.
The best automatic you can buy is also the hardest to get.
Making the best automatic turntable simply takes us longer. Longer to machine our 12-inch non-ferrous turn table on a lathe. Longer to dynamically balance t. Longer to precision-machine our operating cam, made of die-cast metal rather than ordinary plastic.
ELAC is more concerned with making it right than making it fast. And that's one of the reasons our Miracord 50H Mark II is harder to get than some others.
Another reason is what we put into it. For example, let's take turntable speed. We have a speed-setting control and a built-in stroboscope for accurate setting. Rut so do several other good automatics. What makes ours unique is the type of motor we use to maintain speed accuracy no matter what. It's called a hysteresis synchronous motor, and until now you could get one only in professional manual turntables made to broadcast standards. We use it in the 50H Mark II for precisely that reason: it maintains speed to professional standards with virtually no regard for fluctuations in line voltage. In tests, voltage variations of more than 20% up or down failed to affect our turntable speed.
This same locked-in accuracy is maintained even in the face of loads up to ten records. There's a simple way to prove this for yourself. Go to your dealer and ask to see the 50H Mark II. Put on a stack of records and set the speed by means of the illuminated strobe. Now watch it carefully as each record plays. You'll see that the speed returns to dead-on accuracy for each record.
How tough a test is this? Try it on other automatics.
You'll find that their strobes will quickly develop the jitters.
Another professional feature is our unique push button control system. Certainly, it's more pleasant to press one button than to push several levers. But we didn't design them just for convenience. We did it to avoid that inevitable initial shock other systems cause every time you start a record, resulting in arm movement and possible record damage.
Of course, even if that initial shock did occur, the arm of the 50H Mark II wouldn't be thrown by it. Because it happens to be balanced in all planes. It also has a unique method for matching anti-skating with stylus pressure and a cartridge overhang adjustment which reduces distortion and record wear.
There are many more reasons why this automatic retains its accuracy so long. And takes so much longer to make. They're all described in detail in our brochure on all the ELAC turntables... yours for the asking.
One more thing. Suppose you become convinced and wants 50H Mark II. Will you be able to find one? Well, you may have to check two or three dealers. But although the 50H nark II may be hard to get, it's far from impossible.
ELAC: Products, Benjamin Electronic Sound Company, Farmingdale, New York 11735.
MIRACORD-- You can't rush craftsmanship.
Also see:
TECHNICAL TALK--What Is Noise?
AUDIO NEWS--Views and comment on recent developments.
Leslie Speakers (ad)