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Comparison Teac TN-280BT vs Pro-Ject Debut III Phono USB

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Teac TN-280BT
Pro-Ject Debut III Phono USB
Teac TN-280BTPro-Ject Debut III Phono USB
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from £295.75 
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Main
It is possible to connect acoustics using line outputs.
Pickup
ModelOrtofon OM5E
TypeMMMM
Needle shapeelliptical
Output level2.4 mV4 mV
Downforce1.5 – 2 g
Pickup weight5 g
Tonearm
ModelPro-Ject 8.6 D
Typeradialradial
Shapestraightstraight
Materialaluminium
aluminium /aluminium/
Tonearm effective length223 mm219 mm
Tonearm weight5 g6 g
Design
Drive unitbeltbelt
Speed controlmechanical (manual)mechanical (manual)
Cover
External power supply
Phono stageswitchable+
Features
Features
 
anti-skating
adjustable counterweight
anti-skating
Connection
 
Bluetooth
USB B
 
Specs
ADC sampling rate48 kHz
ADC bit depth16 bit
Frequency range20 – 20000 Hz
20 – 20000 Hz /± 2 дБ/
Signal to noise ratio67 dB65 dB
Knock ratio0.12 %
Speed deviation2 %0.8 %
General
Power consumption2 W3 W
Base materialMDF/FibreboardMDF/Fibreboard
Platter materialaluminium
aluminium /steel/
Platter size300 mm300 mm
Platter weight1.3 kg
Dimensions (WxDxH)420х356х117 mm415x320x118 mm
Turntable weight4.9 kg5.5 kg
Color
Added to E-Catalogfebruary 2019december 2016

Model

Model of the pickup (cartridge) supplied with the player. The pickup is one of the most important parts of any vinyl player, the quality of the received sound largely depends on its quality. Knowing the name of the model, you can find detailed data on it and determine how satisfied you are with this particular cartridge.

Needle shape

The shape of the needle in the pickup (cartridge) that the player is equipped with.

Conical. It may also be called spherical. The simplest type of needles for vinyl players. Such needles are inexpensive, but the sound quality when using them is relatively low — due to the fact that the shape of the needle rather weakly matches the shape of the groove on the record.

Elliptical. Elliptical needles have a narrower shape than conical (spherical) needles, which improves contact and allows, in particular, more accurate reproduction of high frequencies, and also reduces record wear. Due to the good value for money, this option is very popular.

Linear. The most advanced variety: sharply sharpened needles of complex shape, following the contours of the grooves on the plate as accurately as possible and having the largest contact area among all types. The downside of this is the complexity in production and, accordingly, the high cost.

Output level

The signal level at the output of the pickup supplied with the player is, in fact, the power of the signal coming from the pickup to the phono stage. This parameter is necessary, first of all, in cases where the player is planned to be connected to an external phono stage: such equipment must be designed for the corresponding power of the signal coming from the pickup.

Downforce

The force of pressing the needle on the plate, which the complete pickup (cartridge) is designed for.

This force depends on the rigidity (compliance) of the needle: the greater the clamping force, the harder the cartridge, respectively, the less pliable it is. It is also believed that less pressing force wears out the record less, but it cannot be said that "light" cartridges are definitely better — there are many other nuances. So in fact, information about the pressing force of a complete pickup is needed mainly in case of its replacement. Usually, the pressing force provided by the arm of the turntable is regulated within these limits, so the new cartridge must also be rated for the same values of downforce — otherwise there is a chance that the turntable will not be able to correctly align.

Pickup weight

The weight of the pickup (cartridge) supplied with the turntable.

The weight of the cartridge determines the characteristics of balancing the tonearm to set the optimal tracking force. However, pickups in set are usually optimally compatible with the corresponding tonearms, so there are no problems with adjusting the turntable. But when buying a replacement cartridge, you should pay attention to this parameter: it is advisable that the new cartridge does not differ too much in weight from the old one, otherwise the tonearm adjustment range may not be enough for the correct balance.

Model

Model of the tonearm — the movable lever on which the pickup is attached — supplied with the turntable. The tone arm is responsible for the correct position of the needle and the accuracy of its movement along the grooves, which is critical for sound quality. Therefore, many music lovers try to clarify not only the general data on the tonearm, but also its specific features in each particular “turntable”; in order to be able to find this information, the name of the tonearm is given in the characteristics.

Tonearm effective length

The effective length of a tonearm in set is the distance from the attachment point (axis of rotation) to the stylus.

This indicator is important primarily for rotary tonearms: the longer the length, the lower the angular error, the smaller the discrepancy between the direction of movement of the track and the longitudinal axis of the pickup (for more details, see “Type”) and the lower the level of corresponding distortion. In addition, a longer length reduces the resonant frequency and reduces the likelihood of distortion. On the other hand, a longer tonearm turns out to be heavier, which requires certain technical tricks and can also negatively affect the purity of the sound. Therefore, a large length is not always a guarantee of high quality – you should also pay attention to weight (see below).

Tonearm weight

Operating weight of the complete tonearm. It is believed that this indicator should be as low as possible — in order not to create excessive pressure and to minimize the wear of the needle and records. On the other hand, a rigid pickup on a light arm can bounce on uneven records, and in general, such a discrepancy does not improve the sound quality. However, complete tonearms are usually optimally compatible with complete pickups; therefore, you should only be interested in compatibility when buying a cartridge of a different model.

External power supply

An external power supply is called a power supply unit (PSU) placed outside the player's case; such a unit can be connected to the outlet with a wire or plugged directly into it using its own plug. The point of this arrangement is to minimize possible interference from the power supply electronics by removing it to the maximum distance from the circuits through which the signal passes. Therefore, an external power supply is considered the best option for audiophile class acoustics.
Teac TN-280BT often compared
Pro-Ject Debut III Phono USB often compared