Lloyd Walker's fine tuning a turntable

Tonto Yoder · « **on:** 14 Oct 2003, 06:51 am »

Don't think there's anything earth-shaking about the info, but it could be helpful:
http://www.walkeraudio.com/fine_tuning_your_turntable.htm

Romy the Cat · « **Reply #1 on:** 22 Oct 2003, 04:27 am »

Well, beside that fact that this writing contains a number of the fundamentally wrong statements or just totally ignorant comments I find that it is very fanny that somebody can seriously pay any attention to the Walker’s pitching about the fine-tuning of the TT. His TTs are the most bogus example how TT should NOT be built (in regard of the fine-tuning).

Rgs,
Romy the Cat

_scotty_ · « **Reply #2 on:** 22 Oct 2003, 05:49 am »

Hi Tonto, I excellent link, and the method I used to fine-tune tracking force and VTA on my table. It's the the hard way but I don't know any short-cuts to this basic procedure. As far as Walker's TT being bogus compare them to a Rockport Sirius. The same Air-bearing technology
is employed in both TT's.

JoshK · « **Reply #3 on:** 22 Oct 2003, 03:39 pm »

Romy,

I am not being sarcastic here, but I would like it if you would mention your reasons why you think this. I would be interested to understand what you believe is the correct sort of TT and why.

Cheers,

Romy the Cat · « **Reply #4 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 01:01 am »

Many reasons.

The fundamental bogus in Walker’s TT is an amount of adjustments that MIGHT BE MADE in order to affect different attributes of sound. This TTY has no default setting in witch the TT yields a simply THE CORRECT SOUND. Why? Because Lloyd Walker has no knowledge or any remote idea how to get it engineeringly and what would manifest itself politically THE CORRECT Sound from a TT.

He is an armature-tweaker who brainlessly just put together a bunch of semi-expensive parts and false concepts that nave some publicity and blown-up momentos within the audiophile circuses. There is no thoughts or in-depth understanding of TT's idea neither in his TTs nor in his writings about the setting the TTs up. (The fairytale about setting of VTA by tone and frequency response is quite indicative, isn’t it?) For the kids for whom the “AA intelligence” is very meaningful the Mr. Walker’s doodles sound like wisdom but they are mostly just a cheap foolishness. What he did was deployed his TT to someone who need boost own ego and they sitting in their listing rooms for weeks and months adjusting 352 small bolts, gauges and tweaks in order to “balance” this TT. For instance Micro 8000 or EMT 927 have no single adjustment; HAVE THE ONLY ONE WAY TO USE THEM and for some “strange” reasons they give way a tremendous default performance. They are for the people to forget about the TTs and to spin the records. The Walker TT, in another hand, is for the frisks who are wiling after each records to jump online or call to their pathetic friends in order to collaborate that “tightening a screw #6773 on 0.2 degree have increased the tightness of bass and moved Patricia Barber 3 feet deeper into the soundstage”.

There are many other reasons (not to mention that TT more expensive than $4K should have a provision for a second arm) but the only fist point that I made should disqualify this TT from any serious attention.

Rgs,
Romy the Cat

Beezer · « **Reply #5 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 05:01 am »

Romy,

So you're saying that Walker tables have too many adjustments - seems valid to me. What are the necessary adjustments to design into a turntable - azimuth, VTA, VTF, etc...? Should it be suspended or mass loaded? What turntable do you have?

I promise not to follow your lead and pick to shreds without offering anything constuctive...

Beez

Romy the Cat · « **Reply #6 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 11:12 am »

***What are the necessary adjustments to design into a turntable - azimuth, VTA, VTF, etc...?

None. A TT should not have any adjustments. The default setting of a TT should produce the best optimum result for a given design. All the rest is just audiophoolic entertainment.. The azimuth, VTA, VTF are not the TT’s adjustments but the arm’s adjustments, that are certainly valuable and necessary. BTW, in the Walker TT even those necessary adjustments done improperly. I can not imagine as anyone would pay $30.000 for a TT that has a single are and this single arm has no VTA gauge!

*** Should it be suspended or mass loaded?

This is totally different question. I have no interests to pontificate about the strategies of the TTs, and particularly at this forum. My objectives were to reply the post where Mr. Walker was presented as Holy Father of the TT building and to object this vision, nothing more.

*** What turntable do you have?

…and how relevant it would be to the subject?

*** I promise not to follow your lead and pick to shreds without offering anything constuctive...

The constructivism is a mater of your consciousness. I am not suppose to be worrying about your benefits. If you can then get valuable data from what I said, if not then disregard the said and implied and join the lightweight and blind army of the audio-freaks who drool looking at the glossy pictures on the audio publications and run the audio-cartoons on their deceived heads.

Rgs,
Romy the Cat

Marbles · « **Reply #7 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 01:26 pm »

IIRC, Romy likes the big Micro Seiki's.........

JoshK · « **Reply #8 on:** 23 Oct 2003, 02:07 pm »

Thanks Romy for the follow up.

As the facilitator of this circle I do not mind potentially contentious remarks but I prefer that they are at least supported with a rationale. This is after all just a hobby so if people have wildly different views (not saying anyone does) that is ok and acceptable but in order to understand what makes someone have their view we have to atleast understand their rationale.

FWIW, I have no opinion in regards to the Walker as I have never heard one.

pretzel_logic · « **Reply #9 on:** 28 Oct 2003, 10:39 pm »

I don't see what the big deal is here.

What Walker is talking about is a general tuning of a turntable. All decent tables need to be set up properly, from the actual leveling to setting up the arm. Walker doesn't mention anything about leveling but the arm adjustments are completely necessary for all tables. Whether Romy likes it or not, whenever you change a cartridge the VTA, VTF, azimuth, change. If you experiment with mats the settings change again. No designer can produce a good table that requires no adjustments, isn't possible, well maybe Bose could but what would it sound like. It would have to have a non removable cartridge, etc. What Walker talks about are all completely legitimate adjustments to any table.