Features
| Brand | Kestrel Audio |
|---|
Tech Specs
- Talk a5 carbon uni-pivot tonearm with vta
- Large format plinth available in satin walnut or high gloss makassar finishes
- Custom 24v low noise, low vibration motor
- Custom 18mm bearing with ceramic ball
- Anodised aluminium sub platter
- 18mm machined acrylic platter
- Clear z-type dust cover
Product Description
The Kestrel Audio KT-200 is the top-of-the-line model in the range. It features a larger plinth and an 18mm white ceramic bearing, as opposed to the 12mm steel ball on the other models. The sub-platter is also now metal and is made to a high accuracy. Finally, the acrylic platter is 18mm thick for greater mass and speed stability. Notably, the most important upgrade is the A5 uni-pivot carbon fibre tonearm by Talk. This arm has an adjustable Azimuth as well as an adjustable VTA.
What are Uni-pivot tonearms?
The pivot used by the Kestrel Audio KT-200’s tonearm is a uni-pivot type. This type of pivot sits on the point of a needle and allows movement in all directions. The main advantage is the small, low-friction contact area. This makes the arm very free moving. The other type of bearing commonly used is the gimbal type. These use closed-cage bearings. One for each direction of movement. Another feature of the Talk A4 arm is the longer length of the arm. At 10” this is longer than most tonearms and results in better tracking accuracy
Heavy acrylic platter
The platter of the Kestrel Audio KT200 is made of 18mm machined acrylic. Acrylic has a good weight and mass. Next, the platter on the Kestrel Audio KT200 is 18mm thick as opposed to 12mm on the other models. Moreover, the sub-platter has been upgraded to a metal version that is made of anodized aluminium. Additionally, the bearing has been upgraded to a ceramic ball for lower running resistance. Lastly, there is also a clear acrylic Z-type dust cover provided
Connectivity and cartridge types
The Kestrel Audio KT200 package leaves the cartridge choice to the user. Additionally, there is no built-in phono preamp. Therefore the turntable has to be connected to a separate preamp or an integrated amplifier with a built-in phono stage. The cartridge choice is left to the user. However, the Kestrel Audio KT200 is good enough to benefit from a moving coil cartridge. The low-mass carbon fibre arm would be a good partner with a low-mass moving coil cartridge. There are two types of magnetic cartridges. Moving magnet and moving coil. Moving coil cartridges have two tiny coils mounted on the cantilever. These generate the audio signal. On the other hand, moving magnet cartridges have a magnet mounted on the cantilever. These have a higher mass and are less effective at tracking high frequencies.
About anti-skate
High-grade arms, like the A5 fitted to the Kestrel Audio KT200 turntable, have a wide range of adjustments so that they can be used with any type of cartridge. One of those adjustments is named anti-skate. During playback, the stylus tends to pull towards the centre of the record. This has the effect of increasing wear on one side of the groove. It also increases distortion, especially on the tracks closest to the label. As a result, most turntables have an anti-skate adjustment that applies a force in the opposite direction. This counters the tendency of the arm to pull to the middle. Another issue is the vertical tracking angle.
About the VTA
Another feature of quality arms such as that used by the Kestrel Audio KT200 turntable is the Vertical tracking adjustment (VTA). Not all arms have this feature. Notably, most records are cut with the stylus at an angle of about 20 degrees. Therefore the playback stylus also needs to be at this angle. However, the actual angle depends on the depth of the cartridge and stylus assembly, so the height has to be adjustable.
