• Technics x Fritz Hansen: every content creator's dream collab
• From Technics: its premium-class SL-40CBT turntable in oxblood red
• From Fritz Hansen: its iconic Kaizer idell 6631-T lamp, also in oxblood red

Fritz Hansen, the Danish furniture company, and Technics, the Japanese audio specialist, have teamed up to unveil a brand new... nothing, strictly speaking (and when we get down to brass tacks).

And yet the new partnership is every content creator's dream, because it has seen them both re-release old products, but in a juicy oxblood red. It's perfect for the influencer staple 'I just bought a 60ft Parisian apartment with no plan; now what?!' series. Arrange next to a well-thumbed hardback book with macrame bookmark, a French press with ceramic blue-glaze espresso cup and an old armchair bought on a lazy Sunday at the Marche aux Puces — you're away.

Anyway. Since we're a tech site, let's start with the audio option. The Technics SL-40CBT direct-drive turntable was released towards the end of 2025 and we noted its refreshingly different 'terracotta' color option as one of the biggest highlights of the deck.

Well, that's terra-gotta go, because Technics' new model is a burgundy or oxblood red version — a colorway that's definitely having a moment — of that same turntable. It offers the same specs as the original build (no word on pricing just yet), but in the new hue and with Fritz Hansen branding on the felt mat. Oh, and it's limited edition! Only 300 models are going on sale.

Coming from Fritz Hansen is, you guessed it, another older device recolored to oxblood-slash-burgundy. It's the Kaiser idell lamp which is, I'm told, an iconic 1930s table lamp. I'm no lamp journalist, but Fritz Hansen's lights straddle the $1,000 price point, so I don't doubt its credentials.

Only 200 of these red lights are going on sale (well spotted, the lamp is even more limited edition than the deck), and only in Europe or Asia — unlike the turntable, which will be on sale in the US. Both products will see the light of day in October, with pricing yet to be announced — but I imagine they won't be affordable to the majority of flea market shoppers, Parisian or otherwise…

But... why?

Companies re-releasing older successful models in new colors is nothing new. What's confounding to me about Technics and Fritz Harmon's collaboration is just how much spin has been invested, to make these devices sound truly exciting.

"Music is an art of time. Time flows without form, quietly imprinting itself on our emotions through sound" says a noted representative of Technics. "Sound and light both change how a space feels without touching its structure" reads another quote.

If you've been re-reading those press release quotes to try and understand what they mean (and wondering whether I've introduced a typo to ruin their meaning), you're not alone. But I've carefully re-read it several times and consulted with experts (other people on TechRadar's team) and we've come to the conclusion that at least we know it wasn't written by AI.

"Two objects with distinct origins that, together, form a setting that is considered and deeply human" puts me in mind of The Bard's "Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene". But I think really, it's two companies with very good legacy products, tying themselves in knots, trying to wax lyrical on the interplay of light and sound (because they are light and sound companies).

Or maybe there's a lot more going on, and I'm just too confused (or dim) to understand what they're trying to say. Look, the burgundy turntable actually looks really nice. Yes, I wish I could enjoy it without requiring a PhD in philosophy to understand the announcement, but in the end, it would look great in my listening room…

• New CoolGeek TS-01 launched on Kickstarter
• Automatic turntable with glowing lights within the platter
• A retail price of $299, and it's already fully funded

Like any good tech writer, RGB-tinged gadgetry has infiltrated my home, but there's one piece of kit that still doesn't glow — or didn't glow, but a new Kickstarter project looks set to fix that.

I'm talking about the new CoolGeek TS-01 turntable, which you can take a look at on the crowdfunding site here. It seems to be the first project from the CoolGeek brand, but it's already blown past its HK$100,000 (about $12,000, £9,000, AU$18,000) goal by at least 10 times.

The CoolGeek TS-01 has a retail price of $299, so it's cheaper than some of our favorite affordable spinners, such as the Sony PS-LX5BT, and in classic Kickstarter fashion it's even cheaper if you pledge sooner.

The 'gimmick' of this turntable — according to me, rather than CoolGeek — is that it comes with some lighting effects, which emanate from the platter. The Kickstarter doesn't say if these are automatic, or customizable in an app, but the latter seems possible.

That's because the speaker supports Bluetooth 5.3 output as well as RCA, so it could theoretically connect to an app.

It's all about ease of use

Judging by the Kickstarer page, CoolGeek has a different idea about the turntable's selling points.

The page points to the turntable's automatic status as a draw, with an included remote ensuring you can control the record player without having to get up and control the arm (other than, presumably, switching records every 20 minutes in time-honored tradition).

It's also a thin creation, with a 28mm profile for the body, not including the dust cover or platter.

The tone-arm is made with carbon fiber but there's no word on the cartridge, even though it seems to have an Audio-Technica logo on it in photos. The Kickstarter page's focus on ease of use, and the price, suggests to me this is designed as an entry-level turntable rather than one for audiophiles.

But given that some of the best turntables are the ones that are easiest to use, that's only a good thing. Their complex set-up can put potential record player owners off, and so a build like this could overcome some hurdles. The RGB is just a nice extra touch.

The Kickstarter campaign is running until May 10, and CoolGeek states that shipping will begin in early July, with units taking up to a month to arrive depending on where you live.

• Victrola and Third Man Records are teaming for an exclusive collaboration
• It features a redesigned Victrola Wave deck in Third Man's flagship colors
• The collection drops on Record Store Day 2026 (April 18)

Leading audio brand Victrola makes some of the best turntables on the market, and its latest collaboration with Third Man Records is about to shake up Record Store Day 2026.

Combining Victrola's analog expertise with record label and music store Third Man Records (co-founded by Jack White), the two music moguls are launching an exclusive collection that features a revamped version of the Victrola Wave turntable finished in Third Man’s flagship black and yellow colors. In addition to the turntable, the duo are also giving Victrola's Tempo bookshelf speakers the Third Man treatment, so make a complete system.

The collection launches on Record Store Day itself (April 18) retailing at $499.99/ £455 for the Victrola Wave turntable and $249.99/ £225 for the Tempo speakers, or you can save $100 and opt for the $649.99 limited-time bundle. It will be available to purchase online from Third Man Records and Victrola’s web store, or you can snag it in-store at Third Man’s Detroit, Nashville and London sites.

“What Jack and his team have built is something truly magical,” says CEO of Victrola, Scott Hagen. “They aren’t just painting things yellow and black — it’s as if they’re bringing inanimate objects to life, each one with its own character and soul. Maybe that’s why vinyl and vinyl culture fit so naturally within the Third Man world”.

Speaking on behalf of Third Man Records, co-founder Ben Blackwell is equally as thrilled for the collaboration, sharing “Third Man is stoked to be making these yellow-as-hell-o turntables and speakers with the cool cats over at Victrola”.

Victrola unveiled the original Wave turntable at CES 2025, and it caught the attention of analog enthusiasts for one particular reason. As well as offering aptX Adaptive support for higher quality listening, Victrola’s Wave turntable comes with Auracast, a Bluetooth setting that allows for multi-device connectivity, thus taking it a step beyond one-to-one device pairing. Just think about how neat it would be to spin your new RSD pressings and listen to them throughout your place? Absolute bliss.

But Victrola’s funky Wave revamp is just the beginning of the company’s partnered RSD celebrations, there's also a carefully compiled a collection of Third Man Records pressings including Jack White’s Blunderbuss and The White Stripes essential listening Elephant. There’s also a live album by Brooklyn-based band Geese thrown in there which, as a huge fan, I am now suddenly craving. The launch is also set to be followed by an RSD event at Third Man’s Detroit store — any chance you can squeeze us onto the guestlist?

If you're as excited for Record Store Day as we are, don't forget to check out our pick of the 13 of the best Record Store Day 2026 releases to get your hands on.

Every audiophile and avid vinyl collector’s favorite day is approaching, and soon Record Store Day 2026 will hit us like a meteor on Saturday April 18 — and I for one am thrilled to embrace the chaos for another year.

I’ve been busy scouring the official RSD list for the best new presses (I’m hoping to snag a Jeff Buckley live album if I can), but it’s also a perfect time to consider upgrading to one of the best turntables. Speaking of, I’ve suddenly been distracted from curating my pre-RSD shopping list after spotting what’s probably the most funky looking vinyl player I’ve ever seen, and I need it to house my growing collection immediately.

Feast your eyes on this bad boy!

The Fisher-Price Music Box comes back to life

Blending the maximalism of the 1980s Memphis aesthetic with the nostalgia of the Fisher-Price Music Box (our Audio Editor Becky Scarrott remembers it well — and you can see what she means, because Disney re-released that with it's own twist, last year), this is the Play Pro turntable from Japanese audio company Tinyl which, thanks to the magic of the TikTok algorithm, landed on my ‘For You’ page. It’s as if we were destined to meet.

It's not the first time we've been reminded of the retro musical toys of our youth when new kit arrives, just check out Teenage Engineering's Record Factory, a device that launched a few years ago and that actually lets you record and cut your own records — limited to singles of up to four minutes in mono per side, but still…

Back to the new Play Pro, and it is the latest turntable to join Tinyl’s range of audio products, having launched in late 2025/ early 2026. So you can bet it’s gone straight into my tech wish-list. Its bold design and viral hype add to its grandeur, but don’t be fooled, it’s actually not as pricey as you’d think — how’s $199 / £165/ AU$342 for a turntable this groovy?

With its relatively humble asking fee, the Play Pro makes for a solid user-friendly vinyl player, so while it won’t be as punchy and agile as something like the Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo (which is also more than double the price), it likely represents the kind of quality more than acceptable for first-timers and vinyl novices. And Sony's new affordable offering, the Sony PS-LX5BT is also quite a bit pricier, talented though it is.

The next best entry-level turntable?

For starters, the setup isn’t overly complicated and intricate. Its plug-and-play system means it’s simple for beginners to navigate, and the turntable is already fitted with speakers — ideal if the complete audio experience isn’t a huge matter for you. That said, users online haven’t raved about its native audio quality, but pairing it with bookshelf speakers has significantly improved the listening experience. And you don’t need to spend mega bucks on these either — allow me to point to you our roundup of the best stereo speakers.

Speaking of connectivity, you can pair the Play Pro with speakers, and even headphones, via Bluetooth, or use the AUX and RCA imports for wired connectivity. It also gives you the option to stream playlists right from your device when connected by Bluetooth, though this isn’t a huge appeal to me.

But what surprised me is that its tonearm is fitted with the Audio-Technica MM AT3600L cartridge, a trusted and reliable stylus, accompanied by an adjustable weight to not only protect the cartridge but to allow you to hear crisp detail no matter the genre. Before now, I’d been heavily eyeing up the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable, and though it’s not totally off the table as far as options go, you can’t deny those come-buy-me primary colors. It’ll be the centerpiece of all your dinner party antics — and that’s enough to sway me.

The act of choosing the best turntable — and the best stereo speakers, and amplifiers, and cables, and so on — is all part of the pursuit of the perfect analog sound. But you might be barking up the wrong tree in the pursuit of perfection.

As part of Record Store Day 2026 on April 18, audiophiles are going to be supporting their local music store, gushing over the new exclusive releases, and likely comparing all the new Hi-Fi kit upon which to listen to their new records.

And most of the time, spending more money gets you a better sound. I liked the Sony LX310BT, but it's not going to do for your records what the Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 can.

But sometimes, making your turntable sound great isn't about the cartridge or tonearm, nor is it about the extra kit you buy to eke out the audio. Take it from me: sometimes it's a whole lot simpler and cheaper.

• Just bought a new deck? Here's our how to set up a turntable explainer

Dishing the dirt

I've written before about how my entire record collection was inherited: a fat stack of vinyl that fell into my hands when my childhood home was being sold. The records are all decades old (and some feel like they haven't been used in that time).

Some of these are early pressings from major artists, others are recordings of music a parent contributed to. It's a really big range, and when I acquired the collection, I found plenty of the records missing or unplayable. Time takes its toll with the physical music product.

When I started listening to them, their age was evident. There was so much snapping, crackling and popping that it sounded like I was eating a bowl of Rice Crispies. Many of the records would skip like they were frolicking in a spring meadow. In short, they didn't sound great.

I know sometimes the natural solution to such a problem is to spend more. Maybe a fancier record player, amplification solution or top-end speakers would do away with such a problem? Or maybe I need to elevate my cables from nasty reverb with those little stands?

Back then I may have been a vinyl novice, unaware of just how much cleanliness affects a record's sound (or its lasting power). But it wasn't hard to put 1+1 together, and realize that a layer of dust probably wasn't helping a needle track through an ever-decreasing groove. So the natural solution to me soon presented itself: do a bit of spring cleaning.

Cleaning your records correctly

The music from a record comes from the grooves on the vinyl, and so doing anything to it might seem heinous: wiping a cloth over it, putting it on a machine, blowing it. I can understand why some people might be reticent to clean their records.

But it's actually incredibly easy. We've got a guide on how to clean your turntable and records, and it basically just comes down to using the right spray and cloth. There are options on Amazon for just $15 / £20 / AU$40 that are simple and easy.

If you've got loads of cash, you could buy a special machine for it — and the corresponding solution to feed it. I recently covered a vinyl cleaning machine with different companies offering their own versions all the time. But these options aren't as cheap as just buying your own kit.

I got a kit that has a spray and a cleaning brush. Two squirts on the brush, and it picks up all the visible fluff and dust. It takes less than a minute to clean both sides of a record. Easy.

Your $15 vs $1,500

I was surprised by just how effective cleaning my records was — the contrast possibly helped by just how dusty they were. Listening back to wiped vinyl, the amount of noise and crackling was audibly lower.

The nicest part, though, was that this process only cost me the price of three beers: spending $15 (around £11 or AU$21) on a cleaning kit instead of $1,500 on a top-end turntable will save you a lot of money for more vinyl. The only other expenditure is a minute per record of your precious time, to actually clean it.

The irony about the pricier option is that your fancy turntable still won't make vinyl sing if it's mucky, the cheaper option will have a more audible effect.

According to experts, record maintenance doesn't just make it sound better, but keeps it lasting longer, and stops your stylus wearing out as fast. So I'm keeping this collection lasting longer too, which is the real savings.

• Record Store Day is a day away — vinyl becomes available on April 18
• Many US and UK stores take part (and are bound by official RSD rules)
• The best drops? Depends on your taste, but it'll be first come, first served
• …and available in-store on the day only — until the Monday night after RSD

Dyed-in-the-wool vinyl collectors already know the date: Record Store Day (RSD) got circled in their diaries early doors. But you're not too late at all — the (arguable) beauty of RSD is that it's an in-person, in-store thing. Think of it as what Black Friday used to be, but purely for limited-edition vinyl.

So what exactly happens on Record Store Day, what's being released, and how do you get your hands on all those juicy new limited-edition records? You read this missive and above all, you clear your schedule for tomorrow (Saturday, April 18, 2026).

Well then, my fellow plate spinners, let's go.

What is Record Store Day?

Record Store Day is a day for crate rummagers and those who work to fill said crates — the artists, the labels, the store staff, and of course, the customers.

The key to it all is The List. To explain, on Record Store Day, over 365 exclusive and limited-edition releases will line the shelves of your local record store. This year, the list includes notable releases from Wolf Alice, Olivia Dean, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Bruce Springsteen, and more.

Record Store Day was conceived in 2007, when a collection of record store owners came together in the US to celebrate and publicize the unique culture of local independent vinyl shops.

The first official event took place on April 19th, 2008, and today it's marked and celebrated by thousands of record stores all over the globe. RSD's official website calls it "the biggest new music event of the past decade", and given the hundreds of limited-edition vinyl offerings that launch (and may well sell out) on the day, it's easy to see why.

In the UK and Ireland, over 300 indie record shops participate. In the US, it's, well… a lot more than that, with up to 1,500 bricks-and-mortar stores on board.

To be a Record Store Day retail store, the stores are required to sign a pledge. This means stores are bound by the Record Store Day code of conduct, which prohibits them from reserving a product for customers or allowing customers to pre-order any products — yes, it really is about being there on the day and getting in line early for the LPs you want.

When is Record Store Day?

Short answer: Saturday, April 18th, 2026. Yes, that's tomorrow.

There's only one Record Store Day a year. What if you can't make it on the day? That's a tricky one, because Record Store Day releases are only available in-store, through Record Store Day-affiliated shops on the day of Record Store Day.

That said, remaining stock can become available online after 8pm on the Monday following RSD. Only Record Store Day shops may purchase Record Store Day products legitimately, and stores are bound by the Record Store Day code of conduct, which prohibits selling online until 8pm on the Monday following RSD. So if you see the LP of your dreams listed on eBay for a very high price before the big day, that particular seller isn't an official RSD vendor but is likely planning to buy it on the day to resell on the auction site after the fact — and RSD does not support this.

You can search for participating stores near you on the official Record Store Day site but you're advised to contact the store in advance to confirm whether they will be carrying the release you're looking for. Stores are not permitted to reserve a product for customers, so you will need to visit the store early on Record Store Day to secure the release you're after!

What are the best limited-edition offerings this year?

I'm going to level with you: for me, it's always going to be The Boss. This five-LP (yes, five!) release is a live recording of Bruce Springsteen's 2024 homecoming performance in Asbury Park at the 2024 Sea.Hear.Now festival.

This release is the first time it's being made available on vinyl, and it spans more than three hours of Bruce and the E Street Band's absolute best work in front of 35,000 people. It includes hits such as Thunder Road and Dancing in the Dark, plus tracks that Springsteen wrote just down the road from this stage, including Blinded By The Light and Growin' Up.

Two of my all-time favorite Springsteen songs are For You and Spirit in the Night, from the 1973 banger Greetings from Asbury Park (considered a solo Springsteen studio album, although musicians who'd later become members of the E Street Band do feature on it), so forgive me for prioritizing this record. But that's the beauty of RSD, isn't it? You get in line for the LPs you like the look of, and no one should judge you.

Another that caught my eye are archival 1956 live sets from Miles Davis, the only recordings in history to feature both Miles Davis and Lester Young. They took place across several concerts on their European 'Birdland All Stars' tour, 70 years ago now.

And okay, there's a really glorious 7" 'Cry My Eyes Violet Glitter' sparkly purple press of Tay-Tay's Elizabeth Taylor (including the So Glamorous Cabaret version) if you're into it.

Honestly, I could go on. My genuine advice is to check it out. Search for your favorite artists (the official list has a handy search feature) because the chances are someone you like is launching a limited-edition press for RSD. Oh, and I asked the rest of the TechRadar team to pull together their favorite Record Store Day 2026 releases, so that might also provide inspiration.

Other things to note about Record Store Day

It's not just vinyl! Over the years, I've seen limited-edition versions of some of the best turntables launch ahead of RSD, turntable-shaped watches, and even RSD official beers to sip while you wait in line. Already this year, Majority has launched a special colorway turntable-and-speakers package if you need something affordable ahead of the event.

My top tip there? A Sony deck. Yes, the new Sony PS-LX5BT is in, and we like it very much, but the 2019-issue Sony PS-LX310BT is still a very viable deck — and if you see a deal ahead of the big day, it'll play very nicely with your Bluetooth speakers and headphones…

I've been looking out for turntables all week, and can point you towards Victrola’s exclusive Jack White collab, the viral record player that looks like it was made by Fisher-Price and the ridiculously expensive TechDas Air Force IV, among others.

We've also got a guide to 6 superb turntables we'd buy this RSD (and the speakers and accessories to go with them) and the 4 best wireless turntable setups. In short, something for everyone.

• Pro-Ject unveils the VC-E Mini
• It's a vacuum-based automatic vinyl record cleaner
• Designed to use few moving parts

My record collection isn't mine, but an inheritance I try to take good care of. Or I thought I took great care of, but Pro-Ject's new release has me thinking I could be doing a better at keeping them pristine.

The company behind the five-star Pro-Ject Debut Carbon and numerous more of the best turntables, has unveiled its latest vinyl cleaning device.

This is the Pro-Ject VC-E Mini, which is going on sale in April. It's set to cost £249 (about $350, AU$500), so it's not cheap — but it's more affordable than the existing VC-E2 and VC-E3.

Since dirt on a vinyl can really hurt its sound quality, machines like this make sense, but to me the VC-E Mini solves a few problems that make this kind of machine out-of-reach for most people.

A smaller cleaning machine

The Pro-Ject VC-E Mini is, as the name suggests, a more compact record cleaner, and it's designed to minimize moving parts (and cupboard space too).

It saves space by not having a suction arm to clean the vinyl. Instead it uses a brushless vacuum motor to help cleaning fluid trickle across the vinyl and off the machine.

The box also includes a cleaning brush, magnetic clamp, adhesive arm strip and said cleaning fluid, so the cleaning process sounds pretty hands-on.

This fluid is Pro-Ject's Wash it 2, which is already readily available to buy since other VC-E models use it. It doesn't use alcohol, and instead is made from "demineralised water and cleaning concentrate".

As someone who's always just cleaned their records with a microfiber cloth, I've always been put off by the size and price of bespoke upkeep machines like this.

While the VC-E doesn't fully solve the latter problem, I'll concede that it's small enough to be tempting as someone who really does want to preserve these items. Maybe I need it more than I thought…

• Majority unveils D50X bookshelf speakers...
• ... and Auto turntable
• Both affordable, colorful, and here in time for Record Store Day

If the high cost of a vinyl-ready Hi-Fi puts you off the hobby, then Majority's new release could change your mind (as can our audio editor's four-strong roundup of two-product wireless vinyl setups), and it's here right in time for Record Store Day on April 18.

The brand has unveiled two new offerings, which are on sale right now from various UK retailers (US and AU availability TBC, but unlikely).

First up, there's the Majority D50X, a pair of bookshelf speakers which come in red, green, white or black. They output at 60W with a range of connection options, and go for £69.95 (about $100 / AU$140).

Then there's the Majority Auto, an automatic Bluetooth turntable which is priced at £129.95. It has a built-in phono pre-amp, automatic tonearm and belt drive, and outputs in aux and line-out as well as Bluetooth. Sounds like perfect RSD prep to me…

As you can tell from the price, neither of these devices are aimed at the highly fussy audiophile for whom money is no obstacle, especially since Bluetooth is the name of the game. But they're an affordable way for the average buyer to get an easy-to-use vinyl set-up.

Record Store Day inbound

Record Store Day is an institution in the UK, when indie record stores around the UK and Ireland team up to offer promotions to celebrate the vinyl format.

This year, it falls on April 18, and the organizers have already shared a list of the exclusive releases being sold on the day.

Naturally, people who don't own a turntable are left out of the celebrations, and with many of the best record players costing a pretty penny (not to mention decent speakers costing more), people who don't have high budgets might feel left out.

Luckily, there are some budget turntables available, and this new Majority bundle will be a perfect way to get in on the Record Store Day fun without breaking the bank.

When I moved into my new apartment, I wanted my TV setup to feel a bit more deliberate than the usual rented home arrangement of a screen on a TV bench, a soundbar, and a mess of cables doing their best.

So, with help from family, I built a custom small-scale Tv, soundbar and hi-fi setup designed to fit the space properly, hiding cables and looking cleaner day-to-day.

I've always been happy with how it turned out, but living with it taught me something that product pages and showroom photos do not: the best setup is not always the one that looks the neatest on day one.

In a smaller home like mine, the choices that matter most are usually the practical ones: how easy it is to reach a cable, how many remotes you need to juggle, and so on.

Some of those lessons came from getting things right, and some came from learning the hard way. Either way, they are useful if you are trying to build a cleaner, smarter TV setup without turning your living room into a full-time AV project.

What's my setup?

My custom TV setup was not a full from-scratch build so much as an adaptation of what was already there.

We used a buyable record shelf as the base, then added a long wooden top and a new support leg to create one continuous unit for the TV, turntable, storage, and desk space.

The whole thing was shaped around the built-in white shelving already in the flat, which meant the room itself dictated a lot of the design.

All of this was accomplished on the day I moved in and the day after, so it was a tight — and very stressful — timeframe, which is an element of the project that I definitely don't recommend unless absolutely necessary.

1. Leave some cable slack and strain relief

One of the least glamorous lessons was also one of the most useful: do not make your cable runs so neat that they become a pain to live with.

In my setup, once everything was tucked away and routed through the furniture properly, even small changes became more annoying than I’d expected, albeit with the advantage of being nicer to look at.

In a smaller flat, where the TV stand is likely to sit close to the wall and every inch matters, leaving a bit of slack behind the screen and around your devices makes a real difference.

2. eARC is brilliant until it isn’t

For me, HDMI ARC was one of the best parts of the whole setup. Running a soundbar through my Samsung TV’s eARC port helped cut down the clutter straight away, because it meant simpler audio, fewer visible connections, and less dependence on a pile of remotes.

The catch is that eARC still relies on everything in the chain behaving itself. HDMI handshakes, quirks with HDMI-CEC control system it uses, and the occasional audio oddity can turn a tidy one-cable solution into something that feels strangely temperamental.

I still think it is well worth prioritizing, especially with one of the best soundbars, but it is smarter to treat it as part of the system that you might need to play with sometimes, not a magic solution you can set and forget.

3. Don’t chase 'flush to the wall'

One thing I would be more relaxed about next time is how close the TV sits to the wall, or to whatever is supporting it.

In my experience, it's easy to fixate on that super-slim, ultra-neat look – especially if you're wall-mounting — but in real life it can create more problems than it solves.

In a smaller space, a bit of extra space behind the screen makes it much easier to reach ports, route cables neatly, and make changes without turning a simple job into a frustrating one.

And if you're wall-mounting, remember that a fancy mount that keeps the TV flush to the wall will look amazing, but a thicker mount (especially that moves) will make fixing problems way easier.

4. Kill the remote pile

A home theater setup can look clean and still feel annoying to use, and remotes are a big part of that.

One thing I appreciated with my own system was how much better it felt once I was not constantly juggling controls just to switch inputs or adjust the volume.

It is worth thinking about this when you're planning what you're going to include in your setup.

A soundbar with solid eARC support, a streaming device with a good remote, or a universal remote can make a bigger difference than another spec upgrade you only notice occasionally.

5. Plan for the day you move out

The final lesson only really clicked afterwards: a setup does not just need to work while you live with it, it needs to be removable without becoming a nightmare.

In a rented flat, it is very easy to make something feel brilliantly custom in the moment, then discover later that it only really works in that one exact room.

Removable cable management rather than built-in, furniture that can be reused in a different layout, and mounts or accessories that do not leave you with loads to undo all make far more sense in the long run.

A good setup should suit your space now, but it should not punish you for eventually leaving it. I'm glad I'm staying put for the foreseeable future.

• Android 14 with expandable storage. Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision/Atmos
• Faster processor than Google's TV Streamer 4K
• $119 / £89 / about AU$169

Mecool has added a new Google TV box to its range of streaming accessories, offering excellent specifications and features, including expandable storage, at a low price.

The MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box is $119.99 / £88.67 / about AU$169 and delivers content at up to 4K HDR with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It can upscale HD content to "near-4K quality" and comes with 32GB of on-board storage. There's even a microSD slot supporting cards up to 128GB for easy expandable storage, and there are also dual USB 2.0 ports.

MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box: key features

The MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box has both Wi-Fi 6 and Ethernet networking and Bluetooth 5.2. It comes out of the box running Android 14 and is Netflix 4K-certified. As it's a Google TV box, it supports Google Assistant, Google Cast, and thousands of third-party apps.

The device supports HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, and the supported video codecs are AV1, VP9, H.264, and H.265 (HEVC), which should cover all bases.

The processor inside the MEon1 is a quad-core Amlogic S905X5M, paired with a Mali G310 V2 GPU, and there's 2GB of RAM for apps. The ARM Cortex-A55-based processor is clocked at 2.5GHz, faster than the 1.8GHz of rival devices such as the Google TV Streamer 4K.

The HDMI output supports HDMI 2.1 and VRR and ALLM for gaming.

It's a decent specification for the money, but it's up against a very significant rival: the Google TV Streamer 4K. That has a list price of $99 / £99 / AU$159, but I'm often seeing it discounted for less.

Google's product has twice the on-board RAM, so it's likely to run more smoothly, but while it has both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, it's running an older Wi-Fi version: 802.11ac. That won't be a deal-breaker for everyone, however, and I don't think it's unfair to say the Google brand is a bit better known than Mecool's.

Google's product is also designed to interact with your smart home products, so that's something to consider if you have a smart home already, or think you might want one in the near future.

The Mecool MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box is available now.

• Analog Relax's new moving-coil turntable cartridge is called the EX700
• Made from Tyrolean spruce, boron and, of course, diamonds
• Sells for £7,288 (around $9,400, AU$13,300) – and this is 'mid-tier'

Own one of the best turntables and want to make it sound even better? Spending a small fortune on a premium cartridge might not be the cheapest option, but if money's no object, it might be fun.

Japanese audio brand Analog Relax has just lifted the lid on the EX700, possibly named after how many £10 notes you'll have to fork out to own it — it sells for £7,288 in the UK via Absolute Sounds (that coverts to about £9,400 or AU$13,300).

That price actually makes this one of Analog Relax's mid-range options, but for the rest of us, it's an outrageously premium pick. And I'll be honest, it's not a figure that makes me feel particularly relaxed.

