If you've been wanting to add vinyl to your home audio setup but don't know where to start with the best turntables, the new Gadhouse Mathis has been designed just for you. It's made for vinyl beginners, and it delivers almost everything you could want when getting started.
The design is reassuringly retro but there's a decent cartridge on board: the Audio-Technica ATVM95E. The turntable is belt-driven and promises "exceptional" stability to keep your records spinning consistently for accurate sound, and there's a built-in phono stage. That means you can connect your Mathis directly to powered speakers without also having to invest in an amplifier. And that's not even the easiest way to connect to it.
Gadhouse Mathis turntable: key features
In addition to the speaker connections, you can also connect over Bluetooth 5.0 to some of the best wireless headphones, or to the best Bluetooth speakers. This also gives you lots of flexibility about where you place things, of course – the turntable doesn't need to be near your speakers.
There are also RCA line-outs if you'd prefer a cabled connection to existing hardware, and you can disable the phono stage if your hi-fi setup already includes a decent amp.
There's only one thing missing for absolute beginners: this turntable is manual, not automatic, so you'll need to place and lift the needle yourself. That's part of the fun as far as I'm concerned, but if you want a totally foolproof automatic option, the Sony PS-LX310BT remains a favorite for around the same price.
The Mathis comes with a wooden base in a range of color options, and Gadhouse says the design was "inspired by the clean lines and timeless allure of ’80s audio gear". It's a good-looking thing, straightforward rather than overly fussy or gimmicky.
The Mathis will be sold via Urban Outfitters in the US with a recommended price of $329; in the UK it'll be sold via Lasgo and Dawsons for an RRP of £199.
