Earlier this year, Esoteric, a Japanese HiFi brand, unveiled its first-ever turntable at High-End Munich. It goes by the name of Esoteric Grandioso T1.
And as the Japanese brand hit its 35th anniversary, it finally released the turntable to the table. What a way to celebrate a milestone, right? But what is the Esoteric Grandioso T1 about?
Being the first-ever turntable in the lineup of Esoteric, the Esoteric Grandio T1 goes all out with design and performance. It features a new patent-registered drive mechanism that is totally contact-free.
The brand calls it Esoteric MagneDrive System. And this system prioritizes synchronizing the rotations of the magnetic driver and the platter while being completely quiet.
However, Esoteric Grandioso T1 did not skimp one bit when it came to the rotation speed. Although the rotational sync is quiet, the rotational speed is “extraordinarily accurate.”
But how did the turntable achieve that? The Esoteric Grandioso T1 eliminated all mechanical contacts, including the rim, motor, and belts, from the turntable to avoid all factors that can irregulate the speed.
While removing the parts made the rotational system quiet and accurate, it also means that there will be no need to replace these parts in the future. That said, the system will allow the adjustability of sonic characteristics.
To do that, you just need to manually change the distance between the driver and the platter of the Esoteric Grandioso T1. And you can make all of these adjustments with a Micrometer knob that is on the front panel.
On that note, the Esoteric Grandioso T1 has a 10 MHz Clock Synch for the motor drive unit. And there is a three-piece independent chassis configuration.
This configuration consists of the power supply, motor, and main unit. According to the brand, these features culminate in the unique mechanical/electronic technology and design philosophy.
There is a unique Mange-Float platter as well. The brand designed it to significantly reduce the friction in the spindle bearing. It does that by reducing the effective mass from 19 kg to 4 kg. And to smoothen the rotation of the platter, there is an inverted bearing system that offers all of the support it needs.
The chassis of the Esoteric Grandioso T1 looks and feels pretty high-end as well. It is of wood and aluminum. But the build materials are not simply to make the turntable have a great build quality.
They also help control the vibration. You will also find a high gloss piano lacquer coating on the mid-chassis, which enhances the look even further.
It even comes with a unique damping mechanism on the isolation feet to eliminate the external vibration.
Finally, the Esoteric Grandioso T1 is available with and without the TA-9D dynamic balance tonearm. The turntable also has an optimal arm-board, which will enable you to add up to three tonearms.
Slava is a man of mystery and no-one seems to know exactly where he is at any point in time. When he isn't enjoying writing about all things audio and technical he can be found researching his next project of interest. The man never rests.
