Tag Archives: turntable

Invisible turntable makes playing your vinyl look almost magical

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Vinyl and record players miraculously resurfaced a few years ago, giving people of all ages a chance to experience or revisit the unique quality of this analog medium. At first, most of the products tried to faithfully recreate the experience, going so far as modeling record players after vintage aesthetics. Recently, there have been new designs that try to appeal to more modern tastes and younger generations, with styles ranging from minimalist to extravagant. That has given birth to a few interesting record players, some more unusual than others. This turntable, for example, doesn’t seem to actually exist, completely hidden from sight to put the spotlight on your vinyl and the music that is recorded in its grooves.

Designer: Miniot

Most turntables are rectangular boxes, mostly because that’s the most convenient shape for cramming electronics, especially the big parts from decades past. These take up unnecessary space and limit the ways you can place the machine on display. Fortunately, today’s pieces are so much smaller, and you can fit all of them inside something the size of the record itself. In fact, you can fit them in a shape that’s almost exactly like the vinyl as well.

Black Wheel, the latest iteration of the Wheel design by Miniot, does exactly that and hides all the electronics and mechanical parts under the record. They sit inside a thin circular body that completely disappears once you put the record on. This illusion is more effective if you stand the Wheel upright, but it still has this particular minimalist charm even if you lay it flat horizontally.

In addition to the peculiar design, the Wheel also has a rather unique control system that was also designed to be felt but barely seen. A tactile Slide Track offers all the controls you need in a single physical interface, allowing you to slide or push parts of the hidden wheel to select tracks, change the volume, or even set the stylus’ weight. Even with an incredibly thin body, the Wheel doesn’t make compromises in audio quality to satisfy audiophiles.

The Black Wheel itself is a thing of beauty, handmade using high-grade black materials and brushed metal. The slightly older Wheel 2 has a bit of an old-fashioned charm with a wooden base reminiscent of the turntables of old. But although it’s something you would definitely want to flaunt, its design is really meant to put the focus on the part of a record player that matters the most: the record itself.

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Victrola Stream Onyx turntable makes your wireless Sonos party a bit more affordable

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Although the hype around vinyl records and turntables has died down a bit, they haven’t completely disappeared. Every now and then, we still see major brands putting out new models to cater to this niche but passionate market. There is definitely still room for plenty of improvement and creativity, as shown by countless design concepts on how to give the old music device a new face. With plenty of options, it might be overwhelming to pick one for your home. But if your home is already set up with a group of Sonos speakers spread throughout the house, turntable maker Victrola just made that choice a bit easier.

Designer: Victrola

There have been many new spins on the turntable design, some completely ditching even the standard box shape. These can sometimes become more complex and even distracting, calling attention more to itself than to the music that it plays. The Victrola Stream Onyx, in contrast, is understated and almost invisible, especially if most of your decor is dark or black. At the same time, however, it still has a distinctive and polished character that adds a subtle beauty to any space it’s in.

The Stream Onyx is actually the brand’s second turntable with this exact same design, with the Stream Carbon being not only older but also more expensive. In other words, this is the cheaper version of that premium device in both senses of the word. It has some features that remain similar, like the illuminated volume knob, the belt-driven metal platter, and the overall minimalist aesthetic. In other aspects, however, the Stream Onyx cuts a few corners in materials and finishing to reach a $599.99 price point compared to the Stream Carbon’s whopping $799.99.

The Victrola Stream Onyx, just as its name suggests, is all black, removing the silver accents of its pricier sibling. There are parts where Victrola swaps metal with thick molded plastic, like the plastic cartridge replacing aluminum. The tonearm of the Stream Carbon is made from carbon fiber, while the Stream Onyx makes do with aluminum. The materials may differ, but for all intents and purposes, the Stream Onyx still exudes the same design language and, more importantly, is promised to deliver the same audio quality.

