Koetsu and the original Urushi

The Koetsu cartridge line and history are often misunderstood. This is to a large degree due to dealers who are, well..., dealers. Koetsu does not issue any spiel of their own. Between the never ending nonsense of dealers and no other information for reference it is easy to understand how a knowledge drift occurred.

The purpose of this blog post is to put forward the best information I have on what a Koetsu is and how to implement them well. The single best source of data I have is from a late night internet search years ago which turned up an unattributed 4 pages of information. However the unattributed information matched and helped make order out of the bits and pieces put together over the years. If anyone has other information please reply to this blog and I will update or change information as well as possible. Before we go further and get to the pictures let me state one thing about these cartridges, they need a heavy tonearm and a powerful turntable to get them to their designed performance level. All the nonsense out there about them being warm and loose in the bass is generated by people trying to run them on insufficient mass tonearms and insufficient torque turntables. Get yourself some mass and some torque if you want to play with these big boys and if you wish to comment intelligently on their sound. 

Here is the late night search content:

"Yoshiaki Sugano ( Sugano San ) was born in Japan in 1907 the son of a doctor . His life long hobbies included traditional Japanese swords , boxing and audio . He appears to have learnt metallurgy in order to repair broken swords. He studied political science in the 1930's at Meiji University and after graduation worked as a professional boxer for 3 years . At various times he worked with Shuihiro Nagata from Japanese Wireless Corporation and at Telefunken building valve amplifiers. After working briefly at Ford Motors he spent the bulk of his working life at the then recently created Toyota. He retired in 1967 from Toyota and started to experiment with modified Ortofon cartridges by substituting his own parts.
The name Koetsu was chosen for Sugano's range of cartridges in honor of his hero Honami Koetsu, a renaissance Japanese sword maker and artist. Some sources quote Sugano as being a direct descendent of Koetsu but this may be fanciful or a miss-translation. Technical characteristics of Koetsu cartridges tend toward use of high purity metals, both in the, initially, 4N copper coils of his generators and the metal formers on which the coils were wound. His stators are of simple but rigid high quality construction with unusually thick, hand-finished pole-pieces. The rubber dampers for the coils were pre-aged to produce very stable long term characteristics. Cantilevers were principally of boron giving a particularly good trade off between mass
( undesirable ) and stiffness ( desirable ). Diamonds are natural, nude ( un-tipped ) with an elliptical profile and, at least on the earlier models, a shaft elongated in the direction of the cantilever, presumably to improve the area of contact between diamond and cantilever. Tension wire has been said to be made of beryllium. All cartridges are of the low output moving coil configuration. Sugano appears to have sourced the raw materials for his cartridges from contacts in industry and universities. The long-term stability of Koetsu cartridges probably accounts for the fact that many buyers and sellers of these items dramatically under-estimate their age. Sugano combined a high degree of technical knowledge with traditional craftsmanship in the production of his cartridges but defaulted to using his ears as the final judge of the quality of his products and consequently largely omitted to publish technical data on his cartridges. He appears to have used an idler driven Garrard 401 turntable as his benchmark for listening tests . Depending on the perceived quality of the generator thus created a body was added of either standard ( Rosewood ) design or if of higher quality, stone ( originally onyx ).
Ranges:
Koetsu Black This model was apparently intended as an entry level device and the first two versions were made OEM by Musashino Audio Laboratories. The stator of the first Koetsu black bears little resemblance to later models but a cross-bar mounted generatotor, boron cantilever and standard stylus are retained.
Stylus & Cantilever Arrangement:
The boron cantilever is tapered at the end and the diamond inserted into a longitudinal split . The diamond is unusual in having a shaft elongated in the direction of the cantilever - presumably to increase the coupling with the cantilever, but unfortunately increasing tip mass. Superficial inspection makes the diamond appear to have been rotated through 90 ° compared to a conventional stylus . The tip has a super-elliptical profile. Several reviewers commented on the relatively large amount of glue used to secure the diamond.
Mark 1
About 1980 - serial numbers 5xxxx to 52xxx. Body dimensions for sample cartridge are Length 23.94mm (base): Width 10.11mm: Height 14.36mm rear 15.15mm front Weight is 9.9g. Coil resistance 4.6 Ω. Output 0.64mV @ 1,Hz 5 cm/s Compliance 7.7 cu The shallow recess under the cantilever and a screw on the front of the body only appear on this version. Later versions have a simple slot under the cantilever. The cowl over the generator starts at a line joining the mid-points of the fixing holes. About 3000 cartridges appear to have been made but the design was not universally well- reviewed .
