 125II is also run on a DC-servo motor, not directly "off the wall" like many AC powered motors.
When you say Teres TT runs on a battery, please tell me what voltage is the battery used there. Hopefully, not standard 1.5V type batteries. Otherwise, it could be another bigger can of worms.
FYI, the tube heaters of one of my phonostage are all powered by an DIY outboard 6V5HA rechargeable battery power pack. Also, my SS phonestage is a DIY dual-monoblock fully battery powered.
I am not an alien to battery supplied audio gears at all.
c-J
The Teres battery is a sealed lead-acid Powersonic PS-1270 (12v 7.2ah).
Hi.This proves what exactly I suggested - inertia of the very massive platter does the speed stabilizing job.
The 12V SLA cell is simply to power the DC motor of the TT, rechargeble by the charging PCB.
If my assumption is correct, there is no in-line current regulation in the motor power circuit to ensure constant current supply to the DC motor to keep up the motor speed. Don't forget battery drains down & motor speed slows down during long hours playing before the next recharge takes place.
That's why Teres got to use very massive platter to let its rotation
inertia to sbsorb the slow down speed before the next recharge.Of course, pure DC from a battery will eliminate AC mains line noise & motor hum as in case of using AC motors. This will indirectly make sound quiet, & may sound better as Teres claims so.
So my statement is correct as already done by Teres.
c-J
PS: I have enough experience with SLA (sealed lead acid) cells with my phonostage to tell you how painful it is to keep the cell voltage constant.
Regardless, as stated by rgordonpf, Mass solves some problems, but not all problems.A large massy platter also introduces problems of it's own. Wear & tear on the drive mechanism (no matter what kind it is)-- not to mention the spindle bearing--- are increased --- and the size and torque of the motor must also be increased in turn, which introduces more vibration and control issues.
The conclusion here is that there's no silver bullet. If there were, all turntables would use exactly that cure-all strategy. They don't.
Unfortunately, turntable design is a slow balancing-act that methodically takes ideas like electric speed control and peripheral-mass platter profiles into consideration. And then: build one or more prototypes, run extensive tests with equipment varying from oscilloscope to accelerometer, and then modify and rebuild. Repeat. Test. Modify. And so on .......
No one answer is correct all the way to the finished product.
J.
Hi.my 125II has served me over 25 years plus plus & I am yet to detect any rumbles/vows from it due to spindle & its ball-tip wear & tear.
I actually tried it with a digitally mastered London label of Joan Sutherland & L. Pavarotti live performance LP, it is dead dark in the background in their breath intervals.
Being a digitally mastered recording, the background is incredibly quiet & any rumbles & noises caused by the spindle or whatever associated should show up. But none.
May be I am so lucky.
So you are on something else too, not speed fluctuation as per the original poster. So how "No one answer is correct for all" comes in?
c-J
My post discusses speed fluctuation as seen via the measures taken -- speed-control boxes, massy platters, etc --- in turntable design.
Turntable design generic, at large.
Turntable design in general. Not your 125II .
The fact that a well-respected Thorens table is producing good stability years after purchase isn't too surprising.Let me perhaps clarify the situation--
When you posted " If the platter is massive enough, why the need for speed control"--- you are seen as asserting that one aspect, platter mass, cures speed instability.
That's what the ensuing later posts are disagreeing with.Maybe you didn't intend to assert a cause-effect, 'silver bullet' type relation there ?
J.
Hi.Read the original post by ancient tones again.
He is so picky on the decimal difference in the speed control bwn the two speed boxes: 0.001% vs 0.01% that he went for SE speed box.
Hence my suggestion the rotation inertia of a massive platte should be able to ground out such micro difference.
IMO, Teres does so. Check up my post above.
I never touch the usefulness of other active speed controls in "turntable design generic, at large". It's you who raise this
off topic issue.c-J
I'm checking out my Thorens with the Speed Box tonight. So far it sounds good...but it's late.
.
which accepts a standard two prong plug.
That mean I just plus my TT ac plug on the speedbox?
I would think so but am not totally positive. The instruction manual says, "Turntables without an external power supply should be connected to the output 120V socket on the Speed Box SE." I assume that the 120V output would be regulated just like the 16V output. BTW, the max output is 3 watts for both outputs.
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors:
Top of Page ]
[ Contact Us ]
[ Support/Wish List ]
[ Copyright © 2025, Audio Asylum, all rights reserved ]
