Wooden wonder

Better known for its speakers, ELAC’s range of electronics now has a new flagship turntable. Ed Selley takes it for a spin

- Ed Selley

Though ELAC is most fondly associated with its JET tweeter system, it also offers a significant range of electronics and this is not something it has only turned to recently. The Miracord 80 Turntable may be new, but the ‘Miracord’ moniker dates as far back as the late-Forties when it adorned ELAC’s first turntable. While it might not be synonymous with vinyl, this is not a case of a company just ‘having a go’ at turntables.

The 80 is a belt-driven, unsuspended turntable and ELAC has focused on both the mass and its application. While it has a fairly hefty plinth, a significant 5.6kg of the overall weight is in the platter. Combined with a bearing that ELAC describes as its own work, the platter flywheels impressively well at this price. A felt mat also comes bundled and is kept in place throughout testing as it is clearly supposed to be there. Something that isn’t present, but does have a positive effect on the overall performance is a record weight. Experiments with a Mofione during the listening session yield some small but definite improvements.

The motor that acts on this platter is a servo-controlled DC type that has an optical based controller. Power is via a wall-wart PSU operating at 12V. This is a relatively low-torque design that takes a while to spin up. There is electronic speed selection via a three-position dial at the front, while the inclusion of a four-pin PSU input suggests the possibility of a more ornate power supply in the future.

The 10in tonearm combines a carbon armtube with conventional bearings and detachable headshell. As the armtube is straight, the headshell is a more unusual offset type, but it offers an excellent range of adjustments for different cartridges.