The sound though? That's likely to be a different story. The EX700 is a moving-coil cartridge (often seen as superior to more budget-friendly moving-magnet rivals) which uses a multi-neodymium magnet system and line-contact stylus, all promising unrivalled control and clarity, and minimal distortion.

Rare materials

The high price of the Analog Relax EX700 may be justified by the build and materials. The cartridge was hand-made by Japanese artisans, using a boron cantilever and diamond stylus. Yes, diamond is the industry standard for tracking through your vinyl's delicate grooves, but this particular proposition has all the whistles and bells around it.

The wood itself was carved from spruce harvested in South Tyrol in Italy, which is one of the woods favored by famed string-instrument craftsman Stradivari.

The maker's creations often sell for millions, being famed for a sound which modern scientists and musicians haven't been able to replicate even 350 years later — although most believe it's due to the finish on the wood, not the type of wood or how it's used. Spruce was used for the top of the instruments, but willow and maple were also used too.

Because of the legacy, the Stradivarius name remains one invoked by audio makers to add gravitas to their releases. Several years ago, for example, Sonus Faber released some speakers which took inspiration from the name. It's a grand comparison to make, but if you're paying the price of a small car on a turntable stylus, you'd want that kind of assurance.

Setting up a new turntable and getting it spinning is one of life's great pleasures. Maybe you found an old stash of vinyl in the attic over the festive period, which feels roughly 229 days ago. Or maybe you just want to embrace the analog revival after swathes of bands (such as Massive Attack and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) left Spotify in protest last year – either over continued low streaming rates (even as Spotify hikes its prices), or the prevalence of AI-generated songs vying for recommendations in the space.

Then again, maybe you just always wanted a turntable, and I love that for you. I personally think embracing the physical music format in a 2026 digital detox is a great way to enjoy music and support the bands we love.

And the good news keeps on coming, because I'm here to tell you that it's really not as tricky as you might think to set a turntable up. Whether you've just treated yourself to one of the best turntables your budget can stretch to in the January sales, or you want to breathe some life into an older plate-spinner that needs a little love, you got this. Just stick with me.

Some new turntables (and here I might mention the all-new Sony Bluetooth decks) come with Bluetooth connectivity for listening using the best noise-cancelling headphones and best Bluetooth speakers. And some also come with USB outs for ripping your vinyl to your laptop – because those records are precious, hard-to-replace physical presses, and a backup plan is good.

Yes, turntables do feature a few intricate, moving parts – and I get that it can be a little daunting if you're new to them. Don't worry though – luckily, you came here!

Some budget-friendly turntables come with much of what I'm about to run through pre-fitted and pre-assembled (or calibrated), so it'll become clear depending on the deck you have whether or not you even need to run through all these steps. That said, the further up the food chain you go, the more likely it is that you'll be setting a lot of things up to your own specific tastes. And this, friend, is peak hi-fi… you're gonna love it.

The main thing is: don't stress. It's easier than it looks at first, promise. Okay, let's get stuck in!

Turntable terminology – what's that bit?

Whether you need to assemble your turntable or not (and whether or not it's an automatic deck – which simply means the tonearm lifts and places itself before a record, rather than you doing it), it’s a good idea to become familiar with the components of your deck.

Belt drive / direct drive

Turntables typically fall into two categories: belt-driven and direct-driven. Belt-drive decks, as the name suggests, involve an independent motor offset from the platter, connected by a belt to spin your records. This thin belt is almost always made from rubber.

Direct-drive turntables simply have the motor located directly beneath the platter, rotating it, well, directly. So no belt. Make sense?

Which is best? Oh, that's a whole different piece, but direct-drive decks are often favored by scratch DJs (although the pricey Technics SL-1300G sits very much in the audiophile camp), while most budget decks I've tested are belt-driven.

Cartridge

The cartridge is that bit that lowers onto a record. It attaches to the end of the tonearm and houses the stylus (or needle), which tracks delicately through the physical grooves in your record.

There are two types of cartridge: moving magnet (MM) or moving coil (MC), but both are electro-mechanical devices that use magnets and coils of wire to generate a signal as the platter spins the record. The most obvious difference between the two types of cartridges is that moving magnets usually have a higher electrical output. This is because MM cartridges have a magnet on a cantilever moving within fixed coils, producing a strong signal (higher voltage) suitable for standard phono stages, while MC cartridges flip this, with lighter coils moving around a fixed magnet, resulting in lower output but often superior detail, dynamics, and frequency response.

What you need to know is this: more wallet-friendly decks usually come pre-fitted with a cheaper MM cartridge – and this is just fine. If your deck comes with a pre-amplifier inbuilt (more on this later) said pre-amp will be able to amplify the signal created by MM cartridges, but often not those low-output MC options, so you'll need a separate pre-amp for those.

Either way, the stylus is usually made from a tiny piece of diamond attached to a flexible metal strip, although materials like ruby, sapphire, boron, and even cotton fiber can be used as well.

Platter

You probably guessed this one, but the platter is the circular part of the turntable that spins. It's where where you place your record – and there's a spindle at the center, to match the hole in your vinyl. Most platters come with a mat made of rubber or felt to reduce vibration and protect your record.

Plinth

The plinth or ‘support’ is the base of the turntable. As well as providing something relatively weighty for everything to sit on (and sometimes housing amps and speakers, if it's a plug-and-play record player), the plinth is designed to dampen or absorb vibrations that might negatively affect sound quality.

Some turntables come with adjustable feet, which can help you set it up level (again, more on this later).

Tonearm

The tonearm is the part of the turntable that wakes up and gracefully glides across the grooves on the vinyl, either when handled by you, or like magic when you push a button. It needs to be carefully balanced with correct 'tracking weight' to ensure the stylus sits correctly in the groove without veering towards either side (or pressing too hard), but often with budget or beginner decks this is already taken care of.

Stay on the level

Lingo lesson over, let's get to it. First things first: work out where you're setting up your turntable. You want a flat, stable, low-resonance surface – a decent piece of furniture is ideal. For extra marks, use a spirit level to make sure your turntable's future home is perfectly level. Sometimes, turntables come with adjustable feet – because life isn't perfect and sometimes the floors upon which our hi-fi systems must live and operate are a tad uneven.

A key mistake I see a lot of people make (because manufacturers often photograph their turntable-and-speakers propositions thus) is putting your speakers right next to the turntable. You'll hear people talk about decoupling or 'not coupling up', but all they're really saying is 'isolate your hi-fi separates'. If you place your speakers away from your deck, on a different surface, you've done your best to avoid vibrations and feedback.

While I'm on the subject of bad vibrations: traffic – try to avoid it. Putting your turntable close to a window that looks out onto a busy road means adding ambient vibrations to the mix, which can negatively alter your turntable's performance. Also, if your other half regularly practices kick-boxing in the spare room, maybe avoid putting your turntable up against that particular wall.

Setting things up

Okay, relax. We don't need to rush this. Most decks come with a comprehensive manual, and while I don't know which turntable you have, almost all of them will need to be set up in this way. That said, when I set up the Sony PS-LX310BT it took me all of three minutes before I was listening to Prince on my Bluetooth cans – it just depends on how much has been done by the manufacturer before you get there.

Attaching the belt

Belt-driven turntable? You'll probably need to attach the belt to the platter and the motor pulley. To do this, lift up the dust cover (if there is one), take off the protective mat and remove the platter; turn it upside down and slip the belt around its underside.

Then place the platter back onto the spindle (the bit that sticks through the hole in your vinyl), and pull the belt through the little square opening in the platter.

You will need to hook the belt around the motor pulley. This can be a bit fiddly, because it's important that the belt is as level as possible, and definitely doesn't have any twists in it. But most belts will come with a small piece of ribbon attached, to help you pull it through the hole and attach it securely. It sounds daunting I know, but with the Sony deck I mentioned above I did it in around 60 seconds, Scout's honor.

Balancing the tonearm

Some turntables require you to do this, some don't. If you've already plugged your deck into power to make sure it fires up okay, make sure you unplug it before doing this step, so that your platter doesn't start spinning unexpectedly.

You'll need to use that small numbered wheel next to the tonearm for this. First, gently lift the tonearm from its rest, taking care not to drop it, because that could cause damage to the stylus. Once it's somewhere between the tonearm rest and the platter, lower it – there might be a lever to do this. Notice it lowers all the way down – because it's not yet balanced!

Now, the tonearm's 'level' height needs to be set in such a way that it's parallel to the surface of your vinyl when the stylus sits in the groove. You can do this by moving the counterweight at the back of the tonearm backwards and forwards until the tonearm sits level without your support. It'll look like it's floating – hurrah! Now, set the indicator at the front of this counterweight to '0', keeping the weight where it is and just moving the numeric dial part.

Setting the tracking weight and anti-skate

Your tracking weight (the amount of downward force the stylus places on the record) is now at 0g. So let's adjust the tracking weight so you can play records. The manual that comes with your turntable will list a recommended tracking force (usually this is between between 1.5g and 2.5g).

It's important to get this bit right; you might think that lighter tracking is better, but actually the opposite is true. You want the stylus or needle to stay in the record groove, because if it bounces around too much, it can a) wear out and b) damage your lovely LPs.

So, now you move both parts of this counterweight down the tonearm – the whole thing – so that the tracking weight gauge at the front and the counterweight itself sit at the recommended tracking force. On most tonearms you rotate the whole unit to set this, and line up the required number with the indicator line on the tonearm. Now, you'll see the tonearm lower gently; that's what it's going to do with your vinyl, because you care.

Once you're happy, place the tonearm back on its rest and set the anti-skate control dial – usually a little numbered knob on the outside of the tonearm, but it varies – to the same number you've just set the tracking weight to. This will stop the tonearm pulling slightly towards the center of the platter as it does its job. Further down the line, you might finesse this dial just slightly (some audiophiles say that simply setting the anti-skate to the same figure as the tracking force isn't always successful), but on most decks, I find it works just fine.

Balancing the tonearm is perhaps the most difficult part of this whole process to get right, so if you're in any way unsure, I'd also recommend watching this quick video, from Analog for Life.

Making connections ('Do I need a pre-amp?')

At this point, you're going to need to plug things in. Your analog turntable system essentially has four components. So far, we've been dealing with the first piece of the jigsaw and emphatically the star – your turntable. The second component is your pre-amplifier.

Got a new turntable? Chances are it'll have a pre-amp built in (often called a phono stage; look for a USB port or a switch labelled 'Phono/Line' – if you set the switch to 'Line' the audio signal from the deck will be amplified in-house to 'line level', aka 'ready for an amp'; set it to 'Phono' and you can use your own dedicated pre-amplification hi-fi separate). So, if you don't have an onboard preamplifier and you don't just want a Bluetooth turntable to listen via your Bluetooth speaker (or a works-with-Sonos deck for your Sonos speakers – yes, the Victrola Stream Carbon works with Sonos) you'll need to get one.

Third part of the puzzle? An amplifier (often called a power-amp or receiver). This powers your speakers and sends the audio over to them. And lastly, your stereo speakers. These babies use drive units to take the audio signal and push it out – into the air and into your ears.

Now, a lot of hi-fi products will bundle one, two, three or even all four of these components together to save you the hassle of acquiring them. Active and powered speakers – let me guide you happily to the excellent KEF LSX II LT here – already contain power amplification, so if your deck has a phono stage, you can wire it to your speakers using RCA to RCA (connect the red/white cables from the turntable output to the RCA input on the powered speaker) or RCA to 3.5mm (connect the RCA end to the turntable, and the 3.5mm jack to the AUX or 'Line In' port on the speaker). Both the turntable and the powered speakers need to be plugged into the wall for this system to work, and many new turntables come with bundled RCA cables.

Some power amps also have a built-in preamp. The easiest way to find it is to look for a dedicated 'Phono' input on the back. If you see that, your amp's got an inbuilt phono stage – hurrah!

And of course, record players are so called because they're a one-stop shop, with all amplification and speakers built in – one very decent example is the Majority Folio. Simply plug it into the mains, fire it up and get to spinning!

Just know this: you do need all four components in some guise for your analog turntable system to work, and for you to listen to vinyl. Got it? You're doing great.

Get to steppin'

You're ready to do this! Simply switch the turntable on, place a record on the platter and select the correct speed setting. There should be a button or switch on the plinth that allows you to do this – if you're playing a standard 12-inch you should select 33 RPM (revolutions per minute). For a seven-inch single, select 45 RPM.

Automatic deck? You may not need to do any of these steps other than press 'play'. The rest of us may need to raise the tonearm's cueing lever – the tonearm should now lift up. Then, align the tonearm with the outside edge of your record's grooves and lower the cueing lever until the tonearm gently drops and the stylus settles into the microgrooves of your vinyl.

And that's it – you should now be able to sit back and enjoy. Well done you!

Building your vinyl collection

My favorite part! This is why you got into this: you love music.

My advice here is always the same: while thrift stores are a great place to crate-rummage for hard-to-find and rare presses, our beloved bands usually aren't making a cent on the re-sale of that physical music product. So, I strongly encourage you to head out to your local record store. Yes, they still exist – they're like online stores but made of bricks, and you can take your purchases with you when you leave.

Another thing to get involved with? Record Store Day, an annual event that started in 2007 and now sees a range of special-edition record pressings go on sale at record stores on multiple formats, not just vinyl.

Oh, and why not consider a vinyl subscription service while we're at it? I used to help update this list of the best vinyl subscription services for our sister publication, What Hi-Fi?, but you can also buy new vinyl on Bandcamp.

The simple fact is that vinyl sales help the acts we love to keep making music. Why? The significantly higher profit margins per unit. Vinyl sales (especially when bought directly at gigs or through platforms such as Bandcamp), offer a sustainable income source that streaming, which pays fractions of a penny, cannot match.

Keeping things neat and pretty

I've written a dedicated separate guide to cleaning your turntable, stylus and vinyl that's got a lot of information on keeping things neat and pretty, but I wanted to use this section to make a big admission: I hate turntable dust covers.

You're meant to use them to keep pesky dust away from your turntable's delicate components, but for me this extra bulk – involving hinges and a big chunk of clear plastic – can also create vibrations and other nasty interferences. So I keep a microfiber cloth near my turntable at all times. Yes, but that is how I choose to live.

Also a word on your vinyl: try not to touch your records too much (always handle them by the very edges if you can), and do not stack them one on top of the other – always vertically, like books in a bookcase. Also, consider buying some decent inner sleeves to preserve them for the longest time possible.

And that's it, I'm done. I'm off to sit in my comfy chair with my cans on. I'm going to listen to Prince. Then, I might listen to Harry Styles. Whatever you're doing tonight, enjoy the music.

When Victrola announced its space-saving new Soundstage speaker for turntables, I had obvious concerns. It's effectively a soundbase, for people who remember when those were popular for TVs – a slab of a speaker that sits underneath something else, and uses the good internal volume you get from a low-profile but large footprint to deliver deep and impactful sound.

The obvious problem with this plan is: speakers vibrate, and turntables need to be kept steady. Putting the latter on top of the former seems like asking for trouble.

So at CES 2026, I tracked down Victrola to get not only a first listen to the Soundstage, but also to get my hands on it and feel whether the vibrations are a concern.

As you'll have seen, it's a nice-looking bit of gear, available in walnut or black finishes. The styling, size, and finishes are an exact match for Victrola's Wave turntable, though you can use it with anything that fits on its 42.95 x 38.37 x 8.95cm frame.

There's an RCA connection for your turntable, plus a 3.5mm jack, USB-C audio, and Bluetooth – making it a nice modern music center as well as a vinyl addition.

Let's start with the bass rumble. The Soundstage has a system Victrola calls the 'Symmetric Drive Woofer' to deliver bass, and it's a force-opposed dual-diaphragm bass system, firing up and down simultaneously from a single driver.

It's very much like the Sonos Sound Motion bass driver used in the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar (you can read all about the development of that speaker here), in that it's designed to provide big bass in a small space, but with a force-opposing configuration to avoid vibrations.

Force-opposing speaker systems mean that you have two identical diaphragms facing opposite directions. When speakers play, they push air forward, which means there's an equal force pushed the other way, into the speaker enclosure, in the form of vibrations. But in a force-opposed system, those vibrations then meet the exact same vibrations coming the other way from the other diaphragm, so they cancel each other out, and you end up with no major shaking at all (or close to it, and the rest can be absorbed by a well-built enclosure).

The double bass driver has the effect of giving this speaker a surprising amount of thump for something not very tall, but placing my hand on the sides, back, and top of the unit, I could barely feel any vibration in it. There is some, but nothing different from what you'd expect if you had your turntable on top of a piece of furniture with two speakers on either side of it.

You can feel a lot more vibration on the front of the unit, where the forward drivers are, but since I couldn't feel the effect of this heavily on the sides and back, it seems like the bracing and build of the speaker can absorb this well enough without it passing it through to the turntable (which will have some protection against vibration of its own, of course).

Victrola says of the front speakers that a "Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) technology delivers exceptionally wide, even dispersion, creating a spacious, natural stereo image that stays clear and detailed anywhere in the room" and my experience with this is that there's very little stereo on offer here, despite these promises – if that's your priority, you've got to go with separate speakers.

But Victrola told me that even dispersion around the room was a big focus for the speaker system, and it absolutely nails this – I moved around to really off-center positions to see if the sound balance would alter drastically and weaken, and actually, it barely changed compared to being right in front of it.

That's impressive, and makes it super-flexible for listening positions, which again, makes sense for something designed for people with little spare space.

As for the overall sound itself, I would say that it's quite warm – leaning into vinyl's tendency that way, perhaps – and trends somewhat bass-ward. Mid-range and treble seemed present and correct enough, but I didn't get the sense of there being a ton of fine detail and expression from my demo.

Naturally, we'll reserve judgment until we can test in a proper environment, but my initial impression is that you may get finer hi-fi results from a pair of active stereo speakers matching the $349 price of the Soundstage, but probably less deep bass. It may be a question of choosing the fullness and impact of the sound versus the resolution and imaging.

But in some ways, that dilemma also misses the point: this compactness. This speaker sits under the turntable, with no extra space and no extra components needed. In that way alone, it might be exactly what you've been looking for.

Goldring GR3 turntable: two-minute review

Just two decades or so since it last had a turntable in its product line-up, Goldring is back. The GR3 has been developed in collaboration with acknowledged experts and it really looks the part in a ‘black high-gloss lacquer’ sort of way.

It’s got plenty going for it where specification is concerned, too. This is a belt-drive turntable with manual speed-change, and it arrives with a very capable Goldring E3 pre-fitted and pre-adjusted moving magnet cartridge at the end of the aluminium tube tonearm. It’s supplied with a couple of pairs of QED cables to make plugging it into a system as painless as can be. And it’s fitted with an internal phono stage to ensure it is compatible with as wide a range of systems as possible – if the phono stage had an ‘off’ switch it could be fair to say the GR3 has everything you could possibly expect or require.

Connected to an appropriate system, the Goldring GR3 is an articulate, informative and confident listen with just enough drive and attack to stop it sounding leisurely. Dynamic headroom, soundstaging and timing all impress, and the amount of detail the GR3 can extract from the groove is also noteworthy.

In a slightly less appropriate system, though, the latent high-frequency stridency the Goldring hints at becomes a little more evident – a minor lack of treble substance can become apparent. When weighed against all the things that are enjoyable about the GR3 sound, though, ‘minor’ is the word to bear in mind and it bears serious consideration to sit among the best turntables available.

Goldring GR3 turntable review: price and release date

• $1,299 / £699 / AU$1,599 (approx.)
• Launched in October 2025

The Goldring GR3 launched towards the end of October 2025, and in the United States it's priced at $1,299. In the United Kingdom it goes for £699, while in Australia it will set you back around AU$1,599.

Goldring GR3 turntable review: features

• Low-vibration belt drive motor
• Integrated phono stage
• Pre-fitted Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge

The plain fact is that the Goldring GR3 has a few more features than is the norm where a record player costing this sort of money is concerned. So where has that half-a-star gone from the ‘features’ score below? I’ll get to that, but for now let’s establish what’s what.

The motor that moves the belt that spins the platter is a low-noise, low-vibration design. The tonearm is a 237mm one-piece aluminum tube with a three-point arm mounting system - and it’s pre-fitted with an extremely well-regarded Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge, a design that’s well on the way to becoming a classic.

The GR3 is also supplied with two pairs of relatively high-quality interconnects, manufactured by Goldring’s sister company QED. One is a 1.5mm stereo RCA design, the other a 3.5mm / stereo RCA alternative, so connecting the GR3 to a full-size system or a pair of powered speakers should be no problem.

The Goldring’s stereo RCA outputs are fed by an integrated phono stage, and it’s here that the GR3’s final half-a-star goes astray. I’m absolutely in favor of record players with integrated phono stages, don’t get me wrong; it makes for ultimate flexibility, and it means the deck can slot into pretty much any system you care to mention. But the phono stage here is always on and cannot be switched off, so if you own a system with a phono stage of its own (and surely any number of people ready to spend $1,299 on a record player must do), you must avoid your own phono stage for the one fitted here. You don’t even get to compare and contrast.

Just a simple ‘on/off’ switch is all that’s required, Goldring. Is it too much to ask?

• Features score: 4.5/5

Goldring GR3 turntable review: Sound quality

• Tremendous rhythmic positivity
• Extracts plenty of fine detail
• Lacks a little top-end substance

There are some aspects of audio reproduction at which well-sorted turntables seem to excel. And the Goldring GR3 is almost a caricature of a record player in this respect; the areas where it’s at its most convincing and most enjoyable are all textbook turntable strengths.

Take rhythmic expression, for instance. The GR3 manages the low frequencies during a listen to Patti Smith’s Horses with absolute confidence, closely observing the attack and decay of individual bass sounds so that rhythms and tempos are described in the most naturalistic, fluent and convincing manner. There’s plenty of variation in the low end here, ample detail regarding tone and texture is available, but it’s the effortlessness with which the Goldring describes even quite tricky, off-kilter rhythms that lets you know you’re in safe hands.

The unity and togetherness with which the GR3 presents the whole recording is another one from the Big Book of Turntable Cliches. Detail levels are high throughout the frequency range, and (with the slight exception of the very top end) tonality is very consistent too – and there’s a real sense of singularity and performance about the way the Goldring handles the entirety of the music. As with rhythmic expression, there’s a complete lack of stress or apparent effort in the way this turntable handles the timing of a recording.

There’s decent dynamic headroom available for when the going gets especially hectic or intense. The GR3 is able to create a large and quite persuasive soundstage and there’s more than enough room available for each strand of a recording to make itself heard. The Goldring communicates eloquently through the midrange, and has just enough positivity to its overall presentation to prevent the words ‘laid back’ seeming like something that might come in useful at some point.

It’s only at the top of the frequency range that the GR3 seems anything less than nicely balanced and assured. Unlike the rest of the frequency range, which is described with quite carefully neutral tonality and a fair amount of substance, the very high end sounds a little thin and malnourished. It stops well short of hardness or edginess, don’t get me wrong, but its relative lack of body puts it at odds with pretty much everything that’s going on beneath it.

In a sympathetically matched system it will hardly be an issue but with carelessly chosen or similarly inclined partners the GR3 could conceivably bare its teeth a little more readily than is ideal.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Goldring GR3 turntable review: Design

• Belt drive with manual speed change
• Phenolic resin platter
• High-gloss black plinth

Goldring, up to a point, is being quite open about the fact the GR3 was developed in collaboration with a third party. This is the Goldring’s first turntable in over two decades, after all, so the idea of getting some outside help is probably sensible. “A renowned British hi-fi manufacturer” is how Goldring rather coyly describes its associate.

If you’re in any way au fait with the work of any renowned British turntable brands, the design of the GR3 is going to look pretty familiar – heck, if you’re in a similar line of work to me you’re probably likely to recognize the arrangement of the packaging the GR3 arrives in. But if you’re going to collaborate, then why not collaborate with the best around?

Anyhow, the GR3 is a belt-drive design, and is fitted with a phenolic resin platter. The platter is designed to increase inertia and maximize the flywheel effect (thus maintaining consistent rotational speed) by having the bulk of its considerable mass at the outside.

The plinth is built of anti-resonant composite fiber, and is finished in the sort of high-gloss black that collects fingerprints like a particularly zealous scene-of-crime investigator. It stands on three pliant, resonance-suppressing feet, and can be fitted with a supplied clear Perpsex dust cover. With the lid closed, the GR3 is 120 x 450 x 360mm (HxWxD), and weighs around 5.5kg.

• Design score: 5/5

Goldring GR3 turntable review: usability and set-up

• Cartridge is pre-adjusted for all but downforce
• Can easily be connected to many types of system
• Manual speed change

The Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge is fitted to the tonearm before the GR3 leaves the factory, and it’s pre-adjusted for all but downforce. Dial in the recommended 2g and you’re ready to play.

Connecting to a system is very simple, too. Use one of the supplied cables to take line-level left-and-right channel information away from the turntable and into an ‘aux’ or other line-level input on your set-up – anything from a powered speaker to a full-on hi-fi system is fair game.

After that, make sure the belt is around the correct part of the pulley in order to get the rpm you need. The power switch is on the underside of the plinth, almost directly beneath the legend ‘Goldring - established 1906’ on the surface. Take the guard off the cartridge and lower the needle onto the vinyl… then sit back and enjoy.

• Usability and setup score: 5/5

Goldring GR3 review: Value

• Great build and finish
• Articulate sound
• Very acceptable cartridge

A good standard of build and finish, a very acceptable cartridge thrown in, and specification that makes system-matching the work of a moment all go towards suggesting there’s value for money available here. Add in the confident, articulate way the Goldring GR3 sounds and its case is approaching ‘watertight’.

• Value score: 5/5

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Goldring GR3 review: also consider

How I tested the Goldring GR3

• Tested over the course of two weeks
• Connected to a Naim Uniti Star network streamer/amplifier and Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature speakers
• Listening to various types of music

I connected the Goldring GR3 to the line-level analog input of my Naim Uniti Star network streamer/amplifier using the supplied QED RCA/RCA cables.

The Naim was connected to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature speakers on FS-700 S3 stands using QED XT50 speaker cable.

And then I listened to a lot of records for quite a long time, which was not the hardship it sounds like, I have to admit. I used a Rega Planar 2 with Carbon MM cartridge and a Technics SL-1300G with Goldring 1042 cartridge as reference devices.

• First reviewed: January 2026
• Read more about how we test

CES 2026 is well underway now, and the TechRadar team has been on the show floor – and in the many private briefing rooms dotted all over Las Vegas – to see what the most important, most innovative, and most fun gadgets coming your way in 2026 will be.

We've had our experts all over the big launches as well as the smaller stuff tucked away at the back of the halls, and we've chosen our 25 favorite products of the show. We're covering a wide gamut of consumer tech here, so make yourself a coffee and dig into what we loved, and why it stood out to us.

Want to watch along and see more of the tech we loved at CES? Check out the video below!

Best phone

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

• A phone that really turns into a tablet
• Impressive camera system, too
• Read more: I finally tried the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold and couldn't believe my eyes

We finally got to try Samsung's first double-folding phone (it may be called the TriFold, but there are two hinges…), and we called it a "remarkable feat of engineering that offers the potential of truly pocketable big-screen tablet productivity". When folded, it isn’t meaningfully thicker than regular phones, and it has a 6.5-inch screen… but then it becomes 10-inch tablet – so truly tablet-sized – in an instant when you fold its two sides out.

It's not just a one-trick pony, though – the TriFold has five cameras in total, to make sure it can deliver all the flexibility you want from a modern phone. There's Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy customized powerful processor, and a generous 5,600mAh battery. It's the clear stand-out among CES's phones this year.

Best earbuds

Shokz OpenFit Pro

• Shokz' first open earbuds with active 'noise reduction'
• Great fit and sound quality
• Read more: I’ve worn the all-new Shokz open earbuds for 4 days and the ‘noise reduction’ is so good, I forget they’re open-ear

The best open earbuds have become incredibly popular, but Shokz has making them for longer than most, and the new OpenFit Pro proves that it's good to be the veteran. Crucially, these are the company's first with active noise cancellation – even though Shokz doesn't want to call it that, because not having an in-ear seal means it's not quite as effective as what people think of for ANC. No, this is 'noise reduction'.

Well, we've tested them, and actually the noise reduction is as good as a lot of ANC earbuds. It's really effective, and paired with impressive sound and high levels of comfort, these are really impressive.

Best stereo speakers

Cambridge L/R Series

• 3 sizes of wireless stereo bookshelf speakers with huge power
• Dedicated bass drivers with passive radiators
• Read more: Cambridge has unveiled three active bookshelf speakers at CES and it’s not hard to see the KEF resemblance

British hi-fi company Cambridge launched its first wireless stereo speakers, and despite being modest in size, they are huge in sound. There are three sizes – the L/R X is the biggest, the L/R M is the medium, and the L/R S is the small – and it's amazing how much oomph they provide.

We heard the L/R X going hard, and the bass is enough to shake the room, despite not being that big. A big down-firing woofer and dual passive bass radiators get it to this point, delivering an amazingly full sound, with tons of detail and finesse to it as well. And they're great-looking, too.

