RIP John Michell
 

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 18:27:56 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman
wrote:

In article ,
Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
Were those the turntables that didn't have a platter? Balanced the
lp on half-a-dozen pillars?

That was a very old design from the Transcriptors days, the modern
GyroDec looks equally spectacular, but is a more conventional design.

What was the thinking behind that?

Some argued that the record should be allowed to flex naturally.

So that it acted even more like the diaphragm of a microphone and caused
much earlier feedback?

The theory was that vibrations from the stylus would be dissipated
into the air instead of reflected by the platter. Experience and
observation proved this theory to be false, so you don't see any such
tables today, indeed even the asociated Linn theory of unclamped discs
resting on soft felt matss has been effectively discarded, as all the
'high end' tables use clamps or vacuum hold-down to mostly acrylic or
other rigid platters.

And, of course, if the pickup should accidently be knocked off its rest
with the turntable rotating but no disc, it would smash itself to pieces
on one of the pillars...

OUCH!

Didn't other designers clamp the
vinyl to a massive platter?

As do the current Michell turntables.

That's more like it.

Yup, the Orbe is great value, and one of the best at any price.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

RIP John Michell
 

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 23:32:05 GMT, "malcolm"
wrote:

what about the aesthetics of it tho, never mind the practicality..........

Buy an Oracle...............

"Stewart Pinkerton" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 03:14:23 GMT, "malcolm"
wrote:

very nicely engineered turntables and bits,

Indeed yes, and a true craftsman of the old school.

shame the CD project was
abandoned.

Not really, since CD has no need of precision mechanical engineering
outside the transport, which is almost always a perfectly adequate OEM
Sony or Philips unit.

--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

RIP John Michell
 

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 23:32:05 GMT, "malcolm"
wrote:

what about the aesthetics of it tho, never mind the practicality..........

Buy an Oracle...............

"Stewart Pinkerton" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 03:14:23 GMT, "malcolm"
wrote:

very nicely engineered turntables and bits,

Indeed yes, and a true craftsman of the old school.

shame the CD project was
abandoned.

Not really, since CD has no need of precision mechanical engineering
outside the transport, which is almost always a perfectly adequate OEM
Sony or Philips unit.

--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

RIP John Michell
 

In article ,
Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
And, of course, if the pickup should accidently be knocked off its rest
with the turntable rotating but no disc, it would smash itself to pieces
on one of the pillars...

OUCH!

Heh heh. I was *given* a Transcriptors after the pickup jumped off a 45
with the same result - the whole thing was so softly sprung the slightest
knock could do this. So it had a very sad Ortophon SL15E.

I had it on the coffee table as an art object - for which it was better
suited.

--
*Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

RIP John Michell
 

In article ,
Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
And, of course, if the pickup should accidently be knocked off its rest
with the turntable rotating but no disc, it would smash itself to pieces
on one of the pillars...

OUCH!

Heh heh. I was *given* a Transcriptors after the pickup jumped off a 45
with the same result - the whole thing was so softly sprung the slightest
knock could do this. So it had a very sad Ortophon SL15E.

I had it on the coffee table as an art object - for which it was better
suited.

--
*Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Dave Plowman London SW 12
RIP Acorn

RIP John Michell
 

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 19:18:42 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman
wrote:

In article ,
Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
And, of course, if the pickup should accidently be knocked off its rest
with the turntable rotating but no disc, it would smash itself to pieces
on one of the pillars...

OUCH!

Heh heh. I was *given* a Transcriptors after the pickup jumped off a 45
with the same result - the whole thing was so softly sprung the slightest
knock could do this. So it had a very sad Ortophon SL15E.

Aww shucks, that was my phirst MC cart! :-(

I had it on the coffee table as an art object - for which it was better
suited.

Indeed yes - not forgetting its starring role in 'Clockwork Orange'.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

RIP John Michell
 

On Tue, 28 Oct 2003 19:18:42 +0000 (GMT), Dave Plowman
wrote:

In article ,
Stewart Pinkerton wrote:
And, of course, if the pickup should accidently be knocked off its rest
with the turntable rotating but no disc, it would smash itself to pieces
on one of the pillars...

OUCH!

Heh heh. I was *given* a Transcriptors after the pickup jumped off a 45
with the same result - the whole thing was so softly sprung the slightest
knock could do this. So it had a very sad Ortophon SL15E.

Aww shucks, that was my phirst MC cart! :-(

I had it on the coffee table as an art object - for which it was better
suited.

Indeed yes - not forgetting its starring role in 'Clockwork Orange'.
--

Stewart Pinkerton | Music is Art - Audio is Engineering

RIP John Michell
 

In article , Laurence Payne
wrote:

: On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 19:37:50 +0000, Old Fart at Play
: wrote:
:
: PJ wrote:
:
: Just heard on the grapevine , sadly he has died .
:
:
: Who?
:
: Were those the turntables that didn't have a platter? Balanced the
: lp on half-a-dozen pillars?
:
: What was the thinking behind that? Didn't other designers clamp the
: vinyl to a massive platter?


There may have been some real reasoning behind the design, based on then
current research -- that is, a connection between the lack of platter
beneath the record and reducing the deposit of dust on the record's outer
edge by changing the flow of air currents -- there was, I think, An AES
paper on this by Percy Wilson, then editor of the Gramophone, presented ca
1964, which I think ties in with the products introduction. The popularity
of the clamp and massive platter approach came much later than the 1960s.

RIP John Michell
 

In article , Laurence Payne
wrote:

: On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 19:37:50 +0000, Old Fart at Play
: wrote:
:
: PJ wrote:
:
: Just heard on the grapevine , sadly he has died .
:
:
: Who?
:
: Were those the turntables that didn't have a platter? Balanced the
: lp on half-a-dozen pillars?
:
: What was the thinking behind that? Didn't other designers clamp the
: vinyl to a massive platter?


There may have been some real reasoning behind the design, based on then
current research -- that is, a connection between the lack of platter
beneath the record and reducing the deposit of dust on the record's outer
edge by changing the flow of air currents -- there was, I think, An AES
paper on this by Percy Wilson, then editor of the Gramophone, presented ca
1964, which I think ties in with the products introduction. The popularity
of the clamp and massive platter approach came much later than the 1960s.

RIP John Michell
 

On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 17:00:53 GMT, (Stewart
Pinkerton) wrote:

Were those the turntables that didn't have a platter? Balanced the
lp on half-a-dozen pillars?

That was a very old design from the Transcriptors days, the modern
GyroDec looks equally spectacular, but is a more conventional design.

What was the thinking behind that?

Some argued that the record should be allowed to flex naturally.

Didn't other designers clamp the
vinyl to a massive platter?

As do the current Michell turntables.

Oh right. Snake-oil.
I suspected as much when I used to read Hi-fi magazines (at college c.
1970)