Beautiful, elegant, and oh so sweet sounding. There’s no wonder why this turntable has a cult following. This is one of our favorite sounding tables. This 598 II absolutely lights up the room. We've sanded down and completely refinished the plinth and dust cover in a darker stain to create a more dramatic contrast with the brass and then replaced the original plastic with glass that has been sandblasted along the edges. Then we lined the inside of the plinth with dynamat to add more mass and reduce vibration transfer which has taken this table to a whole new level. Like most troubadours of this era, there is some minor discoloration on the anodized parts.
This restoration was shown as a specimen in the recent book Revolution: The History of Turntable Design by Gideon Schwartz.
Part of the Aural Restorations collection.
- Production
- 1972
- Condition
- 9/10
- Orig. MSRP
- $199.95
- Restoration
- Full service check
- Lubricated all moving parts
- Custom phono cable
- Set weight and calibrated tonearm lift
- Refinished plinth in dark walnut stain
- Spray finished with pre catalyzed lacquer
- Replaced plastic dust cover with edge sandblasted glass
- Lined plinth with Dynamat
- Replaced suspension with NOS springs
- Full Detail
- Factory Specs
Speeds33.33 and 45rpm (zero error)
Rumblelowest of any turntable tested -90 DB RRLL
Wow and flutteralmost unmeasurable (0.1%)
Platter12" OD cast aluminium two piece
Motorhysteresis synchronous type
Drive systemflexible belt drive
Main bearingmicrohoned oilite bearings
Suspensionpneumatic
Feedbacktotal system gain before acoustic feedback 141dB
CartridgeSumiko Moonstone
- Mentions
Schwartz, Gideon, Revolution: The History of Turntable Design (Phaidon, 2022) pg. 107
- The History of Empire
- Empire Scientific was a manufacturer of high-fidelity products based in Garden City, New York. It started life as Dyna-Empire, then Audio-Empire, finally sticking with Empire Scientific in the mid 1960’s. Along with phono cartridges and various speakers, Empire manufactured five turntable systems under the “Troubadour”...
[ Read More ]
- Liner Notes
The Empire 598 turntable was designed to far exceed professional standards of performance.
This instrument, in conjunction with other equally high calibre components, will allow you with the press of a button, to hear the full sound of music so akin to the actual performance that only the most expert ear can detect the difference.
The Troubador system is designed to produce sound, magnificent in person sound, from stereophonic and standard vinyl records.
Long life and trouble free operation are guaranteed for the 598 by an ingenious turntable design that involves only two moving parts, a powerful hysteresis synchronous motor and a heavy aluminium turntable platter individually balanced to the peak of perfection.
With cast aluminium platter, fitted with the Empire 990 Tonearm, the handsome and functional looks will enhance any room.
This is the world's most perfect record playback system.
- Stock No.
- 6792978563240
Beautiful, elegant, and oh so sweet sounding. There’s no wonder why this turntable has a cult following. This is one of our favorite sounding tables. This 598 II absolutely lights up the room. We've sanded down and completely refinished the plinth and dust cover in a darker stain to create a more dramatic contrast with the brass and then replaced the original plastic with glass that has been sandblasted along the edges. Then we lined the inside of the plinth with dynamat to add more mass and reduce vibration transfer which has taken this table to a whole new level. Like most troubadours of this era, there is some minor discoloration on the anodized parts.
This restoration was shown as a specimen in the recent book Revolution: The History of Turntable Design by Gideon Schwartz.
Part of the Aural Restorations collection.
Production
1972
Condition
9/10
Orig. MSRP
$199.95
Restoration
- Full service check
- Lubricated all moving parts
- Custom phono cable
- Set weight and calibrated tonearm lift
- Refinished plinth in dark walnut stain
- Spray finished with pre catalyzed lacquer
- Replaced plastic dust cover with edge sandblasted glass
- Lined plinth with Dynamat
- Replaced suspension with NOS springs
- Full Detail
Factory Specs
Speeds33.33 and 45rpm (zero error)
Rumblelowest of any turntable tested -90 DB RRLL
Wow and flutteralmost unmeasurable (0.1%)
Platter12" OD cast aluminium two piece
Motorhysteresis synchronous type
Drive systemflexible belt drive
Main bearingmicrohoned oilite bearings
Suspensionpneumatic
Feedbacktotal system gain before acoustic feedback 141dB
CartridgeSumiko Moonstone
Mentions
Schwartz, Gideon, Revolution: The History of Turntable Design (Phaidon, 2022) pg. 107
The History of Empire
Empire Scientific was a manufacturer of high-fidelity products based in Garden City, New York. It started life as Dyna-Empire, then Audio-Empire, finally sticking with Empire Scientific in the mid 1960’s. Along with phono cartridges and various speakers, Empire manufactured five turntable systems under the “Troubadour”...
[ Read More ]
Liner Notes
The Empire 598 turntable was designed to far exceed professional standards of performance.
This instrument, in conjunction with other equally high calibre components, will allow you with the press of a button, to hear the full sound of music so akin to the actual performance that only the most expert ear can detect the difference.
The Troubador system is designed to produce sound, magnificent in person sound, from stereophonic and standard vinyl records.
Long life and trouble free operation are guaranteed for the 598 by an ingenious turntable design that involves only two moving parts, a powerful hysteresis synchronous motor and a heavy aluminium turntable platter individually balanced to the peak of perfection.
With cast aluminium platter, fitted with the Empire 990 Tonearm, the handsome and functional looks will enhance any room.
This is the world's most perfect record playback system.
Stock No.
6792978563240