Best Bluetooth speaker

Fender Audio Elie 6

• 3-way speaker system in a small body produces great sound
• Connections for guitars and mics, and great wireless options
• Read more: Fender just released new wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers

Fender Audio launched two speakers and a pair of headphones at CES, and all are interesting in various ways, but during our ears-on time it was the Elie 6 that really impressed us. It's a pretty small unit, but it packs in a tweeter, full-range speaker and down-firing bass driver, meaning the sound is amazingly full and impactful – especially in stereo mode, with two units connected wirelessly.

They have interesting features, too – a combined XLR and 1/4-inch port for connecting a mic or guitar directly, and even two wireless buttons for a specific connectivity feature Fender is planning to work with wireless mics. We like the design too, with a solid carry handle.

Best headphones

TDM Neo

• Headphones that 'twist' to become a portable speaker
• 200-hour battery life in headphones mode

We love seeing something totally new at CES. The TDM Neo work like a regular pair of on-ear wireless headphones. You put them on, you enjoy some nice bassy music. But when you take them off, you can twist the flexible headband and connect the earcups together magnetically, to form a small round device. As soon as you do this, they start playing music out loud, as a Bluetooth speaker.

They have two sets of audio drivers to make this happen: one for headphones mode, and a more powerful set for speaker mode. And they're really thoughtfully designed – the headband hinges attach to each other when you twist, so you know you've done it correctly, but then they become a flat surface you can stand the speaker on.

If you prefer, you can also change the behavior so that when you twist, they pause instead of auto-switching to speaker mode. And because the speaker mode requires more power, they have huge batteries, and can deliver a colossal 200 hours of life in headphones mode.

Best toy

Lego Smart Play

• A classic Lego brick, now with sound and light magic
• All the tech is under the hood – no screens required

At first glance, Lego’s Smart Brick looks like a regular 2x4 Lego brick. Aside from a transparent top, you’d never know it’s any different. But bring a Smart Minifigure close, and that's where the magic starts to happen. If Darth Vader approaches, the Imperial March starts up. Move R2-D2 nearby and you’re greeted with frantic boops and flashes of blue light. Same goes for a Smart Tag to identify what the Lego build is – say, an X-Wing or Tie Fighter.

All of this is powered by a custom chip hidden inside the brick, along with sensors, a gyroscope, non-invasive microphones, and a sound synthesizer. Together, they let the Smart Brick understand what’s around it and respond with the right sounds and lighting effects, without adding a screen or changing the core Lego experience. For now, it’s limited to a handful of Star Wars sets, but it’s a smart, confident foundation – one that enhances play rather than distracting from it.

Best OLED TV

LG W6 Wallpaper TV

• LG's best OLED panel, in a super-thin 9.9mm body
• Uses a wireless connections box to keep it aesthetically pure
• Read more: LG announces new OLED TVs at CES

The LG W6 is a stunner in more ways than one. It uses LG's most advanced OLED panel – the new Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 also used in the LG G6 – but in a design that's just 9.9mm thick. It's also totally uniform, meaning it can be as invisible on the wall as pretty much any TV can be these days. In the image above, you can see how well it blends in using a photo of the wall behind it. To help this minimalism, it uses a wireless connections box that's capable of full-quality 4K HDR pictures, but without the tangle of cables running to the TV.

It looks like it'll be a fantastic TV, thanks to the panel and LG's latest-gen image processing, and should only cost a little more than the G6 does. That means you'll be getting something super-impressive and premium at a still-realistic price.

Best RGB TV

Samsung R95H

• Stunningly rich color and fantastic contrast
• Available in realistic sizes, and shown in an amazing 130-inch model
• Read more: Samsung's enormous micro-RGB TV is coming to smaller screen sizes, and it borrows one great feature from Samsung OLED TVs

CES has been dominated by RGB TVs this year. These are basically mini-LED TVs with a new more colorful backlight behind the pixels, meaning they offer a greater range of colors, and can be even brighter. Having seen them in action, our pick of the bunch is the Samsung R95H. It looks so lush and colorful, with impressively inky black tones, and Samsung's anti-reflective screen ensuring you can see everything, without distractions.

More than that, this is a TV available in realistic sizes – Samsung showed off 75-inch and 85-inch versions, but overall its RGB TVs will come in sizes starting from 55 inches – while still feeling cutting edge. However, for good measure, Samsung also showed an amazing 130-inch version of this TV.

Best Mini-LED TV

TCL X11L SQD MiniLED

• A twist on traditional QLED mini-LED TV tech
• Astoundingly bright, with 20,000 dimming zones
• Read more: TCL launches next-gen SQD mini-LED TV at CES – the ‘best TV in the market’ for 2026

TCL has put a fascinating twist on its flagship TV here. It uses more traditional mini-LED tech rather than RGB mini-LED – but only sort of. TCL is employing a single-color mini-LED backlight, but has applied a layer of 'Super Quantum Dots' (the SQD part) directly over the top, which filter the color before – rather than after – it reaches the LCD layer.

This means it kind of works like an RGB TV, but TCL says this approach means it can pack in way more LEDs. It can produce 10,000 nits of brightness and 20,000 dimming zones for probably the best contrast we've ever seen from a mini-LED TV. Based on early impressions, this is the closest we've seen to mini-LED beating the blooming problem completely.

Best projector

Hisense PX4-Pro

• Ultra short throw laser 4K projector with amazing brightness and color
• Up to 200 inches projected with the device just inches from the wall
• Read more: Hisense unveils two 4K laser projectors — a 300-inch beast with huge brightness, plus the sequel to the best ultra short throw projector

The PX4-Pro is the follow-up to the projector we rate as the best ultra short throw projector overall right now, so we were excited to take a look, and it lived up to our expectations. Its picture looks beautifully bright with a good light-rejecting screen – closer than ever to TV brightness – and eye-grabbingly rich color.

But it can now project up to 200 inches in size still from right near the wall, while maintaining immersive brightness and color depth, and all still in the same size of projector package. CES is full of projectors this year, but this one popped for us.

Best soundbar

LG Sound Suite H7

• The world's first Dolby Atmos FlexConnect soundbar
• A powerful all-in-one, and you can add more speakers in any position
• Read more: LG’s 2026 TVs and soundbars get the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect treatment

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is a really interesting technology that means you can place home theater speakers wherever is convenient for your room, and the system will configure their sound to create immersive spatial audio, even if they're not in the 'ideal' spot.

LG's Sound Suite H7 is the first soundbar to include the tech, delivering 9.1.6 channels of Dolby Atmos sound on its own. However, you can add a sub and satellite speakers that are positioned anywhere in the room, and the soundbar will automatically optimize them and create the ideal immersive system. It sounds amazing, and the freedom of placement is a game-changer.

Best smartwatch

Pebble Round 2

• The original smartwatch returns!
• E-paper screen means a week of battery life
• Read more: Pebble unveils Pebble Round 2 — and fixes all the original's major pitfalls

Pebble holds a strong place in the heart of tech lovers – it was the first smartwatch that really took, and now it's back with its coolest model yet. Pebble Round 2 is a sleeker, rounder watch, and using a color e-paper helps it deliver a week of battery life per charge.

Naturally, it does some fitness and sleep tracking, and there's a big range of apps and watch faces, thanks to the ongoing commitment to having open source software on the Pebble range.

Best fitness tracker

Noise Luna Band

• A screenless health-tracking band
• No subscription needed – a rarity these days

We've enjoyed the Luna Ring models, and now the brand has the Luna Band. It's a Whoop-like fitness tracker, meaning there's no distracting screen. It doesn't really feel like tech, and that's a good thing – you just live your life, and the Luna Band will offer helpful updates on your diet, workouts, sleep, mood and more. You can use your voice to tell it what meal you ate, to log your workouts, or how you're feeling – and then you can review them later on the app. The one downside is that this function uses Apple's Siri, which means it's iPhone-only for now.

Perhaps the best part is that it doesn't require a subscription on top of the device cost to do all this – people are tired of being nickel-and-dimed, and so the Luna Band looks like it'll help you stay zen in more ways than one.

Best exercise tech

Merach W60 Walking Pad

• "Treadmill-grade engineering" for a low price
• Auto-incline or manual incline options

Walking pads are getting more and more popular, especially for people who work from home and want to get some exercise in during the work day. Merach's new model promises to help you do this more easily and reliably than ever. We love the promise of "treadmill-grade engineering" for a super-sturdy feel, and Merach says it will have a 2,000km warranty.

It's available in two options: one with an auto-incline feature, and one where you'll have to manually set an incline. There's also RGB lighting and Bluetooth speakers built in, if you want to set a mood. Starting from just $299 for the manual version and $329 for the auto-incline version, this really looks like it could be the new standout walking pad on the market.

Best wellness innovation

Nuralogix Longevity Mirror

• A smart mirror that can detect blood flow in your face to give health insights
• Everything from physiological age to mental health

This smart mirror has cameras built in that combine with an AI algorithm to work out a surprising amount of health data just from your face. It's not looking at your features – it's detecting blood-flow patterns, which it can make a variety of sophisticated estimations from.

These include your heart-rate, your physiological age (as in, is your body working as well as it should for your 'real' age?) and your mental health. It appears to be pretty accurate based on early testing – it seems like an incredibly clever system.

Best laptop

Dell XPS 14

• Smart new design with usability improvements
• Intel's new Core Ultra 3 chips inside
• Read more: Hands on: Dell XPS 14 2026 and XPS 16 2026

Without question, the most exciting laptop of CES 2026 was the Dell XPS 14. While many a reviewer and tech journalist is praising the return of the XPS brand itself, what matters most – in our opinion – is the redesign of the laptop. The last Dell XPS 14 and 2025's Dell 14 Premium (the short-lived successor to the XPS 14) were both fantastic laptops that were hamstrung by some major design flaws; namely, the virtual function keys and ‘invisible’ trackpad that turned out to be an accessibility nightmare.

Those have now been fixed with a new design that is also thinner and more modern-looking than its predecessors. And with the new Intel Core Ultra series 3 chips, it’s even more powerful and better equipped to take on the Apple MacBook Air for the 'thin and light' laptop crown.

Best gaming laptop

Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable

• A 16-inch display that expands to a 24-inch display
• The flexible OLED screen literally rolls out like a scroll
• Read more: Lenovo officially unveils the rumored Legion Pro Rollable gaming laptop with expanding screen

The Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable, previously rumored but officially unveiled at CES 2026, is easily one of the most intriguing gaming laptops we’ve ever seen. Its screen expands horizontally from a 16-inch display to 21.5 inches, then once more to a 23.8-inch panel at max extension – all from a quick keyboard shortcut.

The Legion Pro Rollable is an exciting prospect for PC gamers who travel often and want desk-like levels of screen space without attempting to cram a massive laptop into their bag. Gaming aside, it also brings benefits to everyday browsing and productivity, giving you more space to organize windows at the click of a button. It’s only a proof of concept at the moment, but we'll be following it closely to see if the Legion Pro Rollable hits mainstream production.

Best computing innovation

Core Ultra series 3

• Excellent performance in thin-and-light laptops
• Particularly impressive GPU means great gaming on ultrabooks
• Read more: The Intel Core Ultra series 3 processors look impressive enough, but the Arc B390 iGPU is the real game-changer here

We’ve been waiting for the Intel Core Ultra series 3 for several months now, having seen pre-launch builds of Intel Panther Lake last year. Now the Core Ultra series 3 has launched, every laptop we’ve tried with the new chips just reinforces how well Intel has stuck the landing on this release.

This is especially true when it comes to the graphics performance of the higher-end 12 Xe core Arc B390 iGPU, which delivers high-quality 1080p PC gaming on an ultrabook – no other chipmaker even comes close in 2026. If you’re looking to upgrade to a premium thin and light Windows laptop, there’s little reason to buy anything other than a laptop with an Intel Core Ultra series 3.

Best action camera

Dreame Leaptic Cube

• Tiny modular 8K action camera
• Clip to a screen module, or just a battery

Dreame is best known for its vacuum and cleaning tech, but it used CES 2026 to announce its entry into a ton of other product categories. And one of the coolest things we saw at the show was this tiny action camera. The core here is a really small action cam with up to 8K recording, or 4K in HDR if you prefer.

But the clever part is its modular design. It has a little docking system, and Dreame showed it running into two modes: one with a clip-on battery, keeping the whole thing at a small size; and one with a touchscreen module that's larger. You can imagine all the possibilities for accessories from here, all enabling smart extra functions, not just attaching dumbly.

Best gaming accessory

Razer Project Madison

• The ultimate immersive gaming chair
• Surround speakers, haptic feedback and RGB lights all react to games

Razer has decided to throw every kind of immersive gaming chair tech into one product here. This chair uses sight, sound and touch to create something totally enveloping, taking features from Razer's products including the Freyja haptic gaming cushion and Clio headrest speakers.

This chair has speakers behind your head, which combine with front speakers to create a true 5.1 or 7.1 surround system. It has lights that react to compatible games, creating the feeling that events are happening around you, not just on the screen. And the built-in haptics deliver sensations and impacts during play. It looks like the best way to get truly lost in a game.

Best gaming innovation

Neurable / HyperX headset concept and priming software

• A brain-reading gaming headset to improve your performance
• Helps you lower reaction times and improve accuracy
• Read more: I tried a prototype brain-scanning headset designed to make you better at Valorant — and it actually works

Brain-scanning company Neurable has worked on headphones that can scan your brain activity using EEGs to help you focus and prevent burnout in the past. Now it's bringing these ideas to gaming headsets, in a collaboration with HyperX – but the focus is on improving your focus and performance in games.

We tried it out, and it really makes a difference. Using a 'priming' exercise before playing, where you have to focus your mind to shrink a cloud of dots down to nothing, we improved accuracy by a few percentage points, and the company's research has shown it can reduce reaction time by around 40 milliseconds. For esports players, this is a big deal, and the software can track your focus and cognitive load levels while playing, to potentially help with coaching and to prevent tilting.

Best robot mower

Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD

• Offers ±1 cm positioning precision via an upgraded LiDAR, RTK and Vision navigation system
• Can make decisions almost instantly with a 10 TOPS AI chip
• Read more: I just watched Mammotion's new flagship lawnbot scale an astroturf mountain, and it was mesmerizing

There were a lot of incredible robot lawn mowers on show at CES this year, but the one that really stood out to us was the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD. It builds on the success of the excellent LUBA 2 AWD that precedes it, and is one of the most all-round capable lawnbots we've seen.

At the heart of the design is an upgraded 'Tri-Fusion' navigation system, where the bot will switch between LiDAR, RTK GPS and AI Vision depending on what's most appropriate for the situation. That means it's unlikely ever to get itself lost – the brand promises positioning accuracy to ±1 cm. Mammotion has also upgraded the processing system with a powerful AI chip that can handle 10 trillion operations per second, meaning it can make smart mowing decisions almost instantly.

Best robot vacuum

Roborock Saros Rover

• It's a robovac with actual, proper legs
• It can climb stairs, duck and dive, and even hop
• Read more: I saw Roborock's new robot vacuum with legs, and it promises to make no-go zones a thing of the past

This one is still in the middle of development, but is so cool already – and, admittedly, a little weird. This robot vacuum uses two extended legs that make it look like a Star Wars droid to get around your house more easily. Having articulated legs means it can climb stairs – including spiral staircases – cleaning them as it goes.

In fact, stairs are just the start. Roborock says the Rover is designed to be able to tackle any kind of terrain or home layout, no matter how awkward. Think of it like a 4x4 for cleaning.

It has some fancy object avoidance tech that means it can duck and dive, weave and jump, remaining completely stable throughout. We're not sure exactly what this is for, but it sure is impressive to watch. This maybe the most that a robovac has looked like a pet – it's got personality, it's useful, and we love it.

Best haircare tech

L'Oréal Light Straight +

• A straightener that uses infrared light tech to straighten effectively at lower temperatures
• Avoids the high temperatures that damage hair
• Read more: L'Oréal exec on why its new glass, infrared-powered hair straightener is so exciting

This innovative hair straightener promises to be three times faster at straightening hair, and yet will leave hair twice as smooth as regular plate straighteners do. And at the same time, it can do this at a lower temperature – always under 320°F / 160°C, compared to 365°F / 185°C for typical models. High temperatures break down hair, so reduction is a long-term good for your hair's health.

We got to try them out on – and this has been the first time we've ever used this phrase – human demo hair, and they certainly seemed to work incredibly well. This could be a huge change for a long-running industry, and that's what CES is all about.

Best smart light

IKEA Varmblixt LED Lamp

• It's a glowing, color-changing donut
• Works with IKEA's smart hub, or a Matter home system
• Read more: IKEA just revealed a new donut-shaped smart light – and it'll look sweet on your tables or walls

Sometimes, you've just got acknowledge when something is charming as hell, and that's what we're talking about with the new IKEA Varmblixt. It's a revamp of an ultra-popular lamp IKEA launched in 2022, but this new version is all about the color options, using an array of LEDs to create a beautiful soft toroidal glow.

It can be controlled with a remote, or you can connect it to IKEA's Dirigea home hub, but it also works with any Matter-ready smart home control option.

• Fully manual belt drive with heavy plinth and acrylic platter
• Built-in phono preamp and wide cartridge compatibility
• £679 / €799 (about $920)

Audio-Technica's 2019 AT-LP7 turntable is very highly rated: our sister title What Hi-Fi? said that it was "very likely the best turntable any manufacturer has ever built that sells at the price Audio-Technica is currently asking for it", and it's often recommended on audio forums.

And now, there's a new version, the AT-LP7X.

The new turntable looks very like the existing AT-LP7, and that's no bad thing: it's a gorgeous thing in matte black with a minimalist design. It's a fully manual belt-driven model that promises to focus on the fundamentals without unnecessary fuss or features you won't use.

Audio-Technica AT-LP7X: key features and pricing

The AT-LP7X comes with a J-shaped aluminium tonearm that Audio-Technica says is inspired by classic AT models from the sixties and seventies. It has a dual-axis gimbal and precision bearings for low-friction tracking and stability, and it comes with an AT-VM95E cartridge on an AT-LT10 headshell that promises excellent channel separation with low distortion. The stylus can be replaced with any VM95 series model.

The turntable contains a built-in switchable phono preamplifier for both MM and MC cartridges, and the vertical tracking angle adjustment, anti-skate and sub-counterweight enable the turntable to work with a wide range of cartridges and headshells. The supplied sub-counterweight is 16g but a 32g one is available to support cartridge/headshell combinations of up to 28.5g.

The AT-LP7X plays 33 and 45 but not 78, and its optical speed sensor and vibration-dampening motor mount promise "unwavering" accuracy. There are also spring-based isolation feet and an external power supply to reduce unwanted noise. The plinth is a heavy 40mm MDF and the resonance-reducing acrylic platter is 20mm.

The Audio-Technica AT-LP7X is available from today, January 6, worldwide. The recommended retail price is £679 / €799 (about $920 / AU$1,369).

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

One of the scariest considerations for new vinyl listeners is that the best turntables are only the first of many expensive purchases you're probably going to have to make. Unless you buy a deck with a built-in speaker, you're going to have to shell out for a pretty costly and space-hogging hi-fi set-up, involving amps and speakers, to hear your tunes.

These are two problems which audio company Victrola has set its sights on fixing, with a new speaker, released at CES 2026. This is the Victrola Soundstage, a soundbase which is due to go on sale in summer 2026 for $349.99 (roughly £260, AU$500, regional availability TBC).

A soundbase is a speaker which you can place under your record player, and they're generally used by people who don't feel the need to buy a multi-piece hi-fi setup just to hear their vinyl, whether it's for space-saving, financial or technical reasons. Soundbases also remove the need to pick up an amplifier.

On the Victrola up high

If you're buying for that first reason, then pick up a tape measure. The Soundstage measures 42.95 x 38.37 x 8.95cm, and as the image at the top of the article shows, it's roughly the same size as a turntable. Perfect for elevating your vinyl player – or, ahem, putting the Victrola up hiiiigh (sorry).

As you can imagine, offering a single speaker instead of a complex set-up can potentially impact the audio quality, but Victrola has two technologies which go some way to offsetting this.

One of these is what it calls the Symmetric Drive Woofer, a downward-firing dual-diaphragm woofer which it says delivers well-tuned and hefty bass while avoiding any vibrations. As you can imagine, shaky bass on a turntable will have you scratching tracks faster than a DJ.

The other tech Victrola has added is a Balanced Mode Radiator, which is designed to disperse music evenly around a wide area while retaining the original sound profile of your music. This will hopefully counteract the lack of stereo speaker spacing and the breadth of sound it creates, something virtually impossible to achieve when you've only got one speaker.

The Soundstage was designed specifically to work alongside the Victrola Wave and Victrola Automatic, but the company says that it'll be compatible with plenty of other turntables too. It'll connect via Bluetooth, 3.5mm AUX, RCA or USB-C and, in a first for a soundbase, Auracast – and as that list suggests you'll also be able to use the Soundstage with other inputs as a wireless speaker. A soundbase is for life, not just for vinyl.

Alongside announcing the Soundstage, Victrola also revealed a new color model for the Wave record player and Tempo bookshelf speakers. You can now get them in a walnut hue, which the Soundstage also comes in if you don't want its black option.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• The Pro-Ject's Debut Reference 10 costs €1,199 (about $1,410 / £1,047)
• Newly developed hybrid aluminium/carbon tonearm
• New bearing block design and clean power

Pro-Ject's Debut line of turntables launched in 1999 with the goal of bringing high-quality vinyl playback to a wider audience, and since then the Debut line has been a constant presence in our best turntables rankings: the Debut Carbon Evo is our current number one. And now there's a more advanced, more premium model: the Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10.

It's a typically gorgeous and minimalist design with some important new features, including Pro-Ject's first hybrid carbon/aluminum tonearm. That's matched with a Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge, a revised version of the original Pick it PRO that promises a "true balanced" signal transmission.

Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10: key features and pricing

The Debut Reference 10 features a resonance-free acrylic platter, a diamond-cut aluminum sub-platter and a power generator that Pro-Ject says delivers a "completely new clean sine wave" for the motor, which in turn delivers enhanced speed stability. There's a new bearing block design too, with a TPE damped aluminium counterweight and adaptive anti-skating mechanism at the rear.

The tonearm is fully adjustable for both azimuth and vertical tracking angle, and height adjustment for different cartridges or turntable mat heights is just a matter of loosening two grub screws. The three feet are height adjustable too; there are three rather than four feet because the former configuration is less likely to wobble on an imperfectly flat surface.

The turntable is manual, but there is a switch here to change between 33 and 45rpm without having to do it manually. And the package includes the familiar Connect it Phono RCA phono-optimized cable for its gold-plated RCA outs.

The chassis is MDF underneath eight layers of hand-applied lacquer, with MDF chosen for its ability to reduce vibration, and all the visible metal bits are diamond-cut.

Price-wise, the Debut Reference 10 is positioned between the affordable Debut EVO 2 and the premium high-end turntables that Pro-Ject also makes: it's €1,199 (about £1,047 / $1,410).

Four figures might seem a bit much for something in Pro-Ject's beginner-friendly line-up, but just look at this thing – it's a beautiful bit of gear, so who am I to nitpick?

• It's music disc Inception
• Vinyl, CD, CD-R and CD-RW playback
• £299 (about $400 / AU$605)

If you're feeling fancy this Christmas you could treat your guests to a turducken, a Cajun creation where a chicken is stuffed into a duck and the duck is then stuffed into a turkey*. Mixx Audio appears to have created the audio equivalent: its new Analog+ all-in-one music system features an integrated CD player built into a turntable, in the center of the platter so they're concentric circles.

"We wanted to create something truly distinctive," Mixx Audio CEO Prash Vadgama says, and I would say it's mission accomplished. It's very weird, but it makes sense for people who are short of space and want a single do-everything device.

MIXX Analog+: Key features and specifications

Inspired by the look of 1980s hi-fi components and available in black or white finishes, the Analog+ is a fully automatic record player with an Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge and the ability to play both 7-inch and 12-inch records at 33 or 45rpm.

There's both Bluetooth 5.3 and aux output. Everything is controllable via the included remote.

It's a simple design with little visual clutter; all the controls are mounted on the front where there's also a small display to show you track progress and mode selection. But while it's simple, it's also very unusual, due to that top-loading CD mechanism in the center of the turntable.

The CD player works with normal CDs, of course, but it also plays audio and data CD-R and CD-RW discs. It'll play WAV, MP3 and WMA files at up to 16-bit/44.1kHz, as well as 48kHz for WAV files.

It's very odd, and to the best of my knowledge it's the first of its kind (Mixx certainly claims as much): there have been plenty of combined LP/CD players from all kinds of firms, but they have the CD transport as a more obviously separate mechanism to the turntable.

Whether this is inspired or insanity will emerge when the reviews come in, but you can't deny Mixx's ability to think differently here.

The Analog+ is available now for £299 (about $400 / AU$605).

* I do wonder: what combinations were tried before they ended up with that one?

Sony PS-LX310BT: Two-minute review

I'd heard of the Sony PS-LX310BT by reputation, before I'd heard it with my own ears: TechRadar’s own esteemed audio editor, consider it one of the best turntables for entry-level vinyl fans. And that’s how it ended up in the living room currently being lived in by me, a person who thought a ‘B-Side’ was just a track designed for insects.

Let's get something abundantly clear: the big selling point of the Sony PS-LX310BT is chiefly its price; this is an affordable turntable that may not offer the same sonic dexterity as pricier options, but also doesn’t cost you the same as a mid-level car to purchase it. And it's got a great rep – not just at TechRadar but among those who know about these things.

For me, the price isn’t the only factor that makes this a great entry-level position. Once you’ve set the thing up – which may take one or two missteps compared to the easiest options I’ve tested, but is still fairly simple – it’s a dream to use.

Press button to play. Press button to stop. If you love vinyl audio for its hands-on approach, you might feel redundant when it comes to this Sony deck, but turntable newbies will find it a lot less scary to operate because you'll never actually need to touch the tonearm, or lower a headshell and needle onto a delicate sliver of vinyl and potentially hear it scratch.

It’s easy to like the look of the PS-LX310BT too. Sure, it’s understated in the exact same way that almost every other turntable is, but a design like that screams ‘sonic excellence’ irrespective of price.

It goes without saying that deep-pocketed audiophiles should skip over this option; it doesn’t offer the audio nuance (or the five-figure price point) that top-end vinyl aficionados will be looking for. And some novice buyers will find that it doesn’t offer the connectivity options required for them, with Bluetooth and RCA but no simple 3.5mm out. But for most newbies, it’s a dream.

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Price and release date

• Released in April 2019
• Typically sells for $449 / £179 / AU$399
• Now available for around $199 / £179 / AU$395

The Sony PS-LX310BT was released in April 2019, so it’s not exactly one of the newest turntables on the market – although six years in analog audio isn't a long time at all. And perhaps because of this, it’s still officially ranged by Sony, as one of only two turntables on its store.

The recommended retail price of the deck is $449 / £179 / AU$399 – that’s not a typo, it’s a lot pricier in the US – although at the time of writing, it’s hard to find it for full price. Instead, I’ve found the PX-LX310BT going for roughly $199 / £179 / AU$395 in sales, which seem to happen very frequently.

It goes without saying that you should try to pick this turntable up in said sales if you can. But either way, the price marks this as a fairly entry-level turntable; it’s not the cheapest I’ve ever seen, but it’s still a more affordable option for people who don’t need audiophile-grade kit, and it still looks the business.

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Specs

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Features

• Not the easiest set-up (but also not the hardest)
• Simple and easy to operate, though a tiny bit slow
• Some connection options, but not 3.5mm

Newbies setting up the Sony PS-LX310BT might find it a little fiddly during the set-up process; you only have to attach the platter and mat and set the pulley belt, but I somehow managed to unknowingly twist the belt during placement which took a tiny amount of deconstruction to fix. I also religiously forget to remove the stylus cover every time I want to listen, but I can’t mark Sony down for that.

At least Sony doesn’t require you to do anything to the cartridge or counterweight or anything like that, and the entire set-up process took me under 15 minutes. And once you’ve done the initial set-up, it’s really easy to listen thanks to Sony's use of an automatic system in the PS-LX310BT. Press ‘play’ to play, or ‘stop’ to stop, and the tone arm will move all on its own.

I do find the turntable a little slow to react to these button presses, and if I wanted music on quickly I’d place the arm myself – because I'm experienced in such things. Thankfully this is a valid option too, with the platter spinning automatically if the tonearm is raised.

Connections wise, there are wired or wireless options. Wirelessly, you can connect devices such as headphones via Bluetooth, and I found it a quick and reliable connection. You can connect up to eight devices this way, but I don’t know anyone who isn’t a tech journalist who owns this many wireless gadgets. Wired, you can use the built-in RCA cable which plugs into the left and right jacks of an amplifier or stereo speaker. There’s no 3.5mm jack in the turntable for you to plug in your wired headphones. In this way, it slightly limits who can use the wired connection – you need compatible tech, or at least an adaptor.

• Features score: 4/5

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Sound quality

• Energetic audio
• Some detail missing
• Avoid Bluetooth if you can

Not wanting to upset audiophiles (and being indecisive), I tested the Sony PS-LX310BT alongside multiple devices, including wired and Bluetooth.

