NAD C 558 Turntable

SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY

While most of the world has focused on digital technology, there has been a quiet revolution of understanding and refinement in the analogue turntable design. On the one hand, the task is very simple; spin the platter at precisely 33.3 RPM without any variation, and perfectly track the grooves of the record while giving the cartridge a solid platform that allows all the energy in the record to be translated into stylus motion of the cartridge. We don’t want the energy to ‘leak’ into vibrating the tonearm or the platter; we want it all to become pure musical energy bursting forth from your speakers. To this end, we use a sophisticated power supply that transforms the AC alternating voltage of your wall socket into a pure DC voltage. We then regenerate the DC voltage into a precise AC voltage that powers a precision clock motor to achieve nearly perfect speed consistency and smoothness. The motor is isolated from noise and voltage fluctuations that occur in the raw unfiltered AC mains that can cause instability in the motor. The motor uses a specially developed rubber belt that is flat ground for precision and drives a non-resonant sub platter that is also precisely machined for smooth rotation. This sits in a brass bearing with a hardened steel shaft. All of these parts are carefully developed to work together to provide a remarkably stable and precise rotation of the disc. Our tonearm also offers a similar level of careful engineering and development. At 9” long it offers low tracking distortion while maintaining rigidity and low mass required to stabilize the cartridge. By allowing VTF and Azimuth adjustment we get precise tracking with low distortion and record wear. The glass platter and massive plinth combine to extract all the energy from the disc while isolating unwanted external vibrations.