Design philosophy
My friend Tom Fletcher likened most modern audio products to a brass violin: “Pretty to look at but not something you’d want to try to play music on! We don’t want to make brass violins, no matter how many we could sell.“
With this simple phrase, Tom’s philosophy about music and audio design is crystalised. At Pear Audio Analogue we have a passionate commitment to hand-build fine instruments for the playback of recorded music. We’re not interested in the quick and easy answer, but believe objects of real worth take time to create. First and foremost, our team never forgets that what we’re trying to capture is – music.
No music,
no purpose
All aspects, from the size and shape of the parts to the materials they are made from, are subservient to the music. Even the finish applied to various parts is carefully considered with respect to the effect it would have on the music, if making something shinier results in poorer sound, we will find a different finish.
No frequency is overly diminished or amplified. No frequency is overly damped or allowed to sustain. Every bit of energy is carefully managed across the spectrum, from the motor itself, through the tone-arm and in the stylus as it is driven by the grooves on the record.
Every last detail, down to the type of rubber used in the feet on the plinth, has been tested for resonance characteristics and is then listened to by trained ears. Nothing is left to whim.
The Essence of Our Turntables
The design of our turntables and tonearms follow a key philosophy – achieve a magnificent marriage of materials. Each material, on its own, might be common and unremarkable, but the way materials perform together, to maintain the proper phase of energy throughout the system, is how the magic begins, thus a turntable where the whole is worth more than the sum of its parts is created.
From the ultra-low torque motor, to the mechanically damped unipivot tone-arms, these seemingly simple-looking turntables have loads of clever engineering skill concealed within them.
