Displaying items by tag: vinyl - StereoLife Magazine

The vinyl revival shows no signs of slowing down, and audio manufacturers are increasingly looking for ways to combine traditional record playback with the conveniences we have come to expect from modern music systems. One of the simplest approaches is to equip a turntable with a Bluetooth transmitter, allowing listeners to enjoy their records without being tied to a conventional stereo setup. This is precisely the idea behind Denon's new DP-500BT. The latest addition to the Japanese company's turntable lineup is a semi-automatic, belt-driven design featuring an S-shaped tonearm, a factory-installed moving-magnet cartridge, and a built-in phono preamplifier. Its most distinctive additional feature, however, is the ability to transmit music wirelessly to compatible headphones, speakers, and other Bluetooth-enabled devices.

Majority is expanding its turntable range with two affordable models aimed primarily at listeners taking their first steps into vinyl. The Stylo follows the more traditional route, combining a proper tonearm, adjustable cartridge setup and built-in phono stage with Bluetooth connectivity, while the Folio takes the all-in-one approach with integrated speakers and additional digital functions. Just as importantly, both decks move away from the usual black-box aesthetic - alongside Blackout, buyers can choose finishes such as Sol Yellow, British Racing Green, Blue Steel and Oxblood, with Folio also available in Plywood. The idea is simple - make vinyl playback easy to get into without reducing the turntable to little more than a decorative record player.

Dual is introducing the CS 718Q, a turntable developed at the company's engineering center in Germany and designed to continue the legacy of the celebrated Series 7. The new model combines direct drive with a carbon-aluminum sandwich tonearm, adjustable tonearm height, a dynamic tracking-force mechanism and a removable headshell. One important detail for prospective owners is that the CS 718Q is sold without a cartridge. Users are free to choose one according to their sonic preferences, the rest of the system and the tonearm's operating parameters.

Avid has introduced the Ingenium SE, a new turntable that succeeds the Ingenium Plug&Play and brings the company's entry-level analog platform closer to its more advanced designs. The original Ingenium Plug&Play was conceived as a relatively accessible way into Avid's world of vinyl playback, combining straightforward setup with engineering drawn from the company's higher-end turntables. The new Ingenium SE follows the same general idea, but the changes are more than cosmetic. Avid says the model has been refined in response to feedback gathered from customers and retailers throughout the life of its predecessor, with the aim of improving transparency, speed stability, mechanical precision and long-term upgrade potential while keeping the turntable approachable for users who do not want the complexity or cost of the company's flagship models.

Rega has added the Planar 6 RS Edition to its range - a new special version of one of the company's most important turntables. The British manufacturer has spent decades developing designs based on lightweight, rigid plinths, precise belt drive systems and tonearms of its own making, showing that the classic turntable form still has a great deal of potential. This time, Rega has taken the well-known Planar 6 and equipped it with solutions normally associated with higher models in its catalog. The result is a technically advanced turntable that should be ready for serious playback almost straight out of the box, without the immediate need to replace the cartridge, power supply or drive components. With the RB880 tonearm, Neo PSU MK2, Reference EBLT belt and Nd9 cartridge included, the Planar 6 RS Edition looks like a proposition for listeners who want to move to a higher level of analog playback without building the system through a sequence of expensive upgrades. Rega is offering a complete package in which technologies from higher models have been sensibly combined with the familiar Planar 6 format.

The decision has been made - we are buying a turntable. Everyone around us seems to be talking about the beauty of analog sound, so sooner or later we decide to begin our own vinyl adventure. Common sense may object a little, because what exactly is the point? Records are delicate, they have to be handled with care, and every twenty minutes or so you need to get up and turn the disc over if you want to hear the rest of the album. How does that make any sense in an age when a phone can give us access to millions of tracks, let us skip from one to another with a single tap, or simply keep playing for hours without any effort on our part? Users of streaming services could probably listen until retirement age and still not discover even a small fraction of the music available to them. So who actually needs a turntable?

Dual has introduced the CS 618Q, a direct-drive turntable that represents the most advanced model in the company's current lineup and a clear statement of intent in its ongoing revival as a serious analogue specialist. Combining quartz-controlled speed regulation, a precision gimbal-bearing tonearm and a factory-mounted Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, the CS 618Q is positioned as a ready-to-use premium deck aimed at listeners who want high-performance vinyl playback without moving into the complexity of fully manual audiophile platforms. Although the CS 618Q sits at the top of Dual's contemporary range, its design deliberately avoids unnecessary complication. Instead, the turntable follows a restrained, classic layout that echoes earlier generations of the brand's direct-drive machines. A brushed-aluminium control plate carries the speed selector and status indicator, allowing switching between 33, 45 and 78 rpm operation, while the overall proportions remain close to traditional hi-fi component dimensions for straightforward system integration.

Wilson Benesch announced the Greenwich Turntable, a new model within its GMT analogue platform that establishes the entry point into the company's latest reference-level record playback architecture. Rather than representing a simplified derivative of existing designs, the Greenwich Turntable is conceived as the foundation of a modular analogue ecosystem in which structural, damping and isolation strategies evolve progressively through the GMT range while preserving a common motor platform. This approach allows owners to enter the architecture at the Greenwich level and move upward toward Prime Meridian and ultimately the flagship GMT One without replacing the core drive system.

Pro-Ject Audio Systems has introduced the VC-E Mini, a new ultra-compact record cleaning machine designed as an entry point into vacuum-assisted vinyl maintenance while retaining the core operating principles of the company's larger cleaning platforms. Engineered and manufactured in Europe, the new model is positioned as a practical alternative to manual washing systems for users looking to improve record care without dedicating significant space to a full-size cleaning unit.

Avid HiFi has introduced the Velsonic, a new reference-level phono preamplifier positioned as the flagship of the company's analog electronics lineup and its first completely new phono stage platform since 2012. Developed and manufactured at Avid's Cambridgeshire facility, the Velsonic replaces both the Pulsare II and Pellere models while carrying forward circuit concepts derived from the company's Reference Pre-Amplifier, signaling a broader refresh of its upper-tier analog architecture. Rather than pursuing a hybrid or digitally assisted topology, the Velsonic follows a strictly analog design philosophy built around a fully dual-mono signal path from input to output. Separate channel layouts are intended to maximize channel separation and reduce crosstalk, while the absence of digital control circuitry reflects Avid's long-standing preference for preserving signal purity in low-level phono applications. According to the manufacturer, particular attention has been paid to minimizing noise throughout the gain structure, an area especially critical in high-resolution MC cartridge systems.