NAD C 588 Premium Belt Driven 2 Speed Turntable

NAD is well known for innovative, high performance, yet affordable, turntables. While the basic operation of a turntable seems simple, extracting all the musical energy from the record grooves without exciting destructive resonances requires both science and art. Let’s take a closer look at each of the elements of the C 588 with an explanation of the choices NAD made when designing this turntable.

Key Features:
- Belt Driven 2 Speed Turntable 33/45 RPM
- 10mm Glass Plater with Felt Pad
- Precision Alloy Sub Platter
- Precision AC Motor
- Isolated AC Power Supply with Universal Voltage
- 9” Carbon Fibre Tonearm with Fixed Head Shell
- Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge Preinstalled
- Vertical Tracking Angle and Azimuth Adjustment
- Rigid MDF Plinth
- Metal Feet with Tuned Isolation
- Low Resonance Dustcover
- Detachable High-Quality RCA Cable with separate Ground


"The links back to NAD’s successful 5120 model are quite apt here, as the C 588 carries its ancestor’s torch admirably and, not unreasonably, improves on it in many areas, too. The C 588 is a well-thought-out package at a very competitive price that deserves to do very well indeed."
- Hi-Fi Choice

Electronic Speed Control

Having exact pitch (speed) is important, but human hearing is much more sensitive to momentary changes in speed which we express with the terms Wow and Flutter. As its name sounds, Wow is a slow cyclical speed variation. The most severe example is the sound of a severely warped record, where the stylus travels faster on the rising side of the warp and slower on the descending side, causing abrupt changes in musical pitch. Flutter is what we call very fast and small variations that are usually generated by the motor. The C 588 addresses both of these problems with proven and effective solutions. A specialized, high precision, synchronous clock motor is both very smooth and accurate, especially when driven from a stable AC voltage. To ensure a clean and stable AC voltage, NAD isolated the AC Mains by first converting it to a clean DC voltage, and then electronically generating the precise AC frequency to regulate the synchronous motor. Using a specially formulated belt to drive the platter further filters and isolates any remaining vibration. All rotating parts are made from aluminium alloy machined to very tight tolerances to eliminate any eccentricity or vibration in the drive system.

Tonearm and Cartridge

The C 588 features a custom-designed carbon fibre tonearm shaft with a fixed metal headshell and features a decoupled counterweight and magnetic anti-skate compensation. An Ortofon 2M Red cartridge is factory installed and offers superb tracking and a delicately nuanced full-range sound. The C 588 uses a longer than usual 9” tonearm to optimize overhang and reduce the tracking angle error. To perfectly align the stylus, NAD has included adjustments for azimuth and vertical tracking angle and include a gauge to calibrate the alignment, a rarity at this price point.

Closing the Triangle

To fully realize the micro-dynamics of music requires a very tight mechanical coupling of the platter and the tonearm. This forms a triangle, as vibrations can travel from record being played to the platter, through the shaft and bearing to the base (plinth), up the arm mount through the arm pivot and down the arm to the cartridge and stylus. There are many separate parts in this path and some of them are required to move relative to one another through mechanical bearing interfaces. If there is any play in these mechanical interfaces musical energy will be lost. This why NAD has paid strict attention to precision machining, assembly, and testing that is so important in a turntable.

SPECIFICATIONS

Nominal speed
33/45 rpm, manual speed change
(78 rpm possible with special pulley (sold separately))

Speed variance
33 rpm: < ± 0.35 %
45 rpm: < ± 0.30 %

Wow and flutter
<0.01% (ref. 1 kHz, Audio LPF)

Signal/Noise ratio
– 70 dB

Downforce range
0 – 30 mN
0 – 3.0 grams

Supplied counterweight system
Counterweight for cartridges: 6 – 13 g

Voltage
Universal switch mode power supply
15 V DC/0,8 A, 100-240 V AC, 47 – 63Hz

Power consumption
5 W max/ 0.3W standby

 
Tonearm

Effective tonearm mass
9.5 g

Effective tonearm length
230 mm

Overhang
18 mm

 
Ortofon 2M Red Cartridge

Frequency range
20-22.000Hz

Channel separation
22dB/1kHz

Output voltage
5.5 mV

Recommended load impedance
47 kohms/Amplifier connection: MM-input

Compliance/stylus type
20μm/mN – elliptical

Recommended tracking force
18 mN

Weight
7.2g

 
Dimensions and Weight

Gross Dimensions (W x H X D)
435 x 340 x 125mm

Shipping Weight
9.2 kg