What makes both turntables notable, however, is that they are certified to be “Works with Sonos” compatible. That simply means they can easily stream wirelessly to any and all Sonos speakers you have in your house, making it trivial to flood your home with music that speaks to your soul. There is a traditional RCA jack for connecting a cable to a wired speaker if you don’t have a Sonos, but then again, you would probably opt for a more affordable turntable at that point.

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This portable record player helps you focus on your inner light in a unique way

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Vinyl records and LP players have experienced a renaissance in the past few years as the “newtro” fad gripped people of all ages. While most tried to be faithful to the designs and experiences of old, even if they are considered inconvenient by today’s standards, others saw the trend as a challenge to re-imagine what could be in light of what was. That’s particularly true of old media that don’t necessarily need to be constrained by the limitations of old media players. This vinyl record player concept, for example, still tries to deliver that same unique audio quality of LP plates but uses a device that is not only lightweight but also light-centric in a manner you might not expect.

Designer: Hyeyoung Han, Hanyoung Lee

LP or vinyl records have always had a place in music lovers’ hearts despite the limitations of the physical medium. Those limitations, in fact, are what endears these large black discs to its loyal fans, creating a unique tone and quality that’s difficult to reproduce perfectly even through digital means. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to enjoy these vinyl records, both old and new. Unfortunately, most of them seem to be designed on the presumption that they have to be as big as an LP or even bigger.

There are reasonable considerations why record players come as large, flat boxes, but it’s not a hard rule. In fact, one could consider it detrimental to the enjoyment of these records since they take up much space and, more importantly, aren’t exactly easy to move around. Luceren is a design concept that tries to bring that favorite “portability” feature to the record player in a way that is both interesting and elegant, all for the sake of finding your inner self through music.

At first glance, this boat-shaped device looks more like a minimalist tealight candle holder. The protruding bulb on one end reinforces that imagery, but, as they say, looks can be deceiving. As you might have guessed, this is actually a record player, and that bulb serves as the spindle that holds the vinyl in place. Whether on its own or with a record on top, Luceren evokes a sense of simplicity, calm, peace, and light. Plus, it also makes it easy to move the player around, even if just inside the house or room.

It isn’t just for display, though, since it’s supposed to actually play those records. Rather than having a tonearm on top, though, the design hides the mechanism underneath, inside the body of the device. This means you’ll have to place the record upside down, but it’s not exactly a novel idea with some more minimalist record players. It also helps keep the design simple and reduces the number of moving parts that could be broken when moving it from one place to another.

There might be concerns about the stability of a device that spins a disc larger than itself, but Luceren does tickle the mind in imagining other unconventional designs like this. Regardless, the design successfully conveys the message it wants to send, that of a lightweight device that brings light through the simple enjoyment of music wherever you are.

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Audio Technica just released a completely transparent turntable to mark the company’s 60th anniversary

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This may be taking ‘crystal clear audio’ to an entirely new level…

To mark the company’s 60th anniversary, Audio Technica just unveiled a limited-edition turntable for $1200. The catch? The turntable in question is crafted from solid high-density clear acrylic (also known as Lucite) and is, for the most part, entirely see-through. Designed as a functional piece of art, the AT LP2022 boasts a clear chassis along with a limited edition clear stylus that, for some magical reason, doesn’t compromise on audio quality at all. If anything, Audio Technica claims that their crystal-clear turntable captures remarkably high frequencies that you’ve never heard of before. You may feel the urge to close your eyes so your mind can focus on those frequencies better… but then again you’d be missing out on this stunning piece of see-through art and engineering.

Designer: Audio Technica

A hallmark of this sudden trend of transparent electronics (spurred in part by Nothing’s earphones and smartphone) is that transparent bodies actually require you to think about your product’s assembly. One would think a transparent body would automatically make electronics look fascinating but on the contrary, it tends to pull the curtain back on the engineering underneath – which may sometimes not look as aesthetic. The AT LP2022 has no such problems. Its acrylic chassis reveals the belt-drive motor below, highlighting the turntable’s analog sound.

