I can see some Roksan, SME, Basis and VPI on it ....
The first record player from Vertere consists of a plinth around which two versions are built, the SG1 or Standard Groove 1 and Reference Groove 1. The difference between the two lies in the key component parts used. There is a Standard bearing and platter or a Reference bearing and platter, ditto power supply. Interestingly the power supply can also be used to upgrade a Roksan Xerxes. There will also be Standard and Reference platforms and covers. Unsurprisingly it has some similarities to the TMS that Touraj designed for Roksan, the three slab plinth being the most obvious, also the platter and arm are on a separate subchassis. But it differs significantly too, for a start it’s made of acrylic and its aluminium platter is bonded to an acrylic top plate (SG1). The SG1 can also be upgraded to RG1 status. Price including the as yet unfinalised Standard arm will be £12,750 with the Reference coming in at around twice this price.
"The Standard Bearing is probably the best bearing in the world" ...
Really?
I think they were trying to show how close the tolerances are. FWIW, when testing my VPI, I was able to trap an air bubble in the bearing hole of the platter, so that the platter would actually float (and bounce if you were to push it down with your finger); then I started the motor and let it spin for days, and the air bubble never escaped under the platter's pressure. This was just a test because I really want to mechanically ground the platter to the base, so today I have been able to get the platter instead to "float" on a tiny layer of lithium grease above the bearing ball, so that the bearing ball never actually touches the platter - it took a bit of calculation to figure out the amount of grease to apply once I measured the geometry of the bearing, but it wasn't that difficult.
I am pretty sure the noise floor is lower than before, but testing for bearing noise is very subjective. Unfortunately, the stethoscope I usually use in all things mechanical cannot be really utilized here...
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