There’s a lot of energy in music played through the turntable; evidently the understated design contrasts the music played out. The Police’s Zenyatta Mondatta felt playful and fun, and Al Stevens’ ode to the feline annum reveals the singer’s vocal range and zest well, with glissandos and harmonies far more audible than if you just listened on Spotify.

You’re sadly not getting quite the level of clarity that you would on a… well, a non entry-level setup, with some detail lost, especially in the mids. But it’s still decent for the money, and there’s a reason that cut-price music-lovers have been turning to the PS-LX310BT for over half a decade.

Note to Bluetooth users: I did find that the speaker peaked Bluetooth-connected devices on occasion, which isn’t something I’ve found as much from other Bluetooth turntables I’ve tested.

• Sound quality score: 4/5

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Design

• Minimal, understated look
• Buttons hidden on front edge
• Dust cover could open further

The Sony PS-LX310BT has a minimalist look, going for the black on black (on silver) look, small unadorned dials and buttons and a businesslike tonearm. I like ornamentation as much as the next guy, but this product hits that ‘audio equipment’ serious aesthetic pretty square-on.

The turntable measures 43 x 36.7 x 10.8cm, and weighs 3.5kg; it wasn’t too heavy to stop me toting it around my apartment when I wanted to connect it to various speakers and devices dotted in different rooms. That height includes the dust cover, which you don’t have to use (TechRadar's audio editor never fits them, and removes them if they're pre-fitted), but I’d recommend. My ‘tiniest-violin-in-the-world’ opinion is that it would have been nice if the dust cover would open a little wider, to make getting vinyl records onto the mat a little easier.

The almost-straight, no-nonsense tonearm was light and easy to manipulate, though some audio purists might take chagrin at the lack of a counterweight.

Sony has hidden most of the PS-LX310BT’s buttons on the front edge. This is where you’ll find the buttons to play, to stop and to move the tone arm up and down. On the top there’s only the Bluetooth pairing button,, a dial to set the vinyl speed and the speed rotary knob. There is also a little hidey-hole on the right edge for the 45RPM adaptor, something I only noticed after 10 days of the adaptor being plonked awkwardly on the turntable’s body.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Value

While the Sony PS-LX310BT is priced as an entry-level device, and has a feature set to match, there are a few areas in which it stands out from the budget crowd.

The ease of use and svelte design are two such departments, but these are hardly small perks, with the aluminum platter, bespoke (though un-removable) cartridge and lightweight tonearm keeping better care of your records than some super-cheap options might.

My only small value concern is this: you either need to connect it to a Bluetooth device, or something which accepts RCA-in, so your wired headphones will need an adaptor to work. But that's hardly a deal-breaker.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Sony PS-LX310BT?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Also consider

How I tested the Sony PS-LX310BT

• Tested for ten days
• Inputs included a series of vinyl records
• Outputs include headphones and a speaker via Bluetooth, and speakers via cable

The Sony PS-LX310BT review process covered ten days, not including the time it took to write the review itself. I have a decent-sized collection of vinyl which I used for this testing.

As mentioned, after running it in for 48 hours, I listened on multiple devices including a pair of speakers via the RCA connection, a smaller speaker via Bluetooth and a pair of headphones, also via Bluetooth.

I've been tested tech for TechRadar for nearly seven years, which has included many audio players and another turntable; I've also used turntables and other Hi-Fi kit outside of reviewing.

• First reviewed November 2025

Technics SL-1300G turntable: two-minute review

Technics has a new direct-drive turntable, and because it’s part of the company’s upmarket ‘Grand Class’, it’s engineered to within an inch of its life and has a price-tag that will make you swallow hard.

Mind you, it’s not as if the company doesn’t feel like it’s offering value for money with the Technics SL-1300G. Between the twin-rotor ‘cogless’ motor, transformerless power supply, elaborate tonearm arrangement and overall sensation of bank-vault build quality (the platter alone weighs almost 4kg), the SL-1300G is a substantial proposition in every respect. Apart from the small matter of a cartridge, that is – Technics doesn’t provide one and you should probably budget another $500 or so on one of the many reputable brands who will sell you something appropriate.

Once you’ve swallowed this particular pill, there’s a great deal to enjoy about the SL-1300G. It sounds an absolute treat in the right system – its ability to analyze, contextualize and generally peer deep into the grooves of your records in a hunt for information is remarkable. And it balances this attitude with a sort of thrillingly musical, thoroughly absorbing and effortless naturalistic stance that makes every listen as entertaining and engrossing as can be.

In fact, as long as you take a moment to ensure your system isn’t going to goad the Technics into overdoing the high frequencies – it’s right on the edge where treble sounds are concerned, and won’t take much of a push to tip it over – there’s really nothing of any significance to complain about.

One of the best turntables on the market? It's definitely in the conversation.

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: price and release date

• $3,299 / £2,799 / AU$4,999
• Launched in September 2024

The Technics SL-1300G direct-drive turntable is on sale now, and in the United States it's priced at $3,299. In the United Kingdom it’s more like £2,799, while in Australia it costs AU$4,999.

Not cheap, is it? And it’s not the end of your spending, either – Technics doesn’t supply a cartridge. So what is it offering for what is quite a lot of money (with the need to spend a fair bit more)?

After all, it’s not as if you’re short of high-quality alternatives…

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: features

• 230mm S-shaped aluminum tonearm
• Twin-rotor ‘coreless’ direct drive motor
• Low-noise, high-speed switching power supply

For the feature-set of the SL-1300G, Technics has allowed itself to be influenced by a couple of the more widely acclaimed turntables of the last couple of years: its own SL-1200G and SL-1200GR2. After all, if it ain’t broke etc and so on…

The motor that turns the SL-1300G’s platter is a variation on the one fitted to the SL-1200G, a model that launched in 2018 with a $4,000-plus price-tag attached. It’s based on the ‘coreless’ direct drive principles Technics first introduced in 2016: by removing the motor’s iron core, rotational instability (‘cogging’, as it’s colloquially known) can be reduced to vanishing point. In this implementation, a twin-rotor design reduces rotational vibration and minimizes the load on the bearings too.

The SL-1300G uses the Delta Sigma (ΔΣ) motor control software and drive system from last year’s SL-1200GR2, finessed and optimized for this application. The company’s prowess where PWM (pulse width modulation) is brought to bear in an effort to minimize even minor rotational inaccuracies along with errors in the drive signal. Because if you can deliver smooth, consistent rotation, argues Technics, you deliver smooth, consistent sound.

Further measures have been taken to ensure mechanical and, by extension, sonic accuracy. The SL-1300G uses a low-noise switching circuit that makes the more common transformer power supply redundant, which in turns makes the requirement for vibration-suppressing technologies that transformers tend to require redundant, too. Any residual noise in this transformerless power supply is identified by ‘current injection’ technology that applies inverse phase current to eliminate it. This, suggests Technics, is more effective than the common or garden ‘regulator’ alternative.

On the outside, the SL-1300G uses a rigid and lightweight aluminum pipe tonearm – it’s your classic static-balance S-shape and is 230mm long before the headshell is fitted. Technics supplies a headshell, of course, but what is conspicuous by its absence is a cartridge. The company is prepared to go on, at length, about how this omission allows you to select your preferred cartridge free from its interference, but it seems to me that a sum of money like this spent on a turntable ought to buy you the cartridge the manufacturer thinks is most appropriate. And, what’s more, to find it pre-fitted to the headshell.

The tonearm is connected to the surface of the turntable via gimbal suspension with a high-precision bearing. There’s anti-skate adjustment, a multi-part counterweight, tonearm lock and tonearm lift all incorporated. Getting the signal from the tonearm and out to an amplifier occurs via a pair of gold-plated stereo RCA outputs recessed deep beneath the main body of the SL-1300G. Technics supplies a pair of absolutely bog-standard RCA cables more commonly associated with turntables costing about 10 per cent of the price of this one.

• Features score: 5/5

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: Sound quality

• Notable clarity, detail and low-frequency presence
• Energetic and dynamic attitude
• As confident at the top end as it dares to be

Some record players have a very specific character or attitude, or a comfort zone out of which they are unwilling to tread. The Technics SL-1300G, it’s safe to say, is not one of those record players. There isn’t a style of music it sounds uncomfortable with – as far as attitude is concerned, “it’s all good” seems to cover it.

During the course of this review I listen to everything from a heavyweight reissue of Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space by Spiritualized to a ‘pre-loved’ (for which read ‘second-hand’) copy of The Strip Goes On by Orchester Werner Müller and many points in between, and at every turn the Technics covers every base. It’s a vibrant, energetic and engrossing performer, but it’s capable of forensic levels of analysis and insight at the same time.

Its frequency response, from the top of the range to the bottom, is smooth and even. Its overall tonality (with the mild exception of the top of the frequency range, which I’ll come to shortly) is neutral and natural. And its ability to allow music to just flow in the most confident and convincing manner is, even by the vaunted standards of the vinyl format, impressive in the extreme.

It digs deep and hits hard at the bottom of the frequency range, but both where control and insight are concerned it’s a spectacular performer. Bass sounds are solid and varied, with ample detail regarding tone and texture made available, while the SL-1300G controls the attack or decay of individual notes or hits with such purpose that rhythms are expressed in compelling fashion. It’s similarly accomplished in the midrange; there’s no fleeting detail that evades it, no secret of a singer’s technique or emotional state to which it’s not party. It communicates in absolute torrents, and in the most unforced and vivid manner – the balance it strikes between ‘analysis’ and ‘entertainment’ is outstanding.

Despite the significant levels of drive and attack it can summon, it never sounds stressed or uncontrolled. Though it can create a large and spacious soundstage, it presents music as a tightly unified whole, a singular event – the impression of performers operating in symphony, as opposed to a collection of individuals, is palpable.

Really, it’s only at the top of the frequency range that there are any noteworthy issues, and they can be mitigated without too much difficulty. The SL-1300G is a forthright and assertive performer where treble response is concerned, demonstrating as much confidence as is practical. Unlike the rest of the frequency range, though, the top end here is provokable – inserted into a system that’s similarly uninhibited where treble sounds are concerned, it’s possible that high frequencies could become a little edgy or strident.

So, a degree of system-matching is in order. The Technics won’t thank you for pairing it with speakers and/or amplification that share its high-end enthusiasm. Once you get over that particular hurdle, though, there’s nothing much else you need to do except sit back and revel in the sound this turntable produces.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: Design

• Black or silver finish
• 173 x 453 x 372mm (HxWxD)
• 13kg

Broadly speaking, the SL-1300G looks like a record player. More specifically, it looks like a Technics turntable. Whether or not you think that’s a good thing is a matter of taste, but there’s no denying that the company’s turntables have a reasonably strong visual identity.

From top to bottom, there’s no mistaking the SL-1300G as the product of any other company. Its 173 x 453 x 372mm (HxWxD) includes a sturdy Perspex dust cover, and its two-part chassis stands on four equally sturdy, extremely pliant and frankly over-engineered silicone rubber insulators – because Technics deals in nothing as straightforward as ‘feet’, of course.

The chassis itself is a rigid and profoundly vibration-resistant construction. The base is made of bulk molding compound and is topped by a die-cast aluminum plate, and further vibration damping is achieved by reinforcing ribs deployed between the tonearm assembly and the motor.

As is usual with Technics turntables, the SL-1300G features a ‘power on/off’ button above a ‘start/stop’ button on the bottom left of the top plate. There are also a pair of speed-selection buttons for ‘33.3’ or ‘45’ – press them at the same time and your turntable will be able to turn at 78rpm.

All in, the SL-1300G weighs a chunky 13kg - and a full 3.6kg of this is accounted for by the platter. It’s a three-layer item, with an aluminum main body, a 2mm layer of brass across the top and a hefty quantity of deadening rubber covering the whole of the rear surface. It offers considerable vibration damping, impressive resonance rejection, smooth rotational stability and significant inertial mass. In essence, it’s the same as the platter fitted to the (appreciably more expensive) SL-1200G.

Every SL-1300G is balanced after it’s assembled – because if the weight distribution of the turntable is uneven, the rotation of the platter can cause noise and vibration. How do you know your SL-1300G has been balanced in the Technics factory before it’s packaged up? By the little ‘BALANCED’ sticker on the underside of the platter.

• Design score: 5/5

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: usability and set-up

• Source and fit a cartridge
• Bin the supplied RCA cables in favor of something more appropriate
• Do the usual stuff regarding counterweight, anti-skate and so on

Unusually for the ‘usability and setup’ section, I’m going to have to talk about the need for you to spend yet more money. Because if you don’t, the SL-1300G is nothing more than an elaborate (and good-looking) doorstop.

If you want to get a sound out of your SL-1300G, you’ll need to research, source, purchase and fit an appropriate cartridge. I’d suggest something in the region of $500 will buy you something that will do this record player some justice. Cartridge fitting and setup are among the most fiddly things you can do (in life, let alone in the context of your audio system), so try to be patient. And then when you’ve done that, you really should consider binning the freebie RCA interconnects Technics so graciously supplies in favor of something that’s actually up to the job.

Once that’s done, though, usability is a doddle. The direct drive motor gets the platter up to speed in well under a second, and the tonearm lift operates with precision. ‘Putting a record on’ has never been any less painful than it is here.

• Usability and setup score: 4/5

Technics SL-1300G review: Value

• Superb build quality and materials
• Real longevity
• But you have to spend even more money to get it working

It depends how you look at it, I suppose. In terms of engineering prowess, the quality of materials and the way they’re put together, in terms of longevity and simple pride of ownership, the Technics SL-1300G represents very good value indeed. And that’s before you factor in the many admirable aspects of the way it sounds.

But given that this record player doesn’t actually function until you’ve spent quite a lot more money on a cartridge, plus a fair few bucks upgrading the cables connecting it to your amplifier, it’s perhaps not the cast-iron value for money it at first appears…

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Technics SL-1300G?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Technics SL-1300G review: also consider

How I tested the Technics SL-1300G

• Tested over the course of one week
• Listening to various types of music

I connected the Technics SL-1300G up to my home system using the supplied RGA cables. Then, I spent well over a working week listening to as many different types of music as I could, of many different genres, and varying qualities of pressing to give the SL-1300G as much of a workout as I could. And, to be honest, I enjoyed doing it.

• First reviewed: November 2025
• Read more about how we test

Majority Folio: Two-minute review

Given that vinyl records often feel like they belong in the Smithsonian, actually using them for music can seem like a scary proposition, and what doesn't help is how fiddly and delicate some of the best turntables can seem. Newbies to the vinyl game can find many reasons to stay away, but I'm here to offer one good reason to come over: the Majority Folio.

This record player – for amplification and speaker are both onboard, squirrelled away into the base – is here to downplay those reasons, and make listening to your collection (relatively) simple.

This is the joint-third turntable from British audio company Majority, following the Majority Moto 2.0 and releasing simultaneously with the pricier Stylo.

Like its predecessor, the Folio is an inexpensive turntable, and it also totes a built-in speaker, which means you don't need to buy a separate one (or indeed any phono stage or pre/power amplifiers) to hear your music. These facts alone make the device really easy to buy for people scared to take the plunge.

But beyond that it's easy to set up and use, and won't be scary for new users to experiment with. And once you decide to flesh out your hi-fi setup, the Majority Folio's support for many outputs and inputs means that unlike many cheap vinyl players, it actually can remain a central part of your kit and won't need to be replaced any time soon.

You may want to upgrade things though, because the Folio's speaker doesn't actually sound that great; it's fine as a starting-off point, or for people who aren't already too used to the fantastic audio that high-end kit can put out, but it retains all the issues of its predecessor in that it lacks a solid, weighty and impactful low-end and doesn't provide quality audio overall.

Another gripe I have with the Folio is that a few design choices show a lack of precision. The dust cover doesn't fit perfectly, and the turntable's wooden surface showed up bumps and scratches really easy. These didn't affect playback, but it's still not ideal.

One novel feature I need to bring up in the introduction is that you can plug a USB stick into the Folio and rip/record your vinyl record onto it. This can be great for digitizing your record collection, but you could also use it to create your own mix-tapes (you can split the recording and break it up by track, changing vinyl while you do) or re-record your favorites at a shifted pitch... for some reason. It's a feature with admittedly limited appeal, but I can see it being a game-changer for some music creators.

Majority Folio review: Price and release date

• Announced on April 12, 2025
• Sells for £169.95 (roughly $220, AU$340)
• No US or AUS availability

The Majority Folio was announced on Record Store Day, which was April 12, 2025. It went on sale shortly afterward.

You can buy the turntable for £169.95 (roughly $220 / AU$340), although it’s only available in certain regions, including the UK. Majority’s turntables don’t tend to go on sale in the US, and while they do in Australia, the Folio isn’t currently offered in the region.

That price puts the Folio as one of the more affordable turntables on the market, a great budget buy for people who don’t have the big bucks to invest in a fancy home hi-fi system but want something solid to play vinyl.

Majority Folio review: Specs

Majority Folio review: Features

• Easy to set-up and use
• Range of connection options
• USB recording feature

The Majority Folio seems designed as a plug-and-play dream; thanks to having its own speaker you don’t need to fuss over connecting other devices or extras, and simply plugging it into a power point is your first and last act to get it running. Well, you’ve got to add the record too, and it’s not an automatic turntable so you'll need to place the needle yourself; the record begins to spin as soon as you lift the arm.

Despite having its own speaker, and therefore being less reliant on external speakers to work, the Majority Folio offers quite a few connection options. You can pair to nearby Bluetooth speakers or wireless headphones with Bluetooth 5.3 (to transmit your vinyl wirelessly for playback, thus bypassing the Folio's inbuilt speaker), play via an AUX cord, output music from a USB stick or plug in other devices with RCA, and so the Folio can stand alone or be the nexus of a hi-fi set-up. Most of these options let you output the vinyl music, but also use the device’s speaker for other inputs.

In somewhat of a novelty, you can plug a USB stick into the Folio and record your vinyl recording onto it. It’s a neat way of digitizing your music, especially with the ability to split a recording (ie, break it up by song), although the quality isn’t exactly stellar. If you change the playback speed of a record, this is reflected in your recording, but tweaking the volume isn't.

• Features score: 4/5

Majority Folio review: Sound quality

• AT3600L cartridge in play
• Build-in speaker lacks quality
• Output sounds a lot better

At the end of the arm is an AT3600L Moving Magnetic Cartridge, a piece of kit Majority has used before. And there’s no shame in that, especially not when the first two letters stand for Audio-Technica; this is a fine-tuned piece of kit. We've seen it grace plenty of other budget options and it provides fun audio, if lacking some high-fidelity flair of higher-end options.

One of the unique selling points of the Majority Folio is that it comes with its own speaker as part of the package; if you’re at the first step of your home audio journey and don’t have a hi-fi set-up, you can use the Folio out of the box…

… although I’d recommend against it, if you can avoid it. Music from the built-in speaker sounds a bit tinny, lacking deep bass or crisp treble, and that's not just true of phono playback but for Bluetooth playing too. I couldn’t help but feel that lots of the depth, detail and nuance that the vinyl format provided, was lost when played through the main speaker. As I write this, I’m listening to Bowie’s Space Oddity, and it’s hard to make out much of the song besides the vocals, strings and cymbals.

Thankfully, as I’ve mentioned, the Folio has a range of connectivity options, and I’m pleased to report that music sounds better from headphones or other speakers. The low end has a lot more weight (even accounting for the toning of other devices), high-end is crisper and there’s a full-bodied midrange which adds to the sense of detail on a song. It’s not going to wow audiophiles who’ve tested top-end equipment, but I’d question how many such buyers have made it this far into the review anyway!

There’s nothing strictly wrong with the built-in speaker if you’re at the beginning of your home hi-fi journey, but it’s not something I’d rely on in the long run.

It’s worth noting that, according to the website and user manual, the Folio doesn’t support high-quality or low latency Bluetooth codecs. So I’d recommend buying wired speakers (see TechRadar's guide to the best stereo speakers here) if you want to appreciate your music to the best standards.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Majority Folio review: Design

• Chunky, thanks to built-in speaker
• Lots of dials, ports, switches
• Easily gains knicks

As you can probably expect from a turntable with a speaker built in, the Majority Folio is a little bit bigger than some rivals on the market, and it adds this heft in the height department. It’s 14.2cm tall, 41.2cm wide and 32.3cm length-wise. And if we’re going through dimensions, it weighs 3.7kg.

The device has a classy look, with a nice wooden finish, although this material quickly showed some marks and splintering on my review unit. An S-shaped tonearm is light and nimble, though looks a little too much like a Mechano set towards the needle, which blocked my sight of the needle from certain angles (and I'm bad at placing it at the best of times). The party is at the back though with an easily-manipulated counterweight and RPM toggle hidden away from the plate.

The table begins to spin automatically, as soon as you lift the needle, but the arm cradle wasn’t totally reliable at holding the limb in place; a few times I accidentally bumped the arm and the record began to spin of its own accord. A cradle with a slight edge would fix this problem.

Elsewhere on the body you’re getting an RPM adapter plonked to the side, and then on the right edge a headphone jack as well as dials for the volume, pitch and input method. It’s a little more cluttered than some other turntables I’ve seen, but I prefer ease of use with your many functions, toggles and switches in plain view.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Majority Folio’s buttons and dials. On the right edge there’s a USB slot as well as buttons for recording, splitting and Bluetooth pairing, while on the back there’s the range of connection inputs we’ve already discussed. Perhaps one of the benefits of a big body, is lots of room for ports and buttons.

Like most (but not all) alternatives, the Folio has a dust cover. It does its job but it’s a little wobbly, often not sitting straight on the turntable, and it quickly got quite scuffed up during my testing.

• Design score: 4/5

Majority Folio review: Value

Based on the price, specs and feature set, the Majority is a great entry-level turntable for people at the beginning of their hi-fi journey.

It’s a purchase comparable to those guitar starter-packs you can buy, which get you a budget amp, carry case and cables alongside a cheapie six-string; none of the kit is stellar, but you’re getting a nice easy package to get you started. The further you get into your hi-fi journey, the more you can augment your setup with extra speakers.

There are a few turntables on the market that are cheaper than the Majority, but most don’t have the speaker built in, giving this an easy value win.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Majority Folio?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Majority Folio review: Also consider

How I tested the Majority Folio

• Tested for three weeks
• Inputs include vinyl records, Bluetooth and USB
• Outputs include built-in speaker and wired headphones and speakers

I used the Majority Folio for three weeks in order to write this review, and through the whole process it was set up in my living room (which is also my dining room and kitchen; it's not a big apartment).

I primarily listened to music from my large vinyl record library, though also used the speaker's Bluetooth playback function and also listened to recordings I'd made with the USB recording function.

For most of the testing period, I listened through the build-in speaker, but for additional listening I plugged in some over-ear headphones and some wireless speakers to get a sense for the sound.

• First reviewed November 2025

• Audio-Technica's Bluetooth turntables are solid buys
• Pro-Ject's Juke Box costs more but does everything
• House of Marley bundles may be worth seeking out

It's that time of year: the weather's changing, there's finally good stuff on TV, and my email inbox is already full of firms talking about Black Friday deals.

The event is still a few weeks away (although these days Black Friday isn't limited to the Friday after Thanksgiving; it's now Super Mega Black Friday Deals Month And A Bit) but if you're thinking of investing in new audio or entertainment gear, this is a good time to be making plans and looking at spec sheets, because you don't want to get caught up in sales madness.

If you know what you want, what it normally costs and what you want to spend, you can massively increase your chances of bagging a genuine Black Friday bargain rather than just paying the same price you'd have paid three or four weeks previously.

Turntables are frequently discounted during Black Friday and similar events, but not all turntables are equal – and if you're new to vinyl it can be hard to identify which Black Friday turntable deal is actually worth getting. I've reviewed a lot of turntables, and I'm a working musician, so I have some strong opinions on what makes a beginner turntable that really does your music justice. Here are three quite different buys for first-timers that I think you should look out for.

The all-in-wonder: Pro-Ject Juke Box E1

This is a lot more expensive than the other turntables I'm recommending here, but if you want an excellent all-in-one where all you need to add is a pair of passive speakers, then the Pro-Ject E1 is a great option. As I said in my Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 review, "This isn't a cheap-o system, and it doesn't look, feel or sound like one either."

The benefit of an all-in-one is that you don't also need to invest in a pre-amplifier or even an amplifier. And in addition to the built-in amplification, the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 has a good Bluetooth module that enables you to stream from your phone or laptop as well as streaming out to Bluetooth headphones. It's exceptionally simple to set up and delivers an impressive performance.

The launch price of this all-in-one was £599 / $799 / AU$999. But I think we'll see it for less during Black Friday – and if you don't need the integrated amplification the standard Pro-Ject E1 is a great turntable in its own right, and less than half the price of the Juke Box – here are the latest prices for that.

A great budget buy: Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT

This excellent Audio-Technica is the baby sibling of the turntable I use at home, and it's excellent value for money. As we said in our AT-LP70XBT review, it's a plug-and-play device that's ideal for anyone getting started with vinyl, designed for both wired and wireless listening thanks to its built-in Bluetooth.

This is the successor to a long-term favorite of ours, the AT-LP60XBT, which is still available from retailers and which is also likely to feature in the Black Friday deals: at the time of writing it's going for about 10% to 20% less than its newer sibling, and that means it could be one of the best sub-$200 / £200 turntables to pick up this year – again, the best prices on that model are just below.

The one for students / small spaces: House of Marley Revolution

With an official price of just $169.99 / £149.99 / A$199 the Revolution is already aggressively priced, and I'd particularly keep an eye out for Black Friday deals that bundle it with House of Marley's wired Uplift bookshelf speakers or if you're in the UK, the Together Duo wireless speakers. Adding the wired speakers roughly doubles the price and the wireless ones cost a bit more on top, but bundles are often favored by retailers doing discounts during big sales events.

This is a super-cheap system so don't expect to impress your local audiophile. But as we said in our House of Marley Revolution review, "If you’re looking for a straightforward turntable at a palatable price, we think the House of Marley Revolution gets close to the value sweet spot. There are some cheaper Bluetooth turntables out there, but none with the same style and build quality as the Revolution." It's a particularly good option for smaller spaces such as student accommodation.

Here are the latest prices for the bundle with speakers:

• Technics SL-1200G/1210G upgraded with Delta Sigma Drive
• Gold-colored elements including the tonearm
• 1,200 + 1,210 units worldwide, from February 2026

Technics' SL-1200 turntable is quite probably the world's most famous record deck, especially if you're into dance music and hip-hop: it's been filling floors and entertaining audiophiles since 1972, and (r)evolving all the time. And now it's evolved again, with an impressive upgrade in a strictly limited edition.

The good news is that there are new Master Editions of both the SL-1200G and the SL-1210G turntables. But there's a little bit of bad news too. This edition will be the final version of the SL-1200G, although other SL-1200 models such as the GR2 and MK7 will continue to be produced.

The new Master Edition turntables will be limited to just 2,410 units worldwide: 1,200 of the silver SL-1200GME, and 1,210 of the black SL-1210GME.

What's new in the SL-1200 Master Editions?

The big upgrade here is in the drive system. Technics has brought its ΔΣ-Drive (Delta Sigma Drive) motor control system to both turntables, and according to Technics it delivers "exceptional" rotational stability and smoothness.

The drive system has previously appeared in models such as the SL-1200GR2 and SL-1300G, but this is its first time in the SL-1200G and SL-1210G.

As Technics explains, "The ΔΣ-Drive motor control technology is capable of delivering the perfect driving sine wave signal for the iron-coreless direct drive motor. By using PWM signal generation with ΔΣ (Delta Sigma) Modulation, as employed in Technics’ full-digital amplifiers, motor vibrations are reduced to the minimum, resulting in a super smooth rotational accuracy."

The motor delivers very high torque and has been completely reworked for the Master Edition to reduce minute variations and smoothen the tracking process. And its hybrid encoder features a Hall sensor, which constantly monitors and adjusts the rotational speed. This compensates for issues such as vinyl warping. And there's a new multi-stage silent power supply, similar to the one in the reference SL-1000R.

In order to make the Master Editions look distinct, Technics has incorporated gold-coloured elements including the tonearm, the headshell logo, the top panel logo, the logo badge, the dust cover logo sheet and the strobe off control.

The new Master Edition turntables will be available from authorized North American retailers from February 2026. Pricing will be announced nearer the time.

• Soul Rebel is a compact record player with under-plinth lighting and an Audio-Technica cartridge
• Rise Up is a cheaper all-in-one with less premium components
• Both models have Bluetooth in and out, and built-in speakers

House of Marley makes some impressive and affordable turntables, such as the Revolution: as we said in our review of that turntable, you get a pretty good turntable for a pretty low price: "There are some cheaper Bluetooth turntables out there, but none with the same style and build quality as the Revolution." And now the company has two new models to tempt you: the Soul Rebel and the Rise Up.

The Rise Up is an affordably priced all-in-one with built-in speakers, while the Soul Rebel is a more premium version with under-plinth lighting and a better cartridge. And while neither is going to trouble the big names in audiophile equipment, they could be among the best turntables for budget buyers.

House of Marley Soul Rebel and Rise Up turntables: key features and pricing

The two turntables have a staggered launch, with the Soul Rebel launching on 25 October and the Rise Up launching on 1 November.

