Classique II – WE

Description

The Classique II – WE (White Edition) vinyl turntable is a white variant of the original Classique II.

To convince people of the validity of his philosophy and conceptual approach, Pierre Riffaud created a model that could be called “discovery”.

Entirely hand-crafted, this model offers audiophile-level performance at a reasonable price, in comparison with so-called “high-end” industrial products.

This Petite Platine is nevertheless very powerful, and must overcome the skepticism of music lovers. Its size (400 x 500 mm) enables it to accommodate the Opus II Carbon unipivot 306 mm arm as original equipment. This is a 12-inch unipivot arm developed by Pierre Riffaud to make the most of the musical characteristics of his turntables.

Classique II uses the same mechanical elements developed for Intemporelle, in particular the patented precision taper roller bearing. (N° FR1900625)

This turntable is of the “suspended mass” type, with three height-adjustable elastomer feet for perfect horizontal levelling.

The base is made from a block of white quartzite. The faces are perfectly polished.

• Total weight: 33 kg.
• The motor is a 24-pole permanent magnet synchronous motor. Low, even rotation speed minimizes torque ripple.
• Belt drive on an internal counter-plate, supporting the 7 kg main plate.

The top is made from a block of aluminum cut from solid. Its 328 mm diameter and 40 mm thickness give it a high moment of inertia. This inertia is the main factor in stability, speed and flicker-free operation. Indeed: Sound quality is not only about dynamics and stereophonic image, it’s also about timbre. To preserve the timbre of the instruments that set the mood of the concert, or the voices that move you with emotion, the musical signal must be fluid and perfectly regular. In analog, the musical signal is the exact reflection of the playback. It must therefore be equally fluid and perfectly regular.

Riffaud’s turntables are fully equipped to meet these requirements: they are exclusively mechanical solutions that are perfectly mastered: flat belt drive for the platter, high-torque synchronous motor and regulation (smoothing) by kinetic energy contained in the mass of the rotating platter.

Classique II – WE comes with:

• Opus II Carbon unipivot 306 mm “12 inch” arm
• VDH The FROG moving coil cell. 0.65 mV
• Solid stainless steel pallet press 750 g