THE Philips 209S-Electronic is a two-speed, single-play record player whose aluminum-alloy platter is belt-driven by a feedback-controlled d.c. motor. An integral tachometer supplies the feedback signal that serves to maintain a constant drive speed under changing line voltage and load conditions. Pushbuttons select the 33 1/3- and 45-rpm speeds, and there is a separate vernier control for adjusting each.
The 209S uses three motors: the turntable drive motor, another to move the arm to the proper index diameter and return it to rest after play, and a third motor that simply serves to raise and lower the tone arm. Except for the on-off pushbutton, all the operating controls are located in a recessed sub-panel to the right of the turntable. In the recess are separate ON buttons and vernier speed controls for each speed, a larger STOP button, and an anti-skating control with calibrated scale for spherical and elliptical styli.
On the main motorboard and to the rear of the controls are the illuminated mode indicators, which normally read MANUAL and either 33 or 45, depending on the selected speed. In front of the controls are the arm lift and lowering touch contacts. These are not mechanical switches or levers but are literally "touch" controls activated by the conductivity of the contacting finger. Touching either control causes it to light in a soft green (the color of the other indicators on the 209S) and perform the indicated function.
The turntable platter has a self-storing 45-rpm spindle and a rubber mat with stroboscope markings for the two speeds. The markings cannot be seen while a record is being played, and there is no integral illumination system, so the speed adjustment must be made initially and assumed to remain correct while records are being played (it does). In the manual operating mode, the arm must also be positioned manually, but end-of-play shut-off and the arm-lift system are operational at all times. At end of play, a photoelectric sensor mutes the audio outputs, returns the arm to the rest, and shuts off the motor. The same process can be initiated at any time by pressing the stop button.
To transform the Philips 209S into a totally automatic record player, an opaque cover (normally concealed by the motorboard) is slid over the control well. This causes the indicator light to change from MANUAL to AUTOMATIC. The only accessible controls are now the arm-lift touch contacts. When a record is placed on the turntable, the drive motor comes on, the correct speed is automatically selected and indicated by the mode lights, the arm indexes to the proper diameter (for 7-, 10-, or 12-inch records), lowers to the record surface, and plays the record to its conclusion, after which it returns to its rest and the unit shuts off.
The automatic speed and diameter selection is done by means of three small "feelers" extending slightly out from the turntable surface at different diameters. Any record placed on the platter depresses the innermost feeler, turning on the motor. A 7-inch record does not reach the other feelers, so the speed logic system switches to 45 rpm and sets the arm indexing for a 7-inch diameter. If a 10- or 12 inch record is played, one or both of the outer feelers will also be depressed, which switches the speed to 33'/3 rpm and sets the arm to the correct indexing diameter.
The tone arm is mounted rigidly on the turntable-platter assembly and the two are suspended as a unit from the motorboard on soft springs; this effectively guards against acoustic feedback. The counterweight is adjusted by a knob on its side. The arm rest is actually a stylus-force gauge which indicates the vertical force whenever the arm is on it.
Therefore, instead of the usual balancing procedure followed by a separate tracking-force adjustment, the Philips arm is simply put on its rest and the counterweight knob turned until the desired force is indicated. The scale is calibrated from 0.5 to 3 grams at 0.5-gram intervals. The cartridge installs on a plastic plate that slides into the open end of the arm, which has a large, convenient finger lift. A plastic jig is supplied to insure correct positioning when installing the cartridge.
The Philips 209S-Electronic is supplied on an attractive silver-and-black metal base with a hinged clear plastic cover. Its overall dimensions are approximately 17 inches wide, 6 1/5 inches high, and 13 inches deep; it weighs 17.7 pounds.
Price: $349.50.
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The sophisticated control functions of the Philips 2095-Electronic turntable are shown partly concealed behind the sliding cover. With the cover in place the unit automatically selects proper speed and arm setdown. Note the built-in stylus-force gauge in the arm rest.
Laboratory Measurements. The Philips 209S-Electronic turntable was tested with a Shure V-15 Type III cartridge. The un weighted rumble was-32 dB (predominantly at 20 Hz), which ARLL audibility weighting reduced to a very low-60 dB. The wow and flutter were, respectively, 0.03 and 0.04 percent at both speeds. The speeds did not change at all over a line-voltage range of 85 to 140 volts. The vernier speed control had a range of ±4 percent at 33'/3 rpm and ±5 percent at 45 rpm.
The low-frequency arm resonance had a "double-peaked" characteristic with a rise of 8 dB at 4.5 Hz and another of 5 dB at 6.5 Hz.
We also found a narrow resonance with an amplitude of about 2 dB at 23 Hz, evidently the result of another mechanical resonance mode. However, it had no audible or other effect on the operation of the unit. The arm tracking error was negligible, measuring less than 0.33 degree per inch for radii between 2.5 and 6 inches. The readings of the spring-type force gauge agreed with our laboratory balance gauge within 0.1 gram over the full range of its calibrations.
The anti-skating force in our sample, unlike that of most record players (which under-compensate slightly), was somewhat greater than indicated. For example, when set at zero, the anti-skating compensation was approximately correct for the 1-gram force at which we operated the Shure cartridge. The cycle time in automatic operation was 9 seconds, which is slightly faster than most record changers. The arm lift and descent showed no sign of outward drift under the influence of the anti-skating torque. The total capacitance of the arm wiring and the integral signal cables was 195 picofarads per channel.
Comment. The rumble, speed constancy, and wow of the electronically controlled turn table drive of the Philips 209S meet the highest performance standards for contemporary record players. They are complemented by the accurate geometry and foolproof tracking-force adjustment of the tone arm, although its mass (judging from the low-frequency resonance) would seem to be slightly on the high side if it is to be used with very-high-compliance phono cartridges.
The human engineering aspects of the 209S show evidence of considerable ingenuity. It would be difficult to make a more "automatic" single-record player than this one, since placing the disc on the turntable is the only action required of the user. At the same time, nothing is sacrificed in the flexibility of completely manual operation. We especially appreciated the flawless cueing system, the only one we have seen that mutes the audio before beginning the arm lift, un-muting it only after the pickup has returned to the record surface.
Combined with no side drift, and the electronic touch contacts that require no pressure for their operation, this makes the cueing system a pleasure to use instead of a frustration. All in all, this is one of the most attractive as well as functional pieces of record-playing equipment we have seen in some time.
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