No one would blame you for being sceptical of an easy to fit, inexpensive DC motor upgrade. Especially one that improves greatly on the best of other power supplies costing over 4 times as much. It is simply impossible to imagine the level of improvement attained by eliminating motor vibration that your Hi Fi amplifies 8,000 times. This kit replaces the weakest link in your record deck - the AC motor - simply refining the supply to an existing AC motor is not addressing the real problems which going DC solves.

All turntables can usualy be upgraded massively by using the Origin Live DC motor kits -. Don't be fooled by a small box and small motor size - this is a case of "less is more" - It is reported from owners of all decks from high end to budget that the kit results in phenomenol and shocking improvements. Some decks in excess of £20,000 have had their massive Class A driven power supplies and motors simply hammered by the inconspicuous Origin Live motor kits. In the case of the Technics SL1200 deck, Origin Live offer their power supply to radically upgrade the deck without changing the motor as it is a direct drive turntable.

Decks with lightweight platters and those with 30kg + platters all benefit from this amazing kit. Decks in excess of £30,000 have been upgraded using this supply - don't be fooled by massive class A amplifiers driving large expensive motors, this laughably small supply still outperforms them.

For a short article on why motors and power supplies have a dominant influence on turntable performance see Turntable Fundamentals

Risk Free Trial

Time and again owner feedback says things like “for once the hype is true” - “does everything you claim and more”. This means that we confidently offer these drives on a 1 month money back guarantee basis. If it doesn’t outperform your current motor drive by a considerable margin, we will give an immediate refund.

Can Your Turntable Be Upgraded?

The Origin Live DC motor drive upgrade has been successfully fitted to the majority of turntable models such as Linn (Valhulla, Lingo), Nottingham Analogue, Roksan, Pink Triangle, Rega, Thorens, VPI, Michell, Heybrook, Opus, Oracle, Well Tempered, Acoustic Research, Systemdek and many more. No matter how advanced the existing power supply, the result of adding the drive upgrade has surprised and delighted owners. It simply produces massive improvements to all aspects of sonic performance. For over eight years, these drives have been fitted to practically every deck ever built with spectacular results - it is extremely well thought out and highly refined. The performance value to your system is well over 4 times what you invest (in comparison to some upgrades) and the improvement is similar regardless of the type of deck you own.

The variable speed adjustment enables this motor kit to be UNIVERSAL in it's application - the pulley is designed to run flat or round section belts - the list goes on but rest assured this kit has been extremely thoroughly developed and well thought out - you do not need to ask whether the kit works on your deck because once you receive the parts all becomes clear. We receive hardly any calls asking how to fit a kit once it is with an owner, simply because it is unnecessary - all becomes clear. Any risk on your part is also removed by the no quibble, money back guarantee should you not be able to fit the kit (less than 0.5%).

See complete list of decks modified in addition to the General guidance fitting notes

Repairing Defective Decks

The kits are very useful not only as an upgrade but also for repairing decks with broken motors or power supplies that would otherwise be unusable. For example, Oracle owners have acquired the Advanced DC Motor Kit at a third of the price Oracle would charge for a new motor, and found it to be a considerable improvement.

Why Motors & Power Supplies Have Such A Powerful Influence On Turntable Performance

22 Years after purchasing my first turntable, it continues to amaze me how they all exhibit such major sound differences. It seems that every aspect of a turntable’s design affects performance to a remarkable extent.

The motor and drive mechanism is possibly the most important aspect, contributing up to around 30% of overall performance. At first this may seem an unexpected statement and so by way of explanation, it is worth considering the following.

The purpose of a deck is to rotate the record at a precise speed in relation to the cartridge needle. No other motion must be present except the stylus movement through the groove. Any other motion will upset the correct movement of the stylus in the groove by adding to it or subtracting from it. The outcome is then amplified around 8000 times by the time it gets to the speakers.

To achieve this theoretical ideal, the factors to overcome in order of priority are: -

Motor vibration
Movement and resonances in the deck and arm structure caused by:
1. Stylus movement
2. Ground Bourne vibration, mainly due to the speakers mechanical connection to the room.
3. Airborne vibration from the speaker acoustic output.
4. Vibration caused by the platter / spindle rotation in the main bearing
5. Vibration or movement of the arm bearings.

There are two aspects to controlling vibration – the first is to minimize the source and the second is to dissipate the energy involved with as little motion as possible. This seems simple at face value but becomes extraordinarily difficult when one realizes that the slightest vibration anywhere in the deck is going to be amplified 8000 times by the time it gets to the speakers.

To reduce motor vibration at source there are 2 approaches:

To produce a perfect, electronically synthesised sine wave to drive an AC motor.
To produce a perfectly regulated, load compensating DC current to drive a DC motor.

To be fair there are pros and cons to both methods. AC and DC solutions are both highly demanding and much depends on the quality of the motor.