The Soul Rebel has a list price of $379.99 (about £280 / AU$580) and is designed for small spaces, with a clean and compact design featuring under-plinth lighting to help set the mood. It has an Audio-Technica AT3600L stylus, which is a familiar sight in this price bracket, and it features Bluetooth in and out, so you can play to it from your phone, or send sound to some of the best Bluetooth headphones. It has a metal platter, and those built-in speakers.

The Rise Up is $199.99 (about £150 / AU$300) and comes with a ruby ceramic stylus, a plastic platter, and Bluetooth in and out again, plus speakers. It's clearly targeted at the vinyl beginner.

Both models are made from natural bamboo and blended recycled plastics, and come in 100% plastic-free recyclable packaging.

UK pricing and availability hasn't been confirmed for these two models yet but House of Marley tends to have dollar/pound parity – for example, the aforementioned Revolution turntable is currently $149 in the US and £149 in the UK – so while I've provided converted currency amounts above, expect the eventual UK prices to differ.

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• How Great Thou Art: it is 90 years since the birth of Elvis Aaron Presley
• Pro-Ject's Elvis-inspired T2 turntable features dimmable LED lighting
• We Are Rewind's cassette player proves there's Elvis for Everyone

An American Trilogy? Not quite, but it is a lovely duo from two respected names in analog audio – and I could have Such a Night with either of these products in honor of what would be Elvis Presley's 90th birthday, I'd probably end up singing my own rendition of Viva Las Vegas to my long-suffering neighbors.

Pledging My Love straight from the off, Audio-Technica's limited-edition design is one I Can't Help Falling in Love with. It's based on the turntable specialist's acclaimed T2 turntable, but features a CNC-machined plinth with integrated, dimmable LED lighting to create the iconic ‘ELVIS’ logo, a sign made of light bulbs featured in the live performance of If I Can Dream during the '68 Comeback Special.

Beneath its glowing exterior lies a precision 9-inch aluminium tonearm, adjustable spring-based anti-skating system, and a factory-fitted Sumiko Rainier cartridge. There's also a 10mm, 1.7kg glass platter and if you've got some older presses, That's All Right now mama, any way you do – because A-T's electronically regulated motor should mean simple switching between 33 and 45 RPM.

Pricing? Of course: it's available now, priced £1,199 / €1,399, which would make it around $1,590 or AU$2,465, where sold.

I can't afford it right now, but until I can it'll be Always on My Mind…

A little less conversation? You need an Elvis cassette player Walkman

I've spent a lot of time with FiiO's modern answer to the Sony Walkman and I have to say, Don't Be Cruel before you try We Are Rewind's version – I got no Trouble whatsoever with the warm magnetic hiss of cassette tape to get me All Shook Up in the music.

Also, we loved the look of We Are Rewind's WE-001 cassette player earlier in the year, and it is upon this model that the new limited-edition WE ARE REWIND x Elvis Presley Box Set is built.

Why am I calling it a 'box set'? Well, I Got Lucky and heard that only 1,957 units are being released worldwide (a tribute to the original release year of Elvis’ Christmas Album), and that your purchase includes the specially designed portable cassette player plus an exclusive reissue of Elvis' Christmas Album on cassette.

And just like Elvis knew that we can't go on together with Suspicious Minds, We Are Rewind's engineers knew they'd have to put some new tech in a Walkman to make it viable in 2025 – which is why you'll find a rechargeable battery good for up to 12 hours under the hood, as well as Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity for wireless listening via earbuds, headphones, speakers and soundbars.

Feeling like this lovely little player has kinda Stuck on You? Well, it's available exclusively online, with global pre-orders opening today (October 15, 2025) and it'll set you back $199 / €179 which is around £150 or AU$309, or thereabouts.

Again, only 1,957 are being made, so if you want yours It's Now or Never – and truly I doubt anyone who orders theirs will be writing Return to Sender on the box…

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• The Kanto Obi3 launches for $199 / £179 (about AU$300).
• Bluetooth 5.3 for speakers and headphones
• Stripped-back design with two-speed belt drive

Lots of musical things have come from Canada, including The Weeknd, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Michael Bublé and Kanto Audio. And the latter has just announced the rather gorgeous new turntable you can see in the photo above. It's called the Obi3 and it's the first in a whole series of turntables the firm intends to design and manufacture.

We already know Kanto for its excellent wireless speakers such as the five-star Kanto Ren, and the Obi3 has been designed to complement them: it has Bluetooth 5.3 to stream to active speakers or Bluetooth headphones as well as the obligatory RCA outputs.

Kanto Obi3 turntable: key features and pricing

The Obi3 has a minimalist design and comes in three colors: black, white, and the sage green shown in the photo. That's the one I'd buy, because it shows off the stripped-back design rather well.

The belt drive turntable has a built-in switchable pre-amp, two speeds and – unusually for this price bracket – pitch control so you can make Justin Bieber sound like a chipmunk. The Bluetooth is 5.3 and the pre-installed cartridge is an Audio-Technica AT3600L; the J-shaped tonearm is aluminum and so is the weighted platter.

The Obi3 is priced very aggressively: $199 / £179 (about AU$300). That puts it up against some of the best entry-level turntables from the likes of Sony, Audio-Technica and Pro-ject. You'll be able to buy one from November 2025.

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• Coreless direct drive motor and newly designed tonearm
• MDF plinth in terracotta, black or light grey
• $899

There's a new Technics turntable in town, and it comes in a striking color with built-in Bluetooth.

The Technics SL-40CBT is a direct-drive turntable featuring the same coreless motor technology as the celebrated SL-1300G, and it boasts a newly designed high-precision S-shaped aluminum tonearm.

The SL-40CBT is considerably more affordable than the SL-1300G, and while it's still a premium product, it's aimed at vinyl newcomers and people upgrading from entry-level turntables.

Technics SL-40CBT: key features and pricing

The Technics SL-40CBT has an integrated, switchable moving magnet phono stage and a factory-fitted Audio-Technica AT-VM95C cartridge with a conical stylus. And in addition to the usual hardware outputs, there's Bluetooth streaming to compatible headphones and speakers, although as yet the details of the Bluetooth version and codec(s) haven't been revealed.

The turntable has electronic speed control (33 1/3 and 45rpm) and the platter is die-cast aluminum with reinforcing ribs and a directly mounted motor magnet for reliable torque transmission and accurate speed.

The most obvious change, of course, is that new color – and the plinth made from MDF rather than the familiar die-cast aluminum we've come to expect from Technics turntables. Personally, I'd go for the terracotta one, but you can have charcoal black or light grey if you prefer something a little less eye-catching. The turntable has also been designed to match Technics' SC-CX700 wireless speakers, and it sits on vibration-resistant insulator feet.

The Technics SL-40CBT will be available from September 2025 with a recommended US retail price of $899 (about £679 / AU$1,379 before tax); pricing in other countries will be announced shortly.

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• The Luphonic H2 has no buttons or switches: controlled with a puck
• Three-layer chassis to eliminate vibration
• Unusual shape and even more unusual materials

Many turntables claim to have minimalist design, but how minimalist are they really if they have buttons and even switches? Luphonic's H2 turntable has no need for such fripperies, because it's powered by magic.

Well, not magic. But it looks a bit like magic, because to operate the turntable you simply place a small circular puck onto a subtle marker on the turntable.

If you place the puck on the marker with its dark side up, it'll start the turntable at 33 RPM. Place it dark side down and it'll play at 45. Take it off and the turntable stops.

Lose the puck under the couch and you'll become awfully familiar with The Sound of Silence until a replacement arrives.

Luphonic H2 turntable: key features and prcing

The H2 is made from a three-layer chassis shaped like a wide letter H, with a vibration-damping rubber layer sandwiched between two Corian layers – a material often used in kitchen work surfaces and made from a mix of natural materials and acrylic resin. Here it's used as part of the vibration damping setup and it's also used for the platter.

Speaking to HiFi Plus, creator Thomas Luh explained that he chose Corian because of its high density and low resonance, and for its highly polishable surface.

The H2 is belt driven by a microprocessor-controlled synchronous motor, and it drives a Corian platter atop an aluminum sub-platter and a steel spindle on a ceramic ball bearing. The chassis sits on four thermoplastic feet.

The H2 comes with Luphonic's own K2 tonearm, featuring a carbon-composite arm and a digitally printed headshell with straightforward height, azimuth and anti-skate adjustment.

The Luphonic H2 has a recommended retail price of £3,950 / $4,995 (about AU$8,205) and you can find out more at Luphonic.de.

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• The Miniot Wheel 3 has stunning sci-fi looks and genuinely clever design
• Optical stylus, hidden tonearm and integrated preamplifier
• €2,900 / $3,443 / £2,550 / AU$5,351

The new Miniot Wheel 3 is exactly what I expected the music hardware of 2025 to look like when I was growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s: I knew that in 2025 my enormous, airy and affordable apartment on the moon would be filled with friendly robots, holographic televisions and vertical vinyl. So it's nice to be proved right about one of those things, at least.

As the name suggests, the Miniot Wheel 3 is the third generation of Miniot's vertical vinyl player. And there's some clever tech to match the retro-futuristic design.

A turntable that looks wheely good

This isn't the only vertical turntable around: we've seen various models since the 1980s, and among the current crop you'll find Pro-Ject with its VTE vertical turntable and last year's Fuse Audio Kickstarter, which looked impressive.

But this is a much more premium model, with a price tag to match: it's listed at €2,900 / $3,443 / £2,550 / AU$5,351.

Miniot says that the stylus is optical. It's not a laser – it's a diamond stylus – but instead of using of magnets or coils to convert the vibrations the stylus reads into an audio signal, it uses an optical sensor.

The stylus is teamed with an optical sensor-controlled direct drive motor and an integrated preamplifier. There's a hidden tonearm beneath the record that moves vertically from bottom to center, and the Wheel 3 can be laid flat, hung on a wall or stood on its stand.

Although pre-orders began in May, I haven't been able to find any reviews of the Wheel 3 – but there are some reviews of the previous model on YouTube from the likes of Techmoan, who wasn't particularly enthusiastic or damning: it was an impressive bit of design and unlike anything else on the market, but audiophiles would likely get more mileage from something more traditional and affordable.

But then, you don't buy a record player like this for its sound. You buy it to blend in with the rest of your apartment on the moon.

The Miniot Wheel 3 is available now from miniot.com. US, Australian and UK orders are expected to ship in around 10 weeks.

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• Pro-Ject launches new valve-based pre-amps: one compact, one full size
• Replaceable valves and wide support for MM and MC turntables
• £240 and £529 respectively

Pro-Ject has announced two new phono pre-amplifiers, the Tube Box E and the Tube Box S3 B. Both products bring the warmth of valves to your turntable setup, and the very affordable Tube Box E would be a particularly good upgrade for vinyl fans on a budget.

The Tube Box E is based on the well-received Tube Box S2, and it's been made with more affordable components in order to drive the price down: where the Tube Box S2 is currently retailing for around £339 in the UK, the Tube Box E is £240 (about $325 / AU$500).

If you've invested in an affordable option among the best turntables but are now thinking maybe you'd like to start playing around with the sound – and, in particular, adding the warmth of tube amps into your system – this looks really tempting to me.

The Tube Box S3 B is a higher-specification pre-amp, but it's still relatively affordable at £529 (about $715 / AU$1,100).

Pro-Ject Tube Box E and Tube Box S3 B: key features

The Pro-Ject Tube Box E crams a fully discrete, dual mono design into its very compact case and comes with replaceable valves, which means you can swap them out to change the sonic characteristics or just renew them when they eventually wear out.

The Tube Box E supports a wide range of moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, with adjustable gain settings on the front of the unit and both capacitance and impedance tuning via dip-switches on the underside of the pre-amp.

Pro-Ject says the Tube Box E delivers "high-end qualities at an entry-level price", and given the name, I assume it's a perfect for the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 that I reviewed, or the newer Pro-Ject Juke Box E1.2 that was recently unveiled – both of which lack a built-in phono stage.

The more expensive, higher specification Tube Box S3 B is also valve-based, and once again the valves are replaceable. The Tube Box S3 B has a fully symmetrical and discrete gain stage, designed to be paired with a balanced-ready turntable via its 5-pin mini-XLR input.

It's larger than the Tube Box E, so all the adjustments are on the front panel, with gain adjustable from 40-65dB, multiple options for capacitance and impedance and the ability to connect two turntables at once: one unbalanced and one balanced, with the Tube Box S3 B remembering the settings for each and recalling them when you switch between them.

Both models are on sale in the UK from August 2025 – I'd expect a US launch to follow shortly after, based on Pro-Ject's recent history, with prices announced closer to the time (depending on current tariffs).

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• The Pro-Ject E.12 turntable costs £249.00 / €329.00
• No Bluetooth, no USB, no phono stage, no automatic operation
• The same core features as more expensive Pro-Ject turntables

Pro-Ject makes some of the best turntables around, and now there's a brand new affordable model designed for buyers on a budget. At just £249 / €329 (about $339) AU$515), it's a very low price for a serious turntable, although you'll need to provide your own phono stage (or an amp with a phono input), which might be a stumbling block for beginners, and perhaps one more cut than is ideal when it comes to features.

The claim is the Pro-Ject E1.2 gets rid of anything that isn't essential, whether that's Bluetooth, USB, any automatic operation, or the phono stage as I mentioned above. The focus is on taking the same core components as Pro-Ject's more expensive turntables and focusing just on the quality of sound-per-pound.

Pro-Ject E1.2 turntable: key features

As the name suggests, the E1.2 is an upgrade from the existing Pro-Ject E1 that I really liked in my Pro-Ject E1 review from last year. Its platter is now a 730g die-cast aluminium design with a built-in TPE damping ring, and according to Pro-Ject it delivers more stable rotation and better wow and flutter performance.

The sub-platter comes from the Pro-Ject Debut turntable and is made from glass-reinforced ABS for improved speed control and lower resonance.

The tonearm has a heavy-mass gimbal bearing for smooth movement, and it comes with a carbon-reinforced headshell and a Pick It MM E cartridge, which is a new, low-mass design with a conical diamond stylus and a miniature neodymium magnet. It's factory pre-aligned and apparently delivers precise tracking, smooth tonal balance and reduced distortion.

The E1.2 also has a single-button speed control for 33 and 45rpm, damping feet and OFC cables with gold-plated connectors.

The plinth is a solid, CNC-machined block of rigid composite fiber, and it's finished in a choice of high-gloss black, satin white or walnut.

The Pro-Ject E1.2 launches this month, July 2025. It's going to be a very tempting proposition when it comes to sound at this price, but there might be a bit of a disconnect between it being so affordable and it also not being especially beginner-friendly – we totally understand dropping the digital elements to keep the price down, but lacking a phono stage could trip up a lot of beginners.

Still, those getting back into vinyl might love this budget option, or maybe you're looking for a second turntable for another room – I'm sure it'll find its audience. And for those who do want something with a phono stage, Pro-Ject has a lot of options… in particular, the Pro-Ject E1 Phono might be what you need.

There's no word on a US or Australian launch yet, but it'll definitely be available in the UK this month.

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Avid Ingenium Plug&Play: two-minute review

The Avid Ingenium Plug&Play is a belt-driven unsuspended turntable and it’s the very smallest and simplest turntable that the company makes. This might sound surprising for a turntable with a price tag of £1,500 (about $2,500 / AU$2,500, where available) but it is a reflection of quite how far up the Avid range goes.

If you want to purchase the brand's flagship Acutus Reference Mono turntable, Nexus V2 arm and Ruby cartridge, you will need a not inconsequential £48,950 (or around $66,250 / AU$102,260, give or take) to do it. Judged by this metric, then, those aforementioned prices are indeed fairly entry level.

Most importantly, the Avid Ingenium Plug&Play is built around the same principles as the top-tier Acutus. Everything that Avid does is developed from the top down. The company begins by making the best example of something that they know how to make. When they want to make a more affordable version, they change the absolute minimum number of parts and design elements. Then, when a more affordable version still is required, this second level becomes the point from which development begins. By this process, the Acutus has become the Ingenium.

This process also means that the Ingenium is designed with different priorities to some of the best turntables at the price and it looks and feels different as well. Is the result exactly what you need in a turntable or do other approaches work better?

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Price & release date

The original Ingenium has been around for over a decade but it has changed a little in that time. Originally, it could be ordered with different cutouts from the factory that allowed you to choose different arms. You could also have one that had a longer chassis that allowed it to work with 12 inch arms. Not only that, if you were feeling really keen, you could order one where the chassis extended in both directions and could mount two arms at once. As someone who is the very definition of keen when it comes to turntables, I have owned a twin-armed Ingenium for many years as it is a fantastic piece of test equipment.

The Plug & Play was released in 2018 and quickly became the sole version of the Ingenium. By simplifying the versions, Avid could keep the price down and ensure that installing one is as simple as possible. Though there is only one version for sale, the company makes a series of upgrades that can be added at a later date, which we will cover as well.

As of May 2025, an Ingenium Plug & Play is £1,500 in the UK. In the US, the current liveliness around imports makes the price a little volatile but it appears to be around $2,500. In Australia, it is yours for AU$2,500.

This price is inclusive of everything you need to get up and running out of the box, with the exception of a phono stage. Avid does make these if you need and, as the Ingenium Plug & Play is fitted with a moving magnet cartridge, many owners will have a phono stage built into their existing electronics that will allow them to connect directly.

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Features

• Metal chassis built around a custom bearing
• Motor acts on subplatter with MDF or optional metal platter
• Upgradable power supply
• Arm and cartridge fitted

Every Avid turntable from the Acutus down is designed around the same principle. It is intended to dissipate energy away from the playing surface via the bearing. The chassis of the Ingenium Plug&Play takes the form of a two-piece cruciform with the longer section housing the bearing and tonearm mount, and the shorter crossbeam adding stability. The motor is not attached to the chassis; instead it sits in free space behind the main chassis member. The feet are pliant rubber and add some useful isolation from the outside world.

The bearing is hugely important to how the Ingenium works and considerable attention has, rightly, been lavished on it. It is set forward from the center of the chassis which means that you can see the entire assembly from the front. The bearing comprises a shaft, with the actual bearing itself sat at the top. A subplatter sits on top of this and this is what the belt acts on. On top of this, the platter is then fitted.

This platter is cork topped and used on other Avid turntables. As standard, it is made of MDF and feels pretty substantial but you can also order the Plug&Play with a metal platter. This looks very similar to the standard one but is much heavier and more inert. The upgraded platter comes with bolts that screw into the underside. These drop into holes in the subplatter to tighten up the relationship between the two. Order the metal platter at the same time as the Ingenium and it will cost you £350 ($475, AU$730 where sold) or you can order it later on for £450 ($610 / AU$940, where sold).

The Ingenium makes use of another Avid design feature in the form of a clamp. This screws down via a threaded spindle to physically press the record against that energy-dissipating bearing. This is another feature present on all Avid turntables and is absolutely integral to how they work.

As supplied, the Ingenium's motor plugs directly into the wall and simply has an on/off switch most of the way up the wire. Depending on how you place the Avid, this can make it hard to reach and it means that changing between 33 and 45 RPM is a matter of lifting the platter off and moving the belt from one motor pulley to another.

Both of these can be corrected by upgrading to the Electronic PSU. This allows for electronic speed control via a motor with a different pulley that allows two belts to be run at the same time. This is not a cheap upgrade – at £1,500 ($1,355 / AU$2,085 approx.) it’s the same price as the turntable itself and there is no saving to be had ordering it at the same time.

The arm that comes pre-fitted is something Avid calls the TA1. It is designed with a view to working with the supplied cartridge but will accept others that are content working with its fixed anti-skate system. It outputs via a captive lead and Avid has ensured that the VTA is correct out of the box. This arm is not expensive; it appears with the same cartridge on a turntable that costs £330 ($445 / AU$690, where sold) but it reflects Avid’s design priorities. Their argument is that, unless the turntable itself is correctly engineered, nothing else will be right. For some people, this price balance will seem somewhat lopsided but is a ratio that Avid employs on many of their turntables.

Should you wish to change it in future, any arm using the same mount and geometry should fit but this does not include either of the arms that Avid makes. Something that can also be done, though, is to change the stylus on the cartridge. By origin, this is an Audio Technica design called the AT-91 and it has sold in huge quantities. Roll your sleeves up and get online and you’ll find a variety of upgraded stylus options for it that simply slide on in place of the existing one and can offer substantially better performance.

• Features score: 4 / 5

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: sound quality

• Exceptionally cohesive and controlled performance
• Excellent bass; made even better with the upgrades
• Some limitations to fine detail
• Can be very good fun

Turntables are fascinating and slightly maddening things. They perform one job that has very few variables – at the most basic level, support a record and rotate it at 33 or 45 RPM, and yet, the performance they offer varies hugely. Put simply, every single design and engineering decision makes a difference to how the turntable performs. Done well, this manifests itself in how the information on the record is presented. The more capable the turntable, the better it avoids information on the record becoming congested and confused.

It doesn’t take very long listening to the Ingenium Plug&Play to realize that, at its fundamental core, it is incredibly capable. I’ve been using The Cinematic Orchestra’s Man with a Movie Camera as a piece of test material for years. The version of Burn Out used here is bigger and has a larger overall sense of scale than the original and, as the track builds, it can start to sound a little muddled. On the Avid, this simply doesn’t occur; it has the bandwidth and ability to keep everything sounding as it should. The Ingenium hangs together, even when a number of similarly priced rivals are beginning to struggle.

It also possesses extremely good bass and when I say, ‘good bass’ I mean more than straightforward low-end thudding. From the moment that lower midrange starts to become bass, there is a heft to it that is perfectly judged – weighty without tipping over into being dominating or overblown. It does rather justify Avid’s belief in the turntable itself as the final decider of the quality of playback. I have never heard anything else using a remotely similar arm and cartridge achieve the same level of sheer low-end tone and texture as what the Ingenium extracts from it.

There is more to be had from it. Avid supplied an example of the upgrade platter with my review sample and fitting this improves the bass response even further. Not only does the absolute extension improve but the texture and control to low notes improves even further. Rogues Gospel by Duke Garwood is an exceptionally natural recording, underpinned by surprisingly deep bass notes. With the metal platter present, the percussion is better defined against the mix and it starts and stops with greater precision.

Adding the external power supply (I also used the motor from my own Ingenium for this as it has the correct pulley and connecting cable) yields more performance. It might sound odd that changing the power feed for the motor has any effect on the performance but it’s important to remember that this is the only part of the turntable where electrical power is added – everything else is entirely passive. The power supply allows me to more easily listen to a 45RPM version of Peter Gabriel’s eponymous third album. The already orderly and spacious presentation takes a further step forward. Without losing the building urgency of Family Snapshot, the Avid is astonishingly capable.

There are some limits, though, that would need attention before spending £1,500 (approx. $1,355 / AU$2,085) on the power supply. The Avid extracts more from its cost-effective arm than you would ever credit but it will show its limitations. Compared with the arm and cartridge combination used regularly on my resident Ingenium (which I am compelled to admit costs more than the Plug&Play and the optional power supply combined), there is a loss of fine detail and tonal realism that is the absolute limiting factor to the Avid’s performance. As noted, changing the stylus would be a cost-effective means of starting to correct this, and there is a decent choice of arms that will bolt straight on that I would probably look at ahead of the power supply.

Crucially, though, you won’t need to rush to do this. In the time the Avid has been in situ, it’s been sharing a rack with more expensive, and notionally more capable, decks but I’ve never rushed to switch over from listening to it. What it does so effectively is balance attributes I have long associated with Avid turntables – a confidence and realism that is unaffected by the scale and complexity of the material being played, with the ability to be plain and simple good fun when you want it to be.

Playing the belated vinyl release of Superabundance by the Young Knives on the Ingenium is a neat demonstration of this. Even after a remaster, it’s not a great recording but the Plug&Play takes in its stride and will have you yelling along to the utterly nonsensical chorus of Terra Firma in fine style.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Design

• Simple, but attractive with it
• Superbly made
• Easy to set up
• No dust protection or cover of any kind

Avid is first and foremost an engineering company. They don’t really go in for ‘styling’ as it might be defined in the usual sense. There is absolutely nothing on the Ingenium Plug&Play that doesn’t need to be there for it to work. Despite this (or, partly because of it), I love it. The Avid doesn’t set out to be pretty but thanks to the absolute lack of frippery and adornment, it looks fantastic. You don’t need to know anything about vinyl to know it’s a very special thing.

It is also superbly made. Extracting the Avid from its box allows you to get a handle of the sheer heft of the metalwork and the precision involved in the construction. I won’t insult your intelligence by calling it cheap but I don’t know of many turntables at the price that feel anything like as substantial. It very effectively gives a little taste of just how incredibly well assembled the company’s more premium offerings are.

It also delivers on the name as well. It can be momentarily intimidating to see all the parts sat in the box when you open it but, thanks to a genuinely good set of instructions, the Avid is a pleasure to put together and should not be beyond even a complete novice. The quality and care of the execution is evident from the moment you start slotting the parts together and the whole process inspires confidence in what you're doing. Pay attention, avoid distractions and you should be spinning a record within 10 to 15 minutes of opening the box.

Something to remember when choosing an Ingenium Plug&Play is that as a 'skeleton' deck, the Avid has no dust or child protection as standard. This means that it is rather more vulnerable than some rivals to the outside world. Avid offers some covers, and other options are available, but this of course will come at an extra cost. I have generally kept an old record on my Ingenium's platter to help keep dust off the playing surface.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Value

There are two levels to judging the Plug&Play. Judged on what you get in the box for £1,500 (about $2,500 / AU$2,500, where available), it’s good but there are other turntables that can keep it honest, ones which also offer lids, electronic speed control and other niceties. The Ingenium is competitive and can hold its own but it doesn’t deliver a knockout blow.

The thing to consider, though, is that the Ingenium can be taken to places that almost nothing else for the price can. My twin-armed one has the upgrade platter and the power supply and uses arms that cost more than the Plug&Play does on its own. It’s still mechanically the same basic turntable as the review unit but it can deliver a level of performance far beyond what the basic unit is capable of.

If you know you are committing to vinyl for decades to come, this is a turntable that will grow with you. Viewed in this way, the Ingenium represents rather more impressive value.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Avid Ingenium Plug&Play?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Also consider

How I tested the Avid Ingenium Plug&Play

The Avid was parked on a Quadraspire rack and run both in out-of-the-box and upgraded forms, connected to a Cyrus Classic Phono phono stage, which outputted to a Cambridge Audio Edge A integrated amplifier and Kudos Titan 505 speakers. As the Cyrus has four inputs, it meant other turntables that live here all the time could be run alongside and everything played through my standard reference system.

All listening took place in a 3.5m x 4m lounge that I use as a listening space. As well as the listed recordings, I used a huge selection of records, ranging from very audiophile indeed to Boss Drum by The Shamen which, with the best will in the world, is not.

• First reviewed: June 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

• B&O has reclaimed and refurbished some of its 1985 Beogram turntables
• Only 100 are available, complete with matching Beolab 8 speakers
• It's the third Recreated Classics offering – but you'll need deep pockets

Want to invest in a new hi-fi system in a more eco-friendly way? Bang & Olufsen's got it covered. Meet the Beosystem 3000c, a music system that reintroduces the Beogram 3000 turntable from 1985. And for 2025, it has been recreated and paired with contemporary Beolab 8 stereo speakers in a coordinated 'Artisan Walnut' finish.

And it's far from B&O's first planet-conscious rodeo. This is the third release in Bang & Olufsen’s Recreated Classics series, an initiative dedicated to reviving the firm's most iconic products through reacquisition, restoration and reengineering.

It's something B&O has long been championing under its 'cradle to cradle' approach (read: everything that goes into a product should be both removable and reusable), as noted extensively in the company's modular Beosound Theater soundbar, and more recently with the launch of the Beosound A1 3rd Gen.

As with B&O's two previous Classic (re)releases – the 1996 vertical CD player I heard just over a year ago and the similarly reclaimed Beogram 4000c turntable initially made in the 1970s – this series is strictly limited; just 100 individually numbered sets are available. And they'll likely sell out just as quickly as the other offerings did. Oh, how I'd love one!

The name of the game is (and has always been) restoration, reengineering and aesthetic reinterpretation. With the Beosystem 3000c, the company explains that hand-crafted walnut and re-anodized aluminum are here to "unite past and present through original materials that have been preserved, cleaned, upgraded, and future-proofed" by Bang & Olufsen’s trusted team in Struer, Denmark.

B&O champions sustainability and I love it – but upcycled doesn't mean cheap

If you want to buy second-hand hi-fi for a song, check out the tips in our feature on how to buy quality pre-owned audio kit (written as part of Sustainability Week 2025, a mere month ago), because the Bang & Olufsen Beogram 3000c does not fall into the 'cheap and cheerful' category.

Make no mistake, on top of the solid walnut back cover and refreshed aluminum panels, there's a new dust lid – and all updated while retaining the floating silhouette and pioneering tangential tracking technology that made the 1985 model special.

Why so pricey? Well, it's hard to completely refurbish a turntable – arguably even harder than building one from scratch. Here for example, all the original aluminum components have been taken apart, pearl-blasted and brushed at Factory 5 in Struer, where each unit is meticulously refurbished by hand.

And completing the system here, you also get a set of Beolab 8 stereo speakers with matching walnut lamellas and pearl-blasted aluminum shells.

