Japanese audio manufacturer TEAC has announces its new TN-4D direct-drive, analog turntable with a low-profile design, made possible by the use of a newly-developed brushless DC servo motor. The motor achieves crystal-locked speed stability and this results in smoother rotation which eliminates the phenomenon of cogging. The TN-4D’s low-profile has enabled TEAC to design a plinth that’s sleek and stylish compared to most other direct drive turntables on the market.
At this point, I should take a second to explain ‘cogging’. If you turn the axle of an electric motor with your fingers, you can feel the rotation of the motor occurring in steps. That’s cogging and in order to eliminate is from a direct-drive turntable, a motor needs to have a large number of poles, along with complex circuits and a special mechanism to achieve smooth rotation. As a result, most direct drive turntables are relatively large to accommodate the larger, smoother motor required.
The new tonearm on the TN-4D uses knife-edge, pivot-point bearings, developed in collaboration with SAEC Corporation, a world-famous, high-end tonearm manufacturer. The result is a tonearm with the high-resolution sound quality which TEAC claims regular tonearms that use conventional bearings simply can’t match.
The new turntable also includes a PHONO EQ amplifier that enables users to connect the turntable directly to the line-level inputs on a hi-fi system amplifier without the need for a phono stage. A high quality NJM8080 op-amp, specially designed for hi-fi applications by New Japan Radio Corporation, is employed to convey the finest of musical detail. Additionally, there’s a USB port at the back of the turntable for archiving vinyl collections directly to a PC or Mac.
The TN-4D is supplied with an Oyster MM cartridge from legendary American cartridge manufacturer SUMIKO. The cartridge comes pre-installed on the headshell at the factory, enabling users to get started within minutes of unpacking the TN-4D from its box. The S-shaped tonearm, meanwhile, offers quick cartridge/headshell swaps, so users can experiment with different cartridges.
Comment: The new TN-4D analog turntable from TEAC provides the direct drive mechanism that DJs and vinyl lovers have appreciated for some years, in a sleek and low profile design. Thanks to the use of a finely stepped electric motor with a small form factor, TEAC has managed to create a turntable with a slim design that has all the advantages of bulkier direct drive turntables. It’s also interesting to see TEAC collaborating with a number of external companies in order to buy in and tweak the best technology to achieve the design aims that the company has set out for itself. It’s great to see TEAC continuing the pioneering tradition of product development in audio technology that we first saw back in the 1970s from the likes of Pioneer, Technics and Sansui.
Price: £599 (available in June, in walnut or black)
More info: https://www.teac-audio.eu/
Features:
- Direct-drive analog turntable
- Crystal-locked speed stability, thanks to a new brushless DC motor with feedback control
- Die-cast aluminum platter
- Knife-edge, pivot-point tonearm base, designed by high-end tonearm manufacturer SAEC
- Multi-layer piano black or natural walnut veneer finish
- Built-in PHONO EQ amplifier for high-quality sound (PHONO/LINE switchable)
- Audiophile-grade NJM8080 op-amp used in PHONO EQ stage
- Digital recording on PC/Mac via USB digital audio output
- 2-speed drive offering 33-1/3 and 45rpm
- Gold-plated oxidation-resistant output connectors
- Oyster MM cartridge by SUMIKO
- Shock-absorbing insulating feet
- GND terminal
- RoHS compliant
