Michell Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference Turntable / Fluid Tonearm

Here we have a vintage turntable from British company Michell. Built under licence from the Transcriptors company between 1973 and 1977 the Hydraulic Reference Turntable was an amazing looking turntable for its day and was featured in the film “A Clockwork Orange”. This unit is fitted with the Fluid tonearm and a vintage Shure cartridge. It is in good working condition and will be professionally packaged along with our standard three month warranty. Please note this warranty does not cover the fitted cartridge.
Michell/Transcriptors Said…
Turntable:
The Transcriptors Hydraulic Reference Turntable represents the very latest in record player engineering techniques and are designed to complement the finest stereo reproducing equipment. The complete unit is free-standing on three, adjustable acoustic feedback damping legs.
The Hydraulic Reference Turntable employs a low-speed, recoil start synchronous motor on a double-deck spring mounting driving the platter via a rubber belt thereby providing complete vibration insulation. The main bearing incorporates a silicone fluid filled well rotating at the same speed as the platter, fine speed control being provided by a static vane immersed in the fluid. Platter speed is therefore determined by the AC mains frequency, which is effectively constant, and the viscous fluid flow onto the vane, also effectively constant. Speed changing (45 rpm and 33⅓ rpm) is accomplished by moving the drive belt from one motor pulley to the other and a neon-lit stroboscope is provided for accurate speed setting.
In order to eliminate completely any mechanical shock to the equipment, on/off switching of the drive motor is accomplished by means of a magnetically actuated vacuum switch. The sintered gold contacts on this switch guarantee an extremely long operational life.
Tonearm:
The Fluid Arm has been developed specifically for use with modern cartridges of not more than 16 grammes weight, tracking at not more than 2 grammes.
The Fluid Arm employs a unipivot working in an oil-filled well, so that the arm beam assembly relies for its lateral support, stability and resonant damping on the fluid surrounding the pivot. This results in a substantially friction-free pivot of high stability.
An adjustable eccentric counterweight allows both lateral and longitudinal balancing of the arm. Fine control of longitudinal balancing to allow adjustment of the stylus tracking force within a fraction of a gramme is provided by a screwed counterweight.
Also provided is a bias compensating device so designed as to use a rolling motion. An adjustable bias weight operating through a pulley gives correct compensation as the stylus moves towards the centre of the record.
A lifting and positioning (or “cueing”) device is provided incorporating a hydraulic lowering handwheel which lowers the arm onto the record automatically, but which can be over-ridden when required for accurate manual positioning.
A plug-in headshell is fitted for mounting the cartridge, no soldering is required, and the signal outputs are taken via a pair of 3-feet (914 mm) long screened leads terminated in co-axial plugs.
Specifications:
Length: 229 mm or 254 mm
Fixing: Single hole, 25 mm diameter
Adjustment: Vertical: 64 mm; Horizontal (all planes): 13 mm
Principal Dimensions: 229 mm arm; 254 mm arm
Counterweight Overhang: 76 mm; 82 mm
Overall Length: 305 mm; 330 mm
Pivot To Turntable Centre: 216 mm; 241 mm
Lead Capacitance: 65 pF/ft.