The EAT turntables are known across the world for their music quality. But the truth is that EAT is a branch of the Austrian manufacturer, Pro-Ject. Indeed, Jozefina, owner of the brand, is Heinz Lichenegger’s wife, Pro-Ject founder. These turntables are designed and manufactured at the same place, so they share the same mechanical and electronic parts. However, the will of the designers is to propose different solutions and thus a different restitution!
During several years, EAT has only offered high end turntables in line with Pro-Ject's X-Tension and Signature ranges. But today the Czech manufacturer is thinking about smaller budgets and then launches the PRELUDE!
EAT PRELUDE: CHARACTERISTICS
The EAT Prelude has been designed to offer the most neutral restitution possible. Of course, some compromises were essential to create this low cost turntable, but the manufacturer has retained the basic principles applied on its prestigious models.
The Prelude offers a quite classic and refined design. The base is made of a very dense 18mm MDF, coated with eight layers of black lacquer. This gives it a luxurious aspect.
An acrylic cover is delivered as standard in order to protect the turntable from dust.
EAT PRELUDE: MOTOR
In order not to transmit vibrations to the platter and the tonearm, the motor has been completely disengaged from the plinth.
It is equipped with a regulation board, a generator and an oscillator that create a stable alternating current from an external power supply providing direct current (DC). This makes it possible to free from the various voltage or frequency instabilities of the current supplied by EDF.
This motor is encapsulated in a very heavy and rigid steel base. Its only common point with the turntable is the drive belt. The motor drive pulley made of aluminium is very well manufactured with a stylus perimeter.
EAT PRELUDE: PLATTER
The platter is manufactured in a damped solid aluminium bloc that gives an excellent inertia and neutrality. However, it is covered with a felt platter mat quite “cheap”. We encourage the more demanding to replace it with a leather version or a Funk Firm Achromat 3mm platter mat.
The platter is equipped with a polished stainless steel inverted shaft with a low tolerance (0.01) which rests in a soft bronze well. This assembling ensures a very natural and silent rotation, without friction and mechanical stress.
EAT PRELUDE: TONEARM AND CARTRIDGE
The tonearm is certainly the most beautiful mechanical part of this turntable. We find the one-piece carbon tube of the famous Pro-Ject X-Tension 9CC Evo turntable. But it differs from this one by its pivot made of a solid piece of aluminium, and offers an adjustment of VTA (height) and azimuth. The vertical rotation is entrusted by two needles and the horizontal rotation by a micro bearing.
The counterweight of the EVO series is damped by sorbothane. It allows you to associate it with cartridges having a mass of 6 to 12g. The antiskating works with a small lateral counterweight, simple and effective.
EAT has chosen to offer this Prelude with a 2M Red cartridge... And after all, why not? But to me, offer this turntable without cartridge or, at least with a 2M Blue, would have been more judicious and, above all, more consistent with the product's ambitions.
Of course, the desire to sell an affordable “Plug & Play” product and facilitate the sale of this kind of product by “newbie” selling point... However, it is important to assume its choices. We assume ours... And with the 2M Red this EAT Prelude works barely better than a Pro-Ject Debut Carbon! It’s said...
That is why we quickly replaced it by an Ortofon 2M Black MM cartridge and an Ortofon Quintet Blue MC cartridge. And maybe that is just the bare minimum!
EAT PRELUDE: TEST AND LISTENING
From the very first tracks, we are surprised with the neutrality and the restitution cleanliness. The absence of superfluous coloring gives a very high legibility of the various instruments and performers. It is the same for the sound stage and the position of the sections.
The different sound plans are perfectly highlighted and the voices are perfectly centered. The timbres are very beautiful and realistic.
The EAT Prelude turntable does not really do the romanticism of vintage products ... It is a frank, precise and dynamic restitution, but with enough nuance and articulation. The analysis level over the bandwidth is surprising for a turntable of this range.
The general musicality is partly due to a very successful and particularly convincing general balance.
The EAT’s excursion in the “mainstream” turntables market is a success. This Prelude vinyl turntable is a real surprise: we could only expect a top level performance from this manufacturer!
Our favorite!
FranckSpeed: 33/45 rpm, manual speed change
Speed variation: 33 rpm <0.15% ; 45 rpm <0.13%
Wow & Flutter: 33 rpm <0.1% ; 45 rpm <0.09%
Signal-to-noise-ratio: -67 dB
Tracking force: 0 to 3g
Counterweight: compatible cartridges of 6 to 12 g
Tonearm effective mass: 8 g
Tonearm effective length: 230 mm
Overhang: 18 mm
Cover: Included
Phono cable: Connect It E
Consumption: 5W max and 0.3W in standby mode
Power supply: External 15V CC /1.6A
Weight: 5.5 kg
Dimensions: 415 × 130 × 335 mm
Customer reviews
Belle, mais pas que !
Quelle émotion de réécouter des vinyles : le "bruit" du saphir au moment où celui-ci vient doucement toucher le disque, les quelques "craquements" (très légers) puis... Love Over Gold édition pressée en 1982... Whouaw, quel pied ! Redécouvrir l'analogique est un vrai bonheur au travers de cette Prelude associée dans un premier temps avec la cellule 2M Red de chez Ortofon. Un grand merci à MaPlatine.com pour leur disponibilité, mais aussi pour la qualité et la rapidité de l'expédition.
En dernier lieu, je vous conseille également de lire l'article sur Lebeauson.fr, l'auteur parle de cette platine en des termes que je ne saurais probablement jamais manier !
Superbe, et quel son !
Couplée à une cellule, Nagaoka MP200, cette EAT sonne très bien. Une réécoute du Concerto de Aranjuez interprété par Miles Davis, révèle des détails insoupçonnés dans les percussions et une magnifique spatialisation. La platine est à l'aise sur le jazz et le rock, elle est aussi très bien finie et m'a été livrée rapidement. Renseignements sur le réglage du préampli agréablement donnés par Franck au téléphone et sur la livraison par Olivier. Merci MaPlatine !