Ready for the delicate topic of coin then? Brace yourselves friends: the Beosystem 3000c is priced $30,000 / £22,100 / €26,000 (so around AU$4,640, before shipping and associated duties) and is available from today, May 27, 2025.

Nobody said sustainable living would be the cheaper option…

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• The Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 is high-density acrylic for reduced resonance
• Power housed in a breakout box to eliminate interference (and to stop it ruining the looks)
• $2,000 / £1,699 / €1,999 (about AU$3,488)

If you're looking for a great gift for The Invisible Man, Audio-Technica has just the thing: its new flagship turntable is (almost) completely transparent.

The new Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 is made from high-density transparent acrylic, and has a clear acrylic platter too. The internals such as the power supply unit are housed separately, and the result is a turntable that looks so good it's almost a shame to cover it up with a record.

The acrylic isn't just there to look good, though. Audio-Technica says it provides "exceptional" resonance control, leading to sound that's as clear as its plinth and platter.

Audio-Technica AT-LPA2: key features and pricing

The AT-LPA2 is a belt-drive turntable with an optical sensor immediately below the spindle to monitor and correct the platter rotation. Like most current turntables it's a two-speed model; you won't be able to play 78s on it if you're a collector of really old records.

The turntable has a newly designed carbon-fiber tonearm that features adjustable VTA, azimuth adjustment, a finely adjustable string-type anti-skate mechanism, and interchangeable counterweights (110g and 130g) for wide cartridge compatibility.

The cartridge is Audio-Technica's AT-OC9XEN dual moving coil, which features a nude elliptical stylus and high-purity PCOCC coils that Audio-Technica says delivers low distortion and excellent clarity.

The Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 is available now with an RRP of $2,000 / £1,699 / €1,999 (about AU$3,488).

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• I can't decide if Pro-Ject's new turntable with Charlie Brown's head on the platter is cute or creepy, but it's definitely a fun collector's edition

• Pro-Ject Peanuts turntable is based on the T1 BT
• Available from June 2025 for £579 (about $763 / AU$1,190)
• Built-in phono stage and Bluetooth transmission

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the very first Peanuts comic, and to mark it Pro-Ject has created a Peanuts-themed turntable with Charlie Brown on the acrylic record plate and music-inspired Peanuts panels on the turntable plinth. All you need to do is find an appropriate record to play on it, such as – ahem – Snoop-y Doggy Dogg.

Underneath the comic capers you'll find a belt-driven turntable based on Pro-Ject's excellent T1 BT turntables. That's the model with a built-in phono stage as well as Bluetooth transmission for transmitting to wireless speakers or headphones.

Pro-Ject Peanuts turntable: key features and price

The Pro-Ject Peanuts turntable is hand-made in Europe and features a precision CNC-machined chassis, and Pro-Ject's signature one-piece aluminum tonearm. It comes pre-fitted with an Ortofon OM 10 cartridge.

The Peanuts turntable is a limited-edition release and while it's based on the T1 BT there are a few changes – that acrylic record plate, for one, but there's also a newly designed sub-platter for the belt system. That's mounted into an ultra-precise 0.001mm main bearing with a hardened steel axle and brass bushing. The glass platter that sits beneath Charlie Brown's face is a heavy, zero-resonance design.

The turntable will be launched at High End Munich this week and will be available in June from Pro-Ject and authorized retailers. The official price is £579 / €599 (about $763 / AU$1,190)

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Some of the most-wanted vinyl releases aren't new records; they're remastered versions of old favorites. But those remasters might not sound as good as you hope even when played on the best turntables – and in some case they might actually sound worse than the originals.

Remastering – creating a new master copy of the record that's then copied to discs and/or digital – is commonplace because it's a great way for record companies to sell you a record all over again. And it's catnip for music fans, because it promises to take an album you already adore and make it even more magical.

With a lot of old music, remastering really does deliver a massive improvement, so for example it can give you the clarity and low-end thump that's often lacking from early rock records because not everyone making music or playback kit really knew what they were doing back then. But for some remasters, it might be wise to wait until others have taken the plunge before deciding if you want to sign up.

It's all about the loudness war. If you've heard of it, you've probably heard of it in the context of digital music: CD, and more recently digital files. It existed before digital, but it was more of a skirmish until digital formats entered the battlefield.

The loudness war is what you get when records are being made to sound as loud as possible on digital formats and low-quality speakers, even if that takes all the dynamics out of the performance. And while vinyl is an analog medium, not a digital one, that doesn't mean it can't be collateral damage.

1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a loudness war

In a fascinating post, Jeff from Magic of Analog, Vinyl, Digital and Spatial Sound sets out the issue: some vinyl releases have been made from master copies that were created for a digital release, and that can be a problem.

Making vinyl records is as much of an art as a science, and there are physical limits to what you can do – so for example, if the bass is boosted too much in the recording, when that translates into the etching on the record, the needle can move so much it bounces out of the groove on some turntables, particularly cheaper ones.

With digital, that's not a problem, so when the song's being mastered the bass can turned way up – and that's fine… unless you then use that digital master to make the vinyl version.

The key weapon in the loudness war is compression, which reduces the dynamic range of music. Dynamic range is the distance between the loudest bits and the quiet bits, and it's what makes music breathe; artists use dynamics to make their music more involving. To paraphrase Spinal Tap, if everything's turned up to 10, where do you go from there?

Compression can turn it up to eleven and keep it there.

Used judiciously, compression can make a song sound better, and more punchy. But too much of it can create a wall of volume, and that's something you hear every day: it's why ads on TV are so loud, because they're heavily compressed so they'll get your attention.

In music, if you overcook things too much you get Californication.

How to avoid catching Californication

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers released Californication in 1999, it sounded dreadful – and the band will almost admit that now. "When it comes on the radio you want it to be the loudest thing that comes on," drummer Chad Smith told SiriusXM about the "too hot" mastering.

Producer Rick Rubin got mastering expert Vlado Mello to achieve exactly that. The resulting album was indeed the loudest thing that came on the radio. But it also sounded distorted. "Audiophiles were getting upset about it," Smith admitted.

Audiophiles were right to be. What's mastered to sound massive on a cheap radio (or in a more modern sense, on tinny laptop or smartphone speakers) is not being mastered to sound good on a McIntosh system or even something as good as a pair of AirPods Pro 2, and when you listen to it on decent kit it can be positively painful, tedious and tiring.

There's a lot of music out there that's been given the loudness war treatment since its original release. Jeff uses Prince's Purple Rain as an example, comparing the waveforms of the CD master with the 2015 remaster. The former looks like a song with lots of dynamics, and sounds that way too: it ebbs and flows like rainfall. The latter is like being thrown off Niagara Falls.

Jeff says the same applies to some remastered records by Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour, Norah Jones and others – although some genres such as jazz, blues and classical are pretty safe for loudness pacifists.

What does this mean for vinyl buyers? The short answer is: it depends. There are some absolutely astonishing remasters out there – The Beatles' 2014 remasters are rightly regarded as masterpieces, pun fully intended – and remasters that are made specifically for vinyl are usually approached with respect rather than a desire to assault your eardrums unless, of course, that was the artists' intent.

The ones to watch out for aren't the audiophile editions, the reverent restorations. They're the cynical cash-ins made from masters that were only ever destined for digital. Know your enemy – and be careful out there.

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• Toshiba's wireless portable turntable is the Sound Burger of 2025 – just don't take it to beach parties
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• Toshiba has unveiled a new portable turntable for vinyl records
• Similar to the iconic Audio-Technica Sound Burger, it has a 10-hour battery
• Despite its portable design, we'd think twice about taking it to the beach

Bluetooth speakers are pretty much a necessity when it comes to a beach day or a summer day at the park, but have you ever wanted to flaunt your vinyl record collection in public? Well, Toshiba’s new portable turntable aims to answer that question.

Toshiba, though not renowned for producing the best turntables, has announced the Aurex AX-RP10, a new wireless vinyl record player expected to be released later this month designed for analog music fans who want to take advantage of their collection outside of their usual home audio set up. Pricing hasn’t been unveiled yet, though we can’t imagine it'll be long before that's out in the open too.

Though the Aurex AX-RP10 isn’t quite as pocket-friendly as other music playback devices (it's a lot bigger than the best digital audio players), it still packs a compact size of 160mm x 300mm that can be transported around in its dedicated storage bag. But how does it run you may ask? It’s quite simple; a built-in chargeable battery with a 10-hour battery life.

Let's be honest: Toshiba’s new portable turntable is strikingly similar to the iconic and re-released Audio Technica Sound Burger, which is a minor red flag in itself, given the original 1983 Sound Burger’s reported tendency to gradually scratch vinyl records over time (possibly not the Sound Burger's fault because I mean, if they're coming on road-trips with you, it's going to happen at some point). If this is the case for the Aurex AX-RP10 though, I worry for its longevity, and its audio quality likely won’t be enough to sway audiophiles.

Since the Aurex-RP10 lacks its own inbuilt speakers, there's a stereo mini audio jack for plugging in the best wired headphones or your more traditional sound system, but if you're out and about, the turntable’s Bluetooth connectivity means you can also hook it up to Bluetooth speakers or headphones (and invite a bit of compression).

I’m not saying ‘never’ when it comes to Toshiba’s answer to portable tangible music – I still think it would look great as part of a minimal audio setup, especially if you’re limited for space. Or perhaps you want to replicate a Pinterest-perfect image in your living space, something I’d be guilty of and I'm not sorry. But as far as its portability goes, the beach is the last place I’d take it; my vinyl collection is far too precious for sand.

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• The Audio-Technica Hotaru is a limited-edition turntable
• Magnetically suspended floating platter that lights up
• $9,999 (about £7,582 / AU$15,762), only 1,000 made

If you loved the idea of Brian Eno's neon turntable but couldn't quite stretch to the £20,000 / $20,000 price tag, Audio-Technica has some good news for you. Its magnetically levitating, music-sensing, illuminated Hotaru turntable is half the price.

If you want one you'll need to be quick: the reservation period runs until 30 May 2025 and there are just 1,000 turntables planned for production. You'll be expected to pay in August for an October delivery.

If you'd like to see the Hotaru in all its illuminated glory, there's a fun video on Audio-Technica's website here.

Audio-Technica Hotaru: key features

The Hotaru – it translates as "firefly" – has a magnetically suspended acrylic turntable whose floating structure isolates it from both internal and internal vibration.

And if it weren't visually striking enough, it also has built-in illumination with 20 different color effects and a choice of smooth gradients or more dynamic reactions to the music.

Audio-Technica promises that you'll love to listen to the Hotaru as well as look at it. It claims "shimmering highs and mids interwoven with deep, resonant bass" – as you'd hope, for $10k.

I'm not expecting us to get this in for review or for it to hit our best turntables guide, much as I'd love to test it myself; this will surely have sold out before it ever hits the streets. I certainly wouldn't blame anyone who wants to grab this cool slice of Audio-Technica history as part of they audio collection.

If you do fancy getting your hands on one, you'll need to register your interest on the Hotaru website. But if your budget is more modest, Lenco in the UK will happily sell you a light-up turntable for £169 (about $223 / AU$351).

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• AT-LP60XBT is AT's best-selling turntable – now in limited-edition gold
• The 'limited units' are only available in the US, at bricks-and-mortar stores
• It costs $199 – head to your local record store to see the AT-LP60XBT-GD

Just look at this turntable. And for $199, I really (really) want it. Is it actual gold (gold)? Almost certainly not. But you've got the power to know, you're indestructible, and always believing…

Upon receiving a press release with the headline 'Audio-Technica Celebrates Record Store Day with GOLD AT-LP60XBT,' I expected a product with an extravagant four-figure price tag at least – I'd even cued up one of our 'Money no object' badges to adorn the image. But no, not a bit of it.

What's happened is that ahead of Record Store Day (which falls this Saturday, April 12), Audio-Technica has released of a gold-finish version of its top best-selling turntable, the AT-LP60XBT. And for some reason, the deck is priced just $199, i.e., practically the same asking fee as the non-gold variants.

A quick bit on the deck? Of course. It was originally released in February 2019 (so a relative babe in arms, as turntables go) and as well as being a fully automatic belt-driven vinyl spinner, it offers Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX transmission – so you can send the analog music spinning on your platter to your wireless headphones or Bluetooth speakers. Simply put 'em into pairing mode and press the button on the corner of the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT's plinth. Neat, no?

Back to the GD-suffixed version (the model we'll both be after is the AT-LP60XBT-GD – I know, we must write it down) and Audio-Technica warns me it is available in "limited units" at independent brick and mortar stores across the US only.

Audio-Technica encourages customers to head to their local record store this week to check out the AT-LP60XBT-GD and support local – and I do too, provided I've managed to bag mine in good time…

Oh but I'm proud of you, but I'm proud of you

Nothing left to make you feel small. Luck has left you standing so tall… (you bought) Gold!

Sorry, I remember Spandau Ballet. And you know what else I remember? When radio ads and TV commercials used to carefully annunciate the correct interstate exit for a store on big event days, as well as the sales prices – because you couldn't find that information online, much less acquire any items without physically going there.

And that's kind of what Record Store Day is about, isn't it? Heading out to a local store, to try to buy something you certainly can't get otherwise. And all of that aside, this is a best-selling deck (that I've used and loved), now in a gloriously 1970s finish, for entry-level money.

Want to browse the limited-edition Record Store Day LPs and CDs for 2025? See our RSD hub for a full list and our pick of the albums you should be buying – but if you're looking for more record players or accessories, Pro-Ject's released a new fully automatic turntable and also a vinyl flattener to add to your cart on the big day.

Whatever you pick up on Record Store Day 2025, enjoy it, and enjoy the music.

You may also like

• See our roundup of the best turntables you can buy now
• Just getting into vinyl? Here are 3 great beginner turntable systems
• See also: Pro-Ject's complete vinyl system with amp and speakers

• Over 300 exclusive records including 7", LP and CD
• Every conceivable genre of music
• Some releases are extremely limited – so be ready!

It's the most wonderful time of the year if you're mad about music: Record Store Day 2025 is just seven sweet days away at the time of publishing (this year, it falls on Saturday, April 12), and it promises amazing obscurities and big records in new forms. This year even features Taylor Swift with an exclusive 7" white vinyl of Fortnight.

As ever RSD 2025 is a mixed bag, so some records are treasure and others are, well, nearer trash. And it's not just limited-edition LPs and CDs either, Pro-Ject's released a new fully automatic turntable and even a vinyl flattener to tempt you on the big day…

Back to the vinyl at hand though and among the cash grabs and the long-lost tracks that are perhaps best left there, there are lots of genuinely great records in this year's list.

I'm going to pick out a few records that I think rock, pop and indie fans will love, but of course taste in music is subjective, so if these don't float your musical boat I'd urge you to check out the RSD website or the full list of releases at the foot of this article. With over 300 records spanning a range from A Day To Remember to Warren Zevon there really is something for everyone.

My top RSD 2025 picks

The Cure, The Head on the Door

The Cure's US breakthrough album includes several slices of sheer pop perfection: many bands spend their entire career trying and failing to write something as incredible as Inbetween Days or Close To Me, and Robert Smith put them both on the same record. As fun as the shiny pop songs are – and they're a lot of fun – this is a Cure album so of course there's plenty of darkness too. The RSD 2025 edition is a gorgeous picture disc remastered by Robert Smith himself.

Pete Shelley - Yesterday Is Not Here: Radio Sessions 1979-1983

I've just finished writing a book in which Pete Shelley is one of the stars: the Buzzcocks singer and subsequent solo artist was a huge influence on so many of my musical heroes (and most likely many of yours too), and this is a fascinating collection of radio sessions spanning the spiky guitar pop of Buzzcocks and the synth-pop of his Homosapien and XL-1 albums. There are three radio sessions collected here: one from Manchester's Piccadilly Radio in 1979 when Shelley was still one of Buzzcocks, and two solo sessions from Radio One in 1981 and 1983.

Life Without Buildings, Live at the Annandale Hotel

In my hometown of Glasgow in Scotland, and among Pitchfork readers worldwide, Life Without Buildings are one of those bands that people speak of in hushed tones: they made one great album, played a handful of great gigs, and then called it a day. This live album, recorded in Sydney in 2001 without the band's knowledge but released with their blessing, shows exactly why Pitchfork rated their Any Other City as one of the best albums of the 2000s. It comes with new artwork by singer Sue Tompkins and is in a rather lovely red vinyl.

Passengers - Original Soundtracks 1 (30th Anniversary Remastered Edition)

This U2 side project – wait! Come back! – with Brian Eno is a collection of songs "inspired by imaginary films" and yes, that sounds about as welcome as having an unsolicited U2 album appear on your iPod. But this is one of the most interesting records in U2's long career and Eno is an equal partner rather than in his usual producer role. There's some real beauty here: Your Blue Room is lovely, and you'd need a heart of stone not to love Pavarotti's gorgeous vocal in Miss Sarajevo.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart

This lush, country-tinged combination of two very distinctive and very different artists produced two superb albums: the Mercury Music Prize-shortlisted Ballad of the Broken Seas, and Sunday at Devil Dirt. This six-song selection, available for the first time on vinyl, featured the brand new title track as well as five songs from the Devil Dirt sessions that the duo felt were too good not to share. DIY magazine called the title track "restrained magic".

Record Store Day 2025: the full list

Looking for the full list for Record Store Day 2025? You can find it below – although you may find it easier to download the RSD 2025 List in pdf form. Why? There are literally hundreds of albums to sift through here, including cassettes and CDs alongside vinyl – and we can only list them in brief.

But if you want to stick with us, click the 'read more' button and use the alphabetical ordering to see what's being made available from your favorite artist's oueuvre...

13th Floor Elevators, The Live Houston Music Theatre '67 Charly Records / International Artists (2LP Black)

A Day To Remember Attack Of The Killer B-Sides Craft Recordings 10"

A Tribe Called Quest The Low End Theory Sony Legacy 2xLP

a-ha Hunting High and Low – The 1984 demos Rhino / Warner Records LP

Adam Ant Prince Charming Sony CMG LP

Adicts, The Rockers into Orbit Fall Out Records 2xLP

Air MOON SAFARI - LIVE & DEMOS Warner Music France 12"

Alan Parsons Project, The I Robot (Work In Progress) Cooking Vinyl LP

Alberto Baldan Bembo OST:Nuda per Satana OST SAAR LP

Alcatrazz All Night Long In Japan 2019 Silver Lining Music 2XLP

Alessandroni E Il Suo Complesso L'Ora Del Cocktail Far Out Recordings LP

Alex Chilton Set Bar/None Records 12"

Alison Moyet Hometime Cooking Vinyl 1LP (Gold Vinyl, Numbered)

Amorphous Androgynous, The Alice In Ultraland FSOL Digital 2XLP

Anderson .Paak Come Down - Single Steel Wool / OBE / Art Club / EMPIRE 7"

Antony Szmierek Service Station At The End Of The Universe Mushroom Music / Virgin Music Group LP

Archie Shepp and The Full Moon Ensemble The Complete Live in Antibes L.M.L.R. 2XLP

Archive Show Me Heaven EP Dangervisit 10''

Art of Noise Impressions of For+ever—&The Making of Moments in Love UMR/ZTT 1LP Red

Avicii Ryu / Strutnut Vicious 12"

Barbara Moore A Little Moore Barbara Morgan Blue Town LP

Bartley, Charlene Weekend Of A Private Secretary, The Poppydisc LP

Beabadoobee Live & Acoustic In London Dirty Hit 12”

Belly King (30th Anniversary Edition) 4AD LP (Green Vinyl)

Bill Evans Further Ahead: Live in Finland 1964-1969 Elemental Music 2LP

Black Roots Roots NUBIAN/REAL ROCK LP

Black Sabbath The Eternal Idol BMG LP

Black Spiders Volume 2 Dark Riders LP

Black Stone Cherry This is Black Stone Cherry's RSD album. The band really likes it. Mascot Records LP

Blancmange Everything is Connected Too London Records LP

Bloc Party Little Thoughts EP [PIAS] Recordings LP

Blue Cheer Junk Flatiron Recordings LP

Bluey Burger Dog / Bluey Theme Tune (Burger Dog Version) 7" picture disc (RSD 2025) Demon Records 7"

Blur The Magic Whip Parlophone LP

Bobby Charles Rarities Rhino LP

Boomtown Rats, The Dawn of the Rats: B-Sides Demos And Live 1975-1979 UMR/Mercury 1LP Green

Boys Wonder Be Reasonable… Scared Hitless 10"

Brad Fiedel The Serpent & the Rainbow Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Varese Sarabande 2XLP

Brooklyn People Peace and Love / Wreck Selector Series 7"

Bryan Adams feat Tina Turner It’s Only Love Bad Records 7”

Budy-Maglione CANNIBAL FEROX - original motion picture soundtrack

Bun B Return of the Trill II Trill Enterprises / Double Dose Entertainment / EMPIRE 2XLP

Camper Van Beethoven Telephone Free Landslide Victory Cooking Vinyl 1LP (Clear + Orange Marbled Vinyl)

Carla Thomas Sweet Sweetheart Craft Recordings LP Translucent Blue

Celia Cruz & Willie Colón Only They Could Have Made This Album Craft Recordings LP

Charlatans, The The Only One I Know Beggars Banquet 12"

Charlatans, The Wonderland (Deluxe) UMR/Island 2LP (Red & White)

Charles Mingus In Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts Resonance 3XLP

Charles Mingus Mingus At Monterey Candid 2XLP

Charli XCX Number One Angel Atlantic LP Red Vinyl

Charli XCX & Billie Eilish Guess featuring billie Eilish Atlantic 7" Black Vinyl

Charlie Byrd Jazz 'n' Samba Jazz Rewind LP

Charlie Parker Parker's Mood Anytime Jazz LP

Chicane Trampolines (Extended) Modena Records 2XLP

CHVRCHES Every Open Eye (10 Year Anniversary Special Version) UMR/EMI 2LP Translucent Blue Vinyl

Cimarons, The On The Rock Lantern Rec. LP

Cissy Houston Legacy Janus 2XLP

Clarence White Melodies from a Byrd in Flyte 1963-1973 Liberation Hall LP

Colourfield, The Virgins & Philistines [40th Anniversary Edition] Chrysalis Records 2XLP

Confidence Man 4AM (LA LA LA) Chaos 12" Magenta Coloured vinyl

Cop Shoot Cop Consumer Revolt Big Cat (UK) Records LP

Coral, The B Sides Vol.1 Sony CMG 2XLP Record Store Day List 2025

Count Basie Best Of The Roulette Years Rhino LP Green Vinyl

Cowboy Junkies More Acoustic Junk Cooking Vinyl LP (Yellow Vinyl)

Creation Rebel Independent Man/ Creation Rebel Lantern Rec. 12"

Creeping Jean The Clothes Shop 7" Mature Charlton Records / Townsend Music Ltd 7" Single (Orange Vinyl)

Cure, The Alone (Four Tet Remix) Polydor/Fiction 12”

Cure, The The Head On The Door UMR/Fiction 1LP Picture Disc

Cypress Hill Live At The Fillmore Sony Legacy 2XLP

Dada Puzzle (limited Strawberry with Black Swirl Vinyl Edition) Real Gone Music 2XLP

Dana Gillespie Box of Surprises UMR/Decca 1LP

Dannii Minogue Neon Nights Remixed London Records LP

Dark Globe ft. Boy George MIND YOUR OWN EXISTENCE VIOLENT DRUM RECORDINGS 12''

Dave Clarke Devils Advocate Skint LP

Dave Stewart Dave Does Dylan Surfdog Records LP

David "Fathead Newman *Ellis Marsalis * Cornell Dupree Return to the Wide Open Spaces SteadyBoy Records 2XLP

David Bowie Ready, Set, Go! (Live, Riverside Studios '03) Parlophone 2XLP

David Gilmour Between Two Points Remixes 12"

David Sylvian Camphor II UMR/Virgin 2LP Translucent White

De La Soul Bigger / Respect Sanctuary 2X7''

Dead Or Alive You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Version 1) Music On Vinyl 12"

Dead Or Alive You Spin Me Round (Like A Record) (Version 2) Music On Vinyl 12”

Dead Or Alive Youthquake Remixes (140g Translucent Blue vinyl)

Dead Sara Ain't It Tragic Warner Records LP

Declan O'Rourke Kyabram with Kisses XX Maiesta Music LP

Deep Dish George is On Armada Music 2XLP

Deicide Once Upon the Cross (Limited 30th Anniversary “Autobots” Vinyl Edition) Real Gone Music LP

Dennis Ferrer The World As I See It King Street Sounds 2LP - Sky Blue Transparent Vinyl -gatefold sleeve

Dictators, The D.F.F.D. Mainman Records LP

Dinosaur Jr Guess I'll Crawl (Live In Santa Monica) Cherry Red Records 12"

Diplomats of Soul Soul Spaces Expansion LP

Doc Pomus The Elvis Demos Omnivore 2XLP Orange Vinyl

Doctor Who The Tenth Planet (140g White and Silver vinyl) Demon Records 2XLP

Dokken Broken Bones Silver Lining Music 12"

Dokken Beast from the East BMG 2XLP

Dolores O'Riordan No Baggage BMG LP

Don Cherry Orient Charly Records / BYG Records 2XLP

Don Toliver Heaven or Hell (Chopnoslop Remix) [5th Anniversary Edition] Warner Records LP

Doors, The Strange Days 1967 – A Work In Progress Rhino LP

Doves Cally/Lean Into The Wind EMI North 10" Red

Dreadzone Second Light UMR/Virgin 2LP (Orange & Blue)

Dream Syndicate, The Sketches for Out of the Grey Fire America LP

DRIFT Working on Me + Papaya Animal 63 10"

Duran Duran Danse Macabre: De Luxe Bonus LP BMG LP

Dusty Springfield Reputation Rhino LP

Dwarves, The Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows Greedy Media LP

Elton John Live from the Rainbow Theatre with Ray Cooper UMR/EMI 1LP Black

Emika Frames Emika Records 12"

Emmylou Harris Spyboy New West Records 2XLP

English Teacher R&B NICE SWAN RECORDS 7"

Epic Soundtracks Theres A Light Glass Modern LP

Eurythmics Be Yourself Tonight Sony Legacy LP

Everything Everything Get To Heaven (The B-Sides) Music On Vinyl 12"

Fall, The Country On The Click (The Complete Collector's Edition) Cherry Red Records 12"

Far Out Monster Disco Orchestra Black Sun (Joaquin Joe Claussell Sacred Rhythm Remixes) Far Out Recordings 12"

Fatboy Slim Ya Mama Skint 12"

Feet CAN'T GET IN/CHANGING MY MIND AGAIN SUBMARINE CAT RECORDS 7''

Fields of the Nephilim Fallen Jungle Records 2XLP

Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac Rhino / Warner Records LP

Flying Lotus Spirit Box Warp Records LP

Fo’ Clips Eclipse Just Be Thankful B/ W Can You Feel Me Dangerous Records 7"

Frank Turner Positive Songs For Negative People (10th Anniversary Edition) UMR/Polydor 2LP (Red & Blue)

Frankie and the Witch Fingers Live at KEXP The Reverberation Appreciation Society / Greenway Records 12"

Freddie Hubbard On Fire: Live from the Blue Morocco Resonance 3XLP

Free Nationals Free Nationals (Instrumentals) OBE, LLC / EMPIRE 2XLP

Fruit Bats / Anaïs Mitchell As I Rise b/w Grace Cathedral Hill Kill Rock Stars 7"

Fugs, The First Album Olufsen Records 2XLP

Futureheads, The RANT (RSD 2025 COLOURED VINYL REPRESS) NUL RECORDS Standard weight black + orange splatter vinyl + bonus 7”

Gato Barbieri Standards Lost and Found 2 Red Records 2LP

Gazelle Twin Shadow Dogs Invada Records LP

Gazelle Twin Black Cab (Original Soundtrack) Invada Records LP

Geddy Lee The Lost Demos Rhino LP

George Harrison All Things Must Pass Dark Horse 3XLP

Gerry Mulligan Nocturne Red Records 2XLP

Gerry Mulligan and Thelonious Monk Mulligan Meets Monk (MONO) Craft Recordings LP

Gil Scott-Heron Moving Target Culture Factory USA, Inc. LP

Gilad Atzmon, Maja Babyszka & Nikos Sidirokastritis In Memory Of That Song Aesthetiko LP

Girlschool Hit and Run - Revisited Silver Lining Music 12"

Gloria Jones Vixen Rhino LP

Gloria Jones Tainted Love / My Bad Boy's Comin' Home Champion Records 7"

Goat & Graveyard a ship of fools/light as a feather Rocket Recordings 7''

Goblin OST:L'altro Inferno/The other Hell AMS LP

Golden Dawn, The Power Plant Charly Records / International Artists LP

Golden Earring The N.E.W.S. Sessions Music On Vinyl 2LP

Good Neighbours Live at the Village Underground Polydor 1LP

Gorillaz Demon Days Live From the Apollo Theater Parlophone 2XLP

Gotan Project INSPIRACIÓN ESPIRACIÓN (20TH ANNIVERSARY) ¡YA BASTA! RECORDS Black LP

Gracie Abrams Live From Radio City Music Hall Interscope 2LP

Grand Slam Whiskey In The Jar / TBC Silver Lining Music 12" /Picture Disc

Grateful Dead On A Porch - Vol 1 Rhino LP

Grateful Dead Beacon Theatre, New York, NY 6/14/76 Rhino 5xLP

Griff Live From Alexandra Palace Warner Records 140g LP coloured vinyl

Gunna Wunna Rhino 2xLP

Half Japanese Fire in the Sky Fire America LP

Harvey Mandel The Snake Culture Factory USA, Inc. LP

Heads, The Still Under Sided ROOSTER 2XLP

Heronimus Fin This Place Has Changed Garden Records LP

High Anxiety OST High Anxiety - Original Soundtrack / Mel Brooks' Greatest Hits Featuring The Fabulous Film Scores Of John Morris Rhino LP yellow in Red Vinyl

High Fade Life’s Too Fast RPM Records LP

Hindu Love Gods Hindu Love Gods Rhino LP

Hives, The Tyrannosaurus Hives UMR/Polydor 1LP (Gold & White)

Holly Johnson HOLLELUJAH PLEASURE DOME Limited edition yellow (Golden Shower) vinyl.