Mark 2
About 1982 - serial numbers 527xx to 55xxx. Body dimensions for sample cartridge are Length 24.07 mm (base): Width 10mm: Height 14.46mm rear 15.1mm front. Weight is 11.2g. Coil resistance 4.9 Ω . Recommended Loading 50 - 500 Ω Output 0.45mV @ 1,Hz 5cm/s Frequency Response 10Hz - 50 Hz Compliance 14 cu. Channel Separation 30dB. Channel balance 0.2dB (average) Vertical Tracking Force 1.7 to 2.2g. Body shape is very similar to the modern Koetsu range and the generator is much more typical of the later black. The shallow recess under the cantilever has gone and is replaced by a simple slot. The screw on the front of the body has also gone. The different generator design results in the cowl over the generator being moved further forward, beyond the mid-point of the fixing holes. This cartridge was generally more favourably reviewed but there is some evidence that it was produced in smaller numbers than the Mark 1 or quality control was more stringent than with the MK1. “ his obsession with quality still leads to a large number of finished Blacks being scrapped – much to the importer’s dismay” - Hi Fi News 1982 .
Mark 3
( Original Goldline ) About 1985 - serial numbers 1xxxx to 13xxx. The appearance of the Goldline coincided with Koetsu using the Dynavector dealership and since Musashino's name no longer appeared under the cartridge it is tempting to assume that Dynavector were an OEM manufacturer for the goldline. Body dimensions for sample cartridge are Length 22.63mm, Width 10.09mm, Height 14.65mm rear - 13.83mm front, Weight 12.1g, Coil resistance 4.9 Ω. Output level 0.36mv @ 1,Hz 5cm/s, Channel balance 0.2 db, Compliance 13cu, Channel separation 30db, Vertical Tracking Force 1.8g ( typical ). The body no longer features a generator cowl and the cantilever emerges from a simple slot. Internally the generator is similar to the Musashino Mark 2 version but quality of finish is noticeably higher. The body is also less resonant but heavier than the Mark 2. Visually the cartridge is distinguished from the later goldline by the black generator cover and the ( usual ) absence of reinforcing rings on the cartridge mounting lugs. The apparent reinforcement rings on the picture are simply the result of paint being removed by the process of bolt tightening, but a later second batch appears to have been made featuring reinforcement rings ( Serial numbers - 13xxx ). A version may have been produced for use at higher ambient temperatures. These may have a box marked 25°c and are alleged to have a damper which becomes stiffer with rising temperature. However only one such example has appeared in recent times on the internet and may simply be the result of over-zealous marketing to a wavering buyer.
Rosewood
The original Rosewood is said by various sources to have appeared at " the end of the seventies ". Earliest versions clearly have parts in common with the Supex SD900 but the body is heavier probably due to a more powerful magnet and more rigid generator assembly giving greater output and detail resolution. The original Longbody Rosewood was introduced in about 1979 with a 001 serial number but the Mark 2 version appearing about 1982 seems to have started again at 001 and this Sugano San " main sequence " seems to then have run to 1990 and serial numbers around 15200, giving an annual production of about 1900 cartridges. It is not Known whether the serial number was added before or after quality control was carried out hence the number of marketed cartridges may be substantially less than this. It is assumed that early production was slower, while designs were being developed and less efficiently made. Similarly later production was likely to be slower as the aging Sugano San was less able to carry out assembly and demand less with the increasing dominance of the CD format at least in the mass market.
Mark 1 MC1 ( Longbody )
About 1979 to 1982. This cartridge appears in two different series . The first series has a black coverplate, an inked serial number and the letters R and L to indicate channels ( illustrated ). The compliance is around 7 to 8.5cu. A later series 2 cartridge has a silver cover plate, a stamped serial number and higher compliance of around 12cu. The later series 2 Longbody certainly appears to have been available by the end of 1980. The MC1 differs from later cartridges in having a cantilever with an aluminium inner core coated with boron. Body dimensions for sample cartridge are Length 31.18mm (base), Width 9.94mm, Height 15.8mm rear, 16.55mm front, Magnet – Samarium Cobalt, Cantilever – boron on aluminium, Weight 12.3g, Coil Resistance 5 Ω, Output level 0.56mV @ 1,Hz 5cm/s, Compliance ( of sample ) 8 cu. Separation > 35dB, An early Mark 1 Rosewood has a "long- body", a brushed aluminium crossbar mounted generator with an elongated and truncated pyramidal rear pole piece. The generator cowl is soft rubber and separate to the main cover . The serial number 0354 is inked onto the crossbar base and no country of origin is printed suggesting this early sample was intended for domestic consumption only. A slightly later sample, 1060 has the number impressed into the generator crossbar together with the word "JAPAN" suggesting that worldwide demand was rapidly established. The earlier rosewood has a black generator cover but the 1060 has a silver cover.

