Then nervosa takes over..and you buy an Origin, Clearaudio, or a Project speed control box of some sort.

We're talkin' $400 to $800 bucks, list.

They can be found on the 'Gon, sometimes. Just gotta be patient...

I guess they're more for TTs w/ outboard motors in the first place... my Platine's motor is adjustable, and the LYS gyrascope/record weight comes in pretty handy, especially when I'm flipping between 33s & 45s at will.

Doug,

The NC Artist also enables fine-tuning by the user for both 33rpm and 45rpm. I think you would be surprised how many turntables offer this (although I concede it is biased towards the higher end of the market).

It's actually difficult to get the same wow and flutter specs for multiple speeds- out of the same motor. A filter circuit/motor combination has just ONE perfect loading, with regards to the best wow and flutter specs.

Speed controls can be a compromise. Sometimes. We're talking pretty subtle stuff..but if the same setup, with and without was shown back-to-back, then it might show it's self as the minor issue that it is.

Doug,

I guess I was thinking primarily of decks with free-standing motor pods not fixed relative to the platter spindle (e.g. Audiolabor, LPV, Galibier etc) where belt tension influences speed and therefore user-adjustability is pretty much mandatory. Those decks also happen to be among the best I have heard so they represent my definition of the 'high end'.

I realize that there are far broader definitions of 'high end' where my statement doesn't hold true although it is a shame. Any deck with a DC motor or a synchronous AC motor with a resynthesizing power supply already has all the necessary electronics so it is just a question of exposing the control to the user.

There is an obvious cost argument here, although a little ingenuity can easily overcome that. The NC Artist has two miniature trim pots exposed at the back (see picture below) which you turn with a screwdriver. Since the pots are necessary to calibrate the speed in the first place the additional cost of making them easily accessible is effectively just six inches of ribbon cable.