| Content | Alva TT V2 is for people who want to listen to records at exceptional quality – without the need to choose or fit extra components. TT V2 comes with a bespoke designed cartridge pre-installed. It connects to pretty much any audio system too, thanks to a switchable integrated phono-stage. It even works wirelessly with high quality Bluetooth speaker systems.
The Alva TT V2 looks very similar to the original Alva TT, which in a nutshell is sleek and simple. The appearance reminds us of the look of the CX series products which have a rounded, floating appearance. The footprint that sits on your shelf is smaller than the plinth, which gives it that floating look just like CX. The bottom part of the plinth is a dark matte gray finish with a solid aluminum top plate. Three small silver buttons are on the left side for power and speed control with an elegantly embossed Cambridge logo on the right.
The Alva TT V2 is a manual turntable, which means you need to lower the tonearm using the cueing lever at the beginning and end of the record. The tonearm has tracking force and anti-skate adjustments. However, there is no way to adjust the tonearm height.
Learn More About Manual vs. Automatic Turntables
Cambridge Audio intentionally designed the Alva TT V2 to have an appearance that gives you the confidence that it’s easy to set up and put right to use. We love the minimalist appearance with its rounded corners and clean lines.
Build quality is very good, as we see with all of their gear. This is one stout turntable. The plinth without the platter weighs almost 16 pounds, and when you add the 5-pound platter, you are just shy of 21 pounds total. Cambridge Audio includes a nice set of audio interconnect cables and a ground wire with the turntable, which we felt would not really need to be upgraded compared to some products that come with throwaway cables. And in what has become their trademark back panel design, the labels are printed both right side up and upside down to make them easy to read when leaning over the top.
Features & Technology
The Alva TT V2 sits on four feet that have some damping characteristics and feel slightly squishy to the touch. As we said earlier, the plinth is quite beefy with its solid aluminum top plate and anti-resonant base.
The platter is made from Polyoxymethylene (POM), a high-tech engineering thermoplastic used in precision parts that require high stiffness and excellent dimensional stability. There is a metal insert in the center with a slight indentation for the record label. Like many turntables with a high-tech plastic-based platter, it is designed to be used without a mat. For those of you who like to roll your own sound by changing mats, you need to bear in mind the arm is not height-adjustable, so it's best to stick with no mat. |
Designing a new turntable to celebrate VPI's 40th anniversary provided VPI an opportunity to update the direct drive motor technology to incorporate advances in motion control and materials technologies.
Harry Weisfeld's 2012 CLASSIC DIRECT direct drive turntable was an outstanding technical achievement, earning Stereophile Magazine's Class A+ rating. This award-winning table was loosely based on the VPI Classic Series table technology and included a thick aluminum plinth and armboard and an inverted platter bearing riding on a PEEK thrust disc. Combined with a cutting-edge BLDC direct drive motor, the CLASSIC DIRECT was created. The Classic Direct provided a stable, solid foundation for the music, allowing the listener to hear deeply into the recorded grooves to the treasures buried with-in!
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The B-Sharp sheds all of the non-essential cosmetic adornments of the C-Major without compromising performance or mechanical integrity, providing vinyl enthusiasts with a superb playback option at a more affordable price.
- Features the new B-Note tonearm, made from a carbon fiber alloy that is light yet rigid with a black anodized aluminum headshell. The B-Note tonearm provides all of the key features for cartridge alignment and adjustability: VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle), SRA (Stylus Rake Angle), VTF (Vertical Tracking Force), azimuth and a slotted headshell for overhang / offset angle.
- The anti-skate mechanism has been engineered for more intuitive calibration, making setup of the B-Sharp notably easier than competitive products.
- A proprietary low noise motor, floating chassis, aluminum platter and a high-density MDF low profile base are included as standard features of the B-Sharp. Like the C-Major, the B-Sharp uses a high-tech TPE (thermoplastic elastomers) suspension system that works in concert with adjustable feet that provide levelling ability for the table.
- Comes equipped with a factory installed Ortofon 2M Blue Cartridge, hinged dustcover, low mass aluminum record clamp, and a felt platter mat-all included.
