Turntable Reviews

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Analog Gear NewsTonearm ReviewsTurntable Reviews
Exclusive: One Week With Technics' New SL-1000R Direct Drive Turntable (See update posted 2/21/18)
Michael Fremer  |  Jan 30, 2018
Shortly after the conclusion of the 2018 International Consumer Electronics Show, Technics CTO/Chief Engineer Tetsuya (Tony) Itan, Yoshiyuki Sumida, Assistant Manager Technics Team, and Technics Business Development Manager Bill Voss brought over and installed the new Technics SL-1000R turntable and tone arm for a week's stay. While this was a pre-production sample and not suitable for a full review, I thought you would be interested in first impressions that is not a review.

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Turntable Reviews
The Pro-Ject Classic SB Superpack Turntable: “Brains” and Good Looks Too
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 29, 2017
It’s doubtful Pro-Ject could have produced a high performance, feature packed, beautiful to look at turntable like the Classic SB Superpack and priced it so reasonably ($1499 including $449 Blue Point No. 2 cartridge) were it not for surging turntable sales and Pro-Ject’s place at the top of the high performance turntable market (“high performance” meaning not counting the plastic mass market cheapies).

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Tonearm ReviewsTurntable Reviews
The Pear Audio Blue Robin Hood SE Turntable and Coronet 1 Tone Arm (Speed Issue Explained)
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 24, 2017
Editor's note: AnalogPlanet (and Stereophile) policy is to review products as sent to us unless they are broken and/or clearly defective. In this case the speed was "off" but the 'table was neither "broken" nor "defective" so we chose to review "as sent".

The importer wrote to say the unit was sent with "the wrong pulley" and as stated in the review, we allowed for the possibility that the 'table had been previously used for reviews or for some other purpose. However, without trying to sound too harsh, if you're going to send out a product for review, it's important to check out its functioning before shipping and that would include making sure it's running at the right speed.

As the importer points out, the Kid Thomas previously reviewed ran at the correct speed but clearly this one did not and it was what was sent so there was an obligation to review "as sent" just as there was an obligation to ship a properly functioning review sample! I know this might sound "harsh" but I'm always thinking of the consumer who buys and uses without checking speed accuracy and ends up listening at the wrong speed.

AnalogPlanet readers' thoughts on this are most welcome.

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Turntable Reviews
Shinola Runwell Turntable Follow-Up
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 23, 2017
Last March AnalogPlanet reviewed Shinola's Runwell turntable.
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Tonearm ReviewsTurntable Reviews
The Technics SL-1200G Direct Drive Turntable
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 24, 2017
The original Technics SL-1200 direct drive turntable introduced in 1972 enjoyed a thirty-eight year, six generation run. Technics sold more than 3.5 million of them. In October of 2010 just as vinyl was staging its unlikely comeback, parent company Panasonic pulled the plug on the SL-1200 Mk6.

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Turntable Reviews
Shinola’s “Plug’n’Play” Runwell Turntable
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 05, 2017
It’s no secret that when Shinola decided to add a turntable to its product roster, the Detroit, Michigan based manufacturer chose to consult for the design with New Jersey based VPI Industries.

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Turntable Reviews
The Fluance RT81 High Fidelity Vinyl Turntable Record Player
Michael Fremer  |  Dec 26, 2016
Canada-based Fluance is an eighteen year old loudspeaker manufacturer specializing in home theater systems. The company’s speakers have a luxurious look that belies their reasonable prices.

I’ve not heard any of them but the reviews are positive in sister publications Sound & Vision and Innerfidelity.

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Turntable Reviews
Rega Gives the Popular 3 Series A New Spin With the Planar 3 (Decimal Point Added)
Michael Fremer  |  Nov 03, 2016
(Due to a missing decimal point what was a .2%+ speed error read '2%". However, the published measurements chart is 100% accurate and had anyone done the math it would have revealed the typo. My apologies for the error to Rega, Sound Organization and to you, AnalogPlanet readers).

Can any turntable manufacturer be enjoying the vinyl revival more than Rega? I doubt it. It saw compact discs coming and yet spent a considerable amount of money creating a tool to produce cast pick up arms. I keep mentioning this in Rega reviews but in the face of the digital onslaught it demonstrates their determined commitment to vinyl playback.

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Turntable Reviews
Select a VPI Prime Turntable And Make A Great Choice
Michael Fremer  |  Aug 23, 2016
The Prime is the first turntable designed by Mat Weisfeld. What that means in this case is more a series of smart executive decisions rather than a “from scratch” effort (for you vegetarians, the headline incorporates all three USDA grades of meat).

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Analog Gear NewsTurntable Reviews
Crosley Grows A Pair (Of Serious Turntables)
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 29, 2016
News at this past year’s International Consumer Electronics Show that “novelty” turntable manufacturer Crosley was introducing a pair of quality turntables built for the company by Pro-Ject drew me to the “ZOO” to check them out.

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Turntable Reviews
SOTA Moonbeam Turntable --- Nice Price and a Smooth Performer That's Easily Upgraded
Michael Fremer  |  Mar 05, 2016
SOTA is an American turntable brand founded circa 1980 by Dave Fletcher and Robert Becker in Berkeley California.The talented Spiral Groove turntable designer Allen Perkins worked for the company in the late 1980s.

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Tonearm ReviewsTurntable Reviews
Wilson-Benesch’s Circle 25 Turntable and A.C.T. 25 Tone Arm.
Michael Fremer  |  Sep 25, 2015
For vinyl lovers, it’s important to know that Wilson-Benesch first began in 1989 as a start-up dedicated to building a turntable simply because it felt vinyl was a superior medium compared to CD. For that reason alone, the company should be venerated. W-B argued that new, emerging technologies like carbon fiber could further elevate vinyl playback.

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Turntable Reviews
Onkyo's CP-1050 Direct Drive Turntable Offers Extraordinary Speed Stability, Attractive "Retro" Looks
Michael Fremer  |  Jul 21, 2015
Even had the purchase by Onkyo of Pioneer Home Electronics not been made public, some kind of connection would have been obvious to anyone opening the boxes of this Onkyo CP-1050 turntable and the recently reviewed Pioneer PL-30-K turntable.

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Turntable Reviews
Pioneer PL-30-K Automatic Single Play Turntable
Michael Fremer  |  Jun 09, 2015
Spend some time with Pioneer’s PL-30-K automatic turntable ($349 MSRP/$300 “street price”) and you’ll quickly realize it’s not a “throwaway” turntable put together in haste by a company keen on “cashing in” on the vinyl resurgence.

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Turntable Reviews
The George-Warren Turntable—Well-Made, Sensibly Engineered, Elegant-Looking
Michael Fremer  |  Apr 09, 2015
Souix-Falls, South Dakota based George-Warren Precision Sound manufactures and sells direct but one model turntable. After spending a few months with it, I’d say one is enough.

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