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Ariston RD11 Motor and Pulley

V

vsop4me

New Member
Hi,

Very new to the forum and not new to vinyl but new to restoring older turntables. I've been using a Technics 1200 and recently came upon an Ariston RD11. There is very little information and I went ahead and downloaded the manual but it was not very helpful.

My unit is the version with the red switch on the left. After looking that the inside, I was amazed at how simple these turntables were, it blew me away as I am used to see the modern TT with electronics everywhere. Anyhow...

Here's a couple questions that I have:
1. Does this unit on run one speed? I asked because the pulley is a metal pulley with just one size, no steps or gradations and there what appears to be a aluminum thingy with two prongs horizontal that guides the belt, again no moveable. Is that the original pulley and how do I switch speeds or does it?
2. The read button, it's not working very well, it turns on and the light is somewhat intermittent. It appears to be just an on/off switch. I thought maybe its on/33/45 but not sure since the switch semi-broken.

I'm not looking ahead of myself yet and just trying to learn the basic functions. I have had seconds thoughts about not wanting to mod this too much as it just look really beautiful and classic. I am leaning towards trying to keep it as original or original looking as possible as I was lucky enough that the original owners was very careful with the unit and cosmetically, it looks great.

Thanks for your help.
 
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Hi and welcome to AK.

I recently scored an RD11S, which has some differences to the RD11, though I'm not sure I can tell you all of them. The bearing/platter spindle are different I think. Mine has a pulley with 2 different sized wheels. The big one is for 45 rpm, the smaller is for 33. Not sure about yours, sorry.

I'm really happy with my RD11S, though it needs a little work. You can search AK for info on setting up your turntable. The springs need to be tuned just right for the table to sound and run best. There's lots of info on the Linn LP12 (which is almost identical -- the older ones anyway), and it's mostly applicable to the Ariston.
 
Ahhhh yes. I took your advice and went after the Linn LP12 Manual, it looks just about identical and here's what I found from the manual.

It appears the the pulley is one size and there's an adapter that fits over the motor if you want to run 45rpm. I listen mostly to 33rpm so this may not be issue...hmm, where can I find the adapter...need to do some research. Obviously, the other option is aftermarket power supply with speed control.

Thanks for the help to get me started. I will probably need to replace the motor, it is running fine but is somewhat noisy, but will try to take it out and check it first.

Do you have a picture of the pulley and belt guide of your RD11s? That probably another possibility if I decide not install a new PSU with speed control.

Thanks
Dave
 
Here is a picture of the pulley I happen to have:

IMG_2759.jpg


It's hard to take a good picture because it's so shiny...you can see the 2 sizes though.

My motor was a little noisy before I set up the table better. If the platter and plinth are not perfectly level, the belt pulls at an angle on the motor, making it vibrate. Also, the motor mount needs to be carefully set up as well, as it apparently affects the speed as well as the noise issue. Plus the motor needs to be oiled properly, so that may be a factor as well.

If you become a subscriber to AK, you have access to Barter Town, where you can find lots of stereo gear for sale. You can also post things you are looking to buy, like the adapter, and someone may offer to sell you one. Just a thought.

If you haven't found it already, Vinyl Engine has lots of manuals and other info.
 
Thanks for the info...and Barter Town sounds really neat, I will definitely have to check it out. I think I now have a better idea of what my next few steps will be to try and clean up the unit a bit.

Thanks GreatTone, appreciate the quick response and the info....very helpful, don't feel as lost :)
 
If your RD11 is anything like my RD11S, you are in for a treat. These tables are kind of sleepers right now I hear, but when fully restored are extremely high end sounding units. Even though mine still needs more work, it is kind of astonishing how good it sounds. Completely 3D, holographic soundstage. Makes my previous table sound 2 dimensional in comparison.

Replacing the thick rubber mat with my Herbie's Way Excellent mat upgraded the sound noticeably as well.
 
It’s an excellent turntable – in 1984 the RD-11S cost AUD$1198 without a tonearm (Linn Sondek LP-12 was $1275), and was very highly thought of by reviewers at the time. The S stood for Superieur, by the way. I'm not sure of all the differences between the RD-11 and RD-11S, but apparently the RD-11S had a Papst motor, which allowed electronic speed switching and pitch adjustment, and also had better suspension than the stock RD-11.
 
I bought a RD 11 superieur a couple of weeks ago and after a good clean, some new oil and a new AT-95 it sounds very nice.

This might be wrong, but I think that RD11s and RD11 superieur are two different models.
 

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I believe they are different, at least on the exterior. The RD11 I have looks almost identical to the classic Sondek LP12 with the red on/off button on the left and the black removable armboard on the right with.

The motor was a bit noisy and after taking the motor out of the housing, it needed some cleaning and oil, after that, it was much much more quiet although I could still hear a slight imbalance in the sound, I'll let the new oil run in and see what happens. Still waiting for my arm to come but in the meantime, I had a heck of time adjusting and setting up the springs for it to work properly. I didn't have a lot of time last night but after about 30mins of tinkering, I couldn't get the damn thing to level and not have the armboard rub against the platter, not sure why but will try again.

I found some helpful sites specific to Linn that appears to have some info but haven't had much time to dig through the forum to get the info yet.

In the meantime, any suggestions would be appreciated.
 
I have the 3.7mm mat:

http://herbiesaudiolab.net/ttmat.htm

It is nearly identical in thickness to the original rubber mat.

