Schitt Sol Turntable

[anmpr1]

One advantage of the unipivot: it's all one bearing!

I am curious about unipivots. If the pivot is one point, below the armtube, it seems to me that the arm would be capable of eccentric rotational forces at the side of the armtube. On the other hand, if the unipivot is a bipivot (with a needle point both below and above the arm) it would be fixed not able to rotate in a side to side motion. The only unipivot I owned was an old Kieth Monks arm, but I never mounted it and don't remember its details. Most of the unipivots I recall were oil damped.

 

[anmpr1]

How does vacuum hold down work when the dish shape is inverted, i.e., the rim is higher than the centre?

The vacuum was supposed to be across the surface of the disc, thus it didn't matter which side was up. The force would suck down both the middle and outer edge of the record at the same time. I never used one, so I don't have first hand experience. I know Micro and Lux made turntables with the feature. AT had an 'add on' device that was claimed to retrofit any turntable. I've also seen heavy 'rim' rings that were claimed to hold down these types of warps.

 

[Thomas_A]

As long as the arm can track it, I keep it. What is also problematic are concave/convex warps of the entire disc. A record weight or other clamp down holder can fix one side, but has no effect on the on the other. Vacuum hold down was available at certain price points to deal with this.

Record eccentricity is another problem. The only 'solution' to this I recall was the Nakamichi centering turntable.

Not the only one:

 

[anmpr1]

Not the only one:

I'm pretty speechless. All I can say is WOW...and flutter.

 

[AudioSceptic]

The vacuum was supposed to be across the surface of the disc, thus it didn't matter which side was up. The force would suck down both the middle and outer edge of the record at the same time. I never used one, so I don't have first hand experience. I know Micro and Lux made turntables with the feature. AT had an 'add on' device that was claimed to retrofit any turntable. I've also seen heavy 'rim' rings that were claimed to hold down these types of warps.

I just wondered how you got a seal. Surely you need to hold down all of the record edge at once to get the vacuum started?

 

[Soniclife]

Not the only one:

Roksan had a much more low tech and manual solution to the problem, up to a few mm, they had a lift of centre cap allowing you to move the record.

 

[AudioSceptic]

Roksan had a much more low tech and manual solution to the problem, up to a few mm, they had a lift of centre cap allowing you to move the record.

I remember that. It must be really hard to get it exactly right, though?

 

[Soniclife]

I remember that. It must be really hard to get it exactly right, though?

I found it a right pain for the 1 record I own that was bad enough to need it.

 

[Frank Dernie]

Roksan had a much more low tech and manual solution to the problem, up to a few mm, they had a lift of centre cap allowing you to move the record.

The main reason for the removable centre spindle was the designer's wish for there to be no metal contact with the record though.
The instruction was to put the disc on the table then remove the centre spindle before playing it, leaving its small diameter guide. I didn't hear a difference so didn't bother.

 

[Soniclife]

The main reason for the removable centre spindle was the designer's wish for there to be no metal contact with the record though.
The instruction was to put the disc on the table then remove the centre spindle before playing it, leaving its small diameter guide. I didn't hear a difference so didn't bother.

I didn't hear any difference either, so almost never bothered. Oddly I don't recall any other owner claiming it made a difference either, surprising for a free tweak in hifi.

 

[AudioSceptic]

The main reason for the removable centre spindle was the designer's wish for there to be no metal contact with the record though.
The instruction was to put the disc on the table then remove the centre spindle before playing it, leaving its small diameter guide. I didn't hear a difference so didn't bother.

Didn't Touraj also insist that it was a Record Player, not a Turntable?

 

[anmpr1]

I just wondered how you got a seal. Surely you need to hold down all of the record edge at once to get the vacuum started?

I'd imagine as much. My impression was that the vacuum was a one time thing, and not continuous. One it was set it held for the length of the record. Below is a video of an aftermarket vacuum accessory from Japan. It's evidently a thousand dollars. Not cheap, but probably more effective at what it does than fancy cables. Not my cup of suck-o-lux, but YMMV. The old Micro system, and the current Air Force implementations are the Dyson Animals of the bunch... expense-wise.

 

[AudioSceptic]

I'd imagine as much. My impression was that the vacuum was a one time thing, and not continuous. One it was set it held for the length of the record. Below is a video of an aftermarket vacuum accessory from Japan. It's evidently a thousand dollars. Not cheap, but probably more effective at what it does than fancy cables. Not my cup of suck-o-lux, but YMMV. The old Micro system, and the current Air Force implementations are the Dyson Animals of the bunch... expense-wise.

So it's a soft mat that gets sucked onto the record. I can see that working.

 

[Soniclife]

Didn't Touraj also insist that it was a Record Player, not a Turntable?

I thought that was Rega, but I've never understood the point they were making, whoever it was.

 

[Thomas_A]

I'm pretty speechless. All I can say is WOW...and flutter.

I think the guy who made this (rather simple tech) contacted some manufacturers and asked if there was any interest. I think they replied and thought it was interesting but then never returned. I once had a similar idea to control speed using the 0.555 Hz signal filtered from the RIAA stage. I think it would be very easy to make a higher fidelity turntable with these ideas, but as we know most turntables are not made with that goal today. They sell if they are visually impressive/attractive.

It is by the way rather easy to apply a manual Nakamichi method by having a slippery mat (felt) and adjusting the record while looking at the tonearm movement. It takes a few seconds to do a reasonably good alignment and it works as long as there is a little play between center hole and spindle.

 

[AudioSceptic]

I thought that was Rega, but I've never understood the point they were making, whoever it was.

Nor me, and I've probably got that wrong anyway.

 

[Hugo9000]

I wonder if anyone here kept a Sol and is part of the "beta" testing, and can offer an update?

 

[watchnerd]

I wonder if anyone here kept a Sol and is part of the "beta" testing, and can offer an update?

 

[Hugo9000]

It exploded and the shrapnel took out your eye?

 

[bigx5murf]

Sounds like the Sol is getting discontinued

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sch...bable-start-up.701900/page-3673#post-15388698