EAT C Sharp Turntable

This review started out an examination of the popular EAT C Sharp Turntable, but ended up a phono playback review. Only focusing on the turntable meant I was ignoring the cartridge and phono cable. A poor cable or cartridge meant I was only reviewing the weakest link in the chain! With that oversight fixed, the EAT turntable performed so superbly and was so inexpensive that the audiophile may build a near state of the art system with the C Sharp at its core. How about that: phono reproduction with amazing sound, easy to setup and tweak, and all at reasonable cost!

EAT C Sharp Turntable

The most popular EAT turntable model since its introduction in late 2015, the C Sharp still outsells all other models 3-1 at LA's biggest EAT dealer. The C Sharp is one of those products that was done right when it was developed. Made in Austria on a separate assembly line in the Pro-Ject factory, with different designers and engineers, it is a tour de force from A-to-Z. The arm tracks on ABEC 7 bearings, the same bearings used in the SME V! No better bearings are available on the planet Earth, literally, in my estimation. It features a true 10" length, carbon fiber with aluminum arm tube, adjustability in every possible plane, special elastomer damping in the tube, gorgeous chrome finish, and all the counterweights you need for various cartridge weights. WOW! (Be advised that the arm is not removable, however.)

The table floats on elastomer pillars, 10 of them, isolating and eliminating vibration, both floor- and air-borne. No added suspension is needed. The record clamp is spectacular! You just place it on the record spindle and enjoy. No screwing down needed. The clamp works very well on most other tables, too, by the way, but is not sold separately.

The speed controller is professionally isolated in an elegant box off to the left and works like a champ. The speed controller/motor power cord is built in, and saves you the money required to purchase one. The highly refined round belt made for the unit is easy to attach and forget. It is concealed under the very large vinyl-covered platter. The turntable motor is dead quiet, comes to speed in 1.5 rotations, and is spot on accurate at 33 and 45 RPM. The only lemon is the included DIN phono cable, which can be used—once you have acquired a much better DIN cable—as a tie-down cord for your car trunk.

Cartridge

The Kiseki Purple Heart

As I said, my review comments go beyond the EAT C Sharp turntable. Since the C Sharp was compatible with everything in my cartridge collection, I opted for the super sweet Kiseki Purple Heart. A nearly state of the art cartridge, it sings in the EAT.

At 2.46 grams, set up was easy and straightforward. The table has easy to follow instructions. You can get the C Sharp with a very good mid-line Ortofon cartridge at half price included if you like. Personally, I did not like that combination. Dan Meinwald, the best turntable setup specialist in Southern California, mounted the Purple Heart and maxed it out. Thank you Dan!

Phono Cable: WyWires Diamond DIN Phono Cable, Straight DIN Connector

WyWires best, and state-of-the-art in my opinion.

I choose the Diamond by ear over other cables that were even more expensive. It is magical with the Kiseki, shielded to the max, well-constructed with the fantastic top Furutech RCA plugs, and never disappointed. I used the internal ground wire on the WyWire. Unlike the supplied EAT DIN wire, which is a Pro-Ject product, not EAT, the WyWire was ultra-even bottom to top, with no emphasis at any frequency. Definition was startling and realistic: true you-are-there performance sound. With fit and finish for an audiophile king, the Diamond was flexible and very easy to route...and those incredible carbon Furutech connectors are the ones you just want to take home to mother.

The Phono System

Considering that the EAT C Sharp is $3000, some $1000 less than at its introduction, one can afford to build out a stellar phono system using it as the core turntable. My friends, it is really that excellent, and looks much more expensive. I cannot imagine a better table under $7000 or $8000 for a table, NOT including the arm. Included is a precision EAT 10" arm that makes many well-thought-of, well-known artisan arm efforts look cheesy and inflexible. I would pay $3000 just for the arm if sold separately in a heartbeat. EAT should sell it separately! (They do sell the identical 12" version separately.)

By the way, the easy-to-get-to turntable feet both isolate and adjust to level the table quickly and permanently. Even in my second floor studio, I could not make it skip or feedback. Bravo!

Add to the C Sharp, the Kiseki Purple Heart Cartridge, and the WyWires Diamond DIN Phono Cable, and you have a desert island phono playback system to be proud of.

An EAT bonus: The C Sharp's very large platter and ingenious placement of the arm allows for the playing of LP lacquers which are 14 inches in diameter. Only one in five tables allow this extra space. Thank you EAT!

So for under $10,000 you can have a vast majority of the best that phono has to offer at less than my phono cartridge costs alone in my reference setup. Ever heard of diminishing return in high-end audio? Here it is folks, explained in the simplest English I can offer. Yes, my reference phono setup will bring you another 10-15% more definition, for only $68,000 including phono cables. The wonderful part of this strategy is if you do spring for a Grado Epoch Cartridge at $12,000, it will sound just peachy in the EAT C Sharp tonearm.

Quibbles

I could not find anything to criticize except the previously mentioned DIN cable. But the manufacturer has to supply something to get you up and running in case you do not have a DIN terminated cable in stock. The funny thing folks, was that I did not. Without the supplied DIN cable, I would have been initially out of business.

Summary

If you want virtually state-of-the-art phono playback for under $10,000, including cartridge, build your system starting with the time-tested EAT C Sharp Turntable and Arm Combo at its heart. The EAT C Sharp Turntable Combination is that good! I added the Kiseki Purple Heart Cartridge and WyWires Diamond DIN Phono Cable and discovered audio bliss. Cut any corners, and you will surely cut performance accordingly. Add even more expensive gear and you may get a bonus, but with only 10-15% more performance available at any price, pick carefully! What a combo!

The EAT C Sharp Turntable is the key piece and a no-holds-barred winner. The WyWires and Kiseki pieces complete the combination with bravura performances of their own. My personal audiophile thank you to EAT, WyWires, and Kiseki for their contributions to outstanding and realistic musical reproduction and enjoyment in the home.

My highest recommendation for all.

EAT C Sharp Turntable

Retail: $2995 without cartridge

Kiseki Purple Heart Cartridge

Retail: $3500

WyWires Diamond DIN Phono Cable

Retail: $2995

Manufacturers/Distributors

European Audio Team

Jozefína Lichtenegger

Nademlejnská 600/1

198 00 Prague