# Ten New Turntables Revealed in 2015



## Todd Anderson

If the recent vinyl revolution has caught you by surprise, then you’re probably unaware that dozens of companies currently manufacture turntables. Today, we'll spotlight ten new turntables that were showcased at CES 2015 or have been officially launched this year. Some are pure budget-crushers while others carry familiar brand badges. What’s striking is the omission of one incredibly familiar name: Technics. The high-end Panasonic brand, and maker of the ever-popular SL-1200 player, had its analog turntable division shuttered in late 2010. Despite recently injecting life into the brand, Panasonic’s rollout of new Technics products has not included any turntable gear.












So, without further delay, here's ten new turntables (in order of expense) that can breathe new life into your vinyl collection.





*10. TechDAS Air Force 2 (MSRP $50,000)*








Wasting no time, we’ll go big with our first featured turntable: TechDAS’s Airforce 2. The Air Force 2 is the most expensive player on our list, and at a cool $50,000 it obviously has a relatively limited market. But, at half the price of its elder sibling (Air Force 1), TechDAS’s latest installment offers some relief for high-end buyers. If you’re considering this player, you’ll need space as the unit is a large 30x17.7x7in (WDH) and weighs nearly 100-pounds. These measurements do not include a separate outboard air pump and power supply (17x10x6in). 

The Air Force 2 features a cast aluminum chassis, oil-dampened air suspension, and vacuum hold-down for the records. It also has the ability to accept two different tonearms (a standard 10-inch mounts on the right, while a tonearm of up to 12-inches can be placed in an arm base on the left side of the player).


*9. Spiral Groove The Revolution ($15,000)*








For slightly less coin, Spiral Groove’s latest player, The Revolution, is another option for the high-end crowd. Unveiled at CES 2015, The Revolution features an outboard sine-wave power supply, an AC synchronous dual speed motor, and a dampening graphite top-plate for smooth play back. The player’s body is composed of three layers made from two different materials for total isolation. For vinyl enthusiasts that like to change arms, The Revolution claims to offer easy arm changes and can accommodate tonearms up to 12-inches. 


*8. AMG Giro G9 ($9900)*








Continuing down the price ladder, the German manufacturer AMG introduced its new Giro GR at CES 2015. Conceived by AMG founder Werner Roeschlau, the Giro G9 is manufactured – completely – at the company’s Bavarian factory. The player’s platter and bearing housing are CNC machined from a hi-tech synthetic. The Giro G9 uses parts from AMG’s Viella V2 turntable, including a high-mass stainless steel machined pulley coupled to a precision Swiss-made DC motor.


*7. European Audio Team ($3700)*








Hitting more affordable territory as a gatekeeper that stands between expensive and truly high-end, European Audio Team’s C-Sharp turntable is new to 2015. The C-sharp is an elegant looking player that features a chassis made of high-density MDF. The player’s belt is made from special anti-static rubber and the tonearm is redesigned to combine the load-lessening advantages of a unipivot arm with a cardan design. 


*6. Tri Art Pebbles TA-1 ($995)*








Tri-Art’s Pebbles TA-1 is a natural choice (no pun intended), featuring a gorgeous bamboo platter and other wood compliments. The tonearm (which is sold separately for $350) is also crafted from bamboo. These nature-friendly players are completely designed, fabricated, and assembled by our neighbors up north in Canada.


*5. Onkyo CP-1050 ($599)*








As featured in our vinyl article earlier this week, the Onkyo CP-1050 looks to have been launched from the 1980s directly to 2015’s store shelves. With an attainable price-point, the CP-1050 features a quartz-lock control system and a die-cast aluminum platter. It also has a built-on dust cover to keep pesky flecks of dust from gathering on your vinyl as it spins to musical bliss. Onkyo’s included tonearm can accept a range of aftermarket cartridges (between 5-10 grams).


