Esoteric Grandioso T1

Esoteric MagneDrive System

In the dead silence of the “Esoteric MagneDrive System”, you will hear the sounds of a revolution taking place, making history for vinyl playback.

In the dead silence of the “Esoteric MagneDrive System” you will hear the sounds of a revolution taking place, making history for vinyl playback.

A new undertaking to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the Esoteric legacy; it’s the first-ever turntable in our history, the Grandioso T1. Accommodating a patent-registered unique contact-free drive mechanism, the “Esoteric MagneDrive System”, that inductively synchronizes the rotations of a magnetic driver and platter, realizing a quiet and silky-smooth rotation at an extraordinarily accurate rotation speed.

Technical Highlights

1. The Platter is free from any vibration.
2. Absolutely precise platter rotation, free from any irregularities of speed, potentially caused by mechanical contacts, such as belt, rim or motor.
3. Adjustability of sonic characteristics, by manually changing the distance between the platter and the driver.
4. No concern for the need of replacement belts.

This turntable – with 10MHz Clock Sync capability for the motor drive unit and 3 piece independent chassis configuration – is the culmination of Esoteric’s unique design philosophy and mechanical/electronic technology.

Key Features

• Esoteric’s patented contact-free drive system “Esoteric MagneDrive System”
• Magne-Float platter greatly reduces spindle bearing friction by reducing platter’s effective mass from 19kg down to approx. 4kg.
• Consists of 3 separated units: main unit, motor unit, and power supply unit.
• High quality VCXO motor driver ensures precise platter rotation.
• 10MHz Clock Sync capability with the Grandioso G1X Master Clock.
• Inverted bearing system supports smooth rotation of the platter.
• The Micrometer knob on the front panel provides fine-tuning capability of sonic characteristics, by adjusting the strength of magnetic force being applied from the magnetic driver to the platter.
• Triple layer chassis made of Aluminum and wood, effectively controls vibration.
• The mid-chassis is applied with beautiful high gross piano lacquer.
• The isolation feet have a special damping mechanism that eliminates external vibration.
• Two speed control (33/45 rpm), adjustable with 0.1% order.
• The T1 is offered with TA-9D dynamic balance tonearm, or without tonearm configuration.
• Optional arm-board allows the T1 accommodates up to 3 tonearms.

Toward the one and only our design goal of "Reproducing the Master Sound," the T1 chassis optimally controls all vibrations that affect sound quality. The T1 chassis is mechanically engineered like an F1 racing car, with the balance between rigidity and flexibility pushed to the limit. The elegant and clean form is a testament to its high degree of perfection.

3-layer chassis made of aluminum and wood

The gracefully curved, fascinating chassis is the culmination of Esoteric’s tradition of mechanical engineering. A triple layer of wood sandwiched between thick aluminum layers is employed. The tone arm is mounted on the top layer, and the spindle assembly and isolation feet are mounted on the bottom layer. A wood layer (mid-chassis) with high internal loss is configured in between them to prevent mutual vibration transmission between the tone arm and platter, resulting in a crystal clear sound quality. The wooden mid-chassis not only isolates vibration, but also gives the T1 the ability to express music with excellent tonal balance, reminiscent of the original master tapes, thanks to the rich mid and low frequency range of the material.

Beautiful high gloss piano finish mid chassis

The wooden mid-chassis has a high-gloss piano finish that has undergone multiple layers of painting and polishing processes. We wanted the highest level of texture befitting an innovative turntable. The surface is as smooth as wet, a glossy, jet-black luster without glare. Organic as if crafted, the depth of its appearance contrasts dynamically with the functional, industrial aluminum layers of modern architecture, further enhancing the pleasure of owning the T1.

Isolation foot with special damper structure

Esoteric’s isolation foot employs a hybrid structure of coil springs and special damper resin, which is extremely effective for very low frequencies and has a short damping time (approximately 0.5 seconds), providing extremely superior vibration isolation capability, while a conventional floating turntable with a coil spring system is very effective in blocking very low frequencies that cause feedback, but it takes a certain amount of time for vibration damping.

Characteristic of the Hybrid Isolation Foot

The Esoteric hybrid damper stops vibration after a damping time of about 0.5 seconds (about half cycle amplitude).

While conventional coil springs and rubber dampers have difficulty absorbing vibration at certain frequencies (speed of vibration) and linger for a long time, Esoteric hybrid dampers can easily absorb and converge vibration for a wide range of shaking.

Equipped with dynamic balanced tone arm TA-9D. Armless configuration is available.

The TA-9D is based on IKEDA Sound Labs.’ IT-345, which is in the vein of Fidelity Research’s famous FR-64 that has been highly acclaimed worldwide since the heyday of analog audio. The TA-9D employs a dynamic balance system that is resistant to eccentricity and warping of records and enables stable reading. The dynamic balance system has a low center of gravity and a thick core tone, while the stainless steel tone arm pipe inlaid with brass and aluminum increases rigidity and optimize vibration modes. Internal wiring is made of 6N (99.9999%) +4N high-purity hybrid copper wire, and the VTA elevation allows the height of the arm (VTA) to be adjusted while playing back records. T1 is also available in armless (AL) configuration, so that customers can choose arms of their own choice. In addition, up to three arms* can be added with the optional arm base kit.

* The TA-9D can have up to two additional arms (maximum of two arms), excluding the arm post on the front left side.

Arm Base Kit (sold separately)