JohnMichael
Super Member
As some of you may know I upgraded the motor in my 14 year old Planar 2. I noticed an immediate improvement but with audible memory being brief I wondered if the tweak was as good as I initially thought. I certainly would not swap motors again to relisten to the change.
I figured a way to compare the before and after. Since I had transferred some vinyl to cd for use in the car so I had my before source. Now with the new motor I rerecorded parts of two records so I could compare the same music. I was listening only to differences in speed and stability due to using a different cartridge and phono preamp.
Comparing the recordings has been interesting and questions my ears. The new motor has created a solid image, more focused soundstage and more coherent vocals. The older loose mounted motor allowed the image to shift slightly and sounded a little phasey overall. As the motor moved slightly in it's mount you can hear those shifts in sustained notes But not with the rigid mount motor.
I mentioned my ears because now I wonder how I tolerated the speed issues. Now that I listen to the updated table I know I would not be able to go back. Maybe this lesson has better trained my ears when listening to turntables.
The CDs were made using a Sony stand alone cd recorder. Levels adjusted and no noise filtration or any computer processing used. An interesting experience.
I figured a way to compare the before and after. Since I had transferred some vinyl to cd for use in the car so I had my before source. Now with the new motor I rerecorded parts of two records so I could compare the same music. I was listening only to differences in speed and stability due to using a different cartridge and phono preamp.
Comparing the recordings has been interesting and questions my ears. The new motor has created a solid image, more focused soundstage and more coherent vocals. The older loose mounted motor allowed the image to shift slightly and sounded a little phasey overall. As the motor moved slightly in it's mount you can hear those shifts in sustained notes But not with the rigid mount motor.
I mentioned my ears because now I wonder how I tolerated the speed issues. Now that I listen to the updated table I know I would not be able to go back. Maybe this lesson has better trained my ears when listening to turntables.
The CDs were made using a Sony stand alone cd recorder. Levels adjusted and no noise filtration or any computer processing used. An interesting experience.