The turntable also features a transparent limited edition Shibata stylus sitting on a carbon fiber tonearm. The stylus is interchangeable, and Audio Technica offers an additional 0.3 x 0.7 mil elliptical stylus inside the box, with the ability to buy and fix other VM95 stylus types. The turntable plays 33-1/3 and 45 RPM records, with a sensor-monitored motor that ensures a continuously accurate platter rotation speed. “Specially designed high-isolation, height-adjustable feet, keep the turntable stabilized and an AC adapter keeps the AC/DC conversion outside the chassis, reducing noise in the signal chain”, the company also specifies.

The AT LP2022 comes with a price tag of $1200 for ardent enthusiasts and collectors. A portion of the sales from the turntable (and other ATH hi-fi products) will go to the Playing For Change Foundation, which was established to create positive change through music and arts education for marginalized and at-risk youth, most specifically in the developing world.

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Audio Technica revives the 80s Sound Burger turntable for modern audiophiles

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Want to bypass the most advanced turntables but still want to get the funk factor of vinyl players? Then Audio Technica has got just the right audio gadget for you. Celebrating 60 glorious years of audiophile awesomeness, the Japanese audio pro is reviving its iconic AT-727 portable turntable after almost four decades.

Popularly known as the Sound Burger and branded as Mister Disc, the vinyl player is making a comeback with modern upgrades to satiate the craving of serious music listeners. Back in the 1980s, the turntable was pitted against the Sony Walkman for vinyl and made a good name for itself owing to its unique build and cuteness.

Designer: Audio Technica

The 2022 Sound Burger (model number AT-SB2022) looks almost the same as the original one but comes with more modern features to make it portable or plug-in to headphones. Those who have seen the original one will instantly be hit with nostalgia, all because of the funky red color. Top-mounted controls and the built-in carry strap. The biggest upgrade comes in the form of Bluetooth and USB-C connectivity. There’s the slim clamshell showing off the grooves of the record and tonearm as well. Audio Technica has also replaced the hard-to-find replacement cartridges of the original one with the ATN3600L stylus.

The massive C-cell batteries give way to the rechargeable battery which brings 12 hours of playback time to the platter spinner. Also, the outdated motor is replaced by the high-precision DC motor that spins the belt-driven platter at 33-1/3 or 45 RPM. According to Audio Technica the portable record player is crafted for “portability and stability” which makes complete sense.

Audio Technica is planning to sell 7,000 limited edition units of the AT-SB2022 turntable for a price tag of $199. For modern vinyl record lovers, that’s absolutely a no-brainer. The only issue’s going to be getting one of these before they all sell out.

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Bang & Olufsen brings its design DNA to the metaverse with its first NFTs

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Perhaps it was thanks to Mark Zuckerberg’s and Meta’s recent event that the Metaverse and its related but dissimilar buzzword Web 3.0 came back under the spotlight. After a long stretch of near silence, companies and brands are once again showing interest in this still ambiguous market, especially when it comes to controversial non-fungible tokens or NFTs. After all, NFTs that can sell for thousands of dollars apiece are perfect for limited edition collectibles that put the brand’s stake in future virtual worlds. Granted, most people still can’t make heads or tails of all these concepts, but there’s already a good number of collectors and believers that are willing to show their support with their money and other resources. It’s for this group of fans that Bang & Olufsen had decided to take the plunge into the world of Web 3 and the metaverse with an NFT collection designed to show off its creative chops more than its audio expertise.

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

Although the technologies and details swarming around NFTs are indeed complicated, the basic idea behind its pull is understandable from a human perspective. In essence, it is related to owning a unique and singular digital artifact, similar to the idea of physical property that can’t be cloned perfectly. In a digital world where it’s trivial to copy files and images, such a kind of ownership sounds radical and revolutionary. Of course, implementation has been far from perfect, leading to the rather contentious position of NFTs, especially among artists, designers, and other creatives.

That hasn’t stopped big brands from proving they can go with the flow and the times, and Bang & Olufsen’s “DNA Collection” NFTs are in the same vein. The company best known for its exquisite audio equipment has announced an upcoming collection of 1925 NFTs, a nod to the year the company was founded. Rather than just a simple NFT drop, as these events are usually called, B&O is putting a rather unique and fun twist that tries to share the spirit of creativity with its music-loving community.

