Description

Empire Troubador 598 Vintage Turntable - WOW Empire Troubador 598 Vintage Turntable - WOW 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. 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. ---------- SkyFi Audio - Curators of Vintage Audio Gear SkyFi Audio is a small startup business specializing in the purchase, reconditioning, and reselling of high end audio equipment. We only buy equipment that we admire and are passionate about. No mid-fi, no gimmicks, no junk. Each piece of equipment is cosmetically restored and fully tested in our well-equipped lab by an engineer with 30+ years of experience in the HiFi world. If it does not meet or exceed the original manufactures specifications, it will not be sold. We are very selective about the equipment we purchase, focusing on mostly analog, high-build quality, American, and European built units. Please note we are not a repair shop and only restore what we own. ---------- PURCHASING GUIDELINES: 1) This item will be professionally packaged and insured for safe transit to your home unless you opt for local pickup from our shop. All local pickup items are only wrapped in industrial strength clear stretch wrap if the original manufacturer packaging is unavailable. Local pickup is available in Glen Rock, NJ, 07452, just a half hour drive from Midtown Manhattan, with convenient parking near our building. If we don’t have the original packaging, we use heavy-duty double-ply corrugated boxes with custom made to your item SealedAir Instapak expanding foam custom inserts. In many cases this has proven to be better than the original packaging! We also use high quality fiber reinforced tape to seal our packages. Lightweight items will be bubble wrapped and shipped in a high-quality box. 2) We will not review or accept any offers that do not go through the official eBay system. We have too many items for sale and it’s nearly impossible to keep track of offers outside of the official system. Please do not message, email, or text any offers. 3) All listings are eligible for the eBay Global Shipping Program unless the item exceeds the maximum weight/price requirements to your country. If this is the case simply message us via eBay. We only accept bank wire transfers for international payments and frequently ship worldwide via UPS. 4) Please ensure your shipping address is correct within eBay as we will ONLY ship to the eBay/PayPal Confirmed Shipping Address. No exceptions. 5 ) eBay may charge and collect sales tax to your state/jurisdiction which we have no control over. eBay v1.8 × Buy now and save! Tell a friend Visit store Watch now Postage info UPS Ground - $0.00 Local Pickup - $0.00 Click the Postage tab above the listing description for more info Additional delivery notes PICK UP OPTION Our items are available for pick-up. Pick up procedure is as follows: Purchase the item through eBay Email us to coordinate pickup PAYING VIA PAYPAL We accept PayPal on our all our items so you can shop with confidence. Simple choose the PayPal option when proceeding through the checkout. Additional Information No additional information at this time Ask seller a question You might also like Dynavector 10x3 High-Output MC Phono Cartridge Music Reference RM-5 MK II Tube Preamplifier with Phono WyWires Silver Series Phono Interconnects - 5 Pin DIN w/ XLR Connectors - 4ft Music Reference RM-9 Tube Amplifier With EL34's Contact To contact our Customer Service Team, simply click the button here and our Customer Service team will be happy to assist. Ask seller a question © SkyFi Audio Postage Click the Postage tab above the listing description for more info Payment Accepted Payment Methods PayPal Returns Returns are not accepted Seller will pay for return shipping. eBay integration by