My RD11S looks different from the "Superieur" in the picture, though it may be the same on the inside. The power switch is black (unlighted) and on the lower right of the top. It has the round armboard.

I have yet to get mine perfectly level -- I can get the platter top level, but it is slightly off from the plinth. Since the armboard and platter are on the same plane, I'm a little less concerned about it. I might try swapping the springs around, as they can change their springiness with age. I'm also thinking of trying the black Linn springs.

I'm going to wait though until my arm arrives before I do much more. I ordered an Audiomods arm kit from England:

http://www.audiomods.co.uk/armkits.html

It will take about a month to get here, then I have to build it. Jeff, the Audiomods guy, said he thought these Aristons (RD11/RD11S) are great tables, FWIW.

In the meantime, I'm using a Rega RB300 the Ariston seller loaned to me. When he found out I was thinking of getting an Audiomods, he thought I should see if I like how the Rega plays with the Ariston before buying it. A very nice and generous offer, since I had just met the fellow. It is much appreciated. After a couple of days with the Rega/Ariston, I ordered the Audiomods. Should be pretty sweet!
 
Here's a shot of my RD11S with extra armboards and borrowed Rega RB300:

IMG_2752.jpg


Here's a shot of the underside for comparison purposes:

IMG_2760.jpg


BTW, I spent several hours getting mine set up, and it's still not perfect...sounds incredible though!
 
If I can remember, I'll take some photos tonight.

From your pictures, it looks almost identical except the power switch is on the opposite side. The springs I have on appear to the newer Linn springs the previous owner said he replaced years ago. I'm excited to get it set up but still waiting for the arms, bought a used Mission 774 and a new Jelco 750E that was intending for a different project but if it will fit, I may try it on this unit to see how it performs, will mostly be on another temp armboard.
 
Here are the details I have on the RD11 Superieur.

• Papst motor
• Electronic switching between speeds
• Weight 8.5kg
• 3 point spring suspension
• suspension has 2 springs at each suspension point, and they are coiled in opposite directions
• Separate power supply
• Brushed stainless steel top plate
• Single piece platter (apparently all other Aristons use a two piece platter)
• Platter machined on all surfaces to provide additional rotational stability
• Platter top surface machined slightly concave
• A screw down clamp is used onto the threaded platter spindle to hold the record on the platter mat
• 5th best wow (0.08% peak unweighted) of 18 turntables tested by Australian Hi-fi magazine 1984/85
• Equal best flutter (0.03% peak unweighted) of 18 turntables tested 1984/85 (equal with Heybrook TT2 and Denon DP-57L)
• Equal best wow and flutter (0.05%) using peak weighted standard of 19 turntables tested 1984/85 (equal with Denon DP-57L)
• Equal 2nd best (equal with Mission 775 and CEC ST-510) wow and flutter (0.05%) using RMS unweighted standard of 23 turntables tested 1984/85 (best turntable Denon DP-75 0.04%)
• Equal 5th best rumble ranking (-48dB unweighted) of 23 turntables tested 1984/85

So it was an excellent performer when measured – very close to the best turntable overall that Australian Hi-fi measured for those years, being equal best of all turntables tested in 3 of the 8 tests they recorded (one was speed accuracy, which was exact), second best in another, and 5th best in two others.
 
There are some obvious differences between the "S" and the "Superieur" -- my RD11S has a 2-piece platter, speed switching is manual via moving the belt to a different pulley wheel, and there is only 1 spring in each suspension point. Plus, the spindle is not threaded. However the flutter and wow figures are similarly excellent: w/f of 0.03%, rumble -74dB weighted.
 
Sorry, just getting back to my reply. From the pictures above, the RD11 I have is almost the same with the exception of:
1. Motor pulley uses the added collar which I do not have with this unit but I have another TT that I will use if I do need to run 45s.
2. Switch is on the left side instead.

Everything seems to be an exact match between the RD11 and RD11s that I can visually observe. It does appears the springs were replaced with Lp12 springs, the black colored springs and are in good shape. I decided to try and polish the outer edge of the platter, not done but based on my 20mins or so, the clear coat that was on easily comes of and it can be polished, looks okay for just getting a quick touch to see how it looks.

I was able to spend a few hours this weekend cleaning relubing the motor and spindle bearing and it is running very quiet, amazing for how old this unit is. I have a temporary armboard made to test with my Mission 774LC tonearm with Pickering xv-15 cart....sounds amazing. 33rpm is pretty much dead on using the old that came with the unit, new one is on it's way as it has a tendency to slip off at times when starting and stopping.

And thanks for the info provide so far. Sorry for the dark picture
 

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As promised, here's the picture of the pulley on the RD11, this is the without the 45 adapter. Interestingly the pulley is designed to slip as there is a tension spring that keeps friction but still give enough slippage. I would have thought that it is attached directly to the motor shaft but that's not the case.
 
vsop4me said:
As promised, here's the picture of the pulley on the RD11, this is the without the 45 adapter. Interestingly the pulley is designed to slip as there is a tension spring that keeps friction but still give enough slippage. I would have thought that it is attached directly to the motor shaft but that's not the case.
Click to expand...

Yes, that's the "clutch" I believe. My RD11S doesn't have one, nor the belt guide. Otherwise, aside from the round armboard on mine, they look the same. They do sound great.
 
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