Mark 2
About 1982 onward Not withstanding detail improvements, this was essentially the archetype Rosewood for the remainder of the Sugano San period at Koetsu. Sugano San serial numbers appear to run from 001 to at least 15200. Stylus and Cantilever arrangement Compared to the Koetsu black, the stylus mounting arrangement is enhanced by addition of a rectangular metal plate at the base of the diamond shaft acting as a collar. Glue application is also more even and precise. Again, superficial inspection makes the diamond appear to have been rotated through 90°. Body dimensions for sample cartridge are: Length 24.45 mm at base, Width 10.22 mm, Height: 14.22 mm rear, 15.05 mm front, Weight 9.7g, Coil resistance 3.9 Ω, Output 0.34mV @ 1,Hz 5cm/s, Channel balance 0dB, Channel Separation 30dB, Compliance 10 cu, Vertical Tracking Force 1.9g (typical), This has essentially the same body shape as the Mark 2 Musashino Black. Later 2 variants were produced - a " Signature " version with a higher specification, particularly more closely matched coils, and this body shape, a slightly cheaper " Standard " version having the Mark 3 Goldline Black body shape. Some versions of the standard may also have been produced with silver wire coils and feature an "S" prefix to the serial number. Reinforcement rings on the mounting lugs are thought to have appeared between 1985 and 1987 , probably between serial numbers 12214 and 12832 .
Onyx Body
Dimensions for sample cartridge are Length 24.58 mm at base, Width 10.21 mm, Height 14.31 mm rear, 15.28 mm front, Weight 11.9g, Coil resistance 5.1 Ω, The Onyx version of the Mark 2 cartridge comprises the only stone bodied cartridge of the Sugano San period and although of higher performance than the rosewood it is the later Urushi which is the top model of this period. This contrasts with the Fumihiko ( modern ) range in which the Urushi sits below the stone bodied cartridges which generally have the platinum magnets. Onyx cartridges appear in clusters of serial numbers, prominently a 10xxx series and a 129xx series. It is assumed that as generators were auditioned, the better products were held back and sent in batches to have Onyx bodies added.
Urushi Mk 1
about 1990. By the end of the 1980's demand for phono cartridges was rapidly diminishing and it seems that Koetsu were probably not operating as a commercial company for 3 to 4 years after 1990. Sugano San was reaching the end of his career as a craftsman but continued to advise his sons on the development of new models. The Urushi Mark 1 is essentially Sugano San's swan song product and a stunning example of Japanese decorative art deemed far too expensive to reproduce on the later " Mark 2 " Urushi models. Unusually the Mark 1 Urushi body shell appears on generators from several different series. A unique generator series xxx ( 3 digits ) from the Sugano San "main sequence" xxxxx from the 82xxx generator series (From Fumihiko Sugano series ) . It may be that a number of body shells were originally produced that Sugano San was no longer able to complete generators for and hence some earlier generators were used and possibly some made by his sons. Body dimensions for sample cartridge are Length 24.23mm, Width 9.47mm, Height 13.97mm rear, 15.24mm front, Weight 11.9g, Coil resistance 3.5 Ω, Output level 0.56 mV @ 1,Hz 5cm/s, Compliance ( sample ) 8.4 cu. Vertical Tracking Force 1.8 to 2 g. The body comprises an aluminium framework coated in a thick layer of Urushi tree resin and finally the decorative finish applied . This differs from later Urushi models which comprise the Urushi resin on a rosewood body. This was the first model to incorporate platinum magnets to control eddy currents. Urushi lacquer is a natural material made from the sap of trees grown in East Asian countries. The Urushi is in very limited supply. The deciduous Urushi tree takes 15 years to reach maturity and each mature tree can only supply 200 grams of sap. The Urushi sap (which is poisonous) is then mixed with other compounds to form the lacquer. If applied to a surface and kept in high humidity it slowly sets (hardens) into a hard, durable, waterproof and lustrous finish which is resistant to most other materials.
Approximate Ages of Koetsu Cartridges:
Rosewood MC1 ( Longbody ) 1979 to 1982 Serial Numbers 81xxx ? Fumihiko Sugano * Rosewood Mark 2 ( Sugano San ) Year of manufacture = 1982 + ( serial number / 1900 ) approx? Fumihiko Sugano and other family members, Serial Numbers 46xxx circa 1987, 190xxx pre 1987 ( no re-inforcement rings), 49xxx circa 1989, 82xxx circa 1989, early numbers 89xxx circa 1989, 92xxx circa 1991, 82xxx 1998 to 2003, late numbers 6xxxx 2003 to 2006, 7xxxx 2006 onwards,
  