The DNA collection revolves around some of its most elegant products, including the Beogram 4000 as well as the Beoplay A9 and Beolab 90 speakers. These have been distilled down to key parts like legs, frame, front cover, and back cover, which are then combined with a custom-made range of digital product materials. During the minting process, buyers will be able to get a random selection of products and product materials that will allow them to mix and match designs for a truly unique B&O product that they’ll be able to display in their future virtual home in the metaverse.

The DNA Collection is meant to showcase Bang & Olufsen’s design heritage over the decades, which is an admittedly surprising venture for the company. While the brand is definitely praised for its design chops, it is, at its heart, an audio company, something that won’t translate so smoothly to Web 3.0. NFTs are also still a divisive topic within the design community, especially because of their environmental repercussions. In that regard, B&O promises that it has chosen a blockchain that reduces its climate impact, even if that impact can still be quite significant.

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Teenage Engineering’s latest gizmo is a turntable designed for children to record and produce vinyls on

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You can be a hipster, but you’ll never be a ‘five-year-old recording on vinyls’ hipster.

Well, it’s official. Teenage Engineering may just be the coolest, most inventive company out there in the tech space. Not only have they given us some incredibly uplifting audio gadgets from their own hardware brand, the company’s also collaborated with brands like IKEA and Nothing to create new products that marry fun and functionality in unique new ways. Teenage Engineering’s latest product, however, expands to a demographic that audio tech never really considered – kids. The PO-80 Record Factory Kit is a record cutter that engraves audio onto 5″ vinyl discs, giving kids the ability to record their own LPs the old-fashioned way, quite like how millennials made mixtapes and burned their own CDs. The Record Factory, created in collaboration with Yuri Suzuki, lets you engrave and playback 5″ discs with an ultra-analog lo-fi sound. This isn’t studio-grade equipment, after all, but it does add a creamy muffled, effect to your audio that totally sounds like the 40s and 50s in a nutshell.

Designers: Teenage Engineering & Yuri Suzuki

Starting at $149 USD, the Record Factory is just simply perfect for kids to experiment and play with. It allows you to plug an audio source in using the 3.5mm input, and lets you engrave any audio directly onto the vinyl disc. The toyish little record cutter turns any audio into a pleasant lo-fi tune with a retro warmth, and Teenage Engineering also supplies a vinyl mastering app on their website that takes your MP3 and WAV files and plays with the equalizer settings to ensure your track is record-ready. The 3.5mm jack also lets you connect the company’s Pocket Operator series of MIDI controllers directly to the cutter, converting the audio you play on the devices into LPs. Alternatively, you could even listen to records using a separate player head and the Record Factory’s built-in speaker.

A perfectly adorable little toy, the Record Factory has pretty much universal appeal. Even though the device is designed for kids in their pre-teen years (a little ironic given the company is literally named Teenage Engineering), its lovely design and easy-to-use interface make it perfect for anyone looking to experiment with audio hardware without breaking the bank.

The Record Factory starts at $149 and comes unassembled, so you’ll definitely enjoy the DIY process of building the device out of the box!

The Record Factory also works with Teenage Engineering’s Pocket Operator devices

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Vertical turntable idealised to present music in a way we wouldn’t think twice before taking home

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A turntable skimmed the aesthetics and delivered music with additional gadgetry which perhaps record players did as a cohesive unit. However, the transition is more modern and timelier. Now, to fill some sort of void left out by the fast transition from traditional to modern; Blok is an aesthetic that visions turntable, and the notion of music, in a way you and I wouldn’t think twice before taking home.

Many form factors of turntables have been idealized, in the recent past, but have not really gained traction. If you reflect back, there are only a few idealistic designs that stay put; importantly, these are part of our routine because the ease of use and adaptation of embedded technology has been easier as opposed to the fancier ones that have crossed paths.

