{"id":33038,"date":"2022-09-17T14:32:14","date_gmt":"2022-09-17T12:32:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/?p=33038"},"modified":"2022-09-23T15:21:55","modified_gmt":"2022-09-23T13:21:55","slug":"bergmann-presentation-euromast-rotterdam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hifi-advice.com\/blog\/turntable-and-accessories-reviews\/turntable-reviews\/bergmann-presentation-euromast-rotterdam\/","title":{"rendered":"Bergmann presentation Euromast Rotterdam"},"content":{"rendered":"

On September 12th, 2022, Dutch distributor Mafico organized an event for Johnnie Bergmann to showcase his Galder air-bearing turntable and Odin linear air-bearing tonearm.<\/p>\n

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The venue for this event was as special as the occasion: the Euromast in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

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Constructed in 1960, the Euromast was built to mark the first ‘Floriade’, which was the international flower and garden exhibition. The ‘mast’ (referring to a ship’s mast) rises 185m above the ground, which makes it the tallest building in the Netherlands. Its current main purpose is to serve as an observation tower.<\/p>\n

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The main pillar has an inside diameter of 9 meters and houses an elevator that quietly but very quickly takes you up 100 meters in only 30 seconds.<\/p>\n

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The Mafico-organized Bergmann event was on the 4th floor, as indicated by an animated display inside the elevator. Ironically, the 4th floor is no less than 92 meters above the ground. Upon exiting the elevator, I was taken aback by the view. Somehow, I couldn’t wrap my head around the difference in height that was achieved in what seemed like a flash.<\/p>\n

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This is the main section containing the restaurant and also the venue of the Mafico Bergmann presentation.<\/p>\n

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Above the 4th floor main section is a further extension called ‘Space Tower’ that was added later in 1970 which takes the total tower height to 185 meters. In 1983, the ‘Space Cabin’, now called ‘Euroscoop’ was added, a ring-shaped elevator with glass walls that circles around the tower as it carries visitors to the very top. Alas, I did not take the opportunity. After all, I was not here for the view but for an audio event. As it turned out, I would get both!<\/p>\n

Johnnie Bergmann briefly describes his background<\/h3>\n

“In the eighties, I became familiar with the air-bearing technique. To me, it was obviously the most optimal way to build the perfect turntable. I also realized the designs of that time had some drawbacks and were problematic and unstable to operate for the end user”.<\/em><\/p>\n

“When I finished my education as a mechanical engineer and I began developing air-bearing turntables and tonearms, one of my goals was to eliminate these old drawbacks”.<\/em><\/p>\n

To this day, every single part of the Air-bearing Turntables and Tonearms is designed by Johnnie Bergmann and manufactured in the Bergmann workshop in Denmark.<\/p>\n

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The Galder turntable as shown above is an Air-bearing design with vacuum hold down as an option. The Galder accepts up to 4 tonearms, either radial or linear tracking designs.<\/p>\n

The plinth is made of one solid piece of CNC-machined die-cast aluminum, as well as the motor base. The plinth is securely tightened to a 10mm aluminum bottom plate, which is standing on 3 adjustable feet. The motor base is standing on the aluminum bottom plate \u2013but decoupled \u2013 and will always be aligned with the plinth, no matter the position of the feet.<\/p>\n

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This is not just a record weight, it is also a cleverly constructed valve to retain the air pressure.<\/p>\n

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On the back side of the plinth, the back panel is mounted, with Grounding, Air input, Vacuum input, Vacuum output for an air bearing tonearm, and air adjustment valves for the platter and tonearm.<\/p>\n

The advantage of using air bearings according to Bergmann<\/h3>\n

The platter is centered by a steel spindle, running in a frictionless, low-noise, and hard-wearing polymeric bearing material, and floats on a thin air cushion, which lowers the mechanical bearing noise to an absolute minimum- if any. A traditional bearing solution, which keeps the platter centered and also supports the platter weight, makes a higher level of mechanical bearing noise, as the contact point between the spindle top and the platter creates a very high pressure \u2013 and thereby noise.
\nBy floating on an air cushion, the platter also gains the advantage of very good isolation from the surroundings. The motor base on the Galder is equipped with a DC tacho motor. Communication between the tacho and the high-precision motor control will keep the platter at a very accurate speed of no more than 0.0027% speed variation.<\/p>\n