Black Mark 1 – Serial Numbers 5xxxx to 52xxx – 1980 to 1982, Black Mark 2 – Serial Numbers 53xxx to 55xxx – 1982 to 1985, Black Mark 3 ( Goldline ) Serial Numbers 1xxxx to 13xxx 1985 onwards, Urushi Mark 1 – about 1990 . * The "8" prefix appears both before and after control of the company passed to Fumihiko Sugano and it is therefore assumed to denote a cartridge made by him. In Chinese and Japanese culture the number "8" has connotations of " good luck ". The numbers 0 , 6 and 9 also have positive meanings and accordingly may denote cartridges made by other members of the Sugano family"
                                - Unattributed

In the latter section comes the mention of the Urushi MKI. Lovely collector's item.

They were the first Koetsu to have platinum magnets and the last to be built by Koetsu founder Yoshiaki Sugano. A solid metal case with thick Urushi Lacquer weighs in at 13g and paved the way for the stone bodies.

I stumbled upon one of these more than ten years ago. Later I had a MKI Onyx as well as a Coral Stone. I preferred the Urushi even though I did not know it had platinum magnets and was the last model built by the founder himself.

I was about to try a another stone body when I saw serial number 8022, very close in serial number and a bit earlier in sequence, which had not suffered a third party rebuild. It soon will go back to Koetsu to have its aged suspension rebuilt.

Move the Groove

In consideration of vinyl playback it has long been my thinking that the motor is the heart of the endeavour. It is, after all, what moves the groove and it is the groove's motion against the stylus which creates sound. The nature of this motion occurs on the micron level and is then grossly magnified. A phono preamp for a low output moving coil cartridge will have around 60 decibels of gain meaning a magnification factor of 800 to get it to line level. This is then further amplified by a following line stage and amplifier. Given the very high level of magnification those 1 to 20 microns of stylus movement are under it is natural to conclude that the nature of the motion itself will be readily discernible to the naked ear.

Any cogging, vibration or lack of stability will be subject to the same X 800 magnification. Added to this is the ever changing drag of the stylus in the modulated groove degrading the stability of speed for which the motor and its controller has to compensate. The nature of this compensation is similarly under the scrutiny of X 800 magnification. I have said before it is the inductive compensation of shaded pole motors (and their ample size) found on idler drive turntables which accounts more for their sonics than the type of drive mechanism.

Long ago when a Galibier turntable was driven with a Garrard 301 via a belt and sounded more like a 301 than it did a Galibier the motors significance was made plain. This was true of other motors and turntable combinations. Therefore I propose that the major influence of character in a turntable is determined by the motor, not the platter, bearing or drive mechanism given that any of these are of sufficient quality not to be a grossly limiting factor. This conclusion directed experimentation in motors and this blog is to highlight some of the results of these experiments.

In order to frame the variable of motor influencing audible performance the constants were the rest of the turntable. These motors were all tried with the Foundation turntable combination of platter, bearing, plinths and support - details of which can be found in other posts on this blog. 

Emulating the inductive speed stabilisation of shaded pole motors, which utilise inductive storage to maintain speed with varying load, this simple but elegant circuit employs analogue current sensing and proportional compensation resulting in a similar "natural motion" to maintain speed under varying load. This motor controller circuit is critical to the performance and impressions shared here. It was this which caused me to undertake the entire turntable project. 

The thinking was: "if this has been overlooked for so long what else is being missed?"

The controller also utilises purpose designed motor regulators rather than ubiquitous LM317 types. A Schottky fully choke loaded DC supply supports this with a quiet and fast supply. Battery would be better still... I used to have to perf board these until I had a PCB made. 

The motor depicted here is the favourite by a large margin. It is the high precision Maxon DCX 22mm unit. More on this later in the post...

