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LP12 Blue Belt

I’ve read through this and still don’t understand the significance of the belt being blue.
I have seen various colour belts on offer for Rega turntables.

Are there significant performance changes with colour ?
I wouldn’t have thought so...
 
Martyn Miles said:
I’ve read through this and still don’t understand the significance of the belt being blue.
I have seen various colour belts on offer for Rega turntables.

Are there significant performance changes with colour ?
I wouldn’t have thought so...
Click to expand...

The colour is just incidental. We could have made them any colour but we chose blue.

The material we use has different physical properties to 'normal' rubber belts and has a number of advantages.

Perhaps the most significant is that our belts often achieve much better decoupling of the platter from motor vibration, which in turn can bring a marked improvement in S.Q.

However, it is proving very difficult to find a specification that consistently works well on all LP12 variations. The latest version of the LP12 belt which is 1.0mm thick, 167.5mm diameter and 5mm width seems to work great on the vast majority of LP12 based decks but I can't guarantee it'll work perfectly for every possible LP12 variation.
 
ex brickie said:
Would I be right in thinking that when Rega came out with an improved white belt it was just fit and play - no faff?
Click to expand...

Rega decks are rigid so the motor and platter are fixed relative to each other and no speed adjustment is provided, on the lower decks anyway. So no adjustment is necessary because no adjustment is possible. Complaints about Rega decks running fast are common.

The LP12 is suspended so a sorter belt will pull the platter over. A thicker belt will make any deck run faster but at least the Linn lets you adjust it. Many decks don't.

Adjusting the speed is a basic set up task. Either you learn to do it yourself or you pay your dealer to do it but it should be done. It's a sensitive instrument and correct set up is essential if it is to work at its best.
 
ex brickie said:
Would I be right in thinking that when Rega came out with an improved white belt it was just fit and play - no faff?
Click to expand...

Rega's belt is circular cross section running in a V groove drive pulley, it has little choice but to behave itself. Although I did notice my EBLT wandering slightly on the inner platter of my 84/85 Planar 3 for while before it got the message to toe the line!
 
John R said:
Rega's belt is circular cross section running in a V groove drive pulley, it has little choice but to behave itself.
Click to expand...

It's a completely different arrangement with zero adjustment. If the belt was thicker, oil thinner or any other aspect was out the deck would not run at the right speed. The only you'd think it's a bet system is if you never check it. Ignorance is bliss.
 
I have a bog standard LP12 from mid 80's and fitted the later 1.0mm BB. Didn't have to treat it in any way. Straight out the box it ran at 33.32rpm with very low wow/flutter (don't remember the actual figures). No noise issues.

My setup has always suffered from a bit of sibilance and was always on the bright side tonally, but I cured 90% of it by changing the loading capacitance on the Naim MM boards to match the Goldring cart requirements. The tonal side of things are now spot on to my ears, as well as reducing the sibilance, but not completely eliminating it. To be fair, it was only very slight but when you know something's not right you can't help listening for it.

After playing the new belt for about 20 hours the sibilance is gone!
My guess is that it decouples motor vibrations from the stylus tip thus eliminating the resonance.
 
GordonM said:
After playing the new belt for about 20 hours the sibilance is gone!
My guess is that it decouples motor vibrations from the stylus tip thus eliminating the resonance.
Click to expand...

Who knows ? I certainly don´t but perhaps historically the less publicised route for vibration i.e. from motor via the belt straight to the platter, record and cartridge tip has not received so much attention as the more profitable route from bearing to sub chassis to arm and thence to the cartridge and back again. This would seem to imply that, the PSU and motor and belt should be considered as parts of one and the same whole namely the drive system. Well, well that might help explain the generalised feeling I suspect, that DD have better bass solidity but less subtlety and variety whereas belt (with or without suspension) decks are sometimes pilloried for showing disappearing bass at times. Are bass resonances down more to the drive and mid and high distortion more down to the bearings in the arm and the tube or perhaps vice-versa ?????
Simplistic twaddle no doubt. What about copying the old BMW motorbikes with toothed cogged belts ? They were certainly very smooth sounding?
 
I had similar issues with the initial blue belt but they sent me a couple of other ones to try. the standard length but thicker 1.2mm belt worked on my LP12 with Lingo 1 and tilting mount motor. Was able to adjust the speed accuracy and no rubbing on the guide. SQ was definitely improved and at £25 a bargain improvement. Glad I bought one myself and the guy selling them is a star and very helpful, honest and trustworthy.
 
OK, so I replaced the old Linn belt with the blue belt. The speed is lower and the belt is also lower on the pulley, almost touching the belt guard at the lower egde. So what do I do now?
I assume I must lift the belt upwards with the screws. Loosen the inner screw and tighten the outer screw?
Would the belt ride higher on the pulley and thereby increase the speed?
(I have compared a CD and an LP. They have the same pitch with the Linn belt, but the blue belt lowers the LP pitch.)

Am I right, in that case, that I loosen the inner screw a turn and then tighten the outer screw a turn? Or is it more or less sensitive?
 
Zombie said:
OK, so I replaced the old Linn belt with the blue belt. The speed is lower and the belt is also lower on the pulley, almost touching the belt guard at the lower egde. So what do I do now?
I assume I must lift the belt upwards with the screws. Loosen the inner screw and tighten the outer screw?
Would the belt ride higher on the pulley and thereby increase the speed?
(I have compared a CD and an LP. They have the same pitch with the Linn belt, but the blue belt lowers the LP pitch.)
Click to expand...
Yes you need to do the motor tilt/speed adjustment. This is to be expected when changing to a non standard belt.
 
yes, and don’t forget to try it one way round and then the other. Unlike with all the previous Linn belts I have used since
the 1980s, I heard a marked difference in the results heard. It just hit me in the face
 
Zombie said:
Am I right, in that case, that I loosen the inner screw a turn and then tighten the outer screw a turn? Or is it more or less sensitive?
Click to expand...

Yes, but the opposite and it's nowhere near a full turn. Just back the inside screw out a few turns so it's totally out of the way. Then back the outer screw out, maybe a quarter of a turn or less. Check the speed. Once it's right drop in the inner screw until you feel it touch the motor then a tiny nip. Do not crank it up. Check the speed again.
 
Just a quick word of caution for anyone using a Mober motor controller and thinking of fitting the blue belt. Initially everything worked fine for me with the 'blue belt', however I hadn't fired up the Linn for a month or so and when I did there were intermittent times when the speed would slow then hunt up and down as the Mober got the speed back to normal. This would occur a few times a side. Putting the Linn belt back on solved the issue. My theory is that with the very hot weather here recently some aspect of the belt compliance changed and caused an issue with the feedback loop in the Mober. No blame here with either the belt or the Mober, just and apparent incompatibility. Just noting this so if anyone else has the issue they don't have to bug Edmund!
 
Exactly the same issues with my Linn, Blue Belt and Mober as Martin, but I’m sticking with it partly because the speed does eventually settle down to 33.3 and stays constant, also I gave away my LP12 belt….
 
Zombie said:
OK, so I replaced the old Linn belt with the blue belt. The speed is lower and the belt is also lower on the pulley, almost touching the belt guard at the lower egde. So what do I do now?
Click to expand...

I have never been able to understand why Linn insists on mounting a "belt guard".

It's not like there is anything flying around, likely to hit it - or get caught in it.

As far as I'm concerned, its just another joint that will vibrate to some degree.

I took my Linn Belt Guard off many years ago and have absolutely no regrets.
(I guess its worth cash on FleaBay ~lol!)

What do others think? What have I missed?
 
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