Garrard Zero 100SB

 Garrard's new single-play turntables are so advanced in their solution of basic engineering problems that only a leading manufacturer of automatic changers could have produced them.

This may sound paradoxical to the partisans of single play, but it's a perfectly realistic view of the situation. The truth is that it's easier to make a single-play turntable that works (never mind outstanding performance for the moment) than a record changer that works.

The very qualities that make the single-play turntable the preferred choice of certain users -straightforwardness of design, lots of room for relatively few parts, fewer critical functions, etc. - also permit an unsophisticated maker to come up more easily with an acceptable model. Take a hevy platter and a strong motor, connect them with a belt .. You get the picture.

 As a result,  there are quite a few nice, big, shiny and expensive single-play turntables of respectable  performance in the stores today.

A thoroughbred single-play automatic is another matter.

We're talking about a turntable that gives you not only state-of-the-art. Performance in terms of rumble, wow, flutter, tracking and so on, but also the utmost in convenience, childproof and guestproof automation, pleasant handling, efficient use of space, balanced good looks and, above all, value per dollar.

 Here we're back on the home grounds of the changer maker. He alone knows to coordinate a lot of different turntable functions and niggling little design problems without wasted motions, space and expenditures. The kind of thing garrard is the ackowledged master of. No other proof of this argument is needed than a close look at the new Garrard Zero 100SB and 86SB.

Yes, they have heavy die-cast, dynamically balanced platters. Yes, they have belt drive. Yes, they have -64 dB rumble (DIN B Standard). And the Zero 100SB has Garrard's unique Zero Tracking Error Tonearm, the first and only arm to eliminate even the slightest amount of tracking error in an automatic turntable. But that's not the whole story. What gives these turntables the final edge over other single-play designs is the way they 're automated.

Both are fully automatic in the strictest sense of the term. Your hand need never touch the tonearm. The arm indexes at the beginning of the record, returns to the arm rest at the end of the record and shut off the motor, all by itself. The stylus can't flop around in the lead-out groove.

There are also other subtle little features like the ingeniously hinged dust cover (it can be lifted and removed even on a narrow shelf), the integrated low-profile teak base, the exclusive automatic record counter (in the Zero 100SB only) and the finger-tab control panel.  Plus one very unsubtle feature. The price $209,95.

 The engineering of high-fidelity turntables is a technical and controvrsial subject. But the concept of a perfect turntable is perfectly simple. Since a perfect turntable is what we at Gerrard have been striving to make, we'd like to communicate this concept to you as unequivocally as possible. The all the claims and counterclaims you hear will fall into place.

Think of it this way:

A phonograph record doesn't know and doesn't care what kind of mechanism is spinning it, as long as it's spinning properly. If your hand could turn it at exactly 33 ⅓ RPM, without the slightest fluctuations in speed, and keep it moving in the horizontal plane only, without the slightest jiggling or vibrations up-and-down or sideways, you  could expect perfect reproduction. Similarly, a phono  cartridge has no idea what's holding it in the groove, as long as it's properly held. If your other hand were holding it, correctly aligned with the right amount of downward force and without resisting its movement across the record, it would perform faultlessly.  That's really all ther is to it.

The basic point is that the turntable and tonearm have exceedingly simple and purely mechanical functions, just like a cheist's analytical balance ora gyroscope. That's why turntable manufacturing is, above all, a matter of precision and integrity, with the emphasis on perfect operation rather than hi-fi pizzazz or features for features' sake.

 Of course, theoretical perfection in an actual mechanical device is an unrealizable ideal. But even though 100% is impossible, there's big difference between 99,9% and 98%.

It's in this most fundamental sense, we feel, that Garrard turntables are in a class by themselves.

For example, in the case of the Zero 100C charger and the Zero 100SB single-play automatic, tracking error has been reduced to a virtually unmeasurable quantity (in effect , zero) by the geometry of the tonearm design. Rumble, wow and flutter figures are also coming ever closer to theoretical perfection in these and other top Garrard models.

 Garrard Zero 100SB

This moddule is a single record playing automatic transcription turntable complete with mounting base, dust cover and connecting leads. It is ready for connecting into your hi-fi system in most cases after simply connecting a plug to the mains lead. The heavy, belt-driven two-speed  turntable is powered by the famous Garrard Synchro-Lab patented synchronous motor.

It incorporates the Garrard parallel tracking pickup arm which is internationally recognised for its negligible tracking error. This arm has an integral magnetic bias compensator with no mechanical linkage and will accept a wide range of cartridges requiring a stylus force  as low as 0,75 gm.

Stylus force setting is particularly simple and accurate. The arm is lowered by means of a viscous fluid damped cueing system whether under manual or automatic control, and similarly raised under manual control.

A novel feature is the automatic record counter which is helpful in deciding when the stylus should be microscopically examined for signs of wear.

Many other refinements are built into your Zero 100SB which will be appreciated as you become more familiar with its operation. The motor normally supplied is for use with 220/240 V, 50 Hz power supplies, but other versions are available for different requirements. Power consumption is approximately 9 watts.

 Start with the Zero Tracking Error Tonearm.

It enables the stylus to precisely follow the path of the orginal master cutting head. This means no tracking error, no distortion, no groove damage.

To prevent skating force, 9the tendency of the stylus to be hurled against the inner wall of the record groove resulting in distortion and excessive wear), a remarkable anti-skating device is employed. On the principle that like poles repel, ingeniously placed magnets provide mastery over skating force as well as adjustment for spherical or elliptical styli.

A heavy  5 lb, die-cast and dynamically balanced platter of zinc alloy prevents even minute fluctuations of speed. The platter is driven by a flexible belt which isolates the motor from the platter. The resulting rumble, wow and flutter levels are remarkably low. Rumble  -64 dB. Wow 0,06%. Flutter 0,04%.

The motor itself is Garrard's famous Synchro-lab unit, combining the advantages of the power of a 4-pole induction motor with the constant speed of a synchronous type.

Also featured in the Zero 100SB are an automatic record counter (to tell you how many records have been tracked by the stylus), damped cueing (in both directions) and precise adjustment of tracking force without the use of springs.

Given Garrard's long experience in changer engineering, it was only natural to combine the straightforward design of the single-play unit with the convenience of automation. The tonearm indexes at the begining of the record, returns to the arm rest at the end, and shuts off the motor-all by itself.

 the total result is a superb musical experience enjoyed in utmost confidence that the disc is being played with a precision and gentleness that assures long life for the record, the stylus and the turntable. There exist no better way of playing a record than on the Garard Zero 100SB.

Specifications

Drive Motor:  Synchro-Lab

Speeds:  33 ⅓ and 45 RPM

Drive Linkage:  Flexible belt

Platter Type:  Die-cast zinc alloy, dynamically balanced

Platter Diameter:  11½"

Rumble (DIN B Standard):  -64 dB

Wow:  0,06%

Flutter:  0,04%

Tonearm

Type:  Variable offset (zero tracking)

Balance:  Adjustable counterweight

Pivots:  precision-loaded ball bearings

Stylus Force Adjustment:  Sliding weight

Anti-skating Adjustment:  Magnetic, with spherical/ellipticaal calibration

Cue Control:  Viscous-damped for both lowering and lifting

Dimensions (W x D x H):  17-7/8" x 15-3/4" x 7" (with base and dust cover)

Weight:  25 lbs (base, dust cover included)