*4. Pioneer PL-30-K ($299)*








Yes indeed, our familiar friends at Pioneer also have a new turntable offering: the PL-30-K. It’s priced about $200 less than Onkyo’s CP-1050 and is aimed directly at the plug-and-play crowd. Weighing-in at 12-pounds, the PL-30-K features a dual layer chassis, a 4mm-thick metal platter (5mm thick rubber mat), and a DC-servo controlled motor. Nearly identical to Onkyo’s design, this unit also has a plastic dust cover.


*3. ION Audio Air LP ($149)*








Ion is gunning for the ease-of-use digital age crowd with its Air LP Bluetooth turntable. If you’re an analog enthusiast, you probably just cringed…but, yes, ION is offering a player that wirelessly streams to Bluethooth speakers following an onboard analog to digital conversion. Users can also use included software to rip vinyl into separate digital files. Luckily, the Air LP does have RCA output capabilities to right all wrongs.


*2. Audio Technica AT-LP60 ($129.95)*








Hitting our budget range, the AT-LP60 was debuted by Audio Technica at CES 2015 in both blue (AT-LP60BL) and red (AT-LP60R) finishes. This belt-driven turntable is fully automatic with a switchable phono preamp allowing it to be connected directly to a computer or other sources lacking a dedicated phono input. The AT-LP60 is available exclusively through Amazon.com. 


*1. Crosely Cruiser ($99.95)*








Now to the budget of the budget-minded turntables: Crosely’s Cruiser. This is a self-contained three-speed player featuring onboard speakers; no gear required. The unit is constructed of wood covered by a leatherette material. It closes like a brief case for ease of portability. The Cruiser won’t offer a true hi-fi experience, but if you’re looking to hear some old LPs on the cheap, it might just do the trick.





_Image Credits: DasTech, positive-feedback.com, European Audio Team, AMG, Tri-Art, Onkyo, Pioneer, Audio Technica, Crosely, Ion Audio, hercampus.com_


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## Talley

Don't forget the Work of Art from Basis Audio - $160,000


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## Meetdtaylor

I love the look of the tone arm on #9. Simply gorgeous! I wonder what the sonic characteristics are from the curves?


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## 39cord

Creative award should go to #6 for being made out of bamboo. Unit looks great.


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## gipoco

You are right when You say that there is no Technics tournable, but the eritage of the great SL-1200 is taken by Pioneer that with the PLX-1000 takes the perfection (for DJs and 1200-lovers) of the '1200 to a new level. The similarities are evident and the differences are a lot too (without diffentiating too much from the original): detachable audio and power cables, 8, 16 and 50% speed control (for DJs), etc. This is not simply a clone such as the Audio Technica AT-LP120-USBHC - which has also 78 rpm - and I think it may be a good news for DJs ...and for some of us too!


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## bkoch47

I'll take number 7....for $1500.


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## tcarcio

Well I decided to check out my old vinyl again so I ordered the Audio Technica in red and it is on sale so I got it for $110.15 shipped so not bad. I got it at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TPNJJ9G/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


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## Todd Anderson

Let us know what happens with that!


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## tcarcio

Todd Anderson said:


> Let us know what happens with that!


You got it.......:T


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## tcarcio

Got the Audio Technica TT today and hooked it up. It sounds great and the TT is so simple to operate it is great for someone who is just getting into vinyl. One thing I forgot is how I used to cringe when the LP had a skip and that cracking sound brought back memories long forgotten. :yikes: I definitely will have to do a big time cleaning of all my LP's but I don't at the moment have too many so I will take care of that ASAP. Does anyone have any advice on record cleaning devices that are around $100?


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## Todd Anderson

Thanks for the update...I was curious how this went for you.

I wish I had great cleaning advice for you. Hopeful one of the vinyl-heads around here will chirp up. I did talk extensively to the creator of this (at AXPONA):

http://www.ultrasonicrecords.com

I've been meaning to spotlight this product, simply because it's such an interesting idea. Unfortunately, I think it's a tad outside of the $100 budget.


