Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — European Audio Team (EAT) B-SHARP

The EAT B-Sharp is a belt drive record deck supplied as a complete record player - it arrives with a factory-fitted Ortofon 2M Blue moving magnet cartridge, a hinged dust cover, a felt platter mat and a low mass aluminium record clamp, which is left out in some countries. The tonearm is the carbon fibre B-Note.

Key specs that matter

The table plays at 33 and 45 rpm, and the belt is moved by hand to switch. The maker lists speed variance under 0.11 percent at 33 rpm and 0.12 percent at 45 rpm, and wow and flutter below 0.08 and 0.07 percent respectively. Mechanical signal to noise is given as 40 dB and electrical signal to noise as 68 dB. Arm geometry gives 230 mm effective length, an 18 mm overhang and 12.5 g of effective mass, and its tracking force range runs from 0 to 3 g. Two counterweight versions come in the box - a 125 g weight for cartridges of 5 to 9 g and a 142 g weight with an extra insert for 8.5 to 13 g. The platter is 300 mm across and weighs 1.85 kg. The turntable weighs 8.5 kg, or 12 kg boxed. Maximum power draw is 5 W, and standby is 0.5 W.

Engineering and use context

A proprietary low-noise AC motor is fed from a precision DC-driven AC generator for speed stability. The motor is fixed to the main chassis, while the tonearm and platter sit on a separate suspended MDF sub-chassis carried by conical thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) elements. The platter is made from an aluminium magnesium alloy with TPE damping and rides on a sub-platter that holds the belt, with a brass bearing underneath. Changing speed means moving the belt to the larger step of the motor pulley for 45 rpm. The arm tube is a conical carbon fibre design with a sandwich aluminium headshell, a cardan bearing with hardened tips in zircon bowls on the horizontal axis and ABEC7 ball races on the vertical axis. VTA and SRA, tracking force, azimuth and anti-skate can all be set, and the slotted headshell allows overhang and offset adjustment. The counterweight has its own TPE damping pad, and three damped adjustable feet support the base.

Pairing

The tonearm terminates in RCA sockets with an earth connection, so any MM-capable phono preamp or amplifier with a phono socket completes the chain. Power comes from a universal switch mode supply rated at 15 V DC and 1.6 A for 90 to 264 V mains.

Alternatives

The EAT C-Sharp is a step up in the maker's turntable range, with microprocessor speed control and a carbon fibre and MDF sandwich sub-chassis.