SEIKO EPSON Σ 5000 II

Commentary

A record player with detailed refinement reflecting the market performance of Σ 5000 for three years.
It realizes performance not only as a record player but also as as an accurate reader called "surface roughness meter".

In the Σ 5000 II, the brush motor used in the Σ 5000 has been replaced with a brushless motor, eliminating the need for periodic replacement of the motor. In addition, since the motor itself and the motor controller of the power supply unit are different from each other, the new model can be upgraded from the Σ 5000.

The bearing has a structure in which the main shaft rests on four disks, so that the bearing clearance is always 0.
The main spindle has a mirror finish made of SKS steel with hard chrome plating. The contact width of the disk is less than 1 mm and the contact area is reduced as much as possible. In addition, since the hardness of the disk is slightly reduced, the finished surface of the main spindle is transferred as you use it.
The lower part of the main shaft is point supported by carbide balls, and the ball receiver can be easily replaced.

The turntable is finished by diamond processing with an ultra-high precision lathe after sufficient annealing of the brass extruded material. The top surface has a ground Hachigata shape, and the inclination of the main shaft is completely cancelled at the position where the needle tip is traced.
The cross section is designed to prevent standing waves from occurring, and a pure iron drive ring is press-fitted into the outer ring to stop squealing at the interface.
The main shaft and turntable are firmly integrated by flange connection with 4 screws, and the weight is about 12 kg.

The turntable is driven by a unique system using a newly developed DC brushless motor and magnetic idler.
This brushless motor is the simplest and most reliable because it consists of only a rotor (magnet) and a coil without the rotor position detecting element (Hall element) contained in ordinary motors.
The idler contains a surface-magnetized neodymium magnet, which strongly adsorbs to the motor shaft and the drive ring of the turntable and automatically rotates in the most stable position to transmit torque.

The tone arm uses a static balance system.
In the Σ 5000 II, the weight of the head exceeds 400g. In the conventional system, a balance weight of 2.8 kg or more is required, making smooth operation impossible. Therefore, the balance is balanced with a light weight using the principle of levers.
The arm has a structure in which contact pressure is always applied unilaterally to each supporting point of the arm, and there is no play while obtaining smooth operation. In addition, a rod of high tensile steel is incorporated in the arm beam, and it is firmly integrated with strong compressive stress.

Model Rating

Type	Record player