Here are some of the motors tried on this sled: left to right, AC on top to DC on bottom.

Pabst KLZ three phase AC, Lenco, Garrard shaded pole - similar to the 301 motor but smaller,

Premotec 18105, Premtotec 16141 (as used by Verdier), Maxon 226774, Maxon DCX 22mm.

On to the most interesting part (to me) which is the subjective impression left by each of these. As a frame the Premtotec 16141 was the base line as it has a long history of success and I had become very familiar with it over perhaps a decade in the Platine Verdier.

Pabst KLZ three phase:

There is no doubt this is the powerhouse of the lot. I do not believe stylus drag has any influence on it at all. The flywheel effect of the rotating case is enormous and the power is more than obvious. The greatest negative was a mechanical presentation. Capacitors were used for phase provision and this was not the best way to go about its power supply. I had thoughts of creating a controller with signal generators and Class D amplifiers but in the end the high noise level of the motor with the wind it generated as well as the lack of detail and mechanical presentation eliminated it for further development. Its power was not forgotten.

Lenco and Little Garrard:

Having spun several Lencos as well as 301s for years I know these motors well. I find the Lenco more precise perhaps than the Garrard however it does not have the same groove factor. On the Foundation it was clear the Garrard was more organic sounding or more human. Perhaps it is better to say the Lenco was more HiFi and the Garrard more about music. The differences were small and overall more similar than different. This little Garrard is not the same as a 301 or 401 motor. The thinking was that it might be lower noise than these while still providing the shaded pole inductive regulation of speed change however while having the same kind of presentation it was not as dynamic or expansive. 

Premotec 18105:

The little Premotec was a bit of a lark. Some turntable manufactures use it and I thought it might have a chance at lower noise than its big brother. In any case it was a data point. It was the low man on the pole with poor dynamics and not much else to offset this disappointment. I am not a fan of low torque motors although there is a limited genre of them with heavy platters and woefully low torque motors. This provides a very slo mo vibrato. The platter gradually slowing down and speeding up in cycles as the motor does its best being dragged around by a heavy platter. This creates an artificial lushness but the slow speed cycling can be slightly nauseating. 

Premtotec 16141

The Verdier sourced motor is a serious piece of kit with an established reputation. Back in the day many die hard idler devotees claimed the Platine Verdier Granito was the one belt driven turntable to have. I found that with battery power (to assist the poor little LM317 who was having its regulation raped and pillaged by the motor EMI) it had much of the idler dynamics and frame with the lyricism and lovely decays of the other camp. In this comparison it is significantly more dynamic (due to the controller mentioned above) while still notably easy on the ears with depth and tone qualities which engage one to listen for depth and nuance in the music. At its price point it is on its own pinnacle. I have not of heard of anything that can do what it does for its price.

Maxon 226774

If one is willing to spend five times more this motor has a slightly more dynamics and engagement with a shade less lyricism than the 16141. My determination is that it was a push between them - the 16141 slightly more nuanced and the 226774 slight more dynamic. My hat came off to the memory M. Verdier. He found a real gem with good margin for commercial profit. I slightly preferred the 226774 as being brought up with live music I have found dynamics to be essential but the 16141 is no slouch and it had other things to offer, organic, smooth, easy on the ear while having more dynamics than the bulk of belt drives heard over the years.

Maxon DCX

While the Maxon 226774 was excellent and kept up with the Verdier 16141 in regards to the softer side of things. It has 8.62 nMn of torque and so the question posed itself: "would more be better?". The DCX series offered more torque with yet greater precision in a similar sized package and shaft diameter. The 22mm unit at 14.1 nMn of torque was almost double that of the 226774. Sonically this was abundantly clear. Along with the greater torque it also maintained everything the Verdier Premotec had in smoothness and decay exceeding the 226774. Thus a clear winner in all aspects save price. In order to verify this impression two motor pods were prepared, identical to each other, including flywheel capstans, for each motor and - a "mano e mano" comparison was performed. It was no subtle contest. The DCX motor had it all - far greater dynamics while staying with the Premotec in ease, lyricism and beautiful decays. It is seven times the price but also the best sounding motor I have personally heard. Dynamics are quite pronounced, perhaps because of the quieter background than idlers provide, but none the less quite engaging, even captivating.

