Dear Peterayer, der Drajreynolds, let me add my two cents here, as I have had some experiences in the past 2 years in setting up Minus-Ks and Vibraplanes in several systems.

It would be contra-productive to place both - motor as well as plinth/turntable - each on it's own Minus-K. There would be constant relative-movement and that would certainly made the concept of thread-drive with calculated slippage impossible to implement.
The inertia unit itself runs very smooth, is very heavy and well damped and I do not think that there is any significant risk that it would induce extra vibrations into the turntable itself.

The MInus-K provides excellent results ONLY, if the turntable is placed dead center.
It is not easy to set-up correctly and may very well put one's nerves to the test.
It's full mechanical suspension, based on a one-point dead center concept is the Minus-K's big advantage and provides indeed excellent (far better in terms of much lower resonance frequency provided) results. When used with a thread drive concept one must make sure however that the tension of the belt is pre-calculated into the center-concept and request.

The Vibraplane does not go as low in frequency resonance as the Minus-K. But it is much more easy to set up.
An active Vibraplane by Kinetic Systems is a different subject. One must not forget the even more costly solutions by Halyconics.

The Vibraplane under Syntax' amps does indeed bring significant results. The Lamm power amplifiers do feature large, single pc board for the whole circuit. These large pc boards are dead stiff bolted to the cabinet. Thus all mechanical vibrations picked up by the cabinet are directly conducted to the circuit. Hence the isolation provided by the Vibraplanes are pretty significant here.
Syntax knows his stuff.

In a few weeks Syntax will be able to give first impressions about active air suspension in turntable set-up and it's virtues ....

Cheers,
D.

dertonarm February 13, 2012 08:09

Will visit Syntax' set-up this weekend and will report of eventual sonic changes due to the new Lamm 1.2R shortly.
Stay tuned.
Cheers,
D.

dertonarm January 05, 2012 16:50

The synergistic (hopefully .... ) effects between the electromechanical transducer (cartridge) and the tonearm are exemplary demonstrated by the FR-60s tonearms in conjunction with the FR-7 series of cartridges.
The spring-mass relations as well as the ability to conduct and transmit the energy of the tracking process very fast from the cartridge to the arm board is key.
The FR-60s tonearms and FR-7 cartridges do form a singular synergistic match in analog audio. Each being designed with the other in mind and taking into account all the mechanic-dynamic parameters of the other.
Proofing IMHO that cartridge and tonearm can never be viewed nor judged independently. There is no universal tonearm and there is no cartridge "working best on most every good tonearm".
Done right, the whole picture is always more than the sum of the pieces ....

dertonarm December 30, 2011 10:51

A short sound report .... Syntax' set-up in october 2011.
When I visited Syntax 2 weeks ago, I wanted to get a refreshed impression of his set-up and performance.
Since my last listening session w/his system a few small changes had been implemented in his dedicated room.
His speakers were fitted with all silver ribbon wire inside as well as silver coil and WBT Nextgen silver terminals.
His Lamm ML 2.1 was modified with Yamamoto tube sockets, Teflon and silver in oil caps, pure silver RCA jack, WBT Nextgen Ag terminals and more.
We agreed on two cartridges - the Olympos and the FR-7f - and one tonearm, the FR-66s.

What was startling from the very beginning was an immediate apparent increase in minute detail. Not in the way that the details are pointed at, but rather that the music had even more presence, ease and directness. One didn’t had to “look” for any tiny detail. Everything was there with a kind of relaxed ease and supremacy that was just overwhelming.
It was the ease and inner authority that nailed the attention to the music.
Extremely low noise floor - and we were listening to a speaker featuring an efficiency of about 100dB in less than 8 feet listening distance - with an all-tube audio chain.

While we moved on from female singer with special double-bass (J. Warnes on Wassermann “Duets”) to broadway cast musical (“Fiddler on the Roof”), various Blues records, Hawkins’ Today and Now, De Burgos “Suite Espanola”, Dire Straits and finally arriving at my favorite record for dynamic, chorus and live-atmosphere all in one.
The directness, the clear, super-dynamic voice of the finnish singer with the huge dynamic swing of the chorus. Embedded with the multi-sided percussion in a very natural way.
Unlimited dynamics.
Clear super low end - with punch and “air”.
Effortless and natural.
Absolute stable soundstage.
The chorus as one big body - yet every single voice clearly a source of it’s own.
Voices you’d swear they are there - and we were listening at rather low volume.

I just wanted a detailed impression before we’ll install Syntax’ new turntable in a few weeks.
I got my impression and was - once again - impressed.
The sound belies the room’s dimensions in a way and magnitude no one would think possible before experience it.

Time well spent.

dertonarm October 20, 2011 19:12

Just paid a long visit to Syntax' home and listened for 6 hours to his system.
It was well worth the trip.
We listened to 2 cartridges under identical parameters.
I will summarize my impressions in a short sound report.
This will follow shortly.
Stay tuned.
Cheers,
D.

dertonarm October 09, 2011 16:56

Hi 11flat6,

make sure that the HS-80 is in line with the motor-shaft/pulley and the spindle of the SX5000. Further make sure that the tension on the motor string is the same as on the 2nd string connecting the platter with the HS-80. Only this way you will obtain the best possible performance.
Enjoy,
D.

dertonarm December 10, 2010 18:31

Hi 11flat6,

somewhat late reply to your question, but I was kind of away from audio for two weeks.
Yes, adding an acrylic platter to the SX5000 Air can be done, but I would give all consequences a big thought first without moving on.

Thuchan's VPI-Flywheel solution meanwhile is outdated and outperformed by the HS-50/80. I had the VPI HRX used as flywheel too, while it is better than using none, the poor quality of the small, yet hefty belts for the VPI's HRX-flywheel's pulleys do downgrade its performance quite a bit. You may use the HRX flywheel however with nice results - forget about the two motors and the SDS however (in this specific application!). It will give you a good idea about the improvement you will get with a HS-50 or HS-80.

Cheers,
D.

dertonarm December 09, 2010 19:37

Hi 11flat6,
there were extensive comments about the virtues of an inertia unit back in the very early 1980ies, when Micro Seiki invented these to further fortify their bigger RX-turntables. Set-up correctly - which it is at Syntax' place ( I am familiar with his set-up first hand and repeated times) - turntable performance ( and thus the whole performance ...) further gains authority and a genuine sense of "relaxed ease".
The inertia unit adds the latest minute detail to a very sophisticated analog set-up which as a package did address all the issues of the stock Micro Seiki and has reached a level of performance one have to hear to fully appreciate and believe it.
I do not think that there is any stock TT out there today on the market which can equal nor beat its performance ( I am referring to the full "package" here).
This is straight applied physics here.
Cheers,
D.

dertonarm November 21, 2010 15:24