ETI_5000
Super Member
From the manufacturer’s website at http://www.alfredfehrenbacher.de/Plattenspieler/Produkte/CS-440/196.html translated to English, and edited, with other info from assorted North American websites. The BP in CS-440BP I think refers to the fact that it is Black and has a built-in phono Preamp.:scratch2:
Turntable Specifications (my comments in brackets):
Speed r / min. 33/45
Wow and Flutter 0.07% (WRMS or DIN? Measuring standard not stated)
Signal to noise ratio 46dB (unweighted, presumably)
Signal to noise ratio 68dB (weighted, I assume)
Frequency response 20-22000 Hz (pretty meaningless without dB limits)
Dimensions (WxHxD) 420x130x360 mm
Weight 4.4 kg
My impressions?
The good: belt drive, wood housing (thin wood, presumably, given the lack of weight!), fully automatic, aluminium platter, anti-static mat, made in Germany, good turntable specifications, “vibration damped” floating sub-chassis, removable MM cartridge included (Dual DMS 251S, a re-branded AT-3601, conical stylus, tracking force 2g, may be upgraded with Dual DN 251E/ATN3651E elliptical stylus), “weight balanced" tonearm, little setting up required, phono preamp fitted. Replacement styli should be readily available, as the same cartridge was also supplied to Aiwa, Akai, JVC, Pioneer, Onkyo, Sharp, Sony, TEAC, Yamaha and many other manufacturers.
The bad: no downloadable user manual yet available from anyone including Dual (so some details can't be checked), incomplete specs missing measuring standards used, light weight, felt mat will need occasional cleaning to remove any dust, fixed tracking force, fixed anti-skating, fixed alignment – you may be stuck with the budget cartridge fitted, as only others with identical tracking force and dimensions will be suitable, given the lack of adjustment available. No specifications for the phono preamp seem available anywhere, so the quality of that is unknown. It’s also unclear whether it can be switched out of circuit so a better quality one can be used. Herr Fehrenbacher needs to provide better information about his products to consumers!
Conclusion - there may be few manufacturers with such good basic turntables (given the specs) underneath at that price.:thmbsp: It’s just a pity that nothing much seems adjustable on it – you’re stuck with what you get (which probably suits plenty of people).:thumbsdn: The next model up (Dual CS-455-1) seems where things start happening for hi-fi enthusiasts who may want to upgrade their sound later with better cartridges, as it has tonearm adjustability.
Turntable Specifications (my comments in brackets):
Speed r / min. 33/45
Wow and Flutter 0.07% (WRMS or DIN? Measuring standard not stated)
Signal to noise ratio 46dB (unweighted, presumably)
Signal to noise ratio 68dB (weighted, I assume)
Frequency response 20-22000 Hz (pretty meaningless without dB limits)
Dimensions (WxHxD) 420x130x360 mm
Weight 4.4 kg
My impressions?
The good: belt drive, wood housing (thin wood, presumably, given the lack of weight!), fully automatic, aluminium platter, anti-static mat, made in Germany, good turntable specifications, “vibration damped” floating sub-chassis, removable MM cartridge included (Dual DMS 251S, a re-branded AT-3601, conical stylus, tracking force 2g, may be upgraded with Dual DN 251E/ATN3651E elliptical stylus), “weight balanced" tonearm, little setting up required, phono preamp fitted. Replacement styli should be readily available, as the same cartridge was also supplied to Aiwa, Akai, JVC, Pioneer, Onkyo, Sharp, Sony, TEAC, Yamaha and many other manufacturers.
The bad: no downloadable user manual yet available from anyone including Dual (so some details can't be checked), incomplete specs missing measuring standards used, light weight, felt mat will need occasional cleaning to remove any dust, fixed tracking force, fixed anti-skating, fixed alignment – you may be stuck with the budget cartridge fitted, as only others with identical tracking force and dimensions will be suitable, given the lack of adjustment available. No specifications for the phono preamp seem available anywhere, so the quality of that is unknown. It’s also unclear whether it can be switched out of circuit so a better quality one can be used. Herr Fehrenbacher needs to provide better information about his products to consumers!
Conclusion - there may be few manufacturers with such good basic turntables (given the specs) underneath at that price.:thmbsp: It’s just a pity that nothing much seems adjustable on it – you’re stuck with what you get (which probably suits plenty of people).:thumbsdn: The next model up (Dual CS-455-1) seems where things start happening for hi-fi enthusiasts who may want to upgrade their sound later with better cartridges, as it has tonearm adjustability.