Whats next? Well, a bigger brother of the DCX 22mm is sitting on the shelf waiting for its own capstan to be completed. Its 4mm shaft needs one of its own size. It will provide 32.9 nMn of torque - double again - and has the same precision as that if its little brother. Cost factor now more than X 10. A follow up blog will be posted of the sonic impressions it makes.

A little rotational mass in the right place...

 A flywheel can benefit rotational stability and using one with a turntable is a natural application. Adding size and weight to the motor pulley does a couple of things with no penalty. First, it lessens the amplitude of any motor generated vibration. Second, due to its high RPM, the small mass is has greater effect than it would seem.  There is also no added noise of a second bearing and drive mechanism, belt etc... as a separate flywheel would require.

It took three versions to refine the concept into production.

The old pulley...

... and the new one.

After years of trials with tapes and threads, including, silk, linen, nylon, polyester, 1/8" and 1/4" audio tape, holographic party ribbon, kapton etc..., the easy winners are polyester thread and a lightweight, precisely made, fabric belt. This has no stretch and plenty of traction.

The Pulley is setup for both thread and belt.

Verifying with numbers is helpful. Here we have a wow and flutter measurement less than 0.1% which is getting into direct drive territory.. 

The numbers indicate stable rotation but they do not tell us how it sounds, how it compensates for load variation. This influences the sound significantly and the numbers do not speak to this.

As a refinement of tuned setup the differences were readily apparent sonically.

I will attempt to be neither coy nor enthusiastic. The music flows with greater authority and greater ease at the same time. When big things happen they they happen big and when they are over the space around them in the decay is well depicted. The decays themselves are extended and layered.

Overall the music is more compelling and the music has a life of its own. 

It took two years with three versions of prototypes to reach this performance and now it is ready to to be offered as an upgrade to our customers. Please inquire via email.

Next up are the motors experimented with and sonic impressions of each as well as a little detail of the motor controller developed with pure analogue speed control of a DC motor.

The Foundation Turntable

The concept for our new turntable has been a natural evolution over many years of observation and experimentation with LP playback. This turntable is a distillation of the best elements taken from stand out performers and combined into a single system. Garrard, Lenco, Walker, Kuzma, Galibier, Scheu, Micro Seiki, Verdier, Linn, Thorens are a few of the notable brands which passed through. The best aspects were noted, explored and documented. Myths were plentiful, good performance not so much. With time it became clear what worked and what did not. These insights and understandings created an opportunity to combine the best elements and create a uniquely high performing turntable.

The Platine Verdier is one of the longest enduring and highly regarded turntables when it is with its original “Granito” plinth. Among the experienced vinyl cognoscenti there are two classic turntables considered to be at the top of the game. One is the Micro Seiki 8000 and the other is the Platine Verdier with Granito base. I approached M. Verdier in 2012 with a request to produce the original "Granito" plinth. He was kind enough to provide his approval, mentorship, drawings and specifications as well as awarding my little company dealership of his products. 

The original plinth was fabricated in Italy and so one of the most historical Terrazzo providers in Italy agreed to participate in the research and development of our little project. Fantini Mosaici With their expertise we went through several versions before M. Verdier was satisfied with the result. The final approved version utilizes an uncommon, super hard concrete. This is combined with a Venetian selection of stones from all parts of Italy. Once it was finished and installed all doubt concerning this plinth's roll in acoustics was dispelled. Slate, stainless steel, wood, panzerholz, bronze, brass, Baltic birch, resin encased MDF, steel and combinations of the these were all tried and it was quite clear that this unusual concrete and stone mixture had a more neutral and comprehensively powerful presentation than any of the others by a wide margin.

To earth this high mass plinth Stillpoint Ultra SS filters are employed to create a solid and easily levelled platform. This footing is not only for the plinth, bearing and arm but also the motor pulley which is now relieved of any suspension movement that can cause speed anomalies.

One of the most copied platters and bearings of any turntable was developed by Thomas Scheu. The enterprise he founded provides bearings and platters for many famous brands of turntables. He also created one of the best sounding, ingenious, no-nonsense turntables of his own. Since he provided kits and parts for DIY’ers, many who started with these kits took his concepts and created companies such as Feickert, Teres, Red Point and Galibier with them. Even as they deviated from his original concepts there is no question he inspired them all. His bearing, like the Verdier, utilises an inverted configuration but with more modern materials and understanding of oil cohesion, adhesion, surface tension and capillary action. It is a simple and ingenious design which re-lubricates itself after initial servicing and is relatively maintenance free. 

