What... A review of a turntable? Do they still make those? Why yes. Several companies still manufacture professional and consumer turntables. According to these companies, there is still considerable demand for vinyl play products and accessories. Esoteric Audio's ATEN turntable '....', based on a Gemini DJ unit, is designed for the archivists who want to play and catalog old recordings. The unit offers six speeds — 33 rpm, 45 rpm, 71.29 rpm, 76.59 rpm, 78.26 rpm and 80 rpm. The turntable can accommodate 16-inch transcription discs such as those used for old radio program recordings.

FEATURES:
Features include an S-arm tone arm, a Sanyo cartridge with 33/45 rpm and 78 rpm styli (optional cartridges are available through Esoteric Audio), an extra mat for playing transcription discs, and a cardboard cartridge alignment disc, pitch control, dust cover and 45 rpm adapter. The turntable is made from sturdy plastic, and the controls have a solid, DJ-proof sturdiness. Rear RCA jacks accommodate the included stereo pair cable with ground wire.

The ATEN lacks a cue control and anti-skate. When playing records, I always use a cue control for precise stylus set-down, so this missing feature on the ATEN is a significant negative. A DJ might be able to hit the groove right every time, but locating the right set-down point via gentle set-down is easier, and stylus life is significantly prolonged by a cue control. The ATEN also includes a vertical/lateral switch to accommodate early records, such as Edison or Pathe, that were cut vertically.

Setup and cartridge alignment were easy; tone arm weight was set at 1.5 grams. Speed controls for 33 rpm and 45 rpm are set via two buttons on the right front of the turntable. The speed control for the "vintage" speeds is a switch behind the pitch control. Pitch control is handled by a slider just behind the 33/45 rpm speed controls; the 33/45 rpm strobe is on the left front. To set the speed and pitch for the vintage speeds, the supplied cardboard strobe must be attached to the platter and the 45 rpm button engaged.

IN USE:
I played several 33 LPs and 45s on the ATEN and was generally impressed by the tracking capability of the Sanyo cartridge and tone arm. The LPs sounded pretty good. I also swapped out the styli and played a 16-inch, 1950 33 rpm transcription disc from a Chicago radio station. Aside from the noisy surface of the disc, the reproduction of the orchestra music surprised me. Not bad at all. I also played some Art Tatum piano solo 78s I rescued from a thrift shop. Again, the ATEN tracked them pretty well, considering they probably had been played on numerous other 78 rpm systems over the years. The only problem I found was that the transcription disc had a bent spot that, on every revolution, would hit the unnecessarily tall on/off knob located at the front left near the platter. The extra mat did not elevate the transcription enough to clear the knob either. Adding a 78 on top of the extra mat finally did the trick.
 

SUMMARY:
For the recording archivist, the ATEN is a very good choice for a turntable. The multiple speeds and its robustness should make it useful for many years to come.

For more information call 630-933-9801.

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