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- Ultra lightweight plinth: The Planar 8 is the second Rega turntable constructed using the latest ultra lightweight Tancast 8 polyurethane foam core (a material developed for the aerospace industry). This material is sandwiched between two layers of HPL (high-pressure laminate). HPL is exceptionally thin and extremely rigid. This new construction makes the new Planar 8 skeletal plinth 30% lighter than the original RP8 while offering increased rigidity over the previous model.
- Double Brace Technology: A super lightweight plinth combined with a phenolic resin double brace mounted specifically where the increased rigidity is required (between the tonearm mounting and the main hub bearing) forms a structurally sound a oestressed beam" assembly. This rigid plinth design prevents energy absorption and unwanted resonances which will add unnatural distortions to the music. Equally, heavier mass can transfer more unwanted energy such as motor or bearing noise directly into the rotating record. The use of braces instead of the complete skin allows double thickness phenolic resin in these key areas while providing further weight reduction to the plinth, which directly addresses the issue of mass absorption and unwanted energy transmission.
- RB880 Tonearm: For the new RB880, Rega has introduced an improved vertical bearing assembly constructed using an aluminum and stainless-steel, low mass assembly with vastly improved stability and rigidity. This tonearm is using their advanced preloaded zero tolerance bearing assembly adjusted to less than 1000th of a mm, this gives friction-free movement and zero levels of unwanted play. This subtle but effective new structure is only visible via small windows at the rear of the new bias housing assembly. A thinner stainless steel balance weight is used, allowing greater adjustability and compatibility. Finally, the RB880 is terminated with a re-designed, low capacitance phono cable terminated with high quality, locking phono plugs to ensure the best possible connection.
- Hub bearing assembly: The Planar 8 uses a new low mass central bearing assembly. A single piece machined aluminum sub-platter and hardened tool steel spindle run inside a custom brass housing which is cleverly mounted within the chassis. This new mounting is designed to eradicate unwanted potential energy being transferred or stored in the plinth.
- Super flywheel effect triple layer glass platter: The Planar 8 uses a three-piece laminated glass platter which is the result of collaboration with a British glass engineering company. This brand new platter is constructed from two different high quality Pilkington glasses. As a general rule, the only part of a turntable that requires extra mass is the turntable platter in order to achieve constant rotational speed. However, a heavier platter creates more problems for the main bearing design so again an ideal compromise creates the best solution. Practically this means keeping as much of the mass to the outside rim of the glass platter to create more flywheel effect but keeping the inside of the platter as light as possible without sacrificing stiffness.
- 24v Low noise motor assembly: The Planar 8 uses Rega's latest generation, 24v, synchronous, low vibration motor technology. Uniquely mounted using the highest level of coupling while retaining higher vibration isolation than any previous model. This new motor mounting technique (mounted from the bottom) has been taken directly from the ultimate Rega turntable, the Naiad. This unique mounting method removes all stress on the motor body. The reduced vibration and more rigid mounting delivers superior drive from the new EBLT drive belts. Each motor is hand tuned to match its own custom Neo power supply before fitting to the turntable to optimize the anti-vibration circuit.
- EBLT Drive Belts: For three years Rega has been researching and developing with chemists the use of a bespoke new rubber compound for drive belts. Using a specialized curing system, the new drive belt offers superior consistency of modulus (a constant representing the degree to which a substance has a particular property, especially elasticity). These new belts are manufactured on Rega designed, state of the art, super-accurate tools which produce 'perfectly round' and 'dimensionally accurate' belts, critical for perfect speed stability.
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This turntable design, with Pro-Ject's underlying core philosophy and dedication to quality music performance, has all the high-end aspects built in that really take vinyl listening to the ultimate heights. But as is the way in hi-fi many people still wanted more. They were willing to invest more, because this is how much they fell in love with their newfound passion. It is hard to improve on such a well performing turntable, but there are ways to do it. It was not time to reinvent the wheel, because the core engineering on the P1, or now the X1, already was and still is perfect. Instead they improved on the technologies that had previously been established.
