Perpetuum Ebner 7070 – New direct drive from Germany

The Perpetuum Ebner 7070, the new turntable from WE Audio Systems KG, is designed as a high-end solution. It is not a belt drive, but for the first time relies on a directly driven turntable.

With the new Perpetuum Ebner 7070, the specialist WE Audio Systems KG is breaking new ground. Until now, the manufacturer from St. Georgen concentrated on belt-driven turntables with the Perpetuum Ebner brand, but with the latest creation from the Black Forest, a turntable with direct drive is now available for the first time.

The new drive is described by the manufacturer as nothing less than a high-end solution, thus underlining the company’s intention to meet the highest demands for this new design principle.

Perpetuum Ebner 7070 – Direct Drive Subchassis

Basically, the new Perpetuum Ebner 7070 is a sub-chassis turntable, whereby the basis is a two-part housing made of MDF. This has a height of 50 mm and is divided into a turntable board and a tonearm board.

The sub-chassis itself is designed to be decoupled and adjustable by means of three conical coil springs. A steel floor pan provides a rigid base construction and is also elaborately damped with bitumen. The entire chassis rests on three height-adjustable feet.

In a proven manner, the manufacturer relies on a very distinctive design concept, in this case in the form that the two chassis parts – turntable and tonearm board – have different finishes.

For the turntable board, you can choose between different veneers and lacquer surfaces. If you choose a veneer version, the tonearm board has a satin black lacquer finish, whereas if you choose a lacquer finish for the turntable board, the tonearm board has a high-gloss black finish.

You can choose between cherry, walnut and black oak as well as high-gloss black.

High-quality motor from German production

For the drive, the company relies on an electronically commutated direct drive, whereby it is stated that it is a synchronous motor from German OEM production, without, however, going into more detail.

The speed of the Perpetuum Ebner 7070 is controlled by an integrated frequency generator, whereby the speed can be electronically switched between 33 1/3 and 45 revolutions per minute. By the way, the speed can be optimally adjusted via a fine adjustment on the back of the drive.

Power is supplied via an external voltage-stabilised power supply unit, which is of course included in the delivery.

Solid aluminium platter

The platter of the Perpetuum Ebner 7070 is made of aluminium and has a height of 24 mm. The inside of the platter is damped with bitumen and the outside is polished to a high gloss. The platter is available with either a 3 mm felt mat or the 180 g vinyl platter PE Vinyl mat in black.

PE TO 2018 as the new tonearm

The tonearm used in the Perpetuum Ebner 7070 has been newly developed, just like the turntable itself, and bears the designation PE TO 2018. It is a 9 inch tonearm with a tonearm tube made of carbon, which ends in a fixed headshell. The arm has a gimbal bearing and the anti-skating is regulated by a spring.

The new Perpetuum Ebner 7070 is connected via Cinch connectors for unbalanced signals and XLR connectors for balanced signals to other components.

With or without pick-up on request

Customers have three options with the new Perpetuum Ebner 7070 when it comes to equipping it with pick-up systems. The simplest option is, of course, to do without a pre-installed system from the factory. The second option is a pre-installed MC system from Ortofon A/S, the Ortofon Cadenza Bronze. You can also opt for an MC cartridge from the specialist HiFiction AG under the brand EMT Tontechnik, the EMT HSD 006.

The scope of delivery includes a dust cover, a tonearm scale, tools for assembly and adjustment, a pair of cotton gloves as well as a high-quality RCA cable and, of course, the mains cable for the power supply.

To emphasise it again, the turntable is available in cherry, walnut, black oak as well as high-gloss black.

According to the information currently available, the new Perpetuum Ebner 7070 should be available in specialist shops from the beginning of 2022. Depending on whether you choose the turntable alone or equipped with pick-up systems, the price will be either € 7,500 or € 8,900.

Getting to the point

It’s a little surprising that WE Audio Systems KG now offers direct drive as well as belt drive, but many lovers of the Perpetuum Ebner brand will be pleased to know that they now have another option with the new Perpetuum Ebner 7070. The fact that the company put several years of development work into this drive is reflected in the fact that a new high-end drive from the Black Forest is now available.