Luxman PD-191A Turntable – First Look

All Image Credit: Luxman

Luxman has just launched their latest flagship belt drive PD-191A turntable that is to be displayed at AXPONA 23 next week.

The PD-191A is a complete redesign of the ten year old PD-171. This revised design incorporates; a new belt drive system with a PWM/PID rotation speed controller and DC brushless motor, an all-new knife-edge bearing 10″ tonearm and features Luxman’s underslung chassis design with 15 mm aluminum top plate and a solid, 5.2 kg (11.4lb) aluminum platter with record mat.

The new LTA-710 tonearm was developed in conjunction with Japan’s analogue audio specialists, SAEC. It features a vertical knife-edge bearing that delivers excellent sensitivity. Having an effective length of 10 inches (256 mm) it minimizes both tracking error, (+1.07° to -1.52°) and improves damping against surface vibration. The arm also features adjustable anti-skating and offers 22 mm’s of height adjustment, allowing for a wide range of phono cartridges to be utilized. The Luxman supplied universal headshell features Dia Ultra Crystallized Copper (DUCC) wiring, having long copper grains for improved conductivity.

Tonearm mounting flexibility is of paramount importance to a turntable of this pedigree. While the PD-191A comes with it own integrated tonearm, Luxman have provided accessories that support the attachment of third party 9 to 10-inch tonearms and an external second tonearm base for long 12-inch arms, initially supporting the classic SME-3012.

Ensuring that the platters speed variations are kept to a minimum Luxman have employed two techniques. The first is the solid 5.2kg (11.4lb) aluminum platter that has polyether ether ketone (PEEK) thrust bearings and brass radial bearings that result in wow & flutter of less than 0.04% (weighted RMS). Secondly, their unique sine wave/Pulse Width Modulation power supply provides stable direct current to the DC brushless motor that edge drives the platter via a new, wide, EPDM belt material. Speed control is maintained using a high performance micro-electro-mechanical system (MAMS) oscillator that has excellent temperature characteristics, with the control system using Proportional-Integral-Differential (PID) control.

Air born and structural born vibrations have been minimized by the use of four individual height adjustable rubber feet and an underslung suspension system that supports the main bearing, platter (with vibration absorbing rubber mat) and electrical together with the tonearm hardware that are attached to the 15 mm thick aluminum alloy top plate. Internal sources of vibration from the motor and transformer are minimized by attaching them to the 3.2 mm metal bottom panel and by using special rubber mounts to isolate the main chassis.

Finally the rosewood finished base and contrasting aluminum top panel supports a strobe window and dedicated controls support separate speed adjustments for 33-1/3, 45 and 78 rpm. An optional 4.0mm acrylic dust cover that incorporates spring and cam hinges is also available.