Audiophile Turntable and Vinyl Reviews
Pro-Ject Phono Box S3 B Phonostage Reviewed
In recent years, Pro-Ject have established themselves as one of the biggest players in the affordable vinyl space for audiophiles. Not only do they make high-quality turntables at varying reasonable price points, but they also have a range of phono… Read More »
More Audiophile Turntable and Vinyl Reviews
European Audio Team Fortissimo Turntable with F-Note Tonearm Reviewed
European Audio Team, better known by the acronym E.A.T., is spearheaded by Ms. Jozefina Lichtenegger (herself married to Pro-Ject executive Heinz Lichtenegger), and principally builds turntables, tonearms, a tube-type amplifier and four different tubed phono preamplifiers. E.A.T. also markets three… Read More »
Cambridge Audio Alva Duo Phono Preamplifier Reviewed
A phono preamplifier is a great and often inexpensive way to improve the sound of your vinyl. While many integrated amplifiers and preamplifiers include a phono stage, they often struggle to match the sound of separated components for many reasons, but I suspect the biggest reason… Read More »
Pro-Ject XA B Turntable Reviewed
Few audiophile companies are as prolific today with the building of turntables as Pro-Ject. On their website, they list a staggering 13 different lines of turntables. That isn’t 13 different turntables – it’s 13 different product categories for the brand. This turntable… Read More »
McIntosh Labs MT5 Precision Turntable Reviewed
Ask any audiophile who has been in the hobby for a decade or more to identify a legacy brand, and the name McIntosh will almost certainly be mentioned. Founded by Frank McIntosh and residing in Binghamton, New York since 1952,… Read More »
Boulder 508 Phono Preamplifier Reviewed
Mention Boulder Amplifiers to almost any audiophile and the resulting comments will almost certainly be much the same. These opinions may include world-class performance, impeccable quality, best of the best, big, heavy and, of course, very expensive. None of these… Read More »
Pass Labs XP-27 Phonostage Reviewed
Pass Labs has long been known for innovation, build quality, performance and perhaps, to many audiophiles, value. When I reviewed the highly capable Pass Labs XP-17 Phonostage (read the review), I quickly became convinced, enamored even, of the performance and… Read More »
Rega Planar 3 Turntable Reviewed
Rega is a blue-chip brand in the audiophile community, and there are many good reasons why. For starters, every product has been painstakingly built by hand in England since 1973. Engineering is one of Rega’s founding pillars. Rega has built… Read More »
Pass Labs XP-17 Phonostage Reviewed
When commercial operations first began in 1991, Pass Labs took the innovative amplifier creations from the kitchen table of founder Nelson Pass and rose to become one of the more respected and awarded audio companies currently in business. In 1994,… Read More »
MoFi Electronics UltraDeck Turntable Reviewed
Having spent many years producing high-quality remastered LPs, when the newly-established electronics division of Mobile Fidelity decided to manufacture a turntable, a natural segue from recording to source component was born. MoFi Electronics was formed, and today produces turntables, cartridges,… Read More »
Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable Reviewed
The Victrola Hi-Res Carbon (buy at Crutchfield) is the latest turntable from the Victrola brand of turntables. While this brand was once thought of as a maker of phonographs, it is now making products like the Hi-Res Carbon, which has… Read More »
Pro-Ject X1 B Turntable Reviewed
The Pro-Ject X1 B (buy at Crutchfield) is a $1,299 mid-range, belt-driven audiophile turntable that is a clear step above the plethora of $350 to $500 more entry-level players flooding the market today. The Pro-Ject X1B turntable features 33, 45, and 78 RPM… Read More »
MoFi Masterphono Phonostage Reviewed
Founded in 1977, Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab, better known today as MoFi, has been a leader in producing high quality, remastered, specially plated and pressed versions of previously released LPs. In the late 1980s, they added uniquely remastered Compact Discs… Read More »
Spin-Clean Record Washer Deluxe Kit Reviewed
In a world where digital streaming dominates the music landscape, there’s a certain charm and nostalgia that comes with spinning vinyl records. For audiophiles and music enthusiasts alike, the warm tones and nostalgic sound of vinyl offer a unique and… Read More »
Music Hall MMF 1.3 Turntable Reviewed
The Music Hall MMF 1.3 (buy at Crutchfield) is a high-value turntable priced at a mere $349.99 that nonetheless comes equipped with an Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge, a built-in phono stage, as well as an electronic 3-speed (33-1/3, 45, and 78… Read More »
U-Turn Orbit Plus Turntable Reviewed
