TEAC TN-4DSE Direct Drive Turntable

TEAC TN-4DSE Direct Drive Turntable

Employing a new ultra-stable, direct-drive motor, a classically designed turntable with knife-edge tonearm bearings

The TN-4D is a direct-drive, analog turntable with an elegant, low-profile design, made possible by the use of a newly-developed brushless DC servo motor.

Our new brushless DC motor (with feedback control system) achieves crystal-locked speed stability and smoother rotation while also eliminating cogging*. This low-profile motor allowed us to design a plinth that’s extraordinarily sleek and stylish compared to that of most other direct drive turntables. The new tonearm employs knife-edge, pivot-point bearings, developed in collaboration with SAEC Corporation, a world-famous, high-end tonearm manufacturer. The result is an insightful, high-resolution sound quality that tonearms with conventional bearings can’t match. Partnering it is a carefully designed PHONO EQ amplifier that allows you to directly connect the turntable to the line-level inputs of your existing hi-fi system. A high quality NJM8080 op-amp, specially designed for hi-fi applications by New Japan Radio Corporation, is employed to convey the finest of musical detail. Additionally, a USB port on the back panel allows you to digitally archive your vinyl collection via your PC/Mac.

To extract the music from your vinyl, the TN-4D comes with a highly-regarded Oyster MM cartridge from SUMIKO – a legendary American cartridge manufacturer. Noted for its innate musicality, the cartridge comes pre-installed on the headshell at the factory, allowing near ‘plug and play’ operation. The S-shaped tonearm meanwhile allows for quick cartridge/headshell swaps, so users can alter the sound quality by experimenting with different cartridges, if the desire takes them.

The TN-4D is an analog turntable that achieves highly accurate rotational speeds and is very distinctive, for a direct-drive design, thanks to its sleek and stylish aesthetics.

What is Cogging?
Cogging is a phenomenon in which the periodic attraction of the armature and rotor inside the motor is dependent on the rotation angle, resulting in a fine pulsing. For example, if you turn the axle of a motor with your fingers, you'll feel the rotation occurring in steps. This phenomenon is known as cogging.
In order to eliminate cogging on a direct-drive turntable, a motor needs to have large numbers of poles, along with complex circuits and a mechanism to achieve smooth rotation. As a result, most turntable direct-drive units are relatively large, which is why the resulting turntables are so bulky.

New motor, developed exclusively for direct-drive turntables
The TN-4D uses a sleek, brushless DC motor, offering crystal-locked speed accuracy, regulated by a computer-controlled feedback circuit and achieving low wow-and-flutter levels for a direct drive turntable, especially one with such a stylish, low-profile design.

Knife-edge, pivot-point tonearm bearings
In collaboration with SAEC Corporation, a world-famous, high-end tonearm manufacturer, the TN-4D's tonearm employs a knife-edge, pivot-point bearing. Unlike the case for tonearms with conventional bearings, any fine vertical movements encountered by this tonearm actually help in delivering a more dynamic sound with excellent resolution. The S-shaped tonearm also employs a universal headshell fitting, allowing users to quickly and easily swap cartridges/headshells, and supports a wide range of cartridge weights (from 14 - 23g / 0.5 - 0.8 oz.)

Precision anti-skating and stylus-pressure adjustment
As you might expect, the tonearm is equipped with a counterweight, for precise stylus-pressure adjustment, and an anti-skating mechanism.

Pre-installed Oyster cartridge by SUMIKO
The TN-4D comes with a well-regarded Oyster MM cartridge from SUMIKO – a legendary American cartridge manufacturer. Regardless of the type of music, the Oyster cartridge delivers a powerful but insightful performance.

Built-in PHONO EQ amplifier supporting MM cartridges
The TN-4D comes with a built-in PHONO EQ amplifier that allows you to directly connect the turntable to the line-level inputs of your existing hi-fi system. The NJM8080 IC from New Japan Radio Corporation is employed for op-amp duties, bringing up the level of the tiny signals received via the cartridge up to LINE level strength without any loss of quality.

