Problems from using the wrong drive belt for your Connoisseur

Choosing a Drive Belt for Connoisseur BD1/BD2/BD2A Turntables

Many vinyl lovers have come to me with issues they’re having with their Connoisseur turntables stemming from the various replacement drive belts they have purchased over the internet.  I have sold my williams-sonics service kit to many of these enthusiasts to rectify their issues and bring their Connoisseur back to life.

The Sugden Connoisseur BD1 and BD2 turntables are high quality transcription turntables capable of a very high level of reproduction whilst rendering a highly musical sound.  This is because A.R. Sugden gave importance to all aspects of his designs including the belts.  He had the belts made of natural rubber because of its ability to absorb his turntable motor vibrations - inevitable in all motors to some degree.  His natural rubber belt also drove the platter effectively.  Genuine Sugden belts are no longer available, so the market has seen everybody and their dog selling belts to fill that void, regardless of the vital properties Connoisseur belts need to have for high fidelity reproduction.

A belt material which lacks ability to stretch and spring back, i.e. an elastic property, can and will give all sorts of problems detrimental to the deck’s performance.  The most prolific issues I have found, are from cast nitrile O-rings used as belts - yes they will last forever and produce poor quality, non hi-fi sound forever as well!  They and any other materials with little or no elasticity do cause issues which can be mistakenly blamed on other parts of the turntable.  I am not against industrial material being used for Connoisseur belts; all drive belt substitutions will inevitably be a compromise but they should be made from material which has properties that are closer to the genuine belts so not to cause major issues.

My other article on this blog makes clear genuine belts were and are not absolutely perfect.  While that is technically true, we are not talking degrees of perfection here, with the inflexible nitrile O-rings we are talking about materials that are massively inappropriate for belts, and unfortunately sold in large numbers to the unaware.

Problems People Are Experiencing With Substitute Drive Belts

Belt pulling motor over towards the platter excessively crushing web.

Belt vibrating visibly up and down like a plucked double bass string as it enters the pulley or more likely as it leaves the pulley.

Excessive band tension under the motor to counter a belt that won’t stretch.

High level of motor vibration reaching the platter and being amplified through to the speakers.

Motor oscillating fast clockwise and anticlockwise, shaking back and forth like it’s stuck in oscillation.

Labouring of the motor that was never designed to have strong torque or turning power.

Excessive wear on motor spindle bushes from being forced over.

Problems in switching between speeds.

These above listed problems are not likely to be with your motor as commonly suspected, but are instead highly likely to be caused by your substitute belt.

The Result: Shortened life of motor, motor bearings, platter bearing; degraded sound quality.  Using wrong materials like nitrile puts more wear into your table in 6 months than a compliant belt would in 40 years.

My service kit will not do this.  The williams-sonics belt has been selected from my considerable testing process to be the best replacement for the original belt, which is no longer available.  I do not use cast O-rings, my belts are securely joined using specialist flexible adhesive and accurately measured for the correct tension in the Connoisseur decks.  The williams-sonics web is made of the best natural rubber and performs the same or better than the original motor mount – Sugden himself would not be able to fault it.  The service kit is available to purchase on eBay.

The Connoisseur turntable is a highly sensitive and delicate machine.  I set it up as a fine instrument.

The williams-sonics audiophile philosophy is to design for best possible vinyl sound quality.  All my products strictly adhere to this philosophy.

How Not To Treat A Belt.

Never stretch a belt between your hands to gauge its elasticity, not even a natural rubber belt and definitely not a synthetic rubber belt.  If you do you risk lengthening it and consequently it will be too slack or it will be overstretched in parts and not others which will cause your platter speed to vary.
Only ever stretch it just over the pulley or carefully around the platter.