Garrard GT-55
The Garrard GT-55 was the flagship of the company's automatic turntable line in the mid-1970s. It replaced the well-known Zero 100 and its successors. HiFI-Stereo (February 1977, p.29) introduced it as the model that topped the Garrard range. It carried forward the articulated tonearm that eliminated tracking error - the same "zero-tracking-error" design that had set the Zero 100 apart. The arm was described as one of the most precise available, entirely free of lateral drift.
The drive system used a 4-pound cast nonferrous platter, belt-driven by a DC servo-controlled motor running at 1,000 rpm. Motor speed was electronically regulated, and HiFI-Stereo (February 1977, p.34) noted that speed did not vary with line-voltage changes. That counted for something when household power could be erratic. Flutter measured 0.09% wrms (concentrated around 6 Hz). Unweighted rumble was −34 dB, improving to −58 dB with weighting. The variable cueing descent rate adjustment was carried over from the Zero 100 lineage, though the reviewer remarked that nothing on the markings suggested more than a single descent rate was available.
Audio (April 1977, p.74) called the GT-55 "a worthy successor," and praised its solid construction, quiet operation, and a mechanism engineered to use a minimum of moving parts. That review also said the GT-55 represented Garrard's "Generation Two" design philosophy, with features slated to appear in future models. The deck offered AUTO and MAN modes for the tonearm. The AUTO lever started the full play cycle, while MAN allowed manual cueing. One reviewer noted that care was needed when operating some controls to avoid jarring the unit, a trait it shared with several competing players of the period.
Beyond its magazine coverage, little else is firmly documented. No production years, original price, or factory specifications survive in the Archive's records. The period press makes clear that the GT-55 was a well-engineered automatic turntable, aimed at keeping Garrard competitive at the top end of the market during the mid-to-late 1970s.
Known specifications (from period reviews)
- Platter: 4 lb cast nonferrous, belt-driven
- Motor: DC servo-controlled, 1,000 rpm, electronically regulated
- Flutter (wrms): 0.09% (principal component ~6 Hz)
- Rumble (unweighted): −34 dB
- Rumble (weighted): −58 dB
- Tonearm: articulated zero-tracking-error design
- Cueing: variable descent rate adjustment
- Operating modes: AUTO (automatic cycle) / MAN (manual cueing)
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