GARRARD ZERO 100SB

Garrard's new single-play turntables are so advanced in their solution of basic engineering problems that only a leading manufacturer of automatic changers (yes, changers) could have produced them.

This may sound paradoxical to the partisans of single play, but its a perfectly realistic view of the situation. The truth is that its easier to make a single-play turntable that works (never mind outstanding performance for the moment) than a record changer that works.

The very qualities that make the single-play turntable the preferred choice of certain users—straightforwardness of design, lots of room for relatively few parts, fewer critical functions, etc also permit an unsophisticated maker to come up more easily with an acceptable model. Take a heavy platter and a strong motor, connect them with a belt... you get the picture.

As a result, there are quite a few nice, big, shiny and expensive single-play turntables of respectable performance in the stores today. A thoroughbred single-play automatic is another matter.