In 1991 Pro-Ject started a revolution in HiFi with the introduction of the Pro-Ject 1 turntable. A new high-end, low budget turntable at the time when CD was king. Against all odds, we were creating interest in analogue audio at a time when others were turning their backs, and the success was down to three critical philosophies:
– Simple yet technically correct design
– High-quality valuable materials
– Fully handcrafted, expert engineers, made in the EU
This turntable design, with Pro-Ject's underlying core philosophy and dedication to quality music performance, has all the high-end aspects built in that really take vinyl listening to the ultimate heights. But as is the way in hi-fi many people still wanted more. They were willing to invest more, because this is how much they fell in love with their newfound passion. It is hard to improve on such a well performing turntable, but there are ways to do it. It was not time to reinvent the wheel, because the core engineering on the P1, or now the X1, already was and still is perfect. Instead they improved on the technologies that had previously been established:
– The raw materials used in production are of a much higher quality but also more difficult to source.
– The selected components are bigger, heavier, more massive and robust for improved performance and greater build quality.
Not many companies are willing to go this extra mile, because it is a hard step to take and – as always – needs to be carefully balanced with cost vs. reward. Making the wrong decisions can lead to diminishing returns fast.
Pro-Ject wants the X2 to lift the incredibly high standards, as set by its smaller brother the X1, to new limits. The X2 is made for those who take great joy in the fine details, the build-quality, the high-grade materials and even more audio performance.
More mass in the chassis, platter and tonearm:
Structurally, the X2 is supported by its large, heavy, dense and stiff MDF structure, reducing unwanted resonances to almost imperceptible levels. By adding this extra mass, the X2 is even quieter, allowing the vinyl reproduction to become more detailed and precise. Inside, it houses a sophisticated DC/AC generator board which, combined with the convenient speed control board, delivers clean and stable power to the silent motor system. The tonearm is longer – 9“ in length – and the tube has a wider diameter and the carbon/ aluminium sandwich construction results in better internal damping. This also means, the entire tonearm bearing is upgraded to compensate for the extra mass; altogether tracking will be more precise, stable and accurate. The increased mass makes the tonearm an excellent fit for low compliance MC cartridges. The one-piece design avoids vibrations caused by detachable headshells. The TPE damped counterweight reduces arm-cartridge resonances by as much as 50%.
Precision tuned motor isolation:
A good motor by itself, is already very quiet. To get the best performance out of it, we have improved the motor suspension. This will allow the motor to run stable and free from outside influences. Remaining vibrations are damped and eliminated, so they are not transmitted onto the chassis, platter and cartridge. The X2‘s motor chassis is carefully balanced and suspended on a precision tuned TPE belt; this way the motor chassis is effectively decoupled from the main plinth for optimal performance. It is free floating, horizontally completely level and able to operate at the highest performance levels.
High-end Cartridge:
The X2 is packaged to suit anyone who cares about how their vinyl sounds. Supplied either with or without an Pick it 2M Silver cartridge, average retail at 199€.
Better Audiophile Features:
Full aluminium tonearm base instead of a cheap plastic flange for better and stiffer fixing to the chassis with Azimuth and VTA adjustment.
Better Feet:
Height adjustable, isolating Alu/ TPE sandwich feet.
Better Cable:
All our turntables come with a high-quality phono RCAcable. Our Connect it E is a semi-balanced, low-capacitance cable, with superior shielding. Compared to other digital and analog music sources, the signal coming from a turntable cartridge is very fragile in nature and cheap RCA cables often do not provide the ideal conditions for getting a phono signal to an amplifier. The Connect it E is purpose-designed for this exact application.
The design is carefully tuned to offer the most critical features for the best price and everything is put together with Pro-Ject‘s decade long experience in making the best-performing turntables without blowing the budget:
MDF is 2-3 times more expensive than standard particle boards, not to mention a plastic chassis, but sounds and feels way better.
The X2‘s luxury 8 layers of painting and the hand-polished finish are 3-4 times more expensive than simple foils.
Inside, it houses a sophisticated DC/AC generator board which, combined with the convenient speed control board, delivers clean and stable power to the quiet-running motor.
This adds additional costs, but performs many times better than a simple, direct powered AC motor.
For even further improved performance, the motor is decoupled from the main plinth using a new motor suspension system.
In the X2, the motor drives a new, heavy, non-resonant Acryl platter via a sub-platter drive system and a premium grade main bearing for liquid smooth rotation. This is the perfect platform on which to place your precious vinyl records, guaranteeing absolute reliability in its performance and sonic character.
