Benjamin 50H
Surviving information on the Benjamin 50H is thin, and almost all of it comes from Benjamin's own advertising. The 50H was an Elac-Miracord automatic turntable sold in the United States by Benjamin. The ads refer to "the new Miracord 50H" and to the Benjamin exhibit at the New York High Fidelity Show. A February 1967 ad in Audio (Feb 1967, p.15) priced it at $149.50 less cartridge and base and called it "decidedly superior to any other automatic." That is advertising copy, not a reviewer's verdict. Still, the ad's feature list is the clearest spec sheet we have: a hysteresis motor, stylus-overhang adjustment, anti-skating, cueing, a dynamically balanced turntable and tonearm, and feather-touch pushbutton controls. The same price and claim appeared in High Fidelity (Oct 1967, p.49) and HiFi/Stereo Review (Oct 1967, p.117).
By late 1971 Benjamin was advertising a successor. The 50H II announcement, in High Fidelity (Dec 1971, p.32) and HiFi/Stereo Review (Jan 1972, p.86), said the original 50H "hasn't just proved itself - it's proved to be a classic," and noted the successor kept the Papst hysteresis-synchronous motor while adding new flexibility. The base model's production span doesn't appear in the record, and neither does any independent lab test from the period.
Known from the period ads:
- Elac-Miracord automatic turntable, marketed in the U.S. by Benjamin
- $149.50, less cartridge and base (1967 ads)
- Hysteresis-synchronous motor; later ads identify it as a Papst
- Stylus-overhang adjustment, anti-skate, cueing
- Dynamically balanced turntable and tonearm
- Feather-touch pushbutton controls
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