Fluance Audio's video: What is a Servo Motor in a Turntable and Why You Want Your Record Player to Have One

You can have the most expensive stylus and platter in the world, but if the speed isn't consistent, the pitch of the sound will be off. This is why a Servo Motor is so important. But what is a Servo Motor? Watch this video and find out. In this video is the Fluance RT83 Reference Turntable: https://www.fluance.com/rt83w-reference-high-fidelity-vinyl-turntable-natural-walnut Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FluanceAudio Twitter: https://twitter.com/fluance Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fluanceaudio TRANSCRIPT: Just like the rhythm section of a band is the pulse of a song, the motor keeps the beat of your turntable. Adding a Servo motor is like adding a metronome as a smart companion, communicating the exact tempo to the drummer in real time. A servo motor is an electrical device that can push or rotate an object with great precision. It's able to do this by constantly sending feedback from a sensor to a controller. In turntables, it controls the rotation of the platter. This is beneficial in the case of vinyl because consistent speed is extremely important. In the case of our Reference turntables, the Servo Motor is checking the speed of the platter 500 times per second. That's 500 times, every second, that the motor is saying to itself, "Are we at a rock solid 33 1/3 or 45 rpm?" Plus, with a servo motor, you will never have to change the speed manually. Consistent speed is important because music played back, even slightly slower or faster, will affect the pitch and tempo. For example, here is a recording at the proper speed (sample plays). Here is the same recording played back slightly slower (sample plays) And here it is played back slightly faster (sample plays). Also, inconsistent speed is one thing that can affect the turntables wow and flutter rating. Wow and flutter are two separate measurements that are often combined in one spec. The Wow measures frequency wobble in lower frequencies and is normally a once per revolution pitch variation. Flutter measures higher frequencies and is a rapid variation of signal amplitude, phase, or frequency. A turntable's Wow and Flutter rating is expressed as a percentage. Most people can't perceive a difference of up to 0.25%. For more videos like this, hit subscribe. And be sure to visit us at Fluance.com