Turntable Reviews

Analog Corner #197: Rega's RP3 turntable

Michael Fremer Oct 26, 2026 First Published: Dec 01, 2011

The last time I visited Rega, back in 1998, vinyl was struggling. The company was still manufacturing turntables and phono cartridges at its facility in Westcliff-on-Sea, in Essex, England, in an old mill that Rega founder Roy Gandy had converted in 1980 to a hi-fi factory and offices.

Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews

Thorens TD 404 DD turntable and TP 160 tonearm

Tom Fine Sep 29, 2026

Since you're reading Stereophile, it's likely that you and music have an intense and (hopefully) steadfast relationship. Perhaps it dates from your formative years, or perhaps you and music found each other during a difficult or transitional life phase. Whatever the case, you found music—or music found you.

Spin Doctor Turntable Reviews

Spin Doctor #40: Turntable Drive Mechanisms & the Esoteric T1 turntable

Michael Trei Sep 02, 2026

Making a turntable's platter spin at exactly 33¹/₃ rotations per minute sounds like it should be an easy task, but in fact it's hard to do precisely. Just getting the platter to turn is easy enough, but there are two forces trying to stop the platter that you need to overcome: friction from the bearing that supports the platter, and friction from the stylus riding in the groove.

Analog Corner Audacious Audio Turntable Reviews

Analog Corner #204: The Onedof Turntable, a Smooth Operator

Michael Fremer Jul 26, 2026 First Published: Jul 01, 2012

Will yet another $150,000 turntable fly in 2012? I'm speaking metaphorically, of course, but if any designer could make a turntable literally fly, it would be the Onedof's designer, Aleks Bakman.

Turntable Reviews

Technics SL-1200GME/SL-1210GME turntable

Tom Fine Jul 23, 2026

Like life, audiophilia often takes unexpected turns. A while back, I happily put my turntable and records on ice, for much of the 1990s and the first part of the current century. Yet lately I find myself further down the phonography rabbit hole than I have been in decades.

Audacious Audio Turntable Reviews

BennyAudio Odyssey turntable

Ken Micallef Jun 15, 2026

International audio shows are a white-knuckle thrill ride. The moment I first entered one of the four colossal, cathedral-like "Halles" of High End Munich 2024, my brain short-circuited. Among the products that gripped my senses that weekend, the Brutalist allure of the BennyAudio Odyssey Turntable ($45,000) spoke to me loudest.

Analog Corner Audacious Audio Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews

Analog Corner #207: Wave Kinetics NVS Reference turntable & Durand Telos tonearm

Michael Fremer May 11, 2026 First Published: Oct 01, 2012

The late Jonathan Tinn of Blue Light Audio, importer of darTZeel electronics and a partner in Playback Designs with DSD expert Andreas Koch, loved vinyl. He approached Wave Kinetics' Matt Schuster and proposed that they together produce a turntable. Matt Schuster came up with the Wave Kinetics NVS Reference turntable ($45,000).

Analog Corner Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews

Analog Corner #208: Spiral Groove SG1.1 turntable & Centroid tonearm

Michael Fremer Apr 13, 2026 First Published: Nov 01, 2012

Allen Perkins's Spiral Groove SG1.1 turntable ($25,000) is a remarkably dense, compact, belt-driven design that weighs a surprising 75lb. With the motor isolated inside its 18.5" wide by 15" deep plinth, the SG1.1 has a small footprint, and its height of ca 5", including feet, permits a flexibility of placement seldom found with premium-priced turntables.

Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews

J.Sikora Aspire record player

Ken Micallef Apr 03, 2026

Not to toot our own horns, but Stereophile magazine's reviews of the J.Sikora Initial, Reference, and Standard Max Supreme turntables helped catapult the Polish manufacturer into the audiophile spotlight.

Budget Component Reviews Turntable Reviews

Technics SL-50C record player

Tom Fine Feb 27, 2026

Every first love leaves a strong impression. Hopefully it's a good one. Those of us who are phonography-positive fondly remember our first good record playing system, the first turntable-cartridge combo that let the music turn us on. Maybe it was simple, maybe it was fussy, maybe it was unreliable—no matter, it had that special ability to bring the excitement, beauty, and humanity out of the vinyl grooves, through our audio systems, and into our souls.