LENCO Turntables
Encyclopedia
Lenco is now a Dutch
brand of audio & video equipment and part of the STL Group of brands.
However, when audio hobbyists refer to Lenco turntables, they are typically referring to the defunct Lenco AG of Oberburg, Switzerland, a turntable manufacturer of the 1950–1980s. This article will discuss why vintage (used) Lenco turntables are of interest to audio hobbyists.
are electromechanical systems used to extract musical signals cut as modulations into vinyl or shellac records. As a system, a turntable typically consists of a platter and drive system (mounted on a plinth
), a tonearm, and a phono cartridge. The platter provides the rotational energy to the record placed upon it via the platter drive system, energy which the phono cartridge transducer
(held above the record by the tonearm) needs to trace and convert the modulations into electrical signals. These electrical signals are then amplified and re-equalized, and finally converted into musical sound-waves by loudspeakers. A key functional requirement of a turntable system is the consistency of the platters rotational velocity, especially when high level modulations (loud sounds, typically with low frequency content) provide greater friction to the phono transducer, creating a dynamic load on the platter drive system. Various techniques are used to rotate the platter and to generate the required rotational energy; an "idler" rotation system was made by the now defunct Swiss turntable manufacturer Lenco.
Vintage Swiss made Lenco and Lenco OEM/re-badged Barthe, Benjamin, Bogen, Goldring
, Grundig, Komet, and Voxon turntables used a vertical "idler-drive" to rotate the platter, as opposed to a belt drive or more recent direct drive turntables. This idler-driver directly couples the rotating motor force to the platter via a solid rubber disc or rubberized wheel. When coupled to a heavy platter (early model Lenco's have cast non-ferrous metal
platters of almost 4 kg), and modified
,the idler-drive can provide steady rotational consistency, even when heavily modulated passages are tracked by a phono cartridge. Many audiophiles believe that this "rotational consistency" translates into bass "slam" (audiophile jargon for impactful bass) and rhythmic fidelity.
As a system to impart the needed rotational energy to a vinyl record, the idler-drive is something of a brute-force technique, and the engineering that Lenco used, especially in older models, was both simple and cost effective.
Idler-drive turntable systems are not, however, without drawbacks – coupling the platter directly to the motor means that vibrations from the motor can be passed to the platter, where they can be picked up and amplified by the sensitive phono cartridge transducer. As an example, small variations in the concentricity of the rubberized idler wheel can cause small speed variations and rumble. This will color and degrade the musical signals being amplified. Moreover, the fabrication techniques used to build Lenco turntables exacerbated problems with vibration control, as the idler-drive motor was housed in a "cavity" that allowed resonance reinforcement, and the motor was not sufficiently damped or decoupled from the plinth to prevent certain colorations.
Modern day hobbyists have addressed these short-comings in vintage Lenco turntables by modifying them, eliminating the cavities and providing a high mass chassis/plinth for the turntable, and by refurbishing the idler wheels, using precision machined idler wheels with engineering grade o'rings. The results can be satisfying to these hobbyists, especially as the cost to refurbish and modify a used vintage Lenco turntable can be small in comparison with the cost of buying a new turntable (provided that one has invested in the tools needed to tackle such a project – chief among these a table-saw
and router). Subjectively, these turntables are often compared to "Audiophile-grade" turntable systems.
LencoLand – Lost Worlds of Lenco
Welcome to Lenco HEAVEN
Lencotdl
Goldring Lenco gallery
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
brand of audio & video equipment and part of the STL Group of brands.
However, when audio hobbyists refer to Lenco turntables, they are typically referring to the defunct Lenco AG of Oberburg, Switzerland, a turntable manufacturer of the 1950–1980s. This article will discuss why vintage (used) Lenco turntables are of interest to audio hobbyists.
Why are vintage Lenco turntables interesting?
TurntablesPhonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
are electromechanical systems used to extract musical signals cut as modulations into vinyl or shellac records. As a system, a turntable typically consists of a platter and drive system (mounted on a plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
), a tonearm, and a phono cartridge. The platter provides the rotational energy to the record placed upon it via the platter drive system, energy which the phono cartridge transducer
Transducer
A transducer is a device that converts one type of energy to another. Energy types include electrical, mechanical, electromagnetic , chemical, acoustic or thermal energy. While the term transducer commonly implies the use of a sensor/detector, any device which converts energy can be considered a...
(held above the record by the tonearm) needs to trace and convert the modulations into electrical signals. These electrical signals are then amplified and re-equalized, and finally converted into musical sound-waves by loudspeakers. A key functional requirement of a turntable system is the consistency of the platters rotational velocity, especially when high level modulations (loud sounds, typically with low frequency content) provide greater friction to the phono transducer, creating a dynamic load on the platter drive system. Various techniques are used to rotate the platter and to generate the required rotational energy; an "idler" rotation system was made by the now defunct Swiss turntable manufacturer Lenco.
Vintage Swiss made Lenco and Lenco OEM/re-badged Barthe, Benjamin, Bogen, Goldring
Goldring
Goldring is an audio equipment manufacturing company that was established in 1906. In 1906 the Scharf brothers started manufacturing phonographs in Berlin, Germany. The company moved to England in 1933 and continued manufacturing cartridges and turntables. The "Juwel Electro Soundbox" phonograph...
, Grundig, Komet, and Voxon turntables used a vertical "idler-drive" to rotate the platter, as opposed to a belt drive or more recent direct drive turntables. This idler-driver directly couples the rotating motor force to the platter via a solid rubber disc or rubberized wheel. When coupled to a heavy platter (early model Lenco's have cast non-ferrous metal
Non-ferrous metal
In metallurgy, a non-ferrous metal is a metal that is not ferrous, that is, any metal, including alloys, that does not contain iron in appreciable amounts...
platters of almost 4 kg), and modified
,the idler-drive can provide steady rotational consistency, even when heavily modulated passages are tracked by a phono cartridge. Many audiophiles believe that this "rotational consistency" translates into bass "slam" (audiophile jargon for impactful bass) and rhythmic fidelity.
As a system to impart the needed rotational energy to a vinyl record, the idler-drive is something of a brute-force technique, and the engineering that Lenco used, especially in older models, was both simple and cost effective.
Idler-drive turntable systems are not, however, without drawbacks – coupling the platter directly to the motor means that vibrations from the motor can be passed to the platter, where they can be picked up and amplified by the sensitive phono cartridge transducer. As an example, small variations in the concentricity of the rubberized idler wheel can cause small speed variations and rumble. This will color and degrade the musical signals being amplified. Moreover, the fabrication techniques used to build Lenco turntables exacerbated problems with vibration control, as the idler-drive motor was housed in a "cavity" that allowed resonance reinforcement, and the motor was not sufficiently damped or decoupled from the plinth to prevent certain colorations.
Modern day hobbyists have addressed these short-comings in vintage Lenco turntables by modifying them, eliminating the cavities and providing a high mass chassis/plinth for the turntable, and by refurbishing the idler wheels, using precision machined idler wheels with engineering grade o'rings. The results can be satisfying to these hobbyists, especially as the cost to refurbish and modify a used vintage Lenco turntable can be small in comparison with the cost of buying a new turntable (provided that one has invested in the tools needed to tackle such a project – chief among these a table-saw
Table saw
A table saw or sawbench is a woodworking tool consisting of a circular saw blade, mounted on an arbor, that is driven by an electric motor...
and router). Subjectively, these turntables are often compared to "Audiophile-grade" turntable systems.
Lenco Turntables Models
Goldring Lenco GL75 (re-badged Lenco L75) The ubiquitous Lenco model that many Lenco lovers modify.See also
Lenco Heaven ("Lenco Lovers" successor)LencoLand – Lost Worlds of Lenco
Welcome to Lenco HEAVEN
Lencotdl
Goldring Lenco gallery