The A2 is a fully automatic belt-drive turntable with a floating sub-chassis, three speeds (33, 45 and 78 rpm), an 8.3-inch ultra-low-mass arm and an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. It is for those who want automatic convenience with careful engineering.
A2: the sub-chassis design
On the A2 every automatic function is mechanical, with no added electronics. You press start, the arm finds the opening groove and the mechanism steps aside until the side is over; it then returns the arm to its rest, lowers it gently and switches the motor off. At 45 rpm you can pick the set-down point for 7-inch or 12-inch records, and 78 rpm joins 33 and 45 for old shellac discs.
Arm, motor and platter bearing all sit on a floating sub-chassis kept apart from the main chassis. It answers a problem typical of automatic decks: the many small mechanical parts call for empty space in the cabinet, and empty space amplifies resonance. The sub-chassis also shields the critical parts from outside disturbance, handy when the loudspeakers stand close to the turntable. Its top is an aluminium die-casting, while the main chassis is heavy MDF, hand-painted in eight coats.
The 8.3-inch aluminium arm has an effective mass of 7 g and a wider-bore tube, suited to the Ortofon 2M Red supplied. The bearing is a gimbal type in aluminium with four points and steel balls. To set it up you balance the arm with the damped counterweight, then dial in the tracking force on a ring at the bearing, so the centre of gravity stays over the pivot. Spring anti-skating is adjusted at the arm base. The headshell is carbon-fibre-reinforced polymer and non-magnetic.
The aluminium platter has a damping ring that adds mass and cuts resonance, and it is turned and balanced as the last machining step. Quoted figures are wow and flutter of ±0.14% at 33 rpm and a signal-to-noise ratio of 74 dB. Speed changes by push-button, with the belt left where it is. The RCA lead supplied is the Connect it E, semi-balanced and low in capacitance. The A2 is built by hand in Germany.
Specifications
- Speeds: 33, 45 and 78 rpm, switched electronically
- Drive: belt, with fully automatic operation
- Construction: floating sub-chassis with die-cast aluminium top, MDF main chassis
- Platter: aluminium, damped and balanced
- Wow and flutter: ±0.14% at 33 rpm, ±0.12% at 45 rpm
- Speed drift: ±0.27% at 33 rpm, ±0.22% at 45 rpm
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 74 dB
- Tonearm: 8.3-inch aluminium, ultra-low mass, four-point gimbal bearing
- Tonearm effective length: 211 mm
- Tonearm effective mass: 7 g
- Overhang: 19.5 mm
- Cartridge supplied: Ortofon 2M Red (MM)
- In the box: 15 V DC 0.8 A mains adaptor, lid, 7-inch adaptor, felt mat, phono lead
- Consumption: 1.5 W
- Dimensions: 430 x 150 x 365 mm (width, height, depth)
- Weight: 7.3 kg net, 10 kg packed
