This rant was prompted by a thread on the Analog Forum of Audiogon. The entire discussion (about motor torque) was left in
place to clarify the context of the discussion. In the course of this conversation, Ralph Bagge replied personally to me with
some of his observations. His comments are identified below.
Any turntable drive system is a resonant system in engineering terms, with all of the associated components fitting into the equation:
- platter / bearing / oil viscosity
- drive interface (pulley/belt, idler wheel, direct drive) and their materials
- motor torque constant and motor bearing
If you change any single element (yes, even the oil), you've changed the system's Q - it's resonant behavior, for better or worse.
A few years ago, we experimented with some motors that had about 4 times the torque constant of our current motors. You couldn't
put your finger on it, but they failed to satisfy.
In many ways, this higher torque motor sounded like good digital. Something was missing (listener involvement) , but it was not
readily identifiable in traditional audiophile terms of frequency response, speed stability, etc.
Many people involved in the auditions actually liked the "sound", but I've learned to factor in what I refer to as the "demo room
effect" - a component which initially grabs your attention because it is new and different.
While on the subject of auditioning and the demo room effect, I had an interesting conversation with
Charlie of Azzolina Audio about this.
We've come to recognize two broad categories of customers.
- The sort of fellow who powers up his system for an hour or two at most - the busy sort of individual who wants to have
it "all" in a short period of time. My experience has been that this type of user profile gravitates towards a system
tonality that tends toward the fatiguing side of the spectrum.
- The other broad category is the fellow who lives with his music for hours on end. Charlie and I fit into this category.
While I would never consider any of our designs to be lacking in inner detail, their virtues tend to be a bit more subtle -
not calling attention to themselves.
Interestingly, the higher torque motor appealed more to user profile #1, but I dismissed it as musically unacceptable.
This is not a dismissal of high torque designs, but rather a comment on the many ways in which you can alter a design such that
the parameters are mismatched. Ya pays yer money and ya makes yer choices.
Follow-up commentary from Ralph Bagge
Hi Thom
Your identification of two types of listeners (quick burst vs. marathon vinyl spinners) reminded me of something I want to get off my chest.
I love going to audio shows. They enable me to see and hear a whole range of equipment that would take weeks of traveling to experience
if I went to dealers/manufacturers. It's an ideal opportunity to anonymously sift possibles from probable without raising a dealer's
expectations of achieving a sale. I also use it as an opportunity to check out an exhibitors competence - would I trust him with my
hard earned dollars?
I have identified four types of audio show visitors:
First the trophy collectors. These are the magpies of the audio world. They are incapable of individual thought and will want to
hear and praise the latest A graded products. They have deep pockets, continually "upgrade" their system and vendors love them.
They love to make themselves known to exhibitors and get a kick from displaying their ignorance in discussion with exhibitors.
The paradox is that they don't need to go to a show because they never really listen to the music (either at the show or after they
install their purchases at home).
Second, the fan club. These are guys who align with a manufacturer like it was a religion. They go to a show to worship and to
tell their favored vendor how his products have been their salvation. These guys are a pain because they usually sit at the back of
the dem room, talking loudly to the exhibitor, denying everyone else in the room the opportunity to hear the dem. Engaging with
fan club members is very seductive for exhibitors because they meet our social needs and help us feel valued.
Third, the rationalizer. He goes to a show to convince himself that the system he put carefully assembled from yard sales and eBay
is way better than all this expensive audio jewelry that's on show. The only thing he likes more than finding flaws in demos is
pointing them out to the exhibitor (ideally within earshot of as many prospective customers as possible). It's as if his mission
in life is to point out errors and omissions to the exhibitor. He's not a prospective customer, he never will be. The exhibitor
needs to thank him for his views and dispatch him quickly in the direction of another exhibitor whose design goals are 180° opposed
to their own, ideally a company with a major brand profile.
Fourth, the objective audiophile. He knows that the only thing that matters is whether the equipment can communicate a broad range
of music convincingly, without distortions. To establish that he will listen to the music, he'll wait in line to get a seat mid way
between the speakers not to far back in the room (bodies in the way absorb high frequencies) and unless he's distracted will allow
time to "tune in" to the system and visualize how the components might integrate with his own system. He knows that shows will be
crowded so he makes the effort to be in the rooms he's most interested in soon after opening to beat the crowds. Paradoxically,
that's the time that exhibitors think doesn't matter - so they often ignore visitors or talk loudly to their buddies.
My first cut on exhibitor competence is the sound he's producing in the room. He will have anticipated challenging room acoustics
and will have a range of treatment solutions available to tone down booming bass reflections or blurry imaging resulting from hard
reflective surfaces. I may be harsh but a failure to produce sounds that don't offend indicates to me that the manufacturer has
not evaluated his product in different acoustic settings and has designed his listening room into the product.
So my message to exhibitors is simple. The guys that want to talk to you are least likely to buy your equipment - they already have
it, they are in love with your competitors or they have no money to spend. The guy most likely to buy doesn't want to talk to you yet
- he wants to listen to your product not your voice. And he feels it would be premature to engage in a dialog because he's not yet
ready to buy. Respect the silent visitors by maintaining a good listening environment, taking conversations outside the demo room
and not socializing with your friends in your demo room when the show is open to paying visitors.
End of rant.
Cheers,
Ralph