Die-cast aluminum platter
In conjunction with the newly-developed motor, the high inertia, die-cast aluminum platter helps to achieve better speed stability.

USB digital output
A USB port on the back panel delivers CD-quality digital audio to your PC/Mac, allowing you to record/archive your vinyl in a high quality, digital audio format. Once you have archived your vinyl to digital, it’s a simple matter to listen to them while out and about, via a smartphone/portable audio player, or in your car (by burning them onto a CD-R or transferring them to a memory card/stick).
And to ensure pristine signal transfer, gold-plated PHONO/LINE output terminals are employed to prevent analog audio signals from losing quality as a result of oxidation.

Insulating feet with excellent shock absorption
The insulating feet comprise a machined aluminum shell topped with a rubber cushion that is fixed to the high-density MDF plinth. Thanks to their excellent shock absorption characteristics the TN-4D is very resistant to acoustic feedback.

2-speed turntable for 33-⅓ and 45 rpm
The TN-4D supports 33-⅓ and 45 rpm for LP and EP records. Our insistence on quality engineering can even be seen in the construction of the rotary control for start-up/speed selection, formed of machined aluminum.

Features at a glance
Direct-drive analog turntable
Crystal-locked speed stability, thanks to a new brushless DC motor with feedback control
Die-cast aluminum platter
Knife-edge, pivot-point tonearm base, designed by high-end tonearm manufacturer SAEC
Multi-layer piano black or natural walnut veneer finish
Built-in PHONO EQ amplifier for high-quality sound (PHONO/LINE switchable)
Audiophile-grade NJM8080 op-amp used in PHONO EQ stage
Digital recording on PC/Mac via USB digital audio output
2-speed drive offering 33-⅓ and 45 rpm
Gold-plated oxidation-resistant output connectors
Oyster MM cartridge by SUMIKO
Shock-absorbing insulating feet
GND terminal
RoHS compliant

Specs

Turntable section
Type Direct Drive
Motor Brush-less DC Motor
Rotation Speeds 33-⅓ rpm, 45 rpm
Wow-and-Flutters 0.1%
S/N Ratio 67dB or higher (A-weighted, 20kHz LPF)
Turntable (Platter)
Material Aluminium Die-cast
Diameter 30cm
Tone-arm section
Type S-shaped, Static-balanced
Effective Length 223mm
Needle Pressure Range 0g to 5.0g
Compatible Cartridge Weight 4.0g to 13.0g
14g to 23g (including Head-shell)
Head-shell and Cartridge sections
Type MM-type (SUMIKO Oyster factory installed)
Output Voltage 4.0mV (1kHz)
Needle Pressure 1.5 to 2.5g (appropriate value: 2.3g)
Weight 5.3g
Head-shell weight 10g (including nuts, screws, and wires)
Compatible Stylus Styluses for SUMIKO Oyster
Analog Outputs
Connector RCA Pin jack × 1 pair (PHONO/LINE switchable)
Output Voltage
PHONO 4.0mV (1kHz)
LINE 224mV (–13dBV)
USB Output
Connector USB B-type (DC 5V 100mA USB Bus power required)
Audio Format PCM, 8k/11.025k/16k/22.5k/32k/44.1k/48kHz, 16bit
Operating Power AC 100 to 240V, 50/60Hz
Power Consumption 2W
Standby Power 0.5W or less
Overall Dimensions (W×H×D) 420 × 117 × 356 mm /
16.5" × 4.6" × 14.0"
Weight Approx. 6.1kg / 13.5 lbs.
Included Accessories Felt Mat, EP Adapter, Counter Weight, Head-shell (SUMIKO Oyster installed), Platter, Dust Cover, Hinges × 2, RCA Audio cable with GND terminal, AC Adapter (GPE036W-24015), Owner's Manual (including Warranty Card)