Features
| Brand | Kestrel Audio |
|---|
Tech Specs
- Talk a5 carbon uni-pivot tonearm
- Satin walnut or high gloss makassar wood finish
- 24v low noise, low vibration motor
- Custom made bearing with steel ball
- Acetal sub platter
- 12mm machined acrylic platter
- Clear z-type dust cover
- 12mm machined acrylic platter
- Clear z-type dust cover supplied as standard
Product Description
The Kestrel Audio KT100 is an upgrade on the KT50 in that it has a carbon fibre, Talk A5 tonearm. This has a carbon fibre 12mm arm tube and has been used on many award-winning turntables. It is a uni-pivot design and the arm has anti-skate and VTA adjustments for any type of cartridge. Moreover, the slimline design comes in two finishes, high gloss Makassar or satin walnut. The stable drive is provided by a 24v low noise low vibration motor.
What are Uni-pivot tonearms?
There are two types of bearings used to mount a tonearm to a plinth. The first is the gimbal type, which uses two closed cage bearings that allow movement up and down as well as side to side. Alternatively, a unpivot design sits the arm on the point of a needle allowing movement in all directions. The uni-pivot has a tiny point of contact and hence less friction. Arm length is also a factor in tracking accuracy. The Kestrel Audio KT100 arm is slightly longer than usual at 10” this improves the tracking angle. Being made of carbon fibre the longer arm does not increase the mass.
Heavy Acrylic platter
The platter of the Kestrel Audio KT100 is made of 12mm machined acrylic. This is a heavy material that provides a high mass and reduces any speed variations. Moreover, there is a high-strength acetal sub-plater that has a low running resistance. Additionally, the platter runs on a low-friction bearing with a steel ball. Finally, there is also a clear acrylic Z-type dust cover provided.
Connectivity and cartridge types
The Kestrel Audio KT100 does not come with a built-in phono pre-amp or cartridge. It has two RCA sockets that need to be connected to a phono pre-amp or an amplifier with a built-in pre-amp. The choice of the cartridge is left to the user. There are two main types of cartridges, moving magnet and moving coil. Moving magnet cartridges are the most common and have a tiny magnet mounted to the end of the cantilever. This magnet moves inside a pair of coils to recover the audio. On the other hand, moving coil cartridges have the coils mounted on the cantilever. This reduces the mass of the stylus assembly for better tracking. However, moving coil cartridges have lower output at less than 1mV and may need additional amplification. As the Kestrel Audio KT100 turntable is a budget model a MM cartridge is probably the best choice.
About anti-skate
Anti-skate is used by most quality turntables, such as the Kestrel Audio KT100, to counteract the tendency of the tonearm to pull toward the centre of the record. This can be worst closest to the label. A small counter force is applied that keeps the stylus in the centre of the groove. This is designed to lower groove wear as well as distortion. Distortion is also often worse toward the end of a record. Moreover, the balance between channels can be incorrect, without anti-skate. To set up, the anti-skate control should be set to the same value as the tracking weight. You should then listen to the last track on an LP and adjust the anti-skate for the least distortion or sibilance.
About the VTA
Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA) is the angle at which the tonearm and stylus meet the record. You may think that it should be 90 degrees. However, records are cut with the intention of the stylus being at a slight angle of about 20 degrees. An incorrect angle can result in distortion and increased record wear. Notably, different cartridges will have different height requirements, hence the Kestrel Audio KT100 has a VTA tonearm adjustment to compensate for this.
