Comparison Pro-Ject Juke Box E vs Pro-Ject Juke Box S2

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.

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.

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.

The range of frequencies that the player is capable of outputting when using a standard pickup.

The wider the frequency range, the more complete the sound picture will be, the less low and/or high frequencies will remain behind the scenes. However, from a practical point of view, it does not make sense to expand the range beyond the values \u200b\u200bof 16 – 22000 Hz — it is within these limits that the human ear hears the sound (and even then not everyone). In high-end audio equipment, including turntables, there are more extensive ranges; however, such characteristics are a kind of “side effect” of high-end technology that manufacturers use for advertising purposes.

In addition, we note that an extensive frequency range is not yet a guarantee of high-quality sound: the sound picture depends on many other parameters, from the amplitude-frequency response to extraneous interference.

The ratio between the useful signal and extraneous noise at the output of the player. It is also colloquially called "electrical noise" (although this is not entirely true).

The higher this indicator, the quieter the noise (it is impossible to completely eliminate them), the clearer the signal will be. In the case of turntables, the signal-to-noise ratio is considered to be at least 50 dB; and in the most high-end devices it can exceed 90 dB.

Note that this paragraph may additionally indicate the value of mechanical noise. Despite the similarity in name, this is a completely different indicator — it describes the volume of extraneous sounds produced by the motor, drive and other moving parts of the "turntable". Accordingly, for mechanical noise, the lower the decibels, the better. You can estimate its approximate level using special comparative tables.

Rated power consumed by the player during normal operation.

Modern turntables are very economical: most models, even those equipped with built-in acoustics (see "Features"), the power consumption does not exceed 15 W, and there is no need to talk about any serious impact on congestion in the electrical networks (as well as electricity bills). The exception is some premium-class devices, in which the weight of the platter (see below) reaches several tens of kilograms, and the corresponding engine power is required to rotate such a mass.

The material from which the turntable's platter is made is a rotating platter on which a record is placed. The general requirements for such disks are, firstly, the minimum tendency to extraneous vibrations (to avoid interference), and secondly, massiveness (in order to ensure a constant speed even with minor flaws in the operation of the motor). Based on this, manufacturers select materials for platters. Specific options might be:

— Metal. Durable, massive and at the same time very solid looking material, is one of the most popular among modern "turntables" of all price categories.

— Plastic. Plastic is generally inferior to metal in terms of weight and vibration resistance, however, these shortcomings are not critical, and some varieties of this material are completely devoid of them. At the same time, the cost of plastic discs is relatively low. They are found in both inexpensive and fairly advanced players.

— Acrylic. A somewhat more advanced material than plastic, making it more common in mid to high end turntables.

— MDF. It is also fiberboard — fiberboard. MDF is somewhat lighter than metal, but it is characterized by excellent resistance to extraneous vibrations, and in some models it is also used for aesthetic reasons — in pair with a body made of the same material (see "Base material")....

— Glass. Glass discs are massive and resist unnecessary vibrations quite well, besides, they can be completely transparent and give the “turntable” an original appearance. At the same time, they are fragile and expensive, despite the fact that glass does not have any special advantages over other popular materials. Therefore, this option has not received much distribution.

— Ceramics. Another rather exotic material used not so much for practical reasons as for design and marketing purposes. The specific composition of ceramics can be different, but all such disks differ, on the one hand, in massiveness and vibration resistance, and on the other hand, in high cost and fragility.

Note that discs made of the same material can differ markedly in quality — in addition to the composition, the properties of the disc are determined by its weight, see below. In general, manufacturers, usually, select an option that matches the price category of the player.

Also note that, in addition to solid discs, "sandwiches" are produced, made up of layers of different materials. For such cases, the main material of the disk is indicated in the characteristics.