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Aiwa’s 30 series micro system [HFN Dec ’24] was a fine example of the Japanese urge to miniaturise familiar objects to make them even more desirable to the consumer. It was part of the Micro Systems craze that swept through the hi-fi industry in the late 1970s and early ’80s, in which most of the major manufacturers got involved. Amplifiers, tuners and tape decks were shrunk to an impressive degree, but one key part of the hi-fi chain presented more of a challenge. The turntable, effectively dimensioned by the size of the records it played, was difficult to make any smaller without losing functionality and quality.

In the UK, the turntable market has been dominated for a number of years by Linn’s LP12 – now well-priced by audiophile standards. Many attempts have been made to produce and sell better and more costly models, but it turned out that a far higher price had to be paid to achieve a genuine sound improvement. Enter the French products of Pierre Lurné – a turntable lineup which has enjoyed success for some years on the continent, but has only recently become available here.

The summit of solo-violin writing before Bach, this 17th century cycle of devotional sonatas attracts highly individual responses on record, finds Peter Quantrill

This month we review: Nigel Price Organ Trio, Pete Horsfall, Aaron Parks, John Taylor