Elac Miracord 50H mkII turntable

At first glance, most automatic changers seem pretty much the same. A record drops, the turntable spins, a tone arm moves over to the record, where a stylus ( or needle) drops into the grooves. This sets off a chain of electronic impulses that ends up as music from your speakers. Any automatic changer will do all this.

An Elac Miracord will do it better. Every step of the way. Result; a fuller, richer sound from your records. In very simple terms, here's how we do it:

Start with the Elac tone arm. Its job is to hold the cartridge (which holds the stylus) and swing out onto the record. Most tone arms will do just that. The ones we build do just a litle more.

 to begin with, there's the tracking force. This is technical talk for the amount of pressure the tone arm brings down on your records. Naturally, the lighter the pressure, the lower the friction - and the more plays you'll get from each record and each stylus. That's why at  the base of the Elac tone arm you'll find a special little knob that lets you adjust the weight coming down on your records to less than one gram - or one twenty-eight of an ounce.

How many times have you tried to play a specific cut on an LP and dropped the tone arm either past the beginning of the tune either past the beginning of the tune you want, or into the ending of the song before it.

 

That can be hard on your ears, and even harder on your records. That's why we've come up with a cueing device so foolproof you can literally pick any groove on a record and ease the needle into it. Just flip a lever which gently raises the tone arm and lets it float with the stylus a hair's breadth over the record. Position the arm exactly where you want it, and flip the lever back. This operates a cleverly-designed, tiny piston which softly lowers the needle into the gtoove you've selected.

Which brings us to yet another example of Elac wizardry. The natural inclination for a needle on a record is to wear against the inside wall of each groove, (if you've ever heard a stereo record where the separation seems poor or the sound is distorted, this could well be the cause), Elac eliminates this inward drag with a special anti-skate device.

All Elac changers have push-button controls, positioned where they;re easiest to reach.

Everything is controlled by push-buttons, including the heavy-duty motor. Bearings are precision-made so you can forget about the annoyance of rumble and flutter. And life-time lubricants help keep maintenance to the barest minimum.

Everything we've mentioned so far is on every Elac Miracord. An impressive set of credits, to be sure. For some models, however like the 50H mkII its just the beginning.

 

Quite simply, the best automatic turntable money will buy. The 50H mkII contains a set of advantages that places it beyond the reach of any other charger in the world. With the variable speed control you can set the speed at precisely 33-⅓ or precisely 45 rpm, and a stroboscopic ring on the turntable will read out the accuracy of the speed. You may vary the speed by as much as three per cent either way. This not only assures you of exact control for normal listening, but also comes in handy for special uses such as dubbing sound home movies, or playing along with a musical instrument, where precise pitch is essential.

The 50H mkII is also a rarity in that you can now play your finest records and the precision arm will be lowered by the silicon damped cueing device, even in the automatic phase. A newly developed synchronous hysteresis motor reduces rumble to  an all-time low while maintaining a speed accuracy that is truly incredible. All told, the Elac Miracord 50H mkII represents the ultimate in automatic changers but to fully appreciate everything it offers you've really got to hear it for yourself.

 

Specifications

Operating Modes:  Changer, Automatic

Speeds: 33-⅓ and 45 rpm

Platter:  302 mm Zinc-alloy 2,3 kg

Wow and flutter: better than 43 dB

Rumble:  better than 63 dB, single and permanent player

Fine Speed Adjustment : around 6%

Drive Type: Hysteresis motor and friction wheel drive for the turntable

Tonearm:  204 mm Metalite

Dimensions (W x H x D):  435 x 175 x 350 mm

 

Elac PC-830 turntable

Getting back to basics

For all its seeming complexity, there are really only three basic requirements of any well designed turntable:

That the turntable platter rotate at a constant unvarying speed

The the tone arm enable the cartridge to trace the microscopic undulations in the record groove freely and accurately

That it be extremely reliable and trouble free.

The turntable proper

Let us examine the turntable mechanism first. In addition to rotating at an exact speed, a well designed turntable should be able to play a record with:

Minimum rumble - that is, it should not contribute any mechanical noise of its own to the music.

It should have undetectable wow and flutter. That means it must be free of slow and fast variations in pitch caused by momentary variations in speed.

Belt drive plus.

The primary cause of turntable rumble is the transmission of vibrations from the drive motor to the tone arm as it tracks the record.

Over the years, various methods have been devised to reduce rumble. Perhaps the simplest, most affective and reliable is the use of a belt drive system. By connecting an elastic belt from the drive shaft of the motor to the rim of the turntable platter, while the belt acts as a very effective mechanical filter damping out motor vibrations.

However, there is one drawback to this otherwise admirable system. It lacks sufficient torque or start up power to actuate the arm lifting and cycling functions quickly and efficiently.

To remedy this problem, Elac has designed an ingenious drive system with an idler assist called Belt Drive Plus, which is incorporated in the new Elac PC 830.

An idle wheel driven directly by the motor brings the platter up to speed quickly and indexes the arm over the lead-in groove of the record. As soon as the tone arm descends and the stylus touches the record, the idler is disengaged end the turntable operates in the belt drive mode only.

To reduce wow and flutter, the Elac PC 830 couples the motor to a heavy (4:4 pounds), dynamically balanced turntable platter. The mass of the platter in rotation creates a flywheel effect and very effectively smoothes out any momentary speed variations.

It's worth noting that the flat, precision ground rubber drive belt used in the Elac PC 830 is resistant to heat and humidity. Moreover, long term dimensional stability is insured through the use of an automatic belt release that reduces tension on the drive belt when the turntable is not in use.

Precise and continous speed monitoring is provided for via an illuminated strobe and a pitch control that is adjustable over a range of ±3% of nominal speed.

