Empire Troubador 598 Vintage Turntable - WOW

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General:

Great vintage belt-driven Empire 598 Turntable with that perfect old school look. The top cover is solid walnut, while the plinth is walnut veneer.

This 'table is in excellent survivor condition all around and complete. 

It's capable of playing in both 33RPM and 45RPM and features a beautiful gold tonearm along with a 12" cast aluminum two piece platter. 

Comes with an official Empire branded phono cartridge which may even be original to the turntable, and sounds great!

From Empire:
The Empire 598 turntable was designed to far exceed professional standards of performance.

This instrument, in conjunction with other equally high calibre components, will allow you with the press of a button, to hear the full sound of music so akin to the actual performance that only the most expert ear can detect the difference.

The Troubador system is designed to produce sound, magnificent in person sound, from stereophonic and standard vinyl records.

Long life and trouble free operation are guaranteed for the 598 by an ingenious turntable design that involves only two moving parts, a powerful hysteresis synchronous motor and a heavy aluminium turntable platter individually balanced to the peak of perfection.

Finally, the handsome and functional looks will enhance any room. This is the world's most perfect record playback system. With cast aluminium platter, fitted with the Empire 990 Tonearm.

SkyFi Cosmetic Notes:
Very minimal wear throughout, with only some small scratches/marks on the top cover.

Ownership:
Single Owner

Connections:
Captive RCA and Ground output

General Sound:
Smooth, uncolored, undistorted natural and clean

Cosmetic Condition:
8/10 = Very Good. Excellent front faceplate, one minor flaw on chassis side or top. See our detailed rating description here.

Working Condition:
Working perfectly and calibrated on our custom turntable calibration stand.

Included:
Just the Unit

Packing:
Will be packed using our highly developed in-house process and custom packing materials.Specs:
Speeds: 33.33 and 45rpm (zero error)
Rumble: lowest of any turntable tested
Wow and flutter: almost unmeasurable (0.1%)
Platter: 12" OD cast aluminium two piece
Motor: hysteresis synchronous type
Drive system: flexible belt drive
Main bearing: microhoned oilite bearings
Suspension: pneumatic
Feedback: total system gain before acoustic feedback 141 dB

Testing Process:
First we try to identify any mechanical issues, particularly in the tonearm bearings. We check for freedom of movement or any resistance on both the horizontal and vertical range. There is a quick test for this which involves placing the table on its front edge and allowing the arm to swing freely like a pendulum. We then make any adjustments necessary to achieve minimal resistance and sometimes adjust the bearing pressure. On gimbal tonearms we inspect the cone tip with a magnifier.

We then assess the platter speed using one of several methods, the most accurate being playing a test tone on a test record and measuring the frequency output with a frequency counter or oscilloscope. We also utilize test equipment to measure the wow and flutter to ensure it is within spec. We do this for all speeds available for that particular model (33 RPM, 45 RPM, 78 RPM).

Adjustments are then made to achieve proper speed which will vary depending on the turntable's drive design. Some require an adjustment of an internal or external potentiometer, some will require a pulley or motor adjustment. We also inspect the platter bearing to ensure it is properly lubricated, keeping in mind that some bearings don't require lubrication at all

We then inspect the power supply and address any issues with overworked capacitors, particularly on Linn and later Thorens machines which tend to need attention.

On fully mechanical vintage tables like the Thorens TD-124 and Garrard 301/401 we will go thought the entire mechanism. Then replace any worn parts and lubricate all components necessary to ensure smooth operation, speed change, and low mechanical noise. 

When fitting a new phono cartridge we will go through our detailed calibration process which can involve as many as 12 steps depending on the tonearm design. We perform this work on our custom turntable calibration rig which was developed in-house.

Some of these steps include:
• Pivot to Spindle Adjustment
• Tracing Force
• Anti-Skate
• Tonearm Height
• Lifter Height
• VTA (Vertical Tracking Angle)
• Azimuth
• Stylus Distance and Overhang

We then do a critical listening test using our test records and our test system to ensure proper sonics.