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The Odin Linear tracking air-bearing tonearm (shown above) is universally applicable. It fits <\/span>most high-end turntable designs, including the Bergmann 4-arm turntable model Galder. A linear tracking tonearm tracks the record as it is pressed with no tracking error. The benefit is a distortion-free and relaxed reproduction, even in complex passages. One more important advantage of the air-bearing is the tonearm\u2019s immunity to acoustic feedback, as it has no mechanical contact (the moving part) with the turntable. The only contact is through the stylus tip and the tonearm wire.<\/p>\n

Next: The Bergmann Presentation<\/em><\/p>\n

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The Bergmann presentation<\/h3>\n

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The restaurant on the 4th floor features beautiful architecture with a classy interior, a great restaurant, and an absolutely amazing all-around outside view.<\/p>\n

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A sizable section of the 4th floor was reserved for the Mafico-organized Bergmann presentation.<\/p>\n

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There were many familiar faces and everybody was in a great mood.<\/p>\n

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Flanking the Bergmann Galder turntable are the Final Model 7 Hybrid Electrostatic speakers, driven by a Lindemann Musicbook source and power pre- and power amplifier.<\/p>\n

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The Odin linear tracking air-bearing tonearm was fitted with an Air Tight PC-1 cartridge, feeding an Air Tight ATH-2 Reference step-up Transformer.<\/p>\n

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The output of the step-up Transformer was in turn fed to an Air Tight ATE-3011 Reference Phono Stage.<\/p>\n

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Johnnie explains the basics and benefits of his air-bearing designs.<\/p>\n

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It starts with the air pump. Bergmann turntables utilize a whisper-quiet membrane pump that is decoupled and further isolated within a larger chassis. Johnnie demonstrated the difference between off and on and none of the attendees could hear a difference.<\/p>\n

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The stylish and seemingly simple Galder turntable’s feet hide a complex aluminum and ceramic ball construction. 3 upper and smaller ceramic balls configured in a triangle, are standing on top of one bigger lower ceramic ball. The construction is such that the feet always maintain perfect contact, even when with uneven surfaces.<\/p>\n

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The platter is centered by a hard anodized spindle with a hard-wearing low-friction polymer bushing.<\/p>\n

The air pump has a threefold purpose. First, it provides air pressure to cushion the rotating platter. Second, it provides a vacuum through the center of the spindle to provide the vacuum hold-down for the record. And finally, it provides air pressure for a linear tracking air-bearing tonearm.<\/p>\n

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As Johnnie explained, there are different ways to flatten a record and secure that the record has a uniform contact with the record mat or platter. A clamp covering the record label will only keep the center of the record perfectly flattened while a metal ring on the outer edge will only keep the outer part of the record flattened. The best way to flatten the record completely is by obtaining a vacuum between the record and the mat\/platter \u2013 the vacuum hold-down.<\/p>\n

The Bergmann Audio vacuum hold-down is highly user-friendly. The vacuum pump doesn\u2019t need to be turned off when changing the record. The user simply removes the vacuum clamp that is covering the center spindle which releases the vacuum, and the record can easily be changed while the platter is still spinning. After changing the record and the vacuum clamp is reseated, the record is automatically flattened by the vacuum hold-down system.<\/p>\n

Incidentally, the Bergmann vacuum pump is designed such that it does not create condensation and thus has no issues with moisture. Moreover, the system is stable in all climates, even moist environments.<\/p>\n

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Here’s Johnnie, demonstrating a brand-new extra tall and extra heavy stainless steel platter on a Galder turntable.<\/p>\n

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Even when viewed from behind, this turntable is a stunning beauty.<\/p>\n

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For horizontally leveling the tonearm carriage, a precision-machined bubble level is supplied that can sit directly on top of the round air tube.<\/p>\n

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After Johnnie’s presentation had finished, there was time for mingling, and this is when I met Maarten Smits, owner of Final Audio.<\/p>\n

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Maarten Smits has been an innovator in the development of advanced electrostatic speaker technology for more than a decade during his ownership of Final, a company that was founded in 1989 by him and his brother Michiel Smits. Maarten told me the fascinating story of how Final was founded, taken over, and taken back into his own hands, but that’s something for a dedicated article.<\/p>\n

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Meanwhile, the catering provided a really nice lunch buffet. Shown above is only a fraction of the extensive buffet and I have to say that based on what was offered as part of this buffet, the restaurant must surely be superb.<\/p>\n

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Again, would you just look at that view!<\/p>\n

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External Links<\/h3>\n

Bergmann Audio<\/a>
\nFinal Audio<\/a>
\nLindemann<\/a>
\nAir Tight<\/a>
\nDistributor for the Benelux: Mafico<\/a><\/p>\n

EuroMast website<\/a>
\nEuroMast History (including the building process)<\/a><\/p>\n

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