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Technics Grand Class SL-1200/1210GR2 record player
In the early 1980s, I worked in a pop band playing AM radio hits, grooving behind my Yamaha drums and Zildjian cymbals as sweat drenched my body and my ears rang. We danced. We pranced. My shiny silk...
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Analog Corner # 247: Dr. Feickert Firebird turntable, Viva Fono MC phono...
Dr. Feickert Analogue's top-of-the line turntable, the Firebird ($12,500; footnote 1), is a generously sized record player designed to easily accommodate two 12" tonearms. Its three brushless,...
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Spin Doctor #12: EMM Labs DS-EQ1, The Wand 14-4 Turntable, M•A Inner...
"I think both moving coil and moving magnet cartridges are terrible." That's what legendary Canadian audio designer Ed Meitner told me when I asked about the pioneering transimpedance current drive...
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Analog Corner #245: SME Model 15 turntable, SME 309 SPD tonearm
In the April 2000 issue of Stereophile, I reviewed SME's Model 10, which was an attempt by that storied company to produce an "affordable" turntable. I described the Model 10's $5500 turntable-only...
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Brilliant Corners #15: Well Tempered Lab Amadeus 254 GT turntable
Photo by Michael Stephens Last May, during a visit to High End Munich, I was ushered into an exhibitor's room with much ceremony. Other showgoers had been shooed out so that I, a reviewer at an...
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Spin Doctor #13: Acoustic Signature Verona NEO turntable, TA-5000 NEO,...
I sometimes joke about how audio designers create products that resemble themselves, not just in how they look, but also in the design approach used, and especially the way they sound. So, we have...
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Analog Corner #243: TechDAS Air Force Two turntable, Graham Phantom Elite...
How big is the performance gap between TechDAS's new Air Force Two ($52,000) and original Air Force One ($105,000) turntables? How do you halve the price without also sacrificing the build quality and...
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EMT 928 II record player
Modern turntables are a paradox. The ever-evolving technology beneath their sleek exteriors fascinates me. The high-end turntable market these days can feel less like a haven for music lovers and more...
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Analog Corner #240: Sperling-Audio L-1 turntable and TA-1 tonearm
Photo: Echopark With its swept-wing shape and platter-forward design, Sperling-Audio's L-1 turntable ($35,950, without tonearm; footnote 1) stands out in a crowd. This high-mass design from Germany is...
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Analog Corner #237: Ortofon MC A95 phono cartridge, Brinkmann Audio Spyder...
It's difficult to believe that more than five years have passed since Ortofon introduced its ground-breaking MC A90 moving-coil cartridge ($4200 when last available). The limited-edition MC A90, with...
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Clearaudio Signature turntable & Tracer tonearm
In midsummer 2022, I reviewed the German-made Clearaudio Reference Jubilee turntable, a $30,000 vinyl virtuoso that played music with clear-headed realism, brain-opening transparency, and lifelike...
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Gramophone Dreams #92: Technics SL-1300G record player
Like romance or car racing, the act of playing records is tactile by design. Like drifting through curves or making out, spinning vinyl is a learned skill that requires users to touch everything with...
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Spin Doctor #20: The Rega Naia Turntable & Humminguru S-DUO Pro Ultrasonic...
To watch as Rega very slowly expands its turntable offerings upmarket requires the patience of a Thomas Pynchon addict waiting for each new tome from the notoriously slow-working and reclusive author....
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MoFi Electronics MasterDeck turntable
Get two mouthy jazz drummers in a room and watch the sparks fly. Talented turntable designer Allen Perkins, the brain behind Spiral Groove, Immedia's RPM turntables, and various SOTA models, is first...
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J.Sikora Standard Max Supreme turntable, KV9 Max Zirconium tonearm
In his review of the J.Sikora Initial turntable, Stereophile's resident artist/sage Herb Reichert wrote, "Extended bathing, lighting candles, making tea, and preparing food are ritual work forms that...
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