Esoteric Grandioso T1 Turntable – Preview
All Image Credit: Esoteric
Formed by TEAC in 1987 as their high end audio division, Esoteric is celebrating their 35th anniversary by releasing their first ever turntable. The Grandioso T1 not only uses a novel and new platter drive system but will probably require you to get a bank loan if you want one.
The T1 employees a new and unique patent-registered, contact-free, drive mechanism, the “Esoteric MagneDrive System”. The drive inductively synchronizes the rotations of a magnetic driver and the platter, creating a quiet and smooth rotation at an extraordinarily accurate rotational speed.
- The Platter is free from any vibration.
- Absolutely precise platter rotation, free from any irregularities of speed, potentially caused by mechanical contacts, such as belt, rim or motor.
- Adjustability of sonic characteristics, by manually changing the distance between the platter and the driver.
- No concern for the need of replacement belts.
The Esoteric Grandioso T1 Turntable features a 10MHz Clock Sync capability for the motor drive unit and a three-piece independent chassis configuration that comprises of the main unit, motor unit, and power supply unit.
The T1 platter main bearing is an inverted bearing design and in order to greatly reduce the main bearing thrust friction the effective mass of the platter has been reduced from 41.9lbs (19Kg) to 8.8lbs (4Kg) by the use of a magnetic magne-float system. Additional vibration and noise reduction are achieved through a triple-layer chassis that is made of aluminum and wood, while the isolation feet have a special damping mechanism that is designed to eliminate external vibration. The turntable has two-speeds, 33 & 45 rpm that are adjustable by 0.1%.
Key Features Summary:
- Esoteric’s patented contact-free drive system “Esoteric MagneDrive System”
- Magne-Float platter greatly reduces spindle bearing friction by reducing platter’s effective mass from 99.2lbs down to approx. 8.8lbs.
- Consists of 3 separated units: main unit, motor unit, and power supply unit.
- High quality VCXO motor driver ensures precise platter rotation.
- 10MHz Clock Sync capability with the Grandioso G1X Master Clock.
- Inverted bearing system supports smooth rotation of the platter.
- The Micrometer knob on the front panel provides fine-tuning capability of sonic characteristics, by adjusting the strength of magnetic force being applied from the magnetic driver to the platter.
- Triple layer chassis made of Aluminum and wood, effectively controls vibration.
- The mid-chassis is applied with beautiful high gloss piano lacquer.
- The isolation feet have a special damping mechanism that eliminates external vibration.
- Two speed control (33/45 rpm), adjustable with 0.1% order.
- The T1 is offered with TA-9D dynamic balance tonearm, or without tonearm configuration.
- Optional arm-board allows the T1 to accommodate up to 3 tonearms.
Basic Specifications:
Overall Dimensions: (W×H×D)
- Main Unit: 19.57″ x 8.27″ x 17.95″ (497 × 210 × 456mm)
- Power Supply Unit: 17.52″ x 5.2″ x 10.63″ (445 × 132 × 270mm)
Weight:
- Main Unit: 99.2lbs, 45Kg
- Main Chassis: 37.5lbs, 17Kg
- Platter: 41.9lbs, 19Kg
- Motor Unit: 19.8lbs, 9Kg
- Power Supply Unit: 39.7lbs, 18Kg
MSRP (no extras):
- USA: $74,029.00
- UK: £58,830.00
- EU: €70,000.00
For more information visit the Esoteric web-site.
Want to know more about vinyl turntable drive techniques? Read this post.