The X2 is also better than its predecessors thanks to the super-stiff, perfectly tempered Carbon/Alu sandwich construction tonearm. This 9“ tonearm design is incredibly light and stiff, with improved resistance to external interference. Finished as a one-piece, with no resonance-inducing headshell, the X2 can also be set for azimuth and VTA adjustment, offering the flexibility that so many people are asking for, especially in this and even lower price ranges.
The tonearm is then supplied with a TPE-damped counterweight, further reducing cartridge-tonearm resonances.
The X2 has all the high-end features of modern turntable designs to maximise the music and listening experience. It is a statement and a counterpoint against other upcoming turntable designs, which go the way of offering more features but less performance.
The X2 is carefully tuned to offer only audio-focused features for the best possible price, and due to our decades-long experience in analogue technologies, it‘s hand-assembled by a European-based factory you can trust. Every effort has been made throughout to not cut corners on cost or sonic ability and the end result is a highly engaging, musical turntable. The X2 proves that, since 1991, our same core philosophies are those that guarantee to make music lovers happy with every new vinyl record they take for a spin.
- Speed: 33, 45, 78 (electronic speed change)
- Principle: belt drive Platter 30mm thick acryl, 2 kg heavy acryl
- Main bearing: Stainless steel
- Speed variance: 33: +/-0,25%; 45: +/-0,20%
- Wow & flutter: 33: +/-0,12%; 45: +/-0,10%
- Signal to Noise: 70 dB
- Tonearm: 9” carbon/aluminium sandwich tonearm
- Effective arm length: 9“/230 mm Effective tonearmmass 13.5 g
- Overhang: 18.0 mm
- Tracking force range: 0 - 30mN (18mN recommended for Pick it 2M Silver)
- Included accessory: 15V DC / 800 mA power supply, dust cover, Connect it E Phono RCA cable, felt mat
- Power consumption: 4.5 W max / 0.3 W standby
- Dimensions: 460 x 150 x 340 mm (WxHxD) lid closed
- Weight: 10 kg net
| The C-Major is EAT's best value turntable, incorporating many of the design features of the more expensive C-Sharp. You'll get a heavy platter for great speed stability, a solid record clamp, and the C-Note 9" tonearm, which uses very precision bearings. Combine this with the included $500 Ortofon Quintet Blue cartridge and fitted dustcover, and you will be getting a real value. This package will bring all your vinyl to life and give you many years of listening pleasure.
Design & Build Quality
The first time that we had a chance to play with the EAT turntables there were a couple of things that really impressed us right off the bat. Their striking appearance will obviously catch your attention. We’ve even had several happy EAT customers tell us that when they first got their table out of the box they just stared at it in awe. Once you start to put the table together, however, you will immediately get a great sense of the superb craftsmanship.
The EAT C-Major has a very similar look to the C-Sharp -- the same low slung body and mix of high gloss black, carbon fiber, and brushed aluminum which make many of the other tables on the market look chunky in comparison. The plinth is made of carbon fiber and is nestled on some floating isolators inside a thin, high-gloss black base. The C-Major’s 9” tonearm features a carbon fiber arm tube and the heavy platter supports a special mat that is made from recycled LPs. It’s then topped off with a substantial record clamp. The whole combination just looks fantastic!
Like all great turntables, the C-Major is a fully manual turntable. You might think that a high-end table like this would be difficult to use, but we were pleasantly surprised to discover that it’s just the opposite! You simply turn it on, move the tonearm over the record, lower it down, and enjoy the tunes!
Features & Technology
We’ll start from the bottom of the table and work our way up. The sleek and slim base is made out of a super dense MDF material. Inside, the low-noise motor is mounted to the lower sub-chassis which is isolated from the upper plinth with eight cone-shaped pieces of a high tech damping material called Thermoplastic Elastomer, or TPE. These provide great isolation from the motor and really do a great job damping out external vibrations. If you want to feel the damping effect, simply push down gently on the plinth.
The plinth is made from an outer shell of carbon fiber sandwiched over MDF. The C-Major has three adjustable feet which make leveling everything a snap. The feet are also internally damped to reduce any external noise from getting up to the table. The EAT also includes a low profile dust cover with the C-Major, which not only protects it, but also matches up with its sleek appearance.