The Scheu platter employs a high precision, acrylic of special character. It is harder and more dense than most of the acrylic material family in order to achieve a specific goal. The speed of sound through this solid is precisely that of vinyl. I have observed, first hand, this measurement with the specialized measuring equipment required. The result is like playing an 80mm thick, 7.5kg LP record.  There is great solidity with an inner, natural voice that is unique.

The arm pillar and motor pod are made of fibre reinforced concrete to marry plinth, platter, motor and arm in rigid geometry with excellent acoustic properties. The result is a resolute and steadfast loop between groove and stylus which reads microns accurately.

The original Verdier bearing is an hydraulic bearing - not a magnetic one as many believe. Although the magnets (ingeniously) neutralize the weight of the platter, the bearing remains and influences sound according to its hydraulic state. When the oil leaks, which it inevitably does, air gets in and compromises the sound. Purging this air once a month or so is required to maintain best performance. When I complained of the need for this routine and suggested ways to prevent the oil leakage to M. Verdier, he chuckled and encouraged me to try. Many already had...

The Scheu bearing is similar in configuration and geometry. It is also an inverted bearing grossly overrated for its weight bearing capability and uses materials and tolerances which were not available or common in the era of the Platine Verdier. This bearing couples the platter with the plinth through an inverted ceramic bearing which is irrigated in a an oil bath. The result is a dynamically stable, ultra precise, low noise rotation with direct coupling. The later models of the Verdier, the Nouvelle Platine and the Magnum both use hydraulic circulating bearings. This is not a coincidence.

Readers of my old blog may know that I believe the heart of the turntable is often the most overlooked component - the motor. While there are endless discussion of tonearms, cables, cartridges, platter mats and supports the motor is normally overlooked and yet plays one of the most important roles of any component. It is the active component which not only provides the motive force, but also the reactive element to stylus drag. The motor's reaction to this ever-changing source of friction fundamentally influences how a turntable sounds. 

Idler turntable fans attribute this influence to the drive mechanism. Most idler drive turntables use large, shaded pole, motors which compensate for changing load with inductive inertia. Belt drive turntables most often use small, ac synchronous, motors which look like peanuts when compared to these idler juggernauts. Our experiments showed conclusively that motors type makes a greater difference than drive type.

As a result we determined that different types of motors and how they sound are commonly labelled as “idler" or "belt" drive and that this labelling is misleading. The Verdier uses a powerful, precision DC motor which causes many idler enthusiasts say that it is the one "belt drive" motor that has any soul. M. Verdier kindly points out the motor's merits in a Sound Practices publication article - issue 11. 

The grip, heart and slam of the “idler” as well as the fine detail, harmonic decay and ambient information of the best of “belt drive” is to be found with this motor. To build on its strengths and to eliminate its weakness a completely new controller has been created. In the era when the Verdier controller was developed the LM317 voltage regulator was probably an advanced device. However today there is a greater understanding of motor control. A motor acts as a generator in operation and this back EMI causes error in controllers like the LM317. As a result they fall in and out of regulation erratically. There are newer chips designed for motor control which are immune to this problem. There are also circuits of greater sophistication which can self correct speed variations without the complications and problems of closed loop feedback.

Our contoller not only provides rapid and high current delivery but is also not thrown out of regulation by the EMI coming off the motor. Additionally, this controller senses motor load and prevents resulting sag to maintain speed as the load varies. This is a simple and elegant solution which behaves much like the inductive stability of idler wheel shaded pole motors. There is an adjustment which allows tuning of this electronic inertia and provides adjustable degrees of robustness to load changes during transient attacks. One can readily find the desired presentation as well as hear the difference this circuit makes by turning it on and off.

The high degree of mechanical integrity provided by these elements combined together: plinth, bearing, platter, a notoriously good motor and now powered by a sophisticated controller to provide a new perspective in LP playback. The result is music with all its power as well as its nuance.

Appearance is a simple, subdued, mid-century modern to fit any decor.

To accompany the Foundation Turntable we also can provide Dynavector XV-1S and Kuzma Stogi Reference 313 VTA Tonearms / Cardas Clear wire, on request, for a proven, optimum combination. No-nonsense Vinylista tools of world class performance.

For orders send us an email. 

We committed to a small production run which has now been filled however we will reopen production for further orders. Lead time is 60-90 days.

Extremes - from idler to the other end.

