Phoenix Engineering Falcon PSU Turntable Speed Controller

also have an older hw-19 & checked the motor over the wkend: 10 watts!
I would be interested in a 5 w motor compatible w the Falcon as well.

 

Do you have the Hurst model # from your HW19 10W motor? I want to make sure the replacement will be footprint compatible with these as well.

 

Great little mention in Fremer's review of the newest Avid table. Great to see the Phoenix get such good press!

The most relevant bits:

The Speed Stability Solution

The $378 Phoenix Engineering Falcon PSU Turntable Speed Controller and $234 Tachometer arrived simultaneously with the ‘table (you can use just PSU and add later the optional Tachometer). I spent a great deal of time with the ‘table plugged into the wall before trying these units. The full review will be published shortly (there’s a great deal on Mikey’s analog plate).

Adding this $600+ option completely transformed not just the speed stability (and allowed the 'table to reproduce the 3150Hz test tone at the precisely correct speed) but the overall presentation as well. Much of the pleasing midrange fullness receded to reveal sonics much closer to more expensive ‘tables. The midrange fullness was really clouding (pleasing as it was) caused by the speed instability. On the Tony Bennett record, Bennett’s voice became far better focused and clearly defined in space, stage three-dimensionality greatly improved as did overall transparency. It was in some ways like changing the turntable. On the Jacobs record the sustain and decay became far more stable and the sea-sickness subsided to where only the slight eccentricity of the record was audible as it was on the reference ‘table. I am certain that even an inexpensive Pro-Ject Speedbox would produce an improvement but the combination of the Falcon PSU and Tachometer made a huge difference (it requires a magnet to be put on the platter side or bottom read by a Hall sensor attached to a chip that must be placed “just so” but it’s well worth it).

Full review here:

http://www.analogplanet.com/content/avid-“ts-off”-low-priced-ingenium-turntable

 

"A modified Technics SL1200, and I mean modified", do any of the "modifications" relate to speed stability? Why would anyone buy a turntable that needs to be modified, rather than one that was designed right in the first place?

 

Yes, some modifications will improve W&F. I don´t really know if there are TTs that are designed right in the first place. Maybe, I don´t know.

 

Just came across Michael Fremer's review of the PSU and Tach: http://www.analogplanet.com/content/phoenix-engineerings-falcon-psu-and-roadrunner-tachometer

Interesting what he says about the affect it had on sound quality....

 

I wish there were a way to plug my Classic 2 into these! Id buy the PSU/tach package in a heartbeat!

 

The PSU/Tach are pretty cool indeed, but why isn't someone integrating these two units' functionality into their tables?
I would think at volume you could probably build these in for a lot less than $600 and brag that your table actually spins at the proper speed, whereas clearly most do not!

I am thinking of getting a hall proximity sensor / tachometer on ebay for about $20, add a DC power source and I have constant real time speed monitoring for around $25. Yes, I know the RoadRunner does more than that, has more granular display, but for just monitoring, this would be a cool add-on for my Sota Sapphire, and I imagine the accuracy of the pitch pots will make it a struggle to keep within more than one decimal place anyhow.

 

Intriguing idea, for $25 I'd like to try this. Can you post links to the e-bay products you are looking at? How do you connect them together? Will this work with an AC synch motor?

 

Well, I bought this one. I have not received it yet, but it would appear you just put the magnet on your platter and the sensor close enough to read it spinning past...
It should be that easy, but I will know more next week when it shows up! I am envisioning mounting it below my table out of sight like the RoadRunner, and mounting the LED readout piece on my rack.

You could also buy photo/digital tachometers too that just use reflective tape as a sensor (Harbor Freight sells one for $39), or search "photo laser tachometer" on ebay and limit your search to less than $20. A few different ways to do this.

 

@phoenixengr,

Any progress on the 300 rpm motor, either on the motor side or with your Falcon PSU? I am upgrading from the Scout to the new VPI Prime, and that includes the 300 rpm motor. I would have to open it up, but my guess is that it is a 7W unit.

 

It is moving forward, just slower than I anticipated. The motors are coming from overseas; the last quote I received for carriage was $2500. I may have to buy them in the US for much higher cost.

Received the 1st articles of the pulley this week but I wasn't happy with them. I should have workable samples next week.

 

So, I got the hall tachometer unit and it was in fact as easy as I had hoped!
The magnet is a bit thick, but I have clearance for it on my table(s), and I can remote mount the LED display on my stereo rack away from the table (I will likely buy a cheap project box at MicroCenter or RadioShack to give it a more finished look). I believe you could get a thinner magnet if clearance is an issue.

It only has one decimal point, but 33.3 to 33.2 or 33.4 is a 0.3% drift, which according to KAB is the industry standard for broadcast accuracy (they go on to say their speed strobe is 10 times more accurate), but, one decimal point is still pretty useful in letting me know I have a problem.
If I had been more patient, I could have purchased an extra decimal point version [33.xx ] version from China with a selectable mode for the display for even less money.

Recently I have had some significant speed drift on my Sota Sapphire table, much more than 0.3%, so this will alert me when that is happening.
I ordered a new belt from Sota which should arrive this week. If was the easiest thing to try and I have never changed it (not sure about the original owner), so was a no-brainer.
If this is not the solution, it could get pricy to fix though...

Without a pairing like the PSU/Tach to continually recalibrate on the fly, I am not sure the extra degree of accuracy in the display is that important, I have to use my pitch pots on my 30 year old table to adjust things. Sure, I'd love the PSU/RoadRunner combo, impressive kit for sure, but for now it is out of my price range, at least on this aging TT.

 

I haven't read all the posts here, so forgive me - do the 2 items combined monitor and adjust speed in play?

 

That is my understanding, yes.

 

Yes. In addition, voltage is reduced to the synchronous motor (user adjustable) once it is up-to-speed, to reduce motor noise/vibration.

 

I am really intrigued by this speed controller. I recently purchased the Avid Ingenium TT and was also intrigued with Michael Fremer's review of it with the Falcon PSU. Suffice it to say, I have to buy one to satisfy my curiosity.

I am running a VPI Classic with the SDS and a Nottingham Space Ace/Deck with the Wave Mechanic speed controller. I believe both turntables benefit from their connection to these units, especially when listening to delicate and complicated musical passages. Instruments like solo piano, clarinets, and oboes come to mind.

Does anyone in this forum own the Avid Ingenium TT and have opinions about the possible use of an external PSU with it?

BTW, I hooked the VIP SDS up to the Avid, and it does not work with the motor.

 

Don't know about this thread, but an Avid Ingenium owner posted this on AK:

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=580291&page=6

Go down to post #88....

 

Thanks 007 - I will take a look.

Regards

 

Kinda mad that I sold my 600RPM motor when I upgraded to the 300RPM motor on my Scout. I'm also considering the Prime so I'm out of luck either way.

 

Maybe not...Phoenxengr is working on a 300 rpm 5W motor. I have a Prime on order.

 

It looks like they are working on a higher power version of the supply as well: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/vend...-tachometer-dds-based-psu-10.html#post4094292

 

This is great news. No more strobe disks and I can sell the SDS.

 

Received some of the metal work for the new supply so I was able to put everything together in its extrusion and measure the temp. After 30 mins with a 13VA Lenco motor, the heatsink temp reached 128°F. It topped out after 45 mins at ~136°F.

We're going to spec it at 15W max. That should cover just about everything (within reason) out there.

 

Sounds great. Any thoughts yet about price?