2019-08-20

HiFi Review – Vinyl Sensation Einstein The Record Player (Deluxe Version)

“When listening to the tight-knit tone balance created by this system, it is round and smooth from treble to bass, with a clear and beautiful sound, and more importantly, it instantly brings the listener into the realm of music….”

“The protagonist of this article, The Record Player, is Einstein’s first LP player since the brand was first established over thirty years ago. All factors from its appearance, to its design concept, through to its use of materials and vibration absorption measures have all been thoroughly considered. The speed of its sound and staccatos in particular bring a liveliness to the replay, and a musicality that is just right. These have traditionally always been the strengths of an Einstein system, and they are fully reflected in this system…. If you look closely at the turntable, the motor, its feet, arm board and all these components, it is evident that Volker Bohlmeier has put a lot of thought [into every detail].”

“Five seconds after the stylus was lowered, I thought to myself, ’Wow!’ Between the rich sensations of colour and the sound stage, the sparklingly beautiful strings, the clear sound of friction against the bow in the solo section that made the hairs on my neck stand up, the overtone of the strings was especially full, with an accuracy and density in the sound stage and image, as well as a fidelity that made my jaw drop.”

“According to information provided by the manufacturer, the inside is outfitted with a bag of tricks. To increase stability of the turntable’s inner frame, bamboo was used. The bamboo was chopped vertically, jointed, and reinforced with a stainless-steel frame. …The fibrous structure is very flexible and does not store any energy. The maker describes this as a mechanical filter, and it is clear that Einstein’s anti-vibration measures take no short cuts.”

“The motor that is contained in its own aluminium tube is slightly larger, and does not touch the turntable at all. The base of the aluminium tube has three adjustable / level feet, and these are also for vibration absorption. Einstein emphasises that their design is ‘perfect pitch, perfect speed’.”

“The Record Player’s arm board also features a special design – a 6mm thick oval-shaped stainless-steel board that is directly embedded into the surface of the turntable. On one end, there is a hole in which a piece of black ebony is inserted… The arm board is split into two parts, and made out of two different materials, with the intention of reducing interference when different frequencies resonate.”

“This Deluxe version, to put it simply is an upgrade. The upgraded parts: i. the base ‘floats’ on three feet; ii. an LP mat made out of graphene, along with a 1.12kg heavy stainless-steel LP weight… The mat that comes with the Deluxe version is not only silky smooth in polish, it also has a one-degree tilt from its outer to inner edge, so slight that it is almost invisible to the eye. This way, when the LP weight is placed on top, the pressure squeezes out any air in between, making the LP sit even flatter against the graphene mat.”

“I didn’t utter a word and held my breath as I listened. The string section was lusciously intoxicating, and as the record spun, it reached the passages mentioned above. Right away, this system showed an expansive depth in its sound stage with instrumental sound and image, and a blast that blows everything in its way when the music crescendos. When the low frequencies of the wind section roll in like waves, that boundlessness reached an apex.”

“This listening test proved this hi-fi system was not only great with violin solos, it was just as brilliant at blasting loud passages, vocals, string symphonies, guitar, and jazz. All of it was handled deftly, and it elevated the joy of listening to LPs… The sound of this vinyl playback combination is so good that it’s impossible to resist!”

HiFi Review – August 2019

Related product: https://www.elephant.com.hk/products/the-record-player/