EAT Forte S turntable + 12" Project tonearm - piano Back finish

Note - please excuse quality of the German to English translation.

After the said model called "Forte" now follows the - no, not "Mezzo Forte", as the smaller offshoot called correctly really should, but "Forte S", with the last letter will probably stand for "small", which is commanded in the face of but quite a joke. "Small" is also on this spin that is absolutely nothing that is simply because the economy measures against the top model, rather - have failed economically - well. The price difference between the two units came here quite impressive: While the big EAT with 12 "Ikeda-arm proud costs 14,000 euros, there's the small starting at 4100 €. Okay, in black and without tonearm. In noble makassa veneer clad and fitted with a 12 "Tonearm Pro-Ject's are then € 5670, which looks in the light of the already offered much friendlier. The frame of the EAT is veneered MDF with lead and sand deposits. In the heat sink bottom of the image lies the motor control. Strokes as determined over the huge platter the image. That is 40 centimeters in diameter, considerably larger than the usual Gardemaß about 30 centimeters and 20 kilograms can also significantly heavier. The whole point is in the disk drive to store energy as much as possible, and a lot of weight helps as far out on a large radius extremely effective. Physically speaking, the diameter goes into the square with a moment of inertia. 
The ceramic ball, two magnet when carrying the weight plates to help

Naturally speaking: double diameter, four-time bang. This aspect is important impetus to the drive may well affect the braking plate and affect the transient response. By the way, is precisely this fact is due to different platter conditions lead to different tonal results. It all depends on how flexible the mat over the plate or the plate is below. EAT-boss Jozefina Krahulcova is at least for the Forte here - whether with or without "S" on the safe side. The grooved edge, this plate monster forces in the knee, has still to be squeezed even more. A two-piece construction with Sorbotan-damping ensures calmness, a squeezed out of old plates bearing on the top does so with respect to the rest. Also at the camp she was taking no risk, in both devices leads the axis of a huge inverted bearing the plate, the vertical forces but by no means alone must pay for the current stock levels against a Teflon ball. It has properly using two repelling ring magnets, will take over the main part of the load. You can levitate the plate and completely on the magnetic field, but this has not proven here. With a bit of "locking" in the vertical plane through the bearing's ball just sounds better.

 
The arm base allows precise mounting of the distance
At the Great EAT stuck two to reduce the Polruckens controlled motors of phase in a separate case, making the drive comes to a total width of 70 centimeters impressive. The "S" is "only" 55 inches wide and one piece. Two offset controlled motors he has, but the arrangement fell symmetrically around the plate, it's necessary for him to give me two different length belts such as the big brother. That is because the more comfortable subject to motor control with display, the "S", there are only three buttons: 33, 45 made. It would have been the two bright blue blind maker that signal the operation, in the form certainly not needed, but possibly a speed setting. The fact there's not. Now both plates speeds agree with our review unit but to the point, but that is brand new, should the two silicon strap over time due to wear are thin, then so does the disc speed. Not dramatic, but for people with a sensitive ear for pitch and timing perfectly understandable. Then only helps one thing: change the belt. Both EAT are "decoupled mass drives. Will say that the actual record players are pure-bred mass structures, but they are not coupled hard at their base.

 
Two belts, two engines: the irregularities of both drives should be balanced against each other
The get again magnetic pads: four adjustable height legs with repelling fields heave the Forte "S" in the air and provide both an impressive low and very well damped resonance frequency of the overall system, any interference above this frequency of the system " caught ". A main reason for the striking difference in price between the two models is the Tonarm bestückung, the great EAT comes standard with a true legend delivered: The Ikeda IT 407 is awarded with an effective mass of 33 grams a real beating, but it looks gorgeous and works with hard scanners . These kinds of luxury was the "S" is not there. The Ikeda alone costs more than the entire "S" package. When searching for an alternative one was at home looking for: The Pro-Ject 12cc Evolution fits mechanically and optically excellent drive on the battleship. Twelve inches need shorter arms not fit next to the plate. The massive storage block of the gimbaled arm starved and off the huge plate of the EAT not promises, and also leadership qualities.

 
The proportions fit and so it is barely noticeable in how big is the small EAT in kind
The arm hangs in four low-friction ball bearings of ABEC class 7 and has a one-piece, very stiff carbon fiber tube, the head shell is formed in the production the same time. The scope of supply includes four different weight counter weights with which cartridges can be balanced between approximately 4 and 14 grams. Optional models also allow the use of scanners with up to 22 ounces, and with an effective mass of 10.5 grams (the value is likely to vary on the used counterweight), the arm is by no means as difficult to guess that it should, and he recommended Thus, contrary to the Ikeda on the big EAT, certainly for modern pickup with center needle sag. Height adjustment? Is on board. Also a possibility for adjustment of needle azimuth: The whole arm tube is in fact rotating, when a small screw on the rear bearing block solves. The skating compensation works on classic yarn and weight, three notches in one of the guide pins determine the degree of compensation. Personally, I reach the three levels completely. In anticipation of great things could equal the fantastic times Benz S-LP take place under the headshell.

 
Four different counterweights included with the Pro-Ject arm, two's optional
The first notes from the obese trailer took me by surprise then yet, and it also changed the switch to the Miyabi derivative of MFSL nothing that even came when testing the large EAT used: The incredible bass energy, which reduced the top model of its time in the room , is the "S" considerably less spectacular presence. What is not necessarily a disadvantage is required, because this incarnation Forte cultivates virtues, which puts her spectacular physique into a new light: This war does not provide primarily for punch, but for lightning fast transient response and excellent transparency. Should it therefore be possible that the Japanese Tonarmmonster was in charge a year ago for the subsonic elemental forces? It seems nearly so. The equipped with the Pro-Ject Spitzenarm small Forte least the other hand, are modern, well-sorted and cleaned up immensely in the room. Tonal affects the whole broadly balanced, the bass does the combination is still more than neat. The differences between the two peaks pickup makes the outfit strongly audible; the quality class is clearly the right thing for these turntables. And that means that the small Forte is at the top of the ladder. Not as strong in character as its big brother, but clearly more flexible.

Conclusion
Who would have thought: The small Forte model reveals a markedly different sound character as the big brother: precise tidy, transparent and orderly. In connection with the great Pro-Ject arm an excellent turntable.

Holger Barske
Test editing LP