Mag Lev Audio levitating turntable

yep it's a new Kickstarter. Friend just sent it to me. Don't see how it can be done at this price point. It's only a few hundred more than a low end pro-next or music hall.

MAG-LEV Audio | The First Levitating Turntable »

 

MAG-LEV will be an ideal match with an MC cartridge.

 

Good luck with that. That platter had more wobble than John Goodman's chin.




I'm reminded of Kurt Vonnegut's novel "The Sirens of Titan" and how the company belonging to its protagonist, Malachi Constant, was in the midst of financial ruin from lawsuits stemming from unsafe products, among them, I believe, Moon Mist Cigarettes and the Mag Lev (I believe) chair, which had inflicted a number of injuries when it suddenly shot out sideways when thrown out of it's tenuous balance. I can only imagine the uproar when someone low numbered "White Album" goes soaring like Odd Job's hate into the china cabinet.

 

I'm curious to read more thoughts on this.

 

My recollection is that the Platine Verdier--a robust turntable from France that has been around a long time--used an opposed magnet arrangement for the platter bearing. I think Verdier made a more up to date version --and had some commercial relationship with Auditorium 23. Monsieur Verdier has passed away as I recall, and I don't know what the current status of his company is, but I know the table has long been highly regarded. I don't think the platter "levitates" in any noticeable way--but the concept, using magnets to suspend the platter--seems to be the same, but with far more mass. (and at a price, but those tables do show up used, and aren't crazy money for something that was, and may still be a state of the art vinyl playback machine).

 

There have been turntables with magnetic platter bearings going back to a Stanton design in the '60s off and on I think. I dunno what's the deal with this Kickstarter project. But the idea of a magnetic platter bearing has been around.

 

Neat. I would be more interested in the concept of magnetic levitation as it pertains to turntable isolation

 

Levitating the platter several inches above the plinth is much more visually impressive than some common been-there-done-that style of non-contact magnetic bearing that only manages a few millimeters of levitation that is barely noticeable.

 

I feel like the 80 dollars I spent on a speedbox defeats the entire gimmick of this table. There's no way that the platter can spin accurately.

 

Very cool if they can pull it off.

 

Will it come with a complimentary Exorcist soundtrack LP?

 

Or Hawkwind's 'Levitation'?

 

It should come with a hoop that you can pass over and around the platter as it is levitating. To prove that there are no strings or other supports holding it up. Just like a magician passing a hoop over a levitating woman to prove to the audience that she's really levitating.

 

Yes and the sound actually comes from Spotify!

 

BTW, this is made by Clearaudio, which uses magnetic bearing platters in many of their turntables.

 

It is a really stupid idea. Any sound in the room will make the platter vibrate around the equilibrium position without any dampening. I bet it will sound a total mess.

 

I cannot imagine this thing being able to maintain extremely stable RPM and tracking force. Even if it works, other than the novelty factor why would anyone buy this? If they do actually ship product, chances are they'll go bust fairly soon and when something goes wrong, your screwed.

 

I can't help but wonder if those magnets/electro-magnets will introduce any noise into the system or attract dust. It does look cool, imho, but I think it will cause more issues than it solves (does it solve any?).

 

Wouldn't a levitating Plinth make more sense for reducing rumble, vibration noise?

 

There are tables that use magnetic levitation so that the shaft running in the bearing never touches down at the bottom (no ball and thrustplate). If you press downward on the platter there is movement and a feeling like you are compressing something (the closer the platter and the opposing magnet get, the stronger the repulsion, which is why it feels like trying to compress a spring). I know a few friends whose Verdier tables work that way. Another friend had a Gabriel that was very much like the Verdier. I believe ClearAudio also uses the same approach. There are other brands where the opposing magnets are used slightly differently. The magnetic force is not enough to actually levitate the platter, but, it does reduce the downforce of the ball on the end of the spindle pressing on the thrustplate. The idea is that there still is a pathway for vibration in the platter to be transmitted away through the thrustplate, but the lower weight grinding away on the thrustplate reduces noise from friction and wear.

 

Wouldn't magnets that strong interfere with the magnets in the pickup?

 

No, the magnets are quite small ring magnets that are only located near the spindle, and the platter is usually thick enough that the cartridge never comes close to the magnets. This is not like the Thorens 124 where the whole platter is made of iron and is barely separated from the cartridge by the thickness of a thin platter mat and the thickness of the record itself.

 

Also, that video is way over the top. Why not even use a flat record for your crazy over-produced demo vid? And worst of all, that guy doesn't seem to understand the concept of a sweet-spot, so there'sno way I'm basing a turntable purchase on his recommendation.

That said, it's pretty sweet lookin.'

 

That makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.