"Laurence Payne" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:49:56 +0100, Patrick James
wrote:

A prime example of design over engineering. Ideal coffee table exhibit.
Just don't try and use it.

I've used it for over twenty years and found it to be quite superb.

I can't believe it was designed on any engineering principles except
"this looks impressively hi-tec and expensive". Despite it's apparent
failure to provide the basic function of a platter - solid support for
the disc - did it really manage to sound special?


It was a triumph of style over function, designed to appeal to those (who
are still with us today, of course) to whom what a HiFi system looks like is
more important than what it sounds like. And you have to admit it does look
"special".

David.

In article ,
David Looser wrote:
It was a triumph of style over function, designed to appeal to those
(who are still with us today, of course) to whom what a HiFi system
looks like is more important than what it sounds like.

In one. The ideal, of course, is something which works well *and* looks
good.

And you have to admit it does look "special".

Yes. I actually have one. Was given it broken. But don't use it. It just
looks nice on a shelf. Along with a Nagra. Which does work well.

The reason it was broken? It belonged to a mate who was so fed up with the
faults in performance I described earlier, that he through it out of a
window...

--
*How many roads must a man travel down before he admits he is lost? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Patrick James wrote:
Hi

I hope that it is fine for me to mention that I have put my
Transcriptor Hydraulic Reference turntable for sale at eBay.

Here is a link to it:

http://is.gd/35C9Q

Just in case the link goes wonky for some reason here is the item
number: 260474245281


Normal listening will now resume...

A prime example of design over engineering. Ideal coffee table exhibit.
Just don't try and use it.

--
*I'm really easy to get along with once people learn to worship me

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Wasn't it originally designed as a film prop ? - A Clockwork Orange, I
think, although it may have been 2001 A Space Odysee. Fortunately they got
it right with the Gyrodek.

Geoff MacK

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:44:23 +0100, "Geoff Mackenzie"
wrote:


"Dave Plowman (News)" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Patrick James wrote:
Hi

I hope that it is fine for me to mention that I have put my
Transcriptor Hydraulic Reference turntable for sale at eBay.

Here is a link to it:

http://is.gd/35C9Q

Just in case the link goes wonky for some reason here is the item
number: 260474245281


Normal listening will now resume...

A prime example of design over engineering. Ideal coffee table exhibit.
Just don't try and use it.

--
*I'm really easy to get along with once people learn to worship me

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Wasn't it originally designed as a film prop ? - A Clockwork Orange, I
think, although it may have been 2001 A Space Odysee. Fortunately they got
it right with the Gyrodek.

Geoff MacK


Any deck that supports the record on six points can never be described
as "right". It is a ridiculous thing to do. The record must sag
between the points and cause a rhythmic 3.3Hz vertical thump through
the stylus, severely compromising headroom in the preamp.

The best a turntable can do, of course, is not make things any worse -
they can never be great.

And I thought that the hydraulic reference was mid-tide at Newlyn.

d

"Don Pearce" wrote


Any deck that supports the record on six points can never be described
as "right". It is a ridiculous thing to do. The record must sag
between the points


This is a joke - right?

On Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:53:17 +0100, "Keith G"
wrote:


"Don Pearce" wrote


Any deck that supports the record on six points can never be described
as "right". It is a ridiculous thing to do. The record must sag
between the points


This is a joke - right?


Of course not. How could a flexible plastic record not sag between
those suspension points? Remember that we are talking thousandths of
an inch to create a big signal, not a sag like a row of bunting. A
record needs to be supported over its whole surface, as flat as
possible.

d

Hi

My late father designed this in 1964, while he was based at Borhamwood
(where J A Michell is now located after taking over my fathers factory when
we left for Ireland), Stanley Kubrick visited my father and asked if he
could borrow one for the film which he agreed to but never saw it again. My
father won many awards for the turntable and also went onto design the
Saturn, Skeleton, Round and Transcriber turntables.

We still make the Reference along with the Spyder and T6.

As for the comments regarding just using the turntable as a display piece
you need to bear this mind, it was the first turntable to use belt drive in
Europe and well as being the first UK exhibit in MoMA in New York where it
has just been put back on display and all the turntable manufactures that
produce turntables today bear all there design origins back to the hydraulic
weather they like it or not.

Also my father issued J A Michell a manufacturing licsense to produce the
Hydraulic under his company name. J A Michell did not start to produce
turntables until 1973 when he got the hydraulic to make along with the
Electronic reference which my late father also designed but did not make it
as he already had the agreement with Michell which was cancelled in
Novemeber 1973 when he found out Michell was passing our components off as
his

Regards

Michael Gammon (Son)
Managing Director
Transcriptors Limited
www.transcriptors.net

url:http://myreader.co.uk/msg/132817663.aspx