[*Scotty*]

Wayner,The simple answer to your question is no. If you believe otherwise no argument, no matter how well grounded in physics will convince you that your belief is inconsistent with reality. If you want to be concerned about a problem that is accepted by a majority of audiophiles to the point that they no longer even think about it, I offer for your consideration tracing distortion. It's one of the reasons that I use a linear tracking airbearing tonearm and TT.
Scotty

[Bob in St. Louis]

Would it be as simply as flipping the motor over and putting the arm of the left?
For some of you vinyl guys, that sounds like an hour or so worth of time to experiment with some extra pieces laying around.

Bob

[JoshK]

Would it be as simply as flipping the motor over and putting the arm of the left?
For some of you vinyl guys, that sounds like an hour or so worth of time to experiment with some extra pieces laying around.

Bob

Won't work because of the way the records are cut.

Wayner's point about all objects of mass have gravitational force working on them misses the point of direction.  It is a vector force and its horizontal component is theoretical zero if the table is perfectly perpendicular to the gravitational force (for practical purposes level).  The moon also has a gravitational force on your TT as well remember, so maybe that is also why your stereo sounds better at night. 

[Bob in St. Louis]

Understood about the direction of cut. It's pretty obvious now that you've said it out loud. 

All objects exert a gravitational pull. Hell, your neighbors car in his driveway has a pull on your TT. Obviously very small, but it's calculable.
Regarding the gyro theory, I wouldn't think a few hundred grams on a disk as small as a record spinning very slowly wouldn't make a detectable amount of change.
{This coming from the 'science' side of my brain, not the vinyl side} 
Interesting to ponder though.

Bob

[JDK1]

From a different perspective, and as long as we are redesigning the LP and turntable concept from scratch, why continue to go two dimensional (i.e, a flat spinning disc, regardless of direction) - wouldn't it be more effective/correct to design a tube shape recording (like the old player piano or a lathe), and use a straight arm across, as the device turns? Wouldn't this take care of most of the design short-comings? Obviously, thinking too much again... jdk

[Bob in St. Louis]

Or a computer chip that doesn't move at all. 

[planet10]

Nature has displayed the results. Tornadoes rotate in a counterclockwise direction. Hurricanes rotate in a counterclockwise direction, ocean currents rotate in a counterclockwise direction. There is even a clock at one of the museums in Washington D.C. that operates on the earths rotation.

Tthis phenomenom is limited to the Northern Hemisphere (south of the equator it acts in the opposite direction) and not caused by gravity but by the coriolis effect.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect

dave

[Imperial]

This is actually called the "right hand rule" and has to do with math and magnetic field orientation.
They simply calculated stuff , built it like they drew it out on the paper.
Also one has to look at wax rolls, and the early phonograph... it's about the way one moved the handle.
It all comes together to a chosen, commom direction for geartravel in a system.
It's about the majority of engineers being right handed..

My best guess this. 

On a LP player... if you are right handed... what hand do you usually lower the cartridge with?
The right hand? Ah, and what way is then natural for the platter to spin then? Ah.. that's the answer right there! 

Imperial

[toocool4]

I guess the right hand thing makes a lot of sense. Most people are right handed  so the inventers designed it that way.

I have a record by the New Power Generation (NPG) which are the band behind Prince, it spins the correct way but is cut the wrong way round hence I have to play it from inside out. It sounds just as good as the normal cut to me.

Chris

[Bob in St. Louis]

it spins the correct way but is cut the wrong way round hence I have to play it from inside out.

Just like a CD!  aa

I'm sure there's an argument for centrifugal force pulling the cart to the outside as opposed to a typical record that's constantly fighting that same force. 

Bob

[jqp]

It been so long since I had a turntable that I can barely do the thought experiment...All I know is every time you play a record, you scrape off a little bit of goodness with that diamond-tipped stylus

[doorman]

It been so long since I had a turntable that I can barely do the thought experiment...All I know is every time you play a record, you scrape off a little bit of goodness with that diamond-tipped stylus

Properly looked after, vinyl will last a looong time with no appreciable degrading of sound.
Don

[TheChairGuy]

The point to all of this is that there are guys like John the Chairguy that can (or think they can) hear perfect pitch. If by design, the turntable platters un-natural spin direction were reversed, would we not be able to improve the design by a significant measure.

Wayner

Not to get too far afield....but I don't think or claim anything of the like.  My efforts at playing the saxophone in my teens would be an elegant rebuttal of the above 

I do say that, on average and for value, I have liked my 3 direct drive decks better than the 3 (pricier) belt drive decks...even after very careful set-up.  I am only assuming it's because of the better pitch/timing reason 

I hear an indistinct 'warbling' with the belt drive decks (noticeable in particular with sustained piano notes....which I listen to a lot from Jarrett to Brubeck to Vince Guaraldi) that isn't there on the DD ones.

Again, no belt drive deck in my place has had pricey outboard regulated power supply....probably when that's added, the warbling largely ends.  One day I hope to experiment further with my VPI HW-19 MK. III and the SDS (steady 60hz sine wave).

I have heard hi-quality belt decks at shows and the like and haven't noticed the warbling...but there's nothing like experiencing something in your own place 

John