Tag Archives: Vinyl player

Vinyl turntable concept uses industrial materials and design

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As much as I love my music streaming services, I’m also a fan of playing analog music. Well, at least in theory. I have several CDs at home already but I don’t have a CD player (still researching about what’s the best one that my wallet can afford). I also want to have a vinyl player soon although that will take more of an investment both for the player itself and the vinyls I’ll buy afterwards. So I am always interested when I see concepts or designs for turntables as it can be references for what I’ll buy in the (hopefully) near future.

Designer: Antoine Brieux / NAK Studio

This concept for a high end industrial design linear vinyl turntable will probably not fit into my budget if it ever gets made but it’s still pretty interesting to look at. It will be made up of full machined aluminum and magnesium parts but also uses glass and recycled Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (ABS) so you get an industrial but minimalist look. The platter assembly has conical bearings shaft and actually looks like those old 35mm film projectors but placed horizontally.

In keeping with its industrial theme, you get an industrial drive belt driving system but with an air cushion linear arm to make it more interesting. The tonearm is Bluetooth embedded so you can connect it to Bluetooth speakers directly but you can also use the regular plug system if you prefer that. It also has a brushless motor and constant drive controller while it uses capacitive sensors to manage the start and end position of the arms which can use either an automatic or manual lift system.

The product render, including a video sample of what it might look like, makes it really look like a high end kind of vinyl player. But it also looks a bit heavy based on the materials that will be used so if you’re looking for something that can be portable or at least easy to move within your space, this might not be it. As for the quality when you actually play your vinyls on it, that remains to be seen.

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Razor-thin turntable brings an uber-futuristic touch to your retro vinyl collection

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Sleekness was never really a consideration back in the 50s and 60s when vinyl discs were still popular… which is why turntables and vinyl players never really explored thin-ness as a design aesthetic. The most any company ever did was integrate minimalism into their design language (a la Braun), but products weren’t generally designed to be razor thin. Which is why the BÖNWERK Turntable feels so visually exciting – it brings a novel design direction to an otherwise aged product category. Trends (whether fashion or tech) are always cyclical, and vinyls have been gaining popularity over the last few years… but traditional vinyl players don’t live up to the design sensibilities of today. The BÖNWERK Turntable is a gorgeous concept that boasts the same wedge-shaped design detail popularized by the MacBook Air. The rotating disc sits on a razor-thin platform, which gradually becomes thicker near the turntable’s control panel, creating an overall aesthetic that’s practically invisible, but emotionally impactful.

Designers: Mateo Rombolá & Tobias Quirici

“The primary goal of this project was to create a cutting-edge and sophisticated turntable tailored specifically for expert users in the audiophile world,” said designer-duo Mateo Rombolá and Tobias Quirici. “Our focus centered on prioritizing user semantics and experience, elevating these aspects above mere functional distinctions.”

Functionally, the BÖNWERK Turntable isn’t too different from the ones you’d otherwise find on the market. It has the tonearm with a cartridge and needle on one end, and a counterweight on the other. The tonearm sits at the center, with the rotating disc platform on one side, and a control panel on the other with a strobe light, RPM controller, volume knob, highs and lows control, and a start/stop button.

Flip the BÖNWERK Turntable over and you see its actual mass, which hides underneath a super-sleek exterior. Almost mirroring the design of the MacBook Air (or even older iPhones, which used to hide the camera bump in the side-view photos), the mass hides itself well thanks to a slick outer profile that your eyes see (instead of the volume underneath). This makes the BÖNWERK Turntable look MUCH thinner than it already is, which adds to its appeal. The appeal also extends to the minimal visual language used in the rest of the turntable’s design, from the use of plain black and metallic hues, sharp geometric shapes, knurled metal knobs, and the palpable absence of any text, giving the turntable its signature clean look.

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Vinyl music system lets you have an aesthetic listening party

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While we’re now used to listening to our favorite tunes on our streaming service of choice, there are times when we would still crave to listening on unadulterated and uncompressed formats, specifically on vinyl players. One of my dreams is to have a listening party with my fellow K-Pop stans and listening and dancing to tunes from vinyl records. But actually setting up a system can be intimidating for newbies, not to mention expensive.

Designer: Dum Audio

The Stereo System Bundle that Dum Audio is offering will remove some of that hassle of choosing what things should go into your vinyl record set up (although the expensive part is still there of course). It has “everything you need and nothing you don’t” in a sense that it has all the basics that you would need to listen to your records with an “immense and crystal clear sonic experience”. This includes the turntable itself, an amplifier, and a pair of passive speakers, with the option of adding a passive subwoofer in case you want more base.

The entire system has a real hardwood veneer with aluminum hardware so if that’s your aesthetic in your living room or bedroom, it should go well with the whole ambience. The turntable has an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge and an MDF flinth with real hardwood veneer and a custom aluminum tonearm. It plays at 33.3 and 45 RPM. The integrated amplifier has analog inputs and an output for the passive subwoofer that is coming soon. You can control the bass, mid, and treble and has a power output of 100 watts RMS per channel. The passive speakers has custom Dum Audio drivers and has a power handling of 100 watts RMS per speaker.

If you still want to listen to songs on your streaming service, the amplifier has Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX so you can still stream from your smartphone or computer. If you have around $2,000 to spend for a system, this is something you can consider if you don’t want the hassle of looking for individual components. It also looks pretty aesthetic so that can add to the joy of listening to your favorite vinyl records.

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