Turntable Purchase

[RoyY51]

I am considering pulling the trigger on a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. The reviews have been good, and at $399, it looks like a great value. Do any of you Analog-Hounds have a better recommendation?

[02audionoob]

The Music Hall MMF-2.2 on the clearance page at musicdirect.com

[Mr Peabody]

Either of those would be good choices.

[blackraven]

I would spend a little more and get the DC version of the Debut so you can use Grado Cartridges without a hum. The Debut is built better than the Music Hall from what I have seen.

[02audionoob]

I would spend a little more and get the DC version of the Debut so you can use Grado Cartridges without a hum. The Debut is built better than the Music Hall from what I have seen.

Are you sure a Grado won't hum on the DC version? The motor doesn't look all that different to me. It's still an unshielded synchronous motor right there under the platter. Given that Music Hall turntables have Pro-Ject tonearms and share the same parts - feet, belts, dust covers, even switches, I've never noticed a difference in build quality. I've owned both.

[blackraven]

Are you sure a Grado won't hum on the DC version? The motor doesn't look all that different to me. It's still an unshielded synchronous motor right there under the platter. Given that Music Hall turntables have Pro-Ject tonearms and share the same parts - feet, belts, dust covers, even switches, I've never noticed a difference in build quality. I've owned both.

I guess I am not 100% certain but I did read where some people have had luck with no DC hum. How ever I could see that you could possibly get a hum as the needle gets closer to the end of the record as it gets closer to the motor. I would call the Needle Doctor and ask them. I really like the Debut for the price. I helped a friend build a budget system with the Debut and an Ortofon blue upgrade.

[02audionoob]

I guess I am not 100% certain but I did read where some people have had luck with no DC hum. How ever I could see that you could possibly get a hum as the needle gets closer to the end of the record as it gets closer to the motor. I would call the Needle Doctor and ask them. I really like the Debut for the price. I helped a friend build a budgets system with the Debut and an Ortofon blue upgrade.

Almost everyone discussing hum on the Debut turntables is really talking about motor vibration. They rarely have Grado or other unshielded cartridges because the Debut ships with a compatible cartridge. The DC supposedly helps with that vibration issue, by some reports, but it seems anecdotal and perhaps not truly the result of the new motor. They're probably just having better results from the new way the motor is mounted.

[JoeE SP9]

I don't see how a DC motor can induce hum in anything as there is no AC involved.

[Mr Peabody]

Seems simple enough, don't use Grado.

[02audionoob]

There is AC involved. It's AC around the stator and DC to the rotor.

[frenchmon]

I would spend a little more and get the DC version of the Debut so you can use Grado Cartridges without a hum. The Debut is built better than the Music Hall from what I have seen.

pretty much the same tables!

[JoeE SP9]

There is AC involved. It's AC around the stator and DC to the rotor.

An electric motor is either AC or DC they are not combined.

[topspeed]

I have a Debut Carbon (not DC) and can tell you the hum on mine came from the motor mount. It came shipped from the factory cranked down on the sorbothane suspension. After 5 minutes on Google (it's a fairly common problem), the most cost effective fix came from a pair of .25 cent sorbothane washers from Home Depot. Simply remove the two phillips screws that affix the motor bracket to the sorbothane suspension and insert the washers between the screws and the metal plate that holds the motor. Dial it back down gently until it's low enough that it won't scrape the platter but take care to not compress the suspension so much. It took about 3 minutes and completely eliminated the hum. The 'table is dead quiet now. A lot of folks also simply removed the screws altogether and let the motor float on the suspension (rubber bands hold it in place), but I didn't care for this solution. As for noise from AC vs DC, I'm not knowledgeable enough to comment.

[02audionoob]

An electric motor is either AC or DC they are not combined.

Like this-

http://youtu.be/Vk2jDXxZIhs

[3db]

I've yet to come across a syncrhronous motor that used DC to energize the rotor. Its always been permanent magnets. I'm also betting dollars to donuts that turntables using synchronous motors employ permanent magnets and not DC because its cheaper and more economical.

[02audionoob]

I suspect that's true - that the turntable motor uses a permanent magnet. I was searching for whatever Pro-Ject could attribute the DC name to, since the motor is AC.

[JoeE SP9]

Like this-

http://youtu.be/Vk2jDXxZIhs

It's still just an AC synchronous motor. The DC is used to simulate a permanent magnet. IE: AC motor