Проигрыватели виниловых дисков — European Audio Team (EAT) PRELUDE

The PRELUDE is the entry turntable from European Audio Team (EAT), described by the company as a high end deck with a timeless design at an affordable price. EAT states that some compromises were made to reach that price, but that the basic principle stays the same, that only a heavyweight platter can give correct speed and precision. The deck comes with a carbon tonearm, a pre-fitted Ortofon 2M Red cartridge and an acrylic dust cover. The model has since been discontinued, and its last US price was USD 1,595.

Key specs that matter

Speeds are 33 and 45 rpm, changed manually by the user. Speed variance is below 0.15 percent at 33 rpm and below 0.13 percent at 45 rpm, and wow and flutter is below 0.1 percent at 33 rpm and below 0.09 percent at 45 rpm. The signal to noise ratio is 67 dB. The turntable is 415 mm wide, 130 mm high and 335 mm deep, with a weight of 5.5 kg. Power use is 5 W at most and 0.3 W in standby, from a 15 V DC supply rated at 1.6 A.

Engineering and use context

Instead of particle board with veneer, the plinth is made of dense MDF protected by eight layers of lacquer, which EAT uses for rigidity. The arm tube is specified as ultra stiff, light and free of resonance. A heavyweight aluminium platter is turned by a belt from a precision diamond cut pulley on a free-standing motor that has no connection to the plinth, so motor vibration is not passed on, and the DC power supply is chosen for speed stability. The platter spins on a polished stainless steel bearing of very low tolerance, with a tolerance of 0.01, encased in a soft bronze bushing. A massive bearing block for the tonearm absorbs resonances from the cartridge and the deck, and the counterweight is damped. The headshell is deliberately light rather than metal. The plinth is finished in piano lacquer, and EAT also offers the deck with its green motor and belt. The 9 inch arm tube is cast as a single piece of carbon, and the arm is specified with a 230 mm effective length, 8 g effective mass and 18 mm overhang. Downforce can be set between 0 and 30 mN, which equals 0 to 3 g, and the counterweight range covers cartridges from 6 to 12 g.

Pairing

With the moving magnet 2M Red already installed, a phono stage with a standard moving magnet input is enough, including the phono inputs built into many integrated amplifiers. The light 8 g arm suits compliant pickups, and any later cartridge upgrade should fall within the stated 6 to 12 g weight window to be balanced by the counterweight.

Alternatives

The EAT B-Sharp is the next turntable up the range, with a factory-installed Ortofon 2M Blue, a 1.85 kg aluminium platter of 300 mm and a 9 inch carbon and aluminium arm.