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ERA turntable

I’ve been curious about them since learning they were designed by JC Verdier. I suspect they were designed to a price, but I’d still like to pull one to bits and see exactly how it works.

PS If the price is good, i.e. not more than the now rather inflated price of a 3009, it would be hard to go wrong. I’d expect it to be broadly comparable to a TD-150 as that is what it would have been sold against. What if any parts are available is anyone’s guess though.
A bit different from TD 150 in that isolation is via rubber blocks between a folded metal base plate and what could be referred to as a sub-chassis, although this has everything mounted to it, including the motor (a über-slow speed 48-pole AC synchronous via a simple resistor capacitor network) and the plinth (which is essentially an inverted metal tray with tall side panels and a top plate that includes a removable arm board in wood. The drive pulley is necessarily quite large considering the 48-poles and the relatively small diameter sub-platter, as well, the speed change mechanism also looks to be a very interesting bit of mechanical engineering.

Here are some pics of the gubbins. Vinyl engine's library also has a Martin Colloms 'Test Bench' review of ERA MK6.

P.S. One interesting thing about the UK market units that came with SME 3009 is that the old style SME terminal block was modified for side exit of the tonearm cable (at least, the mounting posts were).

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In my youth I had an ERA. The simple answer is: Go to the nearest dump an leave it there. Disastrously bad and overrated in it's days.
 
In my youth I had an ERA. The simple answer is: Go to the nearest dump an leave it there. Disastrously bad and overrated in it's days.
That being the case, I wonder if some judiciously placed bituminous damping pads within would have saved yours from the tip? After all, the critical bits appear to have been well engineered. It's the tin plinth that concerns me. Never laid eyes on one in the shops over here, let alone hands, so don't know how clangy this might be.
 
Hi Fi Answers plugged them. Lots of reviewers had shops selling them of course.
IIRC it was a French Government owned co-op that made these decks.
 
That being the case, I wonder if some judiciously placed bituminous damping pads within would have saved yours from the tip? After all, the critical bits appear to have been well engineered. It's the tin plinth that concerns me. Never laid eyes on one in the shops over here, let alone hands, so don't know how clangy this might be.

I actually made a new plinth. It didn't help.

The problem is the bearing. Being 'upside down' it's impossible to lube the axle/thrust pad meeting point. Lot's of rumble is generated. The 'clever' designer solved that with a rubber grommet between the axle and chassis. Less measurable rumble, but it's still there.

Hi Fi Answers plugged them. Lots of reviewers had shops selling them of course.
IIRC it was a French Government owned co-op that made these decks.

Aha! The also government owned Swedish Sonab had a TT model that was made by ERA.
 
It was on mine. It was called MK4, I think. Recognizes everything else.

Maybe they figured out along the way that the inverted bearing wasn't such a good idea ?
 
Second post in this thread seem to explain the dilemma.

https://www.lencoheaven.net/forum/index.php?topic=16684.0

There was ordinary and inverted bearing ones. There is a pic of an inverted bearing spindle, including the rubber grommets I remember. It also says there where holes to lubricate the bearing from the sub platter, I never figured that one out! No oil, no wonder it sounded crap :(

So, just ignore my posts, but keep us informed how everything goes.
 
I had one, bought along with a SME3009 from KJ Leisuresound in the late 70s, I think.
Everyone was touting it as a great deck.
Meh, it wasn't.
But it was a step up from my previous Pioneer PL12D, so I think I was happy enough at the time.

I convinced myself that some bitumen pads stuck to the inside of the disconcertingly thin pressed steel chassis improved things. Maybe it did.
 


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