In addition, the Elac PC 830 satisfies another vital, but often overlooked, requirement of a well designed turntable. It incorporates a dual element, tuned suspension system that provides maximum isolation from external vibrations, thus rendering it virtually immune to acoustic feedback as well  as other sound bluring sources.

 The well behaved tone arm

Just as a well designed turntable should do nothing more than rotate silently at a precise, unvarying speed, so should the tone arm assume a completely bening role. Its only function, to present the cartridge to the record without let or hindrance.

But this is more easily said than done. For today's better cartridges play at such very low tracking forces, often 1 gram or less, that many tone arms are hard pressed to cope with them. As a result performance can be seriously degraded.

To operate properly at these very low tracking forces, a tone arm must be very light and rigid. In addition, it should have a very low moment of inertia, so as not to impede the movement of the stylus in the groove. But that's only the begining, a well designed tone arm should also have:

Very low mass, especially at the head where it counts most.

Very low tracking error. That is, its design geometry should permit it to remain as nearly tangent to the groove as possible, at any point on the record.

Skating or side thrust compensation to keep the stylus centered in the groove.

The ability to function properly with a wide veriety of cartridges

A cueing control for simple and precise manual operation

To successfully meet all these requirements. Elac has designed a superb new tone arm for the PC 830.

Special alloy, tubular construction makes it very light and rigid while significantly reducing mass. Freedom of movement has been optimized through the use of microprecision ball bearing races in both the vertical and horizontal pivos enabling the tone arm to perform faultlessly with most lightweight, high compliance cartridges.

To provide greater stability and further improve tracking, the tone arm is dynamically balanced which has the added advantage of making turntable leveling non-critical. The offset angle (geometry) of the head minimizes tracking error and a positive contact, slide-in cartridge mount permits precise adjustment of stylus overhang to further reduce distortion.

To insure perfect centering of the stylus, in the groove at any point on the record, a highly effective antiskating adjustment is provide for conical elliptical and CD-4 styli. Thus uneven groove wear and distortion are materially reduced. A viscous damped cueing  control sets the tone arm down gently anywhere on the record. And the same gentle lowering  action also comes into play during automatic operation.

The finishing touch

In the final analysis, however, any first rank turntable is more than a collection of features. It is a study in human engineering. It should respond instantly and effortlessly. It should enable you to play a single record or a batch of records whit a minimum of fuss and bother. In short, it should never get between you and the music .

 

Specifications

Drive System:  Precision ground belt plus idler assist

Operational Mode:  Single and multiple play

Speeds:  33-⅓ and 45 rpm

Speed Adjustment:  ±3%

Wow and Flutter (DIN) ±0,6%

Rumble DIN

Unweighted ;  better than 44 dB

Weighted :  64 dB

Tone arm: 205 mm tubular alloy

Tracking Error:  less than ±1,4 degrees

Tracking Force Adjustment:  0,5 - 4 grams

Platter:  285 mm diameter zink diecast

Platter Weigth:  4,4 pounds

Power Requirements:

Power Consumption:  15 watts

Dimensions (W x H x D):  435 x 175 x 350 mm

Elac Debut F6

EISA AWARD Best Product 2016-2017

European Loudspeaker

ELAC DEBUT F6

 The Debut F6 loudspeaker combines the advanced drivers of the B6 bookshelf in a floorstanding 3-way, bass-reflex design that takes Debut performance to the limit. With sound that rivals speakers costing many times more, the F6 shows that quality components and superior engineering are a winning combination every time. Combine a pair of F6 with a Debut powered subwoofer for a truly stunning two-channel audio system.

Custom-Designed Drivers with Aramid-Fiber Cones

Aramid fiber is employed in the woofers of all ELAC Debut passive speaker systems. Aramid fiber offers a superior strength-to-weight ratio and improved damping characteristics over conventional paper or plastic drivers. This added strength means arriving at designs that achieve a broader bandwidth with smoother response.

Silk-Dome Tweeter with Deep-Spheroid Custom Waveguide

The waveguide surrounding the new ELAC high-frequency driver features a custom, deep spheroid profile to improve directivity control and shield the dome tweeter from cabinet diffraction modes inherent in traditional box enclosures.

Intricate Cossover

A custom multi-element crossover with high-grade components in each speaker ensures smooth transition between the drivers.

Robust Cabinets

Every ELAC enclosure is engineered for the long run with thick MDF outer walls and a luxurious textured vinyl finish. The cabinet of the F6 incorporates specially designed internal bracing to add stiffness and strength to the cabinet’s outer walls. This bracing greatly reduces cabinet vibration, which causes unwanted coloration to the sound. ELAC believes that the only parts of a speaker that should be moving are the speaker drivers themselves.

Superior Build Quality

Count the parts and look at them closely. These don’t look like the components that go in such competitively priced speakers, but rather, speakers that cost much more.

Specifications

Speaker Type:  3-way, bass reflex

Tweeter:  1 x 1" cloth dome

Midrange:  1 x 6.5" woven aramid-fiber cone

Woofer:  2 x 6.5" woven aramid-fiber cone

Crossover Frequency:  100 / 3,000 Hz

Frequency Response:  39 Hz to 20,000 Hz

Sensitivity:  87 dB at 2.83 v/1m

Recommended Amplifier Power:  30 to 150 wpc

Nominal/Peak Power Handling:  80 / 150 wpc

Nominal Impedance:  6  Ω; minimum 5.4 Ω

Binding Posts:  5-way metal

Magnetic Shielding:  No

Cabinet Finishes:  Black brushed vinyl

Accessories Included:  Removable fabric grille

Dimensions (H x W x D):  1092 x 216 x 254 mm (43" x 8,5" x 10")

Net weight (each):   21.2 kg (46.7 lb)