Many years ago Thomas Scheu introduced a turntable which was available in DIY form and although its cost was low it was very high performing. Today Scheu turntables are still known for their excellence in performance and reasonable cost. Some americans were inspired by the DIY Scheu and started building their own DIY turntables. The group eventually broke up and went their own ways but kept on making turntables and today are known as Teres, Galibier and Redpoint respectively. They all originally sourced the same Maxon DC motor run well below is rated RPM range for low noise and used heavy platters and over built bearings.

Galibier Stelvio

I had one and so I thought it might be time get it out of the box and see how this concept compared to El Conquistador - the Garrard 301 idler wheel in stainless and slate, with bronze flywheel and reinforced chassis.

El Conquistador 

Thusly, the two tables were setup simultaneously and even the phono stage had two inputs with a switch between decks which can just be seen in the upper left of the photo.

Some details of the Galibier.

The base is not solid but loaded with lead shot in oil. Very Heavy. The bearing house is solid brass and grossly/wonderfully oversized.

The bearing is also oversized of course and super high precision to the point where it is difficult to insert the bearing into the house. It creates a hermetic seal trapping air in the bearing house and wants to push the bearing shaft out until after some minutes of rotation.

The platter is also lead and oil loaded and then 20mm thick inserts of brass and graphite are added as a path for the stylus vibrations.

Some assembled shots.

No stretch Mylar belt.

Arm Tower is also shot and oil loaded.

With Acos Lustre Arm

Some context...

You might like to read something about the way this turntable sounds and how it compares to the 301.

I began with the Triplanar and Accuphase Cartridge, then tried a Scheu specified Benz Cartridge, moving on to Koetsu on the Ikeda and then the Acos Lustre with a variety of cartridges Denon 103, Glider, Accuphase and some moving magnets.

It was a very different sound to the 301 - lower noise and more relaxed to be sure. There was some difficulty finding a good match and the Lustre arm helped here. Once it was settled in there was a richness and depth that the 301 did not possess however it was also as if there was something out of square. It would not put its foot down firmly. I tried the Ikeda with the Koetsu but it just got worse.

 I had noticed that tuning the speed was problematic. There was an exaggerated lag between adjustment and the speed result on the strobe compared to the other decks. No matter how much the tension of the belt was adjusted this continued.

This invited exploration. First to upset the speed with a little finger friction which caused the speed to fall off and recover. The recovery time was similar to adjustment time. The final part of which took the most time. So it would run slightly slow for an extended time. It was not much of a leap to realise that this was true for every little bit of friction the stylus found when hitting the constantly changing music signal cut in the grove. Thus it was determined that the lushness was due to a slow motion changing of pitch. This effect was exaggerated by the heavier arms and lower compliance cartridges who lost foundation and became exceedingly lush. Easy to see here how Koetsu got is reputation.

What to do?

The answer had been right in front of me.

It just so happened that the platter heights were perfect. Just wrap a longer belt around the 301 platter!

The 301 had rubber o-rings which served as a non slip pulley.

"It's better to be lucky than to be good" we say in aviation and it works in audio as well. Clearances worked out with no adjustments.

Thus was born the "Garrardier"

Driving the Galibier with the 301 was revelatory. The reason for this was that the Galibier no longer sounding like the Galibier. With all the engineering and over building the character of the 301 was transported here. I say character but there was a difference - there was greater space, purity of tone, decay and precision. Thus the engineering and over building was not wasted but rather combined with the strength of the 301. This said, it is worth noting that that it still more 301 than it was Galibier in its sonic profile and thus the motor had more to do with character than platter, plinth or bearing. Not much advertising copy is dedicated to motor type, torque, and vibration specifications. In my humble little world the Maxon motor at the Galibier operating point was simply not up to task.

This opened the door to other motors being tried



Here a Pabst which had very high torque and sounded more like tape than vinyl. However its vibration level was also very high but it indicated that most turntables did not sound like tape because the motors of different torque categories. The character again had changed noticeably. This happened with each type of motor - smaller Garrard, Lenco, and a higher torque, low inertia DC. In airplanes there is a term - "Fly the wing." Which essentially means the wing is what it is all about. I humbly put forward that in the case of the turntable this would be the motor. It is the single active component to the system after all. Providing the signal's motion across the sensor, it acts and reacts. Everything else is passive.


Overall the impression of the Galibier was one of exceptional quality in build with great care and attention to precision, materials and tuning. It also was an extreme example of the low vibration genre of turntables that has evolved which unfortunately also give up signal speed integrity in comparison to the older, stronger motored turntables.