Origin Live chose to use DC motors, not so much based on theoretical arguments but on findings that DC motors generally ran more smoothly than the AC motors available – this is eliminating vibration at source rather than controlling it.

There is an argument that, if a deck is completely inert, using high mass platters and carefully selected plinth materials, there should be minimal influence from motor vibration. It is surprising therefore that the DC motor kits we supply, have an astonishing influence on such decks, some of which use platters in the 30kg (66lb) range. Quite how the vibration of a motor can upset such a mass takes some thinking about.

Features & Benefits

Control of Motor Energy Fluctuation

A high performance DC motor drive is dependent not only on motor quality but more importantly on a superb power supply.

Motors are hard to drive evenly with absolute precision. Eddy currents within the magnets cause severe power fluctuations among other factors. Negative voltage is fed back into the power supply. If not controlled, this results in motor vibration and severe loss of dynamics. Origin Live power supplies absorb such dips and surges in load, while adjusting to deliver copious and precise power with great speed.

Speed Stability

The motor requires load compensation to maintain the turntable at a constant speed. This is because the drag of the stylus varies between the inner and outer tracks of a record. Many turntables suffer from about 1% speed drift. Not only is there variation from inner to outer tracks - there is also localised variation when the stylus negotiates complex or heavy passages of music.

To overcome these problems, the Advanced and Ultra power supplies have a load sensing circuit that maintains speed drift to a mere 0.1% (as measured by Hi-Fi News magazine - ten times better than the average turntable). The results are increased dynamics, better timing and pitch control, and a greater sense of drive and pace.

It is worth mentioning that for motors, a well designed mains regulator far surpasses the performance of lead acid battery regulation (as used by a few high end pre-amps).

Low Noise

As well as delivering superb speed control, the regulator is designed to produce very low noise, thereby reducing vibration still further. This translates into increased transparency and better definition.

Speed Switching

The speed is easily switched between 33rpm and 45rpm using the knob on the speed control box.

Power Supply Rear

Rear Panel Of Control Box

Speed Setting

To cater for different sizes of platter or sub-platter, you can set the infinitely variable motor speed for your particular deck using preset dial resistors. This has the added advantage of making the motor simple to transfer should you ever change your deck.

Motor Features

The high-grade DC motors are best of class and characterized by:

Low vibration.
Smooth, powerful rotation.

The motors are a breakthrough design with virtually no cogging effect due to ironless cores. Cogging is the ‘flick’ that occurs as straight rotor windings pass between straight magnetic strips, i.e. the power transfer varies as the coils rotate from one magnetic pole to the next. More expensive motors have ‘skewed’ coils to ensure a smooth power transfer as the rotor rotates between poles.

This imparts a massive advantage over the inexpensive AC motors used in most decks, such as the Linn LP12, Thorens, Rega etc. These cannot run smoothly in comparison, no matter how sophisticated and expensive the power supply. The Origin Live DC motor is not only cogless but also ironless, which means that flux residue which occurs in cheaper motors is eliminated. Smoother, more efficient operation is the result. The Origin Live motors are also fitted with precious-metal brushes and are highly reliable. The bottom line is that the major source of vibration in any turntable (i.e. the motor) is dramatically improved. The benefits are difficult to imagine and fully appreciate until you hear them.

Precision Pulley

The pulley is precision made from a special plastic selected for it's high performance.

Motor Plate

This is laser cut from stainless steel with mounting hole to coincide with the standard synchronous motor used on most decks. The single bolt fitting enables belt tension to be adjusted by rotating the motor - an important factor to optimize performance. Due to the lower vibration of the motor, it does not need rubber-band or other decoupling methods employed on some decks to isolate their existing motors. In fact this motor can be attached to the sub-chassis of a deck with no significant noise breakthrough!

Will I be able to fit the kit without too much trouble?

All you need to do is fit the motor. The motor, external switch box and transformer simply plug into one another - there is no soldering or electronics assembly.

Fitting is usually very straight forward as the motor plate is designed as a drop in replacement for the existing motors used in most turntables. Owners have little trouble once they have the parts in their hands, and we provide clear instructions on installation, dimensions, etc. covering almost every situation. Additional detailed accounts by owners on exactly how they fitted the kit to their particular deck are also posted on the Origin Live web site. Fitting on the LP12 can take as little as 20 minutes and is fully reversible. However, should you confront insurmountable problems in fitting the kit, please return it for a refund

Shop Installation

The other way to fit the motor is by a local dealer. The drive upgrades are available through shops and there are many specialist dealers who can install the kit for you if required. A labour charge will probably be involved, but the total investment is still far less than the cost of other products.

Is the kit worth the outlay on a lower priced deck? - Many Rega owners say that the kit has utterly transformed the performance of their deck. Other owners of budget decks also testify to being deeply impressed by the results. Again - please see the Origin Live web site for owner comments on the sonic benefits to a large cross-section of decks.