Designer: Josh Schwefel

Basing the Blok on the choice of the gen-z; designer Josh Schwefel presents turntable boasting mechanical looks with ultra-precise tolerance. That transpires a device with a simple user interface and a clean silhouette. It is not the usual beefy device; instead, a sleek square form factor with similar buttons and an enriching scroller knob for volume deliver a turntable worth your bedside table.

The difference here is not so much about how it looks, but how it functions! The turntable works as a vertical device with the vinyl record going into the middle like a disk in between the gaping lips of a DVD player. Understandably, the built-in spindle identifies the record and begins to play it. A visually pleasing setup – provided in midnight back, arctic white, and bumblebee yellow – has connectivity ports on the back that do not interfere with the façade and render the device apt for your lifestyle. At this point, I am not sure if the Blok loves your smartphone, but Bluetooth connectivity would certainly allow Blok to fill the void; permitting you and me to toggle the music from the comfort of the couch/bed.

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This retro-modern record player pits your vinyl against gravity in lofty style

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Love the pure classic feel of a record player but always wanted the inclusion of a modern element to it? The element of unique styling for your living or bedroom in an upright turntable format? Then this concept will fuel your craving even more.

This is the Vertical Turntable designed keeping in mind the needs of modern audiophiles who want the pure sound of a record player with an aesthetic that fits their lifestyle.

Designer: Eun seok Go

The turntable doesn’t lose out on the analog sensibility and brings forth the design elements that would please the most finicky of buyers. That means the user will be able to listen to even the most subtle sounds in the wide music soundstage. Inspiration for the vertical turntable design comes from the typical appearance of the Ip when it is taken out. So, the designer thought of achieving a form factor that fuses the turntable and lp look into one.

One disadvantage that analog players have as compared to digital audio players is the wear and tear due to physical contact. This record player has an optical cartridge that minimizes the damage incurred by the tracking force in conventional cartridges. The driving method of the Vertical Turntable is the same as that of a DVD player – the lens detects the Ip and then connects it to the built-in spindle.

The transparent screen on the front superimposes the track time played and elapsed, play and pause status, artist name and albumart onto the visible part of the record in the background. Below the screen is the speaker, the volume knob and play/pause buttons. While the designer doesn’t make a mention of its Bluetooth connectivity feature, still I’m assuming it has the ability to connect to your smartphone for toggling any of the options from the cozy confines of your couch.

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Metallica-themed turntable jumps on the band’s renaissance

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Eighties heavy metal rock band Metallica has been enjoying another renaissance thanks to its music being featured in Netflix’s Stranger Things. But for real fans of the band, they never really went away and they have been enjoying their music all this time. For die-hard fans, any memorabilia or Metallica-themed gadgets will be most welcome. And if you have enough money, you’d probably want to have a piece of this Metallica limited edition turntable.

Designer: Pro-Ject Audio Systems

The Austrian audiophile company partnered with the band, who have been long-time users of Pro-Ject audio products, to come up with a Metallica-themed turntable. What we get is a handmade device using the band’s Star logo as the base with a big MDF plinth. On top you have a heavy glass platter on top of an aluminum sub-platter, and with a mirror-finished metal top. You get an S-shaped aluminum tonearm to complete the look for this limited edition turntable.

The device has a pre-adjusted Pick it S2 C cartridge when it arrives out of the box. Both the tracking force and anti-skating are adjustable. The heavy metal themed turntable looks pretty heavy with its metal drive-pulley, aluminum feet that can be adjusted, gold-plated RCA connectors, and semi-symmetrical phono cable with integrated grounding wire. A belt-driven motor setup with electronic speed control is the thing that powers the entire hifi-grade turntable.

If you’re not a fan of Metallica, then the ninja star themed design will probably be something cool but not meaningful. If you’re familiar with the brand then you know that this will be a high-quality kind of turntable. But with its $1,599 price tag, it’s safe to say that die-hard Metallica fans with the money to spare will be the ones to get this limited-edition device.

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