House of Love The House Of Love Cherry Red Records 12"

Howe Gelb The Listener Fire America LP

Ian North / John Howard All The Young Droids: Junk Shop Sampler SCHOOL DAZE / Night School 7"

Ice - T Power Rarities Rhino LP

Idris Ackamoor, Rhodessa Jones, Danny Glover ARTISTIC BEING STRUT RECORDS 2XLP

Indian Ocean School Bell / Tree House Sleeping Bag Records 12"

Inn House Crew, The Afrodiziac Room In The Sky LP

Islandman Bahar EP + Bonus Tracks MUSIC FOR DREAMS Black 180g LP

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan Keep Me In Mind Sweetheart Cooking Vinyl EP (180g Black Vinyl)

Ist Ist Live from New Century Kind Violence Records 12"

Jackie DeShannon Love Forever — Demo Recordings 1966-1967 Real Gone Music LP

James Blunt Back To Bedlam: The Demo's Atlantic Records 1LP

James Moody Running the Gamut Reel Music LP

Jamie T Carry On The Grudge UMR/Polydor 1LP Colour

Jamiroquai Funk Odyssey Sony Legacy 2xLP

Jane Weaver Univers (French Version/MEMORIALS Remix) Fire 500 7"

Jayhawks, The Blue Earth Rhino LP + 7"

Jeff Bridges Slow Magic, 1977-1978 Light In The Attic LP

Jesus & The Mary Chain, The > 45s > 84 > 85 < Rhino LP

Jesus Lizard, The Flux Ipecac Recordings 12"

Jet Get Born (Rarities) Rhino LP

Jethro Tull Songs From The Vault Rhino LP

Jim Fry and Luke Haines Test Driving The New Prius Glass Modern LP

JJ Grey and Mofro Orange Blossoms Alligator Records 2XLP

Joe Claussell feat. Daymé Arocena / Gilles Peterson's Havana Cultura Band Brownswood Remix Editions 005 BROWNSWOOD RECORDINGS 12"

Joe Smooth Promised Land Armada Music LP

Joey Valence & Brae Good Songs by JVB (RSD25 EX) JVB Records LP

John & Yoko Ono, The Plastic Ono Band, Elephant's Memory Power To The People - Live at the One To One Concert, New York City, 1972 UMR / MERCURY 12" Yellow

John Legend Get Lifted Sony Legacy LP

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers Plays John Mayall (Live)-60th Anniversary Edition Decca LP Red & Black Marble

John Williams Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (OST) Rhino Atlantic 2XLP

John Williams Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (OST) Rhino Atlantic 2XLP

John Williams Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (OST) Rhino Atlantic 2XLP

Johnny Marr Look Out Live! New Voodoo / BMG LP

Joni Mitchell US Tour Live 1976 Rhino 3XLP Blue Jay Colour Vinyl

Judas Priest Live in Atlanta '82 Sony CMG 2XLP

K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas K. Frimpong & His Cubano Fiestas Soundway Records LP

Kaleo All The Pretty Girls EP Warner Records 12" Raspberry Marble Vinyl

Kasabian Kasabian Sony Legacy 2xLP

Katherine Priddy Live at Union Chapel Cooking Vinyl 2LP (Purple vinyl with etching on side D)

Keane Live From Mexico City 2024 UMR/Island 1LP (Green and White splatter vinyl)

Keith Richards & The XPensive Winos Live 3.10.22 BMG LP

Kelela In The Blue Light Warp Records LP

Kenny Dorham Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live from the Blue Morocco Resonance 2XLP

Kim Wilde Closer - The Exclusive RSD Mixes Cherry Red Records 10"

Kinky Roland & Boy George You're Not the One Househead London 12”

Kitty Winter Gipsy Nova Feel It PANORAMA LP

Klaus Doldinger & Giorgio Moroder Never Ending Story OST Rhino LP Starlight Vinyl

Laufey A Night At The Symphony: Hollywood Bowl AWAL 2XLP

Laura Nyro Angel In The Dark New Land LP

Laurence Jones Feat. Rory Gallagher Laurence Jones Feat. Rory Gallagher Eva Magical Music Sounds 12"

Lemonheads, The Lemonheads in Dreamland Fire Records LP

Levitation Room Minds Of Our Own Greenway Records 12"

Liam Gallagher Acoustic Sessions Warner Records LP Silver & Blue Vinyl

Lianne La Havas Is Your Love Big Enough Warner Records LP Pink & Blue Vinyl

Life Without Buildings Live at the Annandale Hotel Rough Trade Records LP (Red Vinyl)

Lil Uzi Vert "Eternal Atake (Deluxe) / LUV vs. The World 2 (5th Anniversary Edition) Warner Records 3XLP

Liminanas, The Extra Faded Because LP

Liminanas, The & David Menke Les règles de l'art (OST) Because LP

Linda Waterfall My Heart Sings Deja Vu Kid LP

Lisa Germano Geek The Girl (30th Anniversary Special Edition) 4AD 2LP (Crystal Clear Vinyl)

Logic / Quentin Harris Strictly Tuff Jam Strictly Rhythm 12"

Los Jaivas Alturas de Macchu Picchu The state51 Conspiracy LP

Lou Reed Metal Machine Music Sony Legacy 2XLP

Madness Take Cover! West Village Music Management LP - Red Translucent

Magma Slag tanz Music On Vinyl 12"

MaL Primal Dub 2 Reach the Beach Records LP

Marianne Faithfull Burning Moonlight Decca 12" Black

Mark Knopfler One Take Radio Sessions UMR/EMI 1LP Black

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Space Junk Snakefarm 2XLP

Matching Mole Matching Mole's Little Red Record Music On Vinyl 2LP

Mayhem Live In Ski Peaceville 12"

Megan Thee Stallion Traumazine Warner Records 2XLP

Melanie C Reason UMR/Virgin LP

Melys Second Wind Recordiau Sylem Records LP

MEMORIALS Another Waterslide/ Memorial Bells Fire 500 7"

Men They Couldn’t Hang, The The Cherry Red Jukebox Vinyl Star Records LP

Michael Chapman Who’s This Yorkshire Guy? (Live In Brighton, 2015) Earth Recordings LP

Michael Kiwanuka Floating Parade Polydor 7"

Mike Bloomfield Guitar King! (The Norman Dayron Sessions) Reel Music LP

Miles Davis Quintet At The Kurhaus Unique Jazz LP

Mission, The Neverland (30th Anniversary Edition) (140g Translucent Red and Translucent Yellow vinyl) (RSD 2025) Demon Records 2XLP

Mitch & Ira Yuspeth 7 DOORS OF DEATH - original motion picture soundtrack Grindhouse Releasing LP

MJ Lenderman And The Wind (Live and Loose!) Anti Transparent Sea Blue 2LP

Modern Eon B+ B Sides + Additional Tracks Lantern Rec. LP Clear

Mojo Men, The Dance With Me: The Autumn Singles - produced by Sly Stone Reel Music LP

Monaco I've Got A Feeling Music On Vinyl 12"

Moody Blues Boulevard de Madeleine - The Denny Cordell sessions 1966 Esoteric Recordings 12"

Morbid Angel Domination Earache Records LP

Morcheeba WE LIVE AND DIE / PEACE OF ME 100% Records 7"

Morphine Bootleg Detroit Rhino LP

Motley Crue Smokin' In The Boys Room / Home Sweet Home - 40th Anniversary BMG LP

Motorhead The Lost Tapes Vol.6 (Live In Berlin 1992) BMG 2XLP

My Ruin Speak & Destroy Madfish 2XLP

National Health National Health Charly Records LP

Neil Finn Sessions at West 54th Street Sony Legacy 2XLP

Nektar Remember the Future (50th anniversary remix) Esoteric Recordings 12"

Nemmzzz DND Nemmzzz LP

Neurotic Outsiders Neurotic Outsiders Rhino 2XLP

Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets Outdoor Safari Yep Roc Records LP

Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets Echoes (Live) Sony CMG 12"

Oasis Time Flies… 1994 - 2009 Big Brother Recordings LP

Olivia Dean With love Capitol 10"

Omar Apollo, Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Te Maldigo (From Queer) Warner Records 7"

OMD Peel Sessions 1979-1983 UMR/Virgin 1LP Black

One Self Visions King Dada Sounds 12"

OST / London Music Works OST: Stranger Things Silva Screen 7"

OST / London Music Works OST: Succession Silva Screen 7"

OST / Nathan Klein & Finn Keane

OST: Ludwig Silva Screen LP

Pa Salieu African Alien Warner Records LP

Pale Saints Slow Buildings (30th Anniversary Re:Masters) 4AD 2LP (Petrol Blue Vinyl)

Panda Bear & Cass McCombs Venom's In Domino Record Co 7"

Passengers Original Soundtracks 1 (30th Anniversary Remastered Edition) UMR/Island 2LP Recycled Black Vinyl

Patrick Doyle Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (OST) Rhino Warner 2XLP

Patsy Cline Imagine That: The Lost Recordings 1954-1963 Deep Digs / Elemental Music 2LP

Paul Hardcastle Paul Hardcastle [40th Anniversary Edition] Chrysalis Records LP

Pete Droge Necktie Second Deluxe Puzzle Tree Records 2XLP

Pete Shelley Yesterday Is Not Here: Radio Sessions 1979 - 1983 Domino Record Co LP

Peter Gabriel OVO – Half Speed Master Real World Records / Virgin Music 2LP one disc blue, one disc orange

Peter Tosh Greatest Hits Rhino LP

Pharoah Sanders Iziohi Zam (My Gifts) Strata-East/Mack Avenue LP

Phil Pratt Star Wars Dub Burning Sounds LP

Pixies Bossanova / Trompe Le Monde Live (140g Ice Blue vinyl) (RSD 2025) Demon Records 2XLP

Poly Styrene Flower Aeroplane Secret Records LP

POND The Early Years: 2008 - 2010 Spinning Top Records 2XLP

Positive Express Changin' Times Victory Records LP

Post Malone Post Malone Tribute to Nirvana Republic LP Yellow

Prince Live At Glam Slam Rhino / Warner Records 3XLP

Prince Jazzbo Black Heart Man - Bushay Collection 1974 - 1979 Lantern Rec. LP

Propaganda p:Machinery – the αlpha:βeta definition UMR/ZTT 1LP Crystal Clear

Public Image Ltd Public Image - First Issue (Alternative US mix) UMR/EMI 1LP Black

Queen De Lane Lea Demos USM/EMI LP

Rachel Chinouriri Better Off Without EP Parlophone 10"

Rage Against The Machine Live on Tour 1993 Sony Legacy LP

Rain Parade Crashing Dream Revisited (Deluxe) Label 51 2XLP

Ramones Loco Live Rhino 2XLP

Rembrandts, The The Rembrandts Omnivore 2XLP

Replacements, The Tim Rhino 2XLP

Residents, The Leftovers Again Volume 3 Cherry Red Records 12"

Richard Last Group OST:Get Ready AMS LP

Rise Against Nod (7" Single) Loma Vista Recordings 7"

Rival Consoles How l Erased Tapes LP

Robert Hunter Tiger Rose (Rarities) Rhino LP

Rock Workshop Rock Workshop Bonfire LP

Rocket from the Tombs The Day the Earth met the Rocket from the Tombs Fire Records 2XLP

Roger Waters The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux (Live) Cooking Vinyl 1LP (Neon Pink Vinyl)

Rolling Stones, The Out of Our Heads (US version) UMR/ABKCO 1LP Clear Vinyl

Ronnie Wood Live at Electric Ladyland BMG LP

Royal House Can You Party? Idlers LP

Royal Trux Provenance: The Demo Tape (1988) Fire Records LP

Royel Otis Nashville Sessions Island EMI 10" Bone

Ry Cooder The Main Point - Live 1972 Rhino LP

Sabrina Malheiros Equilibria Far Out Recordings LP

Sad Lovers & Giants Singles collection 1981-1983 Lantern Rec. LP Clear

Saints, The Paralytic Tonight, Dublin Tomorrow The Saints Music LP

Sam & Dave Soul Study: The Nashville Sessions Reel Music 2XLP

Sam Fender Me and The Dog EP Polydor 12"

Sam Smith BBC Proms At The Royal Albert Hall Capitol 2LP Black

Savoy Brown Hellbound Train Decca LP Purple & White Marble

Saxon Wheels Of Steel BMG 2XLP

SBT (Sarabeth Tucek) Live In Bergen Ocean Omen LP

Scott Weiland "I Know It's Too Late / Missing Cleveland (Live)" Primary Wave Music 7"

Serani No Games Phase One 7"

Sexwitch Sexwitch Echo LP

Shakespears Sister Black Sky London Records 12"

Shane MacGowan & Sinead O'Connor Haunted UMR/ZTT 12" Single - Clear Vinyl

Shed Seven Shed Seven - The Covers Cooking Vinyl LP

Shudder To Think Pony Express Record Sony Legacy 2XLP

Shudder To Think First Love, Last Rites - OST Sony Legacy LP

Sister Nancy One Two VPAL / Techniques LP

Sixpence None The Richer Live From Gruene Hall Flatiron Recordings 2XLP

Skindred Union Black BMG 2XLP

Slint Tweez (Tweethan Mix) Touch and Go Records LP

Sly & the Family Stone The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967 (Deluxe Color LP) High Moon Records 12"

Sly Stone The Autumn Sessions 1963-65 Reel Music LP

Soft Cell *HAPPINESS NOW COMPLETED BIG FROCK REKORDS LP

Soft Machine, The Turns On ‘67 Charly Records LP

Some Other People VOICES IN MY HEAD VIOLENT DRUM RECORDINGS LP

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Ellis Bextor's Kitchen Disco (Live at The London Palladium) Cooking Vinyl 2XLP

Soul Asylum After The Flood Sony Legacy 2XLP

Starship We Built This City Rhino LP

Status Quo Live In Glasgow 27th October 1976 Night 1 (140g Ticket Stub Mint and Blue vinyl) RSD 2025 Demon Records 2XLP

Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel Make Me Smile (Come Up & See Me) [50th Anniversary] Chrysalis Records 7"

Stone Temple Pilots Live In New Haven 1994 Rhino Warner 2XLP

Streets, The None Of Us Are Getting Out Of This LIVE Alive UMR/Virgin 2LP Black

Suede Sci-fi Lullabies Volume 2 (140g Clear vinyl) RSD 2025 Demon Records 2XLP

Sugababes Taller In More Ways UMR/Island 1LP Pink

Sugar Minott Sugar Minott At Studio One - 20th Anniversary Edition Soul Jazz Records LP

Sun Ra Stray Voltage Modern Harmonic 2XLP

Sun Ra NUITS DE LA FONDATION MAEGHT STRUT RECORDS 6XLP

Sunhouse Crazy On The Weekend Rough Trade Records LP

Supergrass I Should Coco (30th Anniversary) Echo LP

Suzi Quatro Your Mamma Won't Like Me (50th Anniversary Edition) Chrysalis Records 2XLP

Sweet Female Attitude Flowers - Remixes Reverb Records 12"

Swell Too Many Days Without Thinking Beggars Banquet LP

Swell Maps The John Peel Sessions Mute LP

Sword, The Warp Riders (15th Anniversary Edition) Kemado LP

T. Rex Bolan B-Sides (140g Translucent Blue vinyl) (RSD 2025) Demon Records 2XLP

Tailgunner Living For real Vinyl Revival 2LP

Talking Heads Live On Tour '78 Rhino 2XLP

Taylor Swift Fortnight Republic 7" white vinyl

The Killers/ Bruce Springsteen Encore at the Garden EMI 12"

Thelonious Monk Live At The It Club Sony Legacy 2XLP

Thin Lizzy Jailbreak (Alternate Version) UMR/Mercury 1LP Black

Thompson Twins Into The Gap Live BMG 2LP

Throwing Muses Live in Providence, 1992 Fire Records LP

Todd Rundgren Initiation Rhino 2XLP

Tom Waits Get Behind the Mule (Spiritual) b/w Get Behind the Mule Anti 7"

Tommy McCook And The Skatalites Latin Goes SKA Charly Records / Treasure Isle LP

Tori Amos Diving Deep Live Decca EP

Touch Of Class Let me Be Your Everything (OPOLOPO remixes) A's & Bees 12"

Trees Fore & After Earth Recordings 2XLP

Tribesman The Tribe/Finsbury Park Reggae Archive Records 12"

Tweedy Bird Loc No Holds Barred Dangerous Records LP

UK Subs Japan Today Fall Out Records LP

Val Kilmer / Maurice Jarre Top Secret! (Motion Picture Soundtrack) Rusted Wave/1984 Publishing LP

Van Morrison Be Just and Fear Not Orangefield Records 10"

Various Artists 400% Dynamite! Ska, Soul, Rocksteady, Funk and Dub in Jamaica - 25th Anniversary Special Edition Soul Jazz Records LP

Various Artists Sweet Relief Vol. IV Flatiron Recordings 2XLP

Various Artists Rumble In The Jungle - 18th Anniversary Edition Soul Jazz Records LP

Various Artists The Virgin Suicides Deluxe (25th Anniversary Edition) Rhino LP

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Various Artists Soul Slabs Vol. 4 Colemine Records 2XLP

Various Artists Rockabilly Heroes Vol. 2 Vinyl Passion LP

Various Artists Timeless Jazz Classics Volume 2 Music On Vinyl 2LP

Various Artists CAROLINE NOW! THE SONGS OF BRIAN WILSON AND THE BEACH BOYS Marina Records 2XLP

Various Artists Diesel Smoke And Dangerous Curves: Big Rig Bustin' Hits (1962-1976) Iron Mountain Analog Research LP

Various Artists MOM: Music For Our Mother Ocean Surfdog Records 12"

Various Artists Treasures Untold : A Modern 78 RPM Reader Tompkins Square BOOK + CD

Various Artists Gravity Records 01 Polydor 12"

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Various Artists Alts'n Outs Decca LP

Various Artists GILLES PETERSON PRESENTS INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM INTERNATIONAL ANTHEM 2XLP

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Various Artists POP PSYCHÉDÉLIQUE (LES EXTRAS) TWO PIERS RECORDS LP

Various Artists Bugs On The Wire Lantern Rec. LP

Various Artists Tappa Records Showcase TAPPA/REAL ROCK LP

Various Artists Brazil 45 Boxset Vol.6 Mr Bongo Records Boxset

Vegyn Blue Moon Safari Warner Music France LP

Veronicas, The The Secret Life Of.... Rhino LP

Verve, The Voyager 1 UMR/Virgin 1LP Black

Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill Long After The Fire Label 51 LP

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W.A.S.P. The Last Command Madfish LP

Wall of Voodoo The Lost Tapes Label 51 2XLP

Wallows More EP Atlantic Records 12"

War Why Can't We Be Friends (Deluxe) Rhino 2XLP

Waxahatchee Much Ado About Nothing b/w Mud Anti 7"

Wes Montgomery with the Wynton Kelly Trio Smokin’ In Seattle: Live at the Penthouse Resonance LP

Who, The Tommy OST UMR/Polydor 2XLP

Wicked Movie Cast, Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande Wicked: The Soundtrack Republic 2LP Glitter green/ glitter pink

WIR (Wire) Vien pinkflag LP

Wire Nine Sevens pinkflag 2XLP

Wombats, The Glitterbug (10th ASnniversary) Warner Records LP

Wombles, The Golden Dramatico LP

Wreckers, The Stand Still, Look Pretty Warner records LP

Wu-Tang and Mathematics Black Samson, The Bastard Swordsman: WuTang, The Saga Continues Collection [180g Virgin Vinyl] RuffNation 2LP

Wynd Chymes Baby You're The One Celestial Echo 7"

Years & Years Communion UMR/Polydor 1LP Zoetrope

Yes Live at the Rainbow, London, England 12/16/1972 Rhino 3XLP

Young Thug Barter 6 (10th Ann Edition) Warner Records 2XLP

Yuima Enya / J.A.K.A.M. / DJ Kensei Norito Deep Ground Records LP

Yukee Yukee's Garden Party: Hits from Series 1 Pandapop! Stripes the Badger' Black & White LP

YUNGBLUD, Lil Yachty When We Die (Can We Still Get High?) Island EMI 7"

Yusuf / Cat Stevens Back To Earth Dark Horse LP

Zombina and the Skeletones Taste the Blood of Zombina Nine x Nine 12" PIC DISC

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• The Pro-Ject A1.2 is an update on the likeable A1, with some notable upgrades
• Top of the updates? A new die-cast aluminum platter
• It's landing in April, ahead of Record Store Day 2025, for £469 (around $600 / AU$960)

Pro-Ject knows Record Store Day 2025 is incoming on April 12, doesn't it? If you're busily clearing your schedule so you can get down to your local bricks-and-mortar independent record store, to buy some (or all – why not?) of this year's list of collectible and limited-edition records from some of the biggest names in music, you might want to take a moment to check your deck.

Could you – should you – treat yourself, or the fledgling vinyl collector in your life, to a new and fully automatic turntable, from one of the most trusted names in the game? You don't want an older or slightly beaten-up turntable damaging your delicate new limited-edition LPs, do you?

Well, one possible answer is right here, in the Pro-Ject A1.2.

Pro-Ject tells me the A1.2 retains the core design principles of the original A1 (not to be confused with the Pro-Ject E1 or Pro-Ject Juke Box E1, although those are both excellent budget-friendly options), but adds a series of carefully considered upgrades.

It'll hit shelves in April in white or black finishes. Right now, I know the UK pricing only, which is very respectable £469, which would make it around $600 or AU$960.

Pro-Ject A1.2 turntable: key upgrades and features

A new die-cast aluminium platter is at the beating heart of Pro-Ject's improvements for the A1.2, replacing the A1’s stamped version.

Next up, a new CNC machining process has been implemented in a bid to "ensure precise, consistent production and reduce resonance". The A1.2’s 8.3-inch "ultra-light" aluminium tonearm also now features a redesigned headshell made from carbon fiber-reinforced polymer – because keeping weight to a bare minimum is a key factor in automatic turntable design.

The tonearm comes loaded with a pre-adjusted Pro-Ject Pick it MM E cartridge and, thanks to a fully mechanical operation, there shouldn't be any motor resonance or electrical components affecting that tonearm – once a record is playing, Pro-Ject explains that the mechanics "disengage entirely", helping to preserve playback quality.

Elsewhere, you're getting Pro-Ject's resonance-damped wooden chassis, silicone-damped feet, and Connect it E phono cables. And since the tracking force and anti-skating are all factory-adjusted from the box, setup should be as simple as unpacking it, placing it on a level surface, installing the dust cover (if you want to; I never do since I've found it can add to resonance issues, and I dust my apartment as standard) and plugging the power supply – first into the power socket on the turntable, then into your mains power.

You can then set the A1.2’s integrated phono preamp on or off, by lifting the mat and adjusting the switch.

And to play a record? Place your vinyl lovingly on the turntable, set the speed to 33 or 45 RPM, remove the stylus protection cover, move the lift lever to the ‘needle on the record’ icon, and press START/STOP. Your platter will begin spinning; your tonearm will move to the correct position and gently lower itself onto your precious record. And once the record finishes, that tonearm will automatically find its way home again – which means you won't have to leave the couch in your own home.

Might it just be one the best turntables for a new collector? Too early to tell, but I'd be very keen to give it a spin.

One of the best pre-Record Store Day 2025 releases then? Well, we love Pro-Ject's Flatten It vinyl flattener too, but really it's Pro-Ject out there bossing it all alone right now…

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• UK hi-fi specialist Vertere launches its 'most refined turntable to date'
• DG X is the latest in Vertere's Dynamic Groove concept range
• The new DG X brings an 'improved interface for a seamless experience'

I know the London UK turntable specialist Vertere Acoustics from my time at TechRadar's sister publication, What Hi-Fi? (the DG-1 S/Magneto is a rare and special deck indeed) and today, March 20, the company is launching something new. It's called the DG X, and it is the latest in the firm's Dynamic Groove concept range.

Turntable tinkering – and indeed whole system compatibility – is part and parcel of the tangible vinyl experience, but Vertere can help if you'd like. The DG X can be purchased with or without a specially optimized new Groove Runner X (GRX) tonearm and Sabre Lite cartridge.

I'll get straight to pricing first. Deep breath, everyone: Vertere's DG X Sabre Lite package, including the DG X, Groove Runner tonearm, and Sabre Lite cartridge, is priced at £4,150 – so although US and Australian pricing is not yet official, that's around $5,390 or AU$8.499, before any additional shipping and duties.

Get into Vertere's groove – there's so much to love

In this iteration, you're getting Vertere's upgraded spindle thrust motor drive, precision machined bearings, and a sophisticated triple-layer "cast illuminated plinth structure," which aims to further eliminate unwanted resonance.

Its modular design also means it can be upgraded with newer cartridges and cables (and even tonearms) in time, so it can evolve just as your love of vinyl and ever-changing musical explorations evolve. Also, the detachable tonearm is assembled with secure transit screws, meaning you'll be able to transport it with (relative) confidence.

Vertere tells me the DG X is "the pinnacle of Vertere’s innovative expertise" thanks to its improved, easier-to-understand user interface – in fact, with the setup promising to take less than 15 minutes, the company is aiming squarely at the beginner vinyl enthusiast as well as the seasoned analog audiophile here.

How good is it under rigorous test conditions? We're working on it, so feel free to check back for a fully star-rated TechRadar review very soon.

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• Design company AndoAndoAndo released a turntable-inspired wrist watch
• The design takes inspiration from the classic Technics SL-1200
• Shipping rolls out in April, but the collection is limited to only 30 pieces

Design company AndoAndoAndo is taking the Hamilton Brothers' funky bop Music Makes the World Go Round quite seriously in its upcoming release of wrist watches, which are an ode one of the world's best turntables. The company’s latest creative venture takes the legendary DJ turntable, the Technics SL-1200, and reimagines it as an automatic wrist watch for music and vinyl fans alike – making it the tiniest turntable I’ve ever seen (albeit one that can't actually spin a tune), and it’s kind of adorable.

Powered by Miyota 9039 Premium automatic movement, the watch is a tiny replica of the legendary DJ turntable which uses a tiny vinyl record as the clock face. Its attention to detail is admirable, going the distance to avoid including numbers in its design and instead using a distinct pattern of dots to indicate the hours, minutes, and seconds. And again, no it can’t spin actual vinyl records nor play music of any kind, but that would be very impressive wouldn’t it?

It’s a unique take on a classic deck (and a chance to wear your analog-loving heart on your wrist), however it may take some getting used to when it comes to deciphering the actual time – and its designer, Yu Ando, seemingly agrees. When referring to the watch’s minute hand in the product description online, Ando writes: "Yes it's not straight, it's not pointing (to) the minute marker straight, but so you can interpret it in your own way". OK – I still want one.

The minute hand is designed to replicate the turntable’s tonearm, hence its slightly bent shape, and sitting on top of the vinyl record are two spinning discs; a large one with the letter ‘A’ that points to the current hour, and a smaller one that shows the seconds past, which can be difficult to read – although Ando has stated that when the text on the disc is level and back to its original position, that indicates that the zero second has begun.

The watch is available to preorder now, and is available in three different finishes; red, black, and silver, or gold and black both for $438 (which is around £350 or AU$697), or a slightly pricier all-gold version at $455. Shipping will be processed in April, but according to the AndoAndoAndo website there’ll only be 30 pieces made for this edition – so it’s a very limited run indeed.

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• Victrola's once Sonos-only wireless Stream turntables got a big update
• The free software upgrade adds Bluetooth, UPnP and Roon-ready smarts
• …and given the year Sonos has had, it's a sensible expansion

Victrola's Sonos-connected turntables just got an important over-the-air upgrade to add thoroughly, er, non-Sonos wireless connectivity – and given the disastrous past 12 months Sonos has had, it's hard to see the move as anything other than Victrola pulling Sonos for that awkward "I'm going to perfectly honest, I think it's time we started seeing other people" talk.

Victrola has expanded the wireless streaming capabilities of its Victrola Stream Carbon, Victrola Stream Pearl, Victrola Stream Onyx (not to be confused with the cheaper, non-Sonos-supporting but Bluetooth-aptX-toting excellent Hi-Res Onyx) and Victrola Stream Sapphire turntables.