The bearing for the inner platter is pretty similar to what you find in most turntables in this category. The inner platter has a shaft that drops into a bronze bearing well where its tip spins on a special plate made of a near friction-free, teflon-like material.
The outer platter weighs in at a stout 4 lbs and has a great design. The top part that touches the record is made out of recycled vinyl, while the rest of the platter is a sandwich design of an aluminum/magnesium alloy with TPE in the center. EAT puts more mass on the outer edge of the platter, which helps to give it a great flywheel effect. This combination of bearing and platter is one reason the EAT tables all have great speed consistency. Like the more expensive C-Sharp, the C-major also comes with an aluminum record clamp.
While there are lots of things we love about this table, one of our favorite aspects is the carbon fiber tonearm that we mentioned earlier. It’s incredibly adjustable, allowing you to use a wide range of phono cartridges on it. These adjustments exude European precision.
The design of the tonearm is a combination of a uni-pivot and a more conventional Carden type.
Uni-pivot arms can move freely, not only across the record and up and down, but also rotating on the horizontal plane. Imagine an airplane coming in for a landing when you see the wings move up and down on each side in relation to the ground. The theory is there is some movement like this in the record grooves and being able to have freedom of movement allows the cartridge to track better.
The downside of uni-pivots is they are a royal pain to adjust. EAT came up with a brilliant solution that gives you the best of both worlds and we can attest to the fact that it works great! You get a small amount of movement where the arm can tip left to right, but it behaves more like a traditional pivoted arm.
The rear counterweight has an additional weighted insert that you can install for cartridges that are heavier than normal. The counterweight doesn’t have any markings like a lot of high end tonearms, so you will need a stylus pressure gauge to set the right force, but luckily EAT includes one in the box.
You also have azimuth adjustment which allows you to adjust the tonearm left and right. When you look at your tonearm from the front while sitting on a record, the headshell should be parallel to the record surface. EAT lets you really fine tune this if you desire. Finally, you can even adjust the height of the tonearm rest and the cueing cylinder, allowing you to really dial things in for your cartridge.
For anti-skating, EAT uses a gravity-based system which we really like. It is a little bit of a pain to set up, but we’ve been able to help everyone through it, so if you purchase one and have any trouble, just give us a call.
Finally, to change from 33 to 45, like a lot of tables out there, you simply lift off the outer platter and move the belt on the motor pulley.
Please don’t let all of these adjustments make you think this table is finicky or hard to set up. The best way to buy it is with the deal EAT has on the Ortofon Blue, Black MC, or their own JO5. These all come preset up and you save quite a bit with the package -- $250 or $500, which makes the table an amazing deal!
Performance
To test out the EAT C-Major, we set up what we thought might be a typical rig. We used the Cambridge CXA80 integrated amp, a Sutherland KC Vibe phono stage and a pair of Paradigm’s new Premier 800F towers. The table used the Ortofon Blue, which we think is probably the best way to go for the money with the C-Major.
First up was the classic Landside from Fleetwood Mac. When you have a great system that is well set up Stevie Nick’s voice should be dead center while the guitars float in between the speakers. This combo aced this test!
Next up was Robbie Robertson’s Somewhere Down the Crazy River from his first solo album in 1987. We look for two things on this one. First, there are some very dynamic bass attacks as the track begins. Then later on, you can hear lots of emotion in his voice when he says "Why do you always end up down at Nick's Cafe?" , "I don't know, the wind just kind of pushed me this way." It’s in the first “why” and “pushed me this way” on a great system you’ll hear all kinds of subtle inflections in his voice. While we have heard more on much more expensive rigs, this combination once again, really drew us into the music. Plus, it nailed the bass attacks.
After hearing this, we wanted to pull out our favorite cut for testing speed stability. This is Pink Houses from John Cougar's Uh-Huh album. If the table has great speed stability, you’ll be tapping your foot to the music. Once again, the EAT was very impressive.
This is one very special table. It has the ability with its precision tonearm to track really well and its isolation system helps it provide that great bass impact. EAT designs are also winning us over for their speed purity. Finally, with its jewel of a tonearm, it's just fun to use!
- The C-Note tonearm on the C-Major is 9" in length instead of 10" on the C-Sharp
- There is no separate speed control
- The main chassis has a more compact footprint
- The platter clamp is smaller
- The platter is smaller
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