Positive Feedback 2011 Editor's Choice Award Winner!
The Sutherland Timeline is both an innovative record weight and a primary reference instrument for checking turntable speed.
Because timing is everything...
A great orchestra depends on a great conductor to keep the note of every instrument playing exactly at the right moment. The pluck of a string, or the trill of a flute just a fraction of a beat off can ruin a performance. The emotion that touches the soul of the audience depends on this precision.
It was with this precision in mind, that the Timeline was born.
As an instrument designed to keep the finest of turntables running at exactly the correct speed, there is simply no equal. With a time-base accuracy of 2 parts per million, the Timeline is the very definition of precision.
"The first time Ron Sutherland demonstrated the Timeline for me at CES, it stopped me in my tracks. Place the Sutherland Timeline over your turntable spindle (it's also an LP weight) and note the position of the laser display line on the wall. Mark that position on the wall with a tiny piece of tape if necessary and verify the laser remains absolutely steady in that one spot. If your table passes this test, drop the needle onto the record lead in groove and note the laser position again. If it's still steady and remains so until the end of the LP, you have an extraordinary speed accurate turntable. Why is this so important? Vinyl playback is mechanical, even if you lack perfect pitch the turntable ability to maintain consistent speed effects tone, dynamics, and timing. An absolutely vital accessory and important tool for turntable set up." - Albert Porter, Positive Feedback, Awards Issue 58, 2011
The Timeline flashes its laser at precisely 33 1/3 (or 45) times per minute. If your turntable is rotating at exactly the correct speed, the dot is stretched into a line segment that is projected to the same place on every revolution. If, however, your turntable is too fast, the projected line segment will drift in a clockwise direction. If too slow, into a counter-clockwise direction. Adjust your turntable speed accordingly. The Timeline will also reveal any loading effects of stylus dragging forces.
The Timeline has also been designed to serve as an indispensable record weight that will effectively dampen the vinyl, providing quieter playback. Its machined Delrin lower section couples into the vinyl. That interface section is then tightly constrained by the rigidity of the machined aluminum upper section. Playback will be significantly improved by leaving the Timeline in place during playback.
"Anyone who's serious about analog needs a way to accurately measure, set, and monitor his or her turntable's speed, and Ron Sutherland's Timeline perfectly fits the bill. It's a gorgeous little gadget and spectacularly accurate, but far more important, it's simple and easy to use-which ensures that it will be used... for a diehard vinyl junkie such as I, it's indespensable."- Brian Damkroger, Stereophile Magazine, December 2010, Vol. 33, No. 12, Page 135
Specifications:
Batteries: 2 N size alkaline
Battery life: greater than 800 hours
Laser: 650 nm, less than 2.5 mw output spot size 1/4 “ at 15 feet
Size: 3” diam, 1 3/4 “ high
Weight: 9.7oz (275gm)