Vinyl has witnessed a remarkable resurgence in recent years, capturing the hearts of music enthusiasts seeking an immersive and nostalgic audio experience and a disconnect from an increasingly online world. As the demand for audiophile turntables continues to grow, music… Read More »
NAD C 558 Turntable Reviewed
The NAD C 558 (buy at Crutchfield) is a well-crafted, audiophile-grade, belt-driven turntable that is priced fairly but not quite at the bargain-basement levels you’ll often see from more mainstream brands. NAD’s top turntable sets itself apart in its class… Read More »
VPI Industries Classic Signature Turntable Reviewed
When Harry Weisfeld founded VPI Industries in 1978, he probably could have never imagined his modest company, initially known for making record weights and isolation bases, would become the market leader it is today. His first commercially successful turntable was… Read More »
Rekkord F300 Turntable Reviewed
Rekkord Audio is a company I wasn’t familiar with until I recently launched into a series of affordable turntable reviews, but I have since learned that they’ve been in the turntable business for half a century and have a strong… Read More »
Luxman PD-151 Mark II Turntable Reviewed
Luxman Corporation has a solid reputation for very high build quality, and while not necessarily or even exclusively budget oriented, their products are not out-of-reach expensive. Such is the case with the recently released Luxman PD-151 Mark II audiophile turntable.… Read More »
Andover Audio SpinDeck 2 Turntable Reviewed
The Andover SpinDeck 2 is a belt-drive turntable that uses a jazzy AT-3600 phono cartridge from Audio-Technica. With a price tag of just $299, this product is aimed at entry-level listeners, and Andover has added some thoughtful features that will… Read More »
Music Hall Classic Turntable Reviewed
The Music Hall Classic turntable (buy at Crutchfield) features an intriguing mix of traditional design elements and modern technology and features. The turntable comes packaged with a tonearm and cartridge, which are partially assembled so the listener can go from… Read More »
PS Audio Stellar Phono Preamplifier Reviewed
When Paul McGowan and Stan Warren founded PS Audio in 1973, their first product was a standalone phono preamp. After several different design iterations, the PS Audio Phono Preamplifier was introduced in 1975. Now, some 48 years later, PS Audio… Read More »
Audio-Technica AT-LPW50BT Turntable Reviewed
Audio Technica’s AT-LPW50BT audiophile turntable at $499 (buy at Crutchfield) is feature rich, with a built-in phono stage and Bluetooth transmitter. Its model number may not easily roll off your tongue, but it’s one of the newest turntables from a… Read More »
Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO Turntable Reviewed
Pro-Ject’s Debut Carbon EVO Turntable ($599 buy at Crutchfield) is the latest version of the Debut, which was first released at the end of the last millennium. The Debut Carbon was released just over a decade ago and utilized a… Read More »
Andover Audio SpinStage Phono Preamplifier Reviewed
If you connect a turntable directly to a line-level input on your integrated amplifier or preamplifier, I guarantee you will be disappointed by the sound. Why? Because the signal from a turntable’s cartridge needs to be boosted and equalized to… Read More »
Isonic CS6.1-Pro Record Cleaning System Reviewed
Some music fans buy one LP a week, others one a day, and still others buy so many that they can’t (or won’t) keep count. The Isonic CS6.1 Pro is the record cleaning system for the that last group, the LP-purchasing power… Read More »
GrooveWasher Mondo Record Cleaning Kit
It should be obvious that a clean record makes for a better listening experience. There are a multiplicity of ways to clean your records. When you pull a rock through a canyon (which is what a record player does) it… Read More »
Rega Planar 1 Turntable Reviewed
The vinyl resurgence has music lovers everywhere clamoring for that magical analog sound. Needless to say, though, that sound starts at the source. The better the source, the better the sound. And while it’s possible these days to spend six… Read More »
Marantz TT-15S1 Turntable Reviewed
Marantz’s TT-15S1 turntable (buy at Amazon) is a time-tested, all-in-one turntable for listeners who don’t want to obsess over every component choice. For $1,799, you get your audiophile turntable, arm, and cartridge. While some purists may cringe at the thought… Read More »
Record Doctor VI Record Cleaning Machine Reviewed
Think about the way record players work. They make sound by dragging a stylus through the grooves in a PVC/PVA polymer platter, the vibrations of which are turned into electrical impulses. As a result of the physical nature of all… Read More »
Schiit Mani 2 Phono Preamp Reviewed
“This stuff is the Schiit…” That is how the story started for Schiit Audio in 2010 when Jason Stoddard and Mike Moffett decided to combine their years of industry experience into something new. The USA-made Mani 2 is a phono… Read More »
