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Do belt nerds exist ?

I still think there´s much more to a good belt than just going round and round, I suspect it´s motor noise filtering function is much more/equally as important.
 
Oh yes, but that’s a different matter entirely.

Why a different matter? In both cases you have a generator of noise (the motor) two or three inertias (the motor, platter, or one or two flywheels), a spring (belt) and a damper (belt). The result is a resonant system in which the belt plays a key role. And that is not even taking into account slip, elastic deformation, and bearing drag.
 
Correct, obviously!
Let’s say that a bad belt will be heard immediately in a cassette deck, as the turntable will continue playing fine with the effect being far more subtle.
I have repaired or restored many cassette decks over the years, so I know them well.
 
I have to say I disagree with a great deal of the comment made on this thread. Far from being a ‘fit and forget’ component the belt, it’s shape, material, production method and tension are all vitally important to how well a turntable performs. Of course it does depend on how critical one is, but as this is an audiophile (and music) forum I think it is fair to assume a pretty high level of expected performance…
 
I’ve tried several belts on my lp12 (because we all like to needlessly tweak!) - including Thacker belt, stack audio belt and the more recent ‘blue’ belt, but none of these allow me to get a consistent 33 1/3. Only with the Linn belt allows me to get the correct speed. Why? I’ve no idea. Other people seem really happy with those other belts I mentioned, but I just can’t get them to perform as well as the Linn belt. I’ve had the same results on my Linn Axis too.
 
Well, let’s hope that throughout the recording and the mixing and the actual cutting of the masters, all the machines used had Linn belts fitted.Assuming mastering lathes have belts, I have no idea.
 
OT

Scully lathes were belt-driven. Late Neumanns were direct drive (Technics motor). Early Neumanns I don't know.

scul-mot.jpg
 
Looking at those long belts I reckon 33 and a bit is probably near enough unless they were checked before, during and and after but of course the Ampex reel to reels were upstream of this except for direct to disc cutting. The mind boggles how it all worked as well as it did/does.
 
Rega are massive belt nerds...
The first openly belt nerd was Edgar Villchur who took oversized cast belts, put them on a mandrel, and then froze them such that they could be machined down to precise dimensions. This due to him/AR being dissatisfied with the best that cast belt suppliers could then provide.

According to Roy Allison's book on AR, they also discovered that certain rubber additives in production belts reduced the isolation properties compared to the prototypes they had been supplied with, making them also likely to have been the first turntable manufacturer to get involved with and/or become aware of the chemistry of belt materials (although, I suspect that Thorens would have been quietly working away at similar, considering that their prior TD124, etc. did employ belts).

Of course, there may well have been some companies putting similar effort into belt design well prior to both Thorens and AR. Roy Allison himself was the first to review Components Corp. 'Professional Turntable' (Denville, New Jersey) for High Fidelity Jan/Feb 1954, the first fully suspended chassis belt driven deck, initially shown at the 1953 New York Audio Fair featuring a 25lb platter and boasting of 'endless fabric belt vibration-free operation'.

components-corp-professional-1954.jpg
 
It’s not usually a topic I think because:-

1. A decent belt lasts ages.
2. No upgrade path or benefit from some Uber-belt.
3. Belts are cheap.
4. Those things mean few or no woo-merchants.
4. Belts are generally fine or clearly shot, not 1% worse , so the capacyfor waffle and worry is small.

Am I being overly harsh?

belts are cheap? you are kidding? I see one advertised for Roksan TT £75.
 
My used late 80s Rega 3 came with a loose belt. It looked like a regular o-ring, so, knowing no better, I bought several from an engineering supplier after checking its diameter & approximate durometer, & choosing two or three with different circumferences. One fit the drive train & I was pleased with the result.

Many years later Rega's white belt came along & I bought one. I thought it was a significant upgrade until a couple of years later when I'd had enough of the bass getting soggier & the music losing its snap. The damn thing had stretched. I reinstated the old o-ring, & it's stayed ever since. The platter speed is accurate.

Until reading this thread I'd forgotten about the Reference EBLT, & I've been spurred to track one down.
 


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