ORIGIN LIVE's turntable Light Speed Control

Introducing the Turntable Light Speed Control (LSC)

Conventional Speed Control problems

To explain why the LSC is of such benefit we first need to understand the problems it solves. Speed accuracy on most turntables tends to drift. Encoder motor control is sometimes hailed as the solution but still does not solve certain issues and has other problems. Controlling only the motor speed never overcomes the following issues.

1. Belt wear causes belt slippage so even if the motor is turning at the correct speed the belt does not keep up as it did once. Regular speed resets are required.
2. Temperature variation causes belts to stretch or shrink slightly which affects belt tension > slippage > speed.
3. As motors age they tend to run slower (not true of encoder types).
4. Oil viscosity varies with temperature so bearing drag changes and affects belt slippage.
5. Motor position affects speed as it changes belt tension.
6. Belt grip varies with the 4 different ways it can be put on the deck

These are some reasons most decks achieve an absolute speed accuracy of around 0.2% to 0.6%. In fairness this is not bad although people sensitive to pitch like professional musicians will notice it. It’s also worth mentioning that absolute speed accuracy is nowhere near as important as motor vibration (micro jitter caused by cogging and electrical aberations).

The solution for Perfect Speed Control

The ideal way to overcome speed drift is to control the speed of the platter itself rather than the motor. Direct drive decks are renowned for their consistent speed. However the Origin Live LSC achieves the same result with unerring accuracy. Measurable drift is below 0.0001% (over 100 times more accurate than most decks). Wow and Flutter has been recorded at a mere 0.04% which betters many direct drive decks.

The high degree of accuracy derives from a high quality motor with superb low noise circuit design. This includes analogue instanteneous load compenstion whilst absolute speed stability is achieved through super accurate measurement of actual platter speed (LSC).

Consistent accuracy is guaranteed regardless of belt wear, motor age, pod position and temperature. This makes for an extremely user friendly experience as you don’t worry about the aforementioned factors that bedevil conventional decks.

The most significant advantage of the LSC is that it achieves a significant reduction of motor jitter (which is also present on direct drive decks). This is not wow and flutter but tiny micro changes in motor speed that create vibration – not something that is ever measured due to technical challenges but is by far the most significant factor affecting sound quality. Encoders create this problem in spades which is why we never use them.

It’s noteworthy that the LSC received major design input from an expert electronics / software consultant designer working in the fighter aircraft industry. This evidences itself in reliability and meticulous performance .