Hi Gary,

While the KAB Speed Strobe works independently of the power line frequency,
and thus works equally well in 60 Hz and 50 Hz countries in theory, I would
submit that in practice it is still geared to the speeds provided on 60 Hz
turntables, which means that electrically recorded 78s from Europe will be
off.

Its specs indicate 78.26 for 78rpm, which is the 60Hz standard;
Electrically recorded 78s from countries where 50Hz is the power frequency
are recorded at 77.92 RPM.  Anyone in the UK or Europe, for example, who
uses the SpeedStrobe to set their turntables at 78, will be playing their
locally manufactured records at a speed 0.44% faster than they should be -
a slightly greater pitching error than the 0.42% Caruso one.  (The
SpeedStrobe does not offer 77.92, which seems an amazing oversight for a
product intended for worldwide use.)

Michael Shoshani
Chicago


On Thu, Apr 27, 2017 at 2:40 PM, Gary A. Galo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Hi George,
>
> Following Aida Favia-Artsay, the difference between 76.60 (60Hz) and 76.92
> (50Hz) is 0.42%. This is an unacceptable pitching error. Are you telling me
> that every 76.6-rpm Caruso record pitched using her 50 Hz strobe will be
> 0.42% off?
>
> It would seem that, for turntables lacking a digital readout, a sensible
> solution is KAB's Speed Strobe:
>
> http://www.kabusa.com/strobe.htm
>
> The Speed Strobe comes with its own LED lamp, which is illuminated with a
> quartz-locked AC signal. Therefore, it is not dependent on the power line
> frequency, and will work equally well in 60 Hz and 50 Hz countries.
>
> Gary
>
>
>