Auto return feature in turntables?

[fantasia]

Well i agree with the comments above in terms of limitations and lack of quality.

The coolest thing i have seen is a lenco owner, L-75 i think who liked his lencos auto feature, but hated the hi-mass of the arm replaced the metal arm tube with carbon fibre fron a tennis raquet!!!!!!!!

Would hav lowered the effective mass heaps, while keeping the auto function and increasing the range of possible catrs Cool


Fantasia

[Foxhound]

YNWAN:

In addition, everything on a turntable impacts upon the sound and adding additional unnecessary complication is bound to impact (negatively) upon the quality of reproduction.

Should I assume that you have the empirical studies to back up that contention or are you just repeating the same "a priori" argument I've so often heard from many audiophiles?

[pnugget1]

I think Thorens and Dual get it right when it lifts the arm up at the end of an lp and stops the motor, but doesn't return it to base. This is safe, and doesn't require too much equipment on the arm.

Some of the Luxman's too. Lifts and shuts motor off at the end of the record. Completely independent of tonearm during play.

Someone recently showed a gadget that you can buy to lift the arm at the end of play but doesn't shut off the motor. Looked like it could be used on most TT's.

[analogaudio]

The need for mechanical linkage to the tone arm was bypassed in the 1970s by Technics in the Mk2 versions of the direct drive SL-1600 and 1700 models. Optical sensors are used to recognise the arm position electronically. A separate small motor is included to drive the tone arm lift and swing mechanism. The mechanism that drives the arm is a loose friction drive that automatically disengages when the arm is in use. The 1600mk2 is full automatic start and end, the 1700mk2 is auto-return only. I have a number of these turntables and the tracking performance meets a very high standard.

Ted

[pivot]

The B&0 tangent trackers, at least the 4002, 4004 and 6006 that I have experiance with, were top notch turntables with auto features.

Complex and hard to service, but when working right, very good tables.

[audiopile]

It would be distressingly easy to simply interrupt the power to the turntable;s motor - this with a small rare earth magnet and a standard security magnetic contact (contacts open as magnet approaches the switch) -cuts power to TT motor.Exceptionally reliable and leaving the cart sitting can't be particularly destructive.

[timspell]

While I favor manual TTs with auto lift at the end of play, I own two auto decks -- a Dual 1219 and Elac 50H. Both are fitted with high-end cartridges and produce superb sound. I can't hear the difference between these and my Thorens manual turntables.

[timspell]

Quote:
In addition, everything on a turntable impacts upon the sound and adding additional unnecessary complication is bound to impact (negatively) upon the quality of reproduction.


Should I assume that you have the empirical studies to back up that contention or are you just repeating the same "a priori" argument I've so often heard from many audiophiles?

Not trying to be diplomatic, but I think both of you guys have valid points -- that's life in the subjective vinyl world.

[pnugget1]

I found the thread on the auto lift accessory
http://www.kelseypro.com/analoghaven.html

[analogous]

I currently have a thorens td 147 with auto stop and auto lift and without auto return. I do not know this exact feature works, because it stops at the leadout groove no matter how long the album is. Maybe it is inertial. Anyways, it is the reason I bought the deck. I have too many people fiddling with my gear to have them thrashing my records trying to return the arm to the proper position. This happened too many times with my Origin live arm. My friends are a little hamfisted, especially after a few drinks.

Magnet. Quite ingenious. But everything back then was. Everything was mechanical, VCRs etc.

Microprocessors have replaced mechanical operation in most areas.

Vinyl nowadays is supposed to be unnecessarily complicated. If a tonearm actually works it's not good. Audiophile certified turntables and tonearms are fiddly, delicate and break all the time. You usually need a backup deck.

[fromans4]

Thorens makes an auto-lifter also called the Q-Up.

http://cgi.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/cl_sold.pl?accstwek&1272163285

[midfi]

my DUAL 721 is fully automatic (of course) and it sounds better to my ears than a full manual table that I had, don't want to drop names.

[alanomt]

Perhaps the answer is to have more than one turntable.

There are distinct advantages in a machine that will turn itself off as any of us who can fall asleep with any level of sound can testify.

I have to agree with Analogaudio (Ted), with the quality and engineering of Technics turntables and how user friendly they can be. In my workshop I use a Technics SL-Q33, fully auto with optical sensing, it works fine, if I want to have some vinyl sound while I'm working, it's just a button away.

On the other hand in the house I have a choice of manual machines but sometimes still fall back on something that will switch off.

Alan

[Vulcan Viewer]

Basically there are two customers, and both those customers can be one person.

Those that need convenience, and those that don't.

Sometimes I need to be in the one camp, and at other times, the other.

So long as no damage (above normal wear and tear) is being done to the vinyl I can see no reason for not embracing both, if you can afford it.

It's exactly the same argument that I employ for justifying copying my LPs and CDs to MP3 - for mobility and convenience (although mobility is a little difficult to justify in this sense - I still enjoy the convenience of rapid access and undemanding listening for my MP3s though).