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## tcarcio

Todd Anderson said:


> Thanks for the update...I was curious how this went for you.
> 
> I wish I had great cleaning advice for you. Hopeful one of the vinyl-heads around here will chirp up. I did talk extensively to the creator of this (at AXPONA):
> 
> http://www.ultrasonicrecords.com
> 
> I've been meaning to spotlight this product, simply because it's such an interesting idea. Unfortunately, I think it's a tad outside of the $100 budget.


Ha, Just a tad.  I was looking at something like this...http://rd.a9.com/srv/redirect/?info...f51yBaKtCknDsowCHC8Y5kAJGzv8h.wFwNbB&awt=1&s=


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## tesseract

tcarcio said:


> Got the Audio Technica TT today and hooked it up. It sounds great and the TT is so simple to operate it is great for someone who is just getting into vinyl. One thing I forgot is how I used to cringe when the LP had a skip and that cracking sound brought back memories long forgotten. :yikes: I definitely will have to do a big time cleaning of all my LP's but I don't at the moment have too many so I will take care of that ASAP. Does anyone have any advice on record cleaning devices that are around $100?


I have a $75 Spin Clean for deep cleaning and $20 carbon fiber brush for light cleaning and static removal. A Magic Eraser cleans the stylus, but don't rub it across, you will bend or break something. Go straight up and down with it.

Good call on the AT TT, it is getting a lot of positive attention.


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## tcarcio

tesseract said:


> I have a $75 Spin Clean for deep cleaning and $20 carbon fiber brush for light cleaning and static removal. A Magic Eraser cleans the stylus, but don't rub it across, you will bend or break something. Go straight up and down with it.
> 
> Good call on the AT TT, it is getting a lot of positive attention.


Thanks for the advice. I am going to go with the spin clean. It seems to be a very good choice. Would you happen to have a link to the brush?


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## tesseract

tcarcio said:


> Thanks for the advice. I am going to go with the spin clean. It seems to be a very good choice. Would you happen to have a link to the brush?


This is a decent price, dunno what shipping will run. I got my Spin Clean, phono pre amp and cartridge shipped in one box from these guys.

http://www.needledoctor.com/Audioquest-Carbon-Fiber-Brush


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## tcarcio

tesseract said:


> This is a decent price, dunno what shipping will run. I got my Spin Clean, phono pre amp and cartridge shipped in one box from these guys.
> 
> http://www.needledoctor.com/Audioquest-Carbon-Fiber-Brush


Thanks, It looks like a good sight. :T


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## Meetdtaylor

Amazon free shipping. 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006...ning+brush&dpPl=1&dpID=41wo+iIy84L&ref=plSrch


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## tcarcio

Meetdtaylor said:


> Amazon free shipping.
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0006...ning+brush&dpPl=1&dpID=41wo+iIy84L&ref=plSrch


Funny, I did a google search just to see if there was a better price and I just ordered the spin clean and that brush you linked from amazon. The spin clean was also 3 bucks cheaper so I got both items for $91 and change with free shipping.:bigsmile:


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## tesseract

You are well on your way, TC! 

I don't know how many times I've seen people buy a TT and not get a decent record cleaning system. You HAVE to have clean records. :scratch:


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## Meetdtaylor

Glad we could help. The fun is just beginning :laughing:


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## class a

Todd Anderson said:


> Thanks for the update...I was curious how this went for you.
> 
> I wish I had great cleaning advice for you. Hopeful one of the vinyl-heads around here will chirp up. I did talk extensively to the creator of this (at AXPONA):
> 
> http://www.ultrasonicrecords.com
> 
> I've been meaning to spotlight this product, simply because it's such an interesting idea. Unfortunately, I think it's a tad outside of the $100 budget.


That's a great price considering the competition. Here in New England I take some of my old dirty records to a guy called the Record Genie. He has 2 of the German machines and 2 of the Korean ultrasonic machines and they made the discs sound brand new. By the way as I get deeper into this hobby I waiting for my new VPI 16.5 RCM. Not quite in the same league as the ultrasonic machines but I'm very excited on receiving it.:T


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