What's being added? Well, you could say that Victrola doesn't just want to see other wireless giants besides Sonos, it's actually looking for a three-way (sorry). Alongside 'works with Sonos' support, the four Stream turntables now get:

Universal Plug and Play (UPnP): this allows your Stream turntable to automatically jump on a network of similarly-enabled products over Wi-Fi, to stream vinyl wirelessly to UPnP-enabled audio devices, including wireless speakers, A/V receivers, hi-fi streamers and smart TVs.

Bluetooth output – this (as you probably know) lets you stream directly to the best Bluetooth speakers and best wireless headphones, bringing simple wire-free audio to your home.

Roon Ready relay – stream vinyl up to 24-bit/48kHz lossless FLAC quality to any Roon endpoint.

Victrola tells us the update is already live in its Stream Sapphire model, but it'll be rolling out automatically to all Victrola Stream Carbon, Onyx, and Pearl turntables very soon.

Making new connections

The Victrola Stream range was, as Victrola states in its press release "previously designed exclusively for seamless integration with the Sonos ecosystem", but you don't need to be a genius to see that the lineup is much more versatile (and desirable) now, thanks to this free update. We felt the Stream Sapphire struggled to validate its higher price-point under intense review, but this update may well change things.

It's no secret that 2024 was the year Sonos slipped, so it's fair to say that if a product doesn't have to stick with a Sonos-only deal, its makers should certainly look to branch out and make new friends.

The automatic software update will be deployed, says Victrola, to all existing and future Victrola Stream Carbon, Onyx, Pearl, and Sapphire turntables, requiring no manual installation. Existing owners can expect to see the update automatically. In the app (where they would typically select a default Sonos speaker), users will now find toggles for additional options, including Bluetooth. The app will also provide "simple instructions for switching between Wi-Fi and Bluetooth using the knob" according to the company.

Full disclosure: I have a Victrola Stream Carbon and a Sonos Five, on which I listened to vinyl from 2022 until, well, right after the new Sonos app updates started causing big issues. I moved house in November last year, and both products are currently languishing in storage, for this very reason. Now, though – alongside the news that Sonos seems to have fixed the awful lag on the volume control – I will be making a trip to that storage unit, to dig out my Sonos/Victrola vinyl system.

I'll let you know how that goes – and please, if you also own a Victrola Stream turntable, feel free to tell me in the comments what you think of it.

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• The Beogram 4000c Saint Laurent Rive Droite Edition costs about $35,000
• Each turntable is a 1970s original, painstakingly restored
• A very limited edition: just 10 pieces

The B&O Beogram 4000 Series turntable is a genuine design classic, a '70s turntable that found a place not just in discerning music fans' homes, but in art museums too. And now it's back in a strictly limited edition that you probably can't afford, but won't be able to tear your eyes away from.

The Beogram 4000c Saint Laurent Rive Droite Edition, to give it its full name, has been created under the watchful eye of Saint Laurent's creative director Anthony Vaccarello.

This isn't the first time Vaccarello has reimagined a classic: for example last year he redesigned the Fender Stratocaster electric guitar and accompanying amplifier. But clearly he was just warming up, because this B&O turntable is staggeringly beautiful.

This isn't the first time the Beogram 4000c has been reborn: B&O restored and tweaked 95 of them in 2020 and offered them for $11,000 / £9,000 / about AU$17,000. But this new edition is even more select, and a bit more expensive too.

The Beogram 4000c Saint Laurent Rive Droite Edition: exquisite and inevitably, expensive

As our colleagues at Wallpaper explain, each turntable is a fully restored and numbered original with silver-plated metal and a Ziricote wood base. Each original turntable is disassembled by B&O in Denmark, and every single part is then cleaned – and by "every" we do mean "every", right down to the tiniest screws – and if necessary, replaced.

The hand-crafted wooden frame is new, as are the new finishes on the zen-like controls aside the platter, and each turntable gets a new cartridge and a new pre-amp too.

The wooden case is made from solid ziricote, which is a dark hardwood; it has "a particularly distinctive grain, creating an object of fascination even when the turntable is not in use," Wallpaper says.

I think it looks absolutely stunning. We're used to seeing a lot of retro-styled turntables or retro-inspired ones, but it's quite something to see a true original come back and show everyone how it's done.

The Beogram 4000c Saint Laurent Rive Droite Edition is available now from Saint Laurent Rive Droite in Paris and LA, and online from both YSL and Bang & Olufsen.

It's yours for €30,000 (about $35,000 / £30,000 / AU$50,845) but if you want one you'd better be quick: there are just 10 turntables in this release.

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• The Waiting For Ideas PP-1 is carved from a single aluminum block
• Also available with 80W companion speakers
• €5,800 (about $6,000 / £4,788 / AU$9,700)

It's safe to say you won't see the new PP-1 turntable in Best Buy or on Amazon: it's as much an art statement as it is a turntable, and it has a price tag to match. But if you can spare around $6K you'll have a turntable that you'll spend as much time looking at as listening to.

The PP-1 comes from the design studio Waiting For Ideas, and it's very different to anything in our list of the best turntables. There's no tonearm for starters: instead, you place the record face down and the stylus emerges from inside to play it. And it's made very differently from typical turntables too.

Waiting For Ideas PP-1: key features

As noted by our colleagues at Wallpaper.com , each made-to-order PP-1 is carved from a solid block of aluminum, and the design is extremely minimalist: there are just two controls on top, one for speed selection (including an auto-detect setting, and it will switch between 33rpm or 78rpm automatically) and one for controlling playback and volume.

There are matching speakers too, and they've been designed to have the same footprint as the record player – so you can stack them up in a column with the turntable on top, stereo separation be damned.

The goal, says studio boss Jean-Baptiste Anotin, is to capture the "ritual nature of record playing" – although the absence of a tonearm means that one of the most obvious parts of the ritual, putting the needle on the record, is done differently here.

The PP-1 is available now either on its own for €5,800 (about $6,000 / £4,788 / AU$9,700) or with a speaker pair for €9,000 (about $9,365 / £7,430 / AU$15,065). Each PP-1 is made to order and you can find out more from the Waiting For Ideas website.

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EAT C-Dur Concrete: two-minute review

‘EAT’ = ‘European Audio Team’. ‘C-Dur’ = ‘C-Major’ in German. ‘Concrete’ = ‘a blend of aggregates bound together by a hydraulic binder’. Put the three together and you’ve one of the most individual and dramatic-looking record players around, not to mention one of the more expensive.

The C-Dur Concrete has the technical foundations to back up the asking price, though. The turntable itself, its ‘C-Note’ aluminum/carbon fibre tonearm and its ‘Jo No.8’ high-output moving coil cartridge are all painstakingly engineered and work together harmoniously – and the result is a record player that, in the right system, is a pleasure to listen to in many respects.

It’s a staggeringly insightful device, for starters, even among the best turntables – no detail of a recording is too fine, too minor or too transient to elude it. It’s organized, too, able to describe a soundstage with complete confidence and make the spaces on it just as significant as the occurrences. Low-frequency control is absolute, so rhythmic expression is utterly convincing. And when it comes to big dynamic shifts, it is just as accomplished as it is with low-key harmonic variations.

A lack of outright scale undermines the C-Dur Concrete, though – it doesn’t sound especially big, and although it’s organized and controlled, the soundstage it generates is undeniably positioned between the speakers you’re listening to. And when you’re talking about this sort of money for a record player, this has to count as a fairly significant shortcoming.

EAT C-Dur Concrete review: Price & release date

The EAT C-Dur Concrete is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs £6,499. That’s the price for the turntable and its bespoke C-Tone tonearm – if you want to add the (recommended) Jo No.8 high-output moving coil cartridge (which is how this review is conducted), that price rises to £8,098. That’s because the cartridge costs £1,999 when purchased separately, or £1,599 if purchased at the same time as the turntable.

In America you’ll have to fork out around $7,499 for the turntable, plus an additional $2,495 for the cartridge – a discounted price for the pair is likely to be available, but there was nothing confirmed at the time of writing. No pricing is available for Australia as yet, but a quick look at today’s exchange rates suggests something like AU$12,999 plus AU$3,999 for the cartridge will be in order.

Not cheap, is it (he said helpfully)? And yet you’ve a stack of choice when it comes to alternatives. None of them is made of concrete, admittedly, but models from brands as credible as Linn, Pro-Ject and Rega (to name just three) are all available at comparable money.

EAT C-Dur Concrete review: Features

• 33.3, 45 and 78rpm
• 254mm aluminum/carbon tonearm
• High output moving coil cartridge

Undeniably, some of the ‘pull’ of the C-Dur Concrete is, well, the concrete that’s used in its construction. But this is no mere design exercise, this is a deadly series turntable with the feature-set to back up the giddy asking price.

For instance, the chunky (5.2kg) platter is internally damped with a thermoplastic elastomer that offers both density and stability. A 900g aluminum sub-platter gives the platter even more isolation from the motor. The bearing block adds another 1.8kg to the overall weight and uses a polished stainless steel spindle to support an inverted ceramic ball that functions as the main bearing. This pairs with a Teflon plate for even greater rotational stability.

The drive system, meanwhile, isolates the motor in a steel ring positioned in the concrete chassis itself, enhancing the platter’s chances of stable and uniform rotation. It also reduces resonance transfer (already extremely low, thanks again to all that concrete). The motor has two areas for connection to a drive belt – and the turntable is supplied with two different belts, both of anti-static polished rubber.

The first is relatively broad and flat, sits on the upper part of the motor and allows for 33.3 and 45rpm. The other is a ‘string’ shape and fits over the motor’s lower portion – this is the belt you fit if you want the platter to turn at 78rpm.

The pre-fitted C-Note tonearm is, at 254mm, longer than the norm, is made from aluminum and carbon fiber for maximum rigidity, and is internally damped with silicon grease for as much resonance rejection as is realistically possible. It’s a unipivot design, which ought to guarantee its cardan bearing is never overloaded – and the bearing itself is designed to offer minimum resistance and maximum stability.

The over-engineering of the tonearm makes a lot more sense when you get a look at the cartridge it’s designed to support. The Jo No.8 high-output moving coil cartridge features a nude Shibata stylus on a boron cantilever, with high-end copper windings (which is the sort of specification the asking price demands) – but it’s the 19.2 x 25.1 x 28.3mm (HxWxD) dimensions that are most immediately striking. ‘Oversized’ only begins to describe it.

So this is incredibly well-specced and thought-out when it comes to the functional features of being an impressive turntable – but it's very much just a core turntable, so don't expect any 'modern' features such as Bluetooth connectivity or USB output here.

• Features score: 4 / 5

EAT C-Dur Concrete review: Sound quality

• Remarkable insight and detail retrieval
• Organized, controlled and yet dynamic presentation
• Sounds rather small-scale and confined

The ‘pros’ are more numerous than the ‘cons’ where the sound of the C-Dur Concrete is concerned – but the ‘cons’ are significant, so we may as well start there before moving on to the many ways in which this is a straightforwardly admirable player.

The sound of the C-Dur Concrete is on the small side. Everything that happens, happens within the confines of the outer edges of the speakers you’re listening to – and consequently it’s never easy to shake the idea of a ‘point source’ of sound.

The outer edges of the cabinets of your speaker define the outer edges of the soundstage the EAT can create – in this respect it sounds unlike any price-comparable alternative, and not in a good way. It doesn’t matter if it’s a big ensemble (such as that involved in Miles Davis’ Concierto de Aranjuez) or just a voice and a guitar (like Nick Drake’s Parasite); the presentation is organized and controlled, but undeniably confined.

Get beyond this not-insignificant shortcoming, though, and the C-Dur Concrete is an extremely adept and accomplished device. Its facility with detail retrieval is approaching staggering – there isn’t a fleeting occurrence in a recording that’s too minor or too deep in the mix to evade it. And having teased out all these fine details, the C-Dur has absolutely no problem putting them into convincing context. Even if it’s the most transient harmonic variation in the strum of an acoustic guitar, this EAT turntable lets you know all about it.

The soundstage the turntable creates is believable, and it somehow manages to give elbow-room to every element of a recording even though the stage itself is nowhere near as expansive as it could (and should) be. Its tonality is carefully neutral, which allows the inherent sound of a recording to be expressed without any overt interference. And it balances the frequency range carefully, giving no undue prominence to any area.

Low-frequency information is robust and substantial, and is controlled with such certainty that rhythmic expression (often held up as one of the most obvious strengths of the vinyl format) is entirely natural. Midrange expression, too, is accomplished – the voice during I Kicked a Boy by The Sundays is intimate, immediate and direct. And the top of the frequency range has bite and brilliance in fairly equal measure, so treble sounds shine without threatening to become edgy or glassy.

Everything hangs together in an unforced and convincing manner – there’s a genuine sensation of singularity and unity to the C-Dur Concrete’s presentation that makes me want to reach for the dreaded word ‘musical’. And the spaces and silences in recordings are not only given their due emphasis, they’re as dark and as quiet as from any turntable I’ve ever heard. This inky backdrop from which sounds occur is one of the most gratifying things about this whole EAT listening experience.

• Sound quality score: 3.5 / 5

EAT C-Dur Concrete review: Design

• 170 x 496 x 396mm (HxWxD)
• 32kg in weight
• Supported on three conical, height-adjustable, damped aluminum feet

If it’s a little visual drama you’re after, you’ve come to the right place. EAT will sell you a version of the C-Dur built of MDF and finished in black or plum for quite a lot less money than this – but once you’ve seen (and touched) this concrete version, it’s hard to resist from a design standpoint.

At 170 x 496 x 396mm (HxWxD) it’s fairly big, although not too big to be accommodated by a standard equipment rack. At 32kg with its platter in place, it’s heavier than the heaviest turntable you’ve ever encountered – and all of that weight is supported on a trio of pointed aluminium feet.

They’re ideal for isolating the deck from external vibration, and can help in getting the turntable absolutely level, but they concentrate the whole 32kg on to three tiny points, which means that an extremely robust and hard-wearing shelf is in order if the C-Dur Concrete isn’t just going to drive itself into the surface it’s standing on.

The standard of build and finish is, as seems only reasonable when you consider the asking price, basically impeccable. Any tiny flaws in the concrete (each plinth is unique, of course) only add to the character, and the tonearm feels as good (and as expensive) as it looks. Even the cartridge body – which is polished chestnut – offers a bit of pizzazz.

• Design score: 5 / 5

EAT C-Dur Concrete review: Usability & setup

• Automatic speed change
• Semi-balanced five-pin DIN to RCA cable
• Optional (and cost-option) power supply upgrade

As with a lot of turntables, there’s a degree of fairly fiddly set-up required to get the EAT C-Dur Concrete ready for action. Unlike quite a few turntables, though, once you’ve been through the set-up process then operating the EAT is quite a painless process.

As usual, the counterweight and anti-skate setting need to be attended to. After that, though, it’s simply a question of fitting your preferred drive belt (which, let’s be honest, is going to be the broader of the two that lets you listen to 33.3 or 45rpm discs), connecting the semi-balanced five-pin DIN end of the cable to the deck and its left/right RCAs to your (pre)amplifier at the other, and plugging in the power adapter. Speed change is facilitated by two of the big buttons on the plinth – the other is used for putting the turntable into ‘standby’.

It’s worth mentioning that both the cable and the power supply can be upgraded. A fully balanced cable is (inevitably) a cost option (£175, or £499 for the silver alternative if you’re feeling super-flush), and EAT will also sell you a linear power supply (£1,349 if purchased individually, a trifling £1,079 if you buy it at the same time as the turntable).

EAT is confident the C-Dur Concrete’s AC generator, which uses the DC current from the power supply, generates an almost entirely clean AC signal for the motor – but if you want to make it as noiseless as possible then the linear power supply is what you need.

• Usability and setup score: 5 / 5

EAT C-Dur Concrete review: Value

• Requires add-ons to reach full potential
• Not a class-leading performer for the price
• But it's hard to argue with its physical impact

I almost wrote that it’s impossible to put a price on an aesthetic as striking and individual as this, but demonstrably it’s not. In the context of the sound it makes, the C-Dur Concrete is far from the last word in value for money (and becomes less so if you take the company up on its offer of an upgraded power supply), but that’s not the same as saying it doesn’t sound splendid in many ways.

And if you find yourself smitten by the looks, the areas in which it’s not a class-leading performer might be easier to overlook – but with my hardest ‘consumer advice’ head on, it’s hard to make a watertight case for this turntable representing authentic value.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Should I buy the EAT C-Dur Concrete?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

EAT C-Dur Concrete review: Also consider

How I tested EAT C-Dur Concrete

I listened to the C-Dur Concrete for well over a week, with a variety of music on vinyl in a variety of conditions. It was positioned on the top shelf of my Blok Stax 2G equipment rack (which is how I know the weight of the turntable can damage wooden shelves), and connected via its supplied semi-balanced cable to a Chord Huei phono stage, which it turn was connected to a Naim Uniti Star acting as a volume control and pre-amplifier.

The Naim was connected to a Cambridge Audio Edge W stereo power amplifier, which drove a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature loudspeakers on their bespoke FS-600 S3 stands.

• First reviewed: February 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

Gadhouse Duke & Roy: Two-minute review

Bangkok-based audio company Gadhouse (which is just slightly short for ‘Gadget House’) enjoys a bit of anthropomorphism – just look at the model names in its product line-up. Two of these products – the Duke wireless turntable and the Roy powered speakers – are available, at a modest saving, as a system. Introducing, then, the Gadhouse Duke & Roy.

There’s no arguing with the breadth of functionality your money buys. The Duke turntable has an integrated, defeatable phono stage, a USB-B output in front of an A-to-D converter for use with a computer, and can stream wirelessly. The Roy speakers are driven by 30 watts of power each, have Bluetooth connectivity and a fistful of physical connection options, too. A little remote control handset puts you in charge.

Where audio performance is concerned, though, Duke & Roy fail to make good on the promises of specification and finish. At its best, the sound the system makes is lifeless and consequently tedious – this is, I think we can all agree, less than ideal. There’s no energy to its reproduction, no sense of excitement, so the fact that the sound is actually quite detailed and confidently staged becomes neither here nor there.

Consequently, they can't be placed on a par with the best turntables or stereo speakers on the market.

Gadhouse Duke & Roy review: Price and release date

• $999 / £779 / (approx.) AU$1499
• Launched in November, 2024

The Gadhouse Duke & Roy powered-speakers-plus-wireless-turntable system has been on sale since mid-November 2024, and in the United States it sells for $999. In the United Kingdom it's around £779. The Australian pricing is yet to be confirmed, but at today’s exchange rates you’re looking at AU$1499 or something quite like it.

Like-for-like comparisons are, of course, fairly thin on the ground, but everyone from ELAC via Kanto to Q Acoustics will sell you a pair of aggressively priced powered bookshelf speakers, while turntables equipped with Bluetooth streaming smarts aren’t hard to come by either. Off the top of my head, though, I can’t think of any with such snappy model names…

Gadhouse Duke & Roy turntable review: Features

• Belt-driven turntable with 33.3 and 45rpm settings
• Wired and wireless connectivity options
• Ortofon 2M Red cartridge prefitted to Duke’s tonearm

If you judge a system on a ‘number of features per pound’ sort of basis, you’re going to find a lot to like – admire, even – with the Gadhouse Duke & Roy.

Duke is a belt-driven turntable that operates at 33.3 and 45rpm, with speed selection automatic, via a chunky toggle-switch on the plinth. It comes complete with a straight static-balanced 219mm tonearm that’s pre-fitted with a very acceptable Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet cartridge and has a detachable headshell. There’s a metal platter and a textured faux-leather slipmat, which bears the truism ‘where words fail, music speaks’, just one of the little ‘live laugh love’-isms that Gadhouse seems so fond of. An adjustable counterweight, a classic anti-skate weight attached via fishing line, and a clear dust-cover complete the visible feature-set.

Look at the rear of the turntable, though, and it soon becomes apparent there’s a fair bit more to it. As well as a connection for mains power, stereo RCA sockets and a post for a grounding cable, there’s a switch to turn the integrated phono stage on or off, a USB-B output for connection to a computer (for instance) and a light to indicate a Bluetooth connection has been made. The Duke can wirelessly connect to appropriate speakers or headphones via Bluetooth 5.2 using the SBC codec.

The Roy loudspeakers, meanwhile, have a similarly extensive selection of features. As with most reasonably affordable powered speakers, one Roy does the heavy lifting and the other Roy does as it's told. The secondary speaker just has a pair of speaker cable binding posts (for connection to its boss) at the rear, below a bass reflex slot at the top of the cabinet. The primary speaker has both of those features, but adds a total of 60 watts of Class D amplification (30 per speaker, of course), a socket for mains power and an ‘on/off’ switch, a pre-out for a subwoofer and some physical and wireless inputs. The physical stuff consists of line-level stereo RCAs, an analogue 3.5mm input, a digital optical connection and a USB-B socket, while wirelessness is handled by Bluetooth 5.1 with aptX HD codec compatibility.

Up front, each speaker has a 25mm soft-dome tweeter above an 89mm mid/bass driver. Gadhouse reckons this arrangement is good for a frequency response of 80Hz - 20kHz.

• Features score: 5/5

Gadhouse Duke & Roy review: Sound quality

• Quite detailed and complete reproduction
• Undemonstrative and entirely undynamic
• Wireless connection between Duke & Roy is not advised

To hear the Duke & Roy at its best, you’ll need to a) hard-wire the turntable to the speakers using the supplied RCA cable, and b) bin off the supplied speaker cable in order to put the speakers a realistic distance apart. Mind you, there’s every chance you may wonder why you bothered.

The Duke & Roy, I think it’s fair to say, sounds like less than the sum of its parts, especially as one of those parts is the Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. With a decent pressing of Cypress Hill’s eponymous debut album playing, the sound is quite detailed and Gadhouse’s claims for an 80Hz - 20kHz frequency response seem fair enough. After ‘quite detailed’, though, I’m struggling to find too many positives.

Because while low frequencies are reasonably solid and well controlled, the mid-range is quite poised and open, and the system has a decent stab at creating a coherent soundstage, it’s so devoid of energy or engagement that everything is rendered ‘background music’ no matter how intently you might decide to listen. The lack of drive and dynamism to the reproduction is fatal – the bland and matter-of-fact nature of the sound quality available here make the idea of ‘entertainment’, let alone ‘excitement’ seem completely fanciful. It takes a particular sort of system to leech all of the attitude and aggression from a Cypress Hill recording – and the Duke & Roy is one such system. Even the hard and edgy treble reproduction here fails to inject any energy into the sound.

This is about as good as it gets. Switch to a wireless connection between turntable and speakers, and not only does the system sound slightly smaller scale and more inhibited than before, but it gives away some of the finer details that were previously apparent. Streaming from a smartphone via Bluetooth does nothing to help matters, either – the ever-present lack of positivity or apparent engagement is the defining characteristic of the Gadhouse set-up.

Switching off its integrated phono stage and playing the Duke into a moderately priced preamp before sending the signal on to the Roy speakers reveals the phono stage in question to be ordinary at best. Making digital copies of vinyl via the Duke’s USB-B output using Audacity software reveals there’s nothing special about the deck’s A-to-D converter.

At every turn, in fact, the Duke & Roy is an underwhelming performer and, for some reason, after a period of listening I begin to find ‘underwhelming’ even less appealing than ‘bad’.

• Sound quality score: 2.5/5

Gadhouse Duke & Roy review: Design

• Oak-finished turntable
• 125 x 415 x 372mm (HxWxD) (Duke)
• 180 x 125 x 170mm (HxWxD) (each Roy)

The design of loudspeakers is almost as established and unbending as the design of turntables, especially when you’re talking about products competing in the mainstream. So it follows that neither the Duke turntable nor the Roy loudspeakers look anything other than exactly as you’d expect.

There are worthwhile aspects to the design of each, though. The Roy speakers are a very manageable 180 x 125 x 170mm (HxWxD) each, which means they are authentic candidates for positioning on a shelf or a desktop – as long as they can be connected to each other and to mains power, at least. The standard of build and finish is very acceptable, and the crisp edges of the matte-black cabinets of my review sample make for a clean look.

The Duke turntable seems equally well made and just as carefully finished. You’ll make your own mind up about the oak veneer – it reminds me of floorboards and seems gratuitous – but there’s no denying it’s a point of difference. The turntable’s 6.3kg weight (of which very nearly 2kg is contributed by its metal platter) is supported, at least at the front, by a couple of pliant, vibration-absorbing feet. The fact that the rear of the plinth is supported by a box with no vibration-absorbing properties and in which the Duke keeps all its electronics does undermine the point of the feet somewhat, mind you.

• Design score: 4/5

Gadhouse Duke & Roy review: Usability and setup

• Duke and one half of Roy require mains power
• Speakers must be wired together
• The smallest, skinniest remote control handset I’ve seen in a while

There’s really not much to do in order to get up and running here. The Duke’s tonearm needs its anti-skate weight fitting and its counterweight needs adjusting to the 1.6 - 2.0g recommended by Ortofon for its 2M Red cartridge, and then it’s good to go. Or, at least, it is once you’ve made a connection to mains power.

The Roy speakers need to be connected together and Gadhouse supplies a short length of indifferent speaker cable to do the job. The primary speaker needs to be connected to the mains. Then make any physical connections you want – you may decide to connect the Duke using the supplied RCA cables rather than wirelessly, for instance, in which case you’ll need to turn its integrated phono stage on.

Control of the system is available by a small, slim remote control handset that’s not overburdened with buttons. Power, input selection, play/pause and volume up/down are available, and there’s a little LED embedded in the primary speaker’s IR receptor to let you know what’s occurring.

• Value score: 4/5

Gadhouse Duke & Roy review: Value

• Lots of kit for under $1000 is good
• The stodgy sound really isn't...
• ... and renders the price moot

A whole wireless audio system, with vinyl as one of the sources, for under $1000? A well-made, nicely finished system at that? In terms of the functionality and the simple amount of stuff your money buys here, it’s difficult to be too critical of the Gadhouse Duke & Roy.

When it comes to audio fidelity this outlay gets you, though, the value-for-money proposition takes quite a hit. It’s not so much that the sound is bad per se, it’s more that it’s as bland as warm milk.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Should you buy the Gadhouse Duke & Roy?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Gadhouse Duke & Roy: Also consider

For wireless powered speakers with a few connectivity options, consider ELAC’s Debut Connex, Kanto’s Ren and the M20 by Q Acoustics in particular. Bear in mind even the smallest of these is larger than the Roy, though, and none are anything like as appropriate for desktop use.

For a turntable with Bluetooth smarts, it’s hard to see beyond the LP60XBT by Audio Technica and the Sony PS-LX310BT (reviewed here by our sister site, then come back). Neither look as smart as the Duke but both have an advantage where performance is concerned – and not in a mild way, either.

Any combination of these products will come in at Duke & Roy-adjacent money, and any combination will prove more sonically satisfying, too.

How I tested the Gadhouse Duke & Roy

• Tested for over a week on my regular home setup
• Tested with a Rega CD player and streaming services via Apple iPhone 14 Pro

I made space on my Blok equipment and my Soundstyle speaker stands, got each component nicely positioned and then listened for several hours a day for quite a few days. I connected the Duke turntable to the Roy loudspeakers using both wired and wireless connections, and used it with and without its integrated phono stage.

I used my Rega CD player via the optical input. Naturally, I listened to my favourite streaming services too, using an Apple iPhone 14 Pro.

• First reviewed: January 2025

• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

• A suitcase-style turntable with speakers and Zig-Zag branding
• USB in plus Bluetooth, RCA and headphone outs
• $99 (around £79 or AU$159, if you can find one)

There's a long tradition of brands doing weird things for publicity, and for every Elon Musk stunt that makes you want to push every Tesla into a lake there's a brand that gets it right. And I think Zig-Zag is in the latter category, because it's come up with a rather inspired idea.

If you're not familiar with Zig-Zag, it's a very famous brand of rolling papers – so famous that their product inspired the cover of Dr Dre's 1992 album, The Chronic. And to remind you of that fact (and of course to ensure that you don't forget about Dre), the company has decided to make an – ahem – smokin' record player just in time for the Grammys…

The Zig-Zag Record Player: key features

The Zig-Zag Record Player is, as you'd expect, a record player with Zig-Zag branding. It's a suitcase design with the classic logo on top, and it has built-in stereo speakers so you can have music wherever you go. In addition to the turntable there's also a USB port so you can also play digital files without lugging all your vinyl around.

It's a three-speed belt-driven turntable – ideal for all your, er, rap 78s – and it has RCA outputs and a headphone jack too. There's Bluetooth streaming to headphones or powered speakers, and there's even a handle so you can carry it around.

According to Chisto.com, "Nothing beats the sound of spinning a vinyl whilst you’re chilling at dwelling. If you’re restricted on house however maxing out on chill vibes (particularly throughout Dry January), then you definitely want this... It’s the last word improve out of your standard transportable speaker that units the temper in any room with out the cumbersome setup of your typical document participant." Now, I don't know what many of those words mean, in that order, but I think they liked it…

The Zig-Zag Record Player is available now for $99, which is around £79 or AU$159, if you can find it.

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