Turntable Reviews

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VPI HW-19 turntable

J. Gordon Holt, Various Sep 28, 2008 First Published: Feb 28, 1984 0 comments

There is something refreshingly no-nonsense about the design and construction of this turntable. It looks as if someone just said, Okay, this, that, and the other thing need to be done. Let's do it. And then they did it. In appearance at least, it is about as simple a design as you're likely to find. What sets it apart from other simple designs is that this one is built like a battleship! Everything is heavy-duty (notto mention heavy), from the 10-lb, lead-laminated aluminum platter to the ¼"steel-reinforced subchassis.

Turntable Reviews

SOTA Star Sapphire turntable

Steven W. Watkinson, Various Sep 05, 2008 First Published: Feb 05, 1984 0 comments

The SOTA Sapphire was the first, and the most successful in terms of sales, of the new generation of high-end American turntables. As such, the SOTA can be viewed as leading this country's resurge ence of interest in high-quality turntable production. At the time of the SOTA's introduction in 1981, it was the only high-end turntable manufactured in the US. Since then American-made turntables have appeared from the likes of AR, Mapleknoll, Sonographe, and VPI.

Budget Component Reviews Turntable Reviews

Rega Planar 3 turntable

Sam Tellig, Various Sep 04, 2008 First Published: Jan 04, 1984 0 comments

Among British turntables, there is the Rega Planar 3, which sells here for $550 (approximately double the UK price). I've owned a Rega for three years and know it well.

Historical J. Gordon Holt Turntable Reviews

Thorens TD-150AB turntable and tonearm

J. Gordon Holt Jul 11, 2019 First Published: Dec 01, 1966 0 comments

This is an integrated arm-and-turntable unit using single-belt drive from a stepped motor pulley to an inside platter (under the main one), and having a three-point suspension similar to that in the AR turntable for isolation from acoustic feedback and floorborne vibrations. Speed change is accomplished by a two-pronged "fork" which, actuated by the speed selector knob, throws the belt from one step of the motor pulley to the other. The motor is a special synchronous type that is actually two motors in a single case. Their speed is determined by the frequency of the AC supply, so there is no speed adjustment.

Historical J. Gordon Holt Turntable Reviews

Garrard 301 & Thorens TD 124 turntables

J. Gordon Holt Sep 05, 2019 First Published: Mar 01, 1963 0 comments

An editorial note: We recently republished Stereophile founder J. Gordon Holt's 1966 review of the Swiss Thorens TD-150AB turntable. This was the first high-end 'table I bought after leaving university and earning a wage. But as good as I felt the TD-150AB to be, with its belt drive and sprung suspension, it was sonically overshadowed both by Thorens's TD 124 turntable and by the English Garrard 301 turntable.

Phono Preamp Reviews Spin Doctor Turntable Reviews

Spin Doctor #28: Kuzma and Westminster Lab

Michael Trei Aug 20, 2025 0 comments

Forty years ago, when I was a much younger man, I was a strong dude. I recall one day in 1986, soon after I started working at Sound by Singer, when Krell cofounder Dan D'Agostino drove down from his factory in Connecticut to deliver a load of amplifiers and preamps for us to sell. As the new guy, I was expected to do the grunt work.

Spin Doctor Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews

Spin Doctor #29: Static, the Wand Master Turntable & Dark-Light tonearm, and Very Large Choirs

Michael Trei Oct 08, 2025 0 comments

The largest regularly scheduled choral singing event in the world is the Estonian National Song Festival, or Laulupidu, which comes around about once every five years in Tallinn, Estonia's capital city. The numbers are pretty mind blowing.

Tonearm Reviews Turntable Reviews

EAT F-Dur Turntable & F-Note Tonearm

Ken Micallef Nov 07, 2025 0 comments

In the high-end audio industry, the representation of women in professional roles is strikingly low. Yet these women are integral to every facet of the industry, from engineering and design to leadership, proving that their contributions are vital.

Spin Doctor Turntable Reviews

Spin Doctor #31: Turntable Drive Systems & the Garrard 301 Advanced

Michael Trei Dec 09, 2025 0 comments

While I was coming to grips with this month's review subject, the idler drive Garrard 301 Advanced, I began to think about the various methods that have been used to spin turntable platters over the years. Since the transition a century ago from wind-up clockwork to electric motors, there have basically been three ways to spin a turntable platter...

Budget Component Reviews Turntable Reviews

Technics SL-50C record player

Tom Fine Feb 27, 2026 0 comments

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.