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)