Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

Transrotor might be a new name to many, but the company has a long and illustrious history. However, this is the first time that its range of turntables has been officially available on UK shores – and what a range it is! The £4400 Massimo Nero TMD is eight steps up the ladder of an 18-strong selection that starts with the £3000 Max and culminates in the magnificent Metropolis FMD, which will set you back a not inconsiderable £180,000.

Illustrative of a ‘new wave’ in both the mechanical design and ergonomics of early-1970s turntables, Braun’s fully automatic PS 450 was an idler-drive of some distinction

Braun’s hi-fi activities are little known in the UK, although the company’s Regie 510 and Regie 350 receivers have been featured in previous Vintage Reviews [HFN Jun ’16 & Apr ’17]. At its peak, the Braun hi-fi range was as broad and as sophisticated as that of any rival manufacturer, in addition to the kitchen, personal care and photographic equipment that the company also produced. Unlike some, Braun designed and manufactured its own turntables and these were engineered to the very highest of standards.

It was tempting to kick off this review comparing cartridge manufacturer Skyanalog with its fellow Chinese brand BYD, which uses the tagline ‘the biggest car brand you’ve never heard of’. Sadly, Skyanalog’s UK distributor, Sound Design Distribution (SDD), beat us to the punchline by splashing ‘Possibly the most successful cartridge manufacturer you’ve never heard of’ across its webpage.

In the vinyl heyday of the 1970s and 1980s, differences between UK-designed turntables, and those arriving from Japan, were stark. The suspended subchassis belt-drive decks, popular among British audiophiles, showcased increasing refinement of a ‘traditional’ technology. Japanese corporations, on the other hand, were making use of large research departments and development budgets to produce decks that could correct for off-centre records, direct-drive motors with almost unmeasurable wow and flutter, and control systems with huge torque that would revolutionise DJ-ing.

Few brands have been more dedicated to perfection than Alphason. Although the company is now also very successful as a supplier of hi-fi furniture, and has launched an innovative loudspeaker range, the £1860 Symphony turntable remains a flagship product.

Two things struck me when PM said we'd be reviewing a cartridge from a new manufacturer. The first thought, from my glass-half-empty side, was: do we really need another? But the second was: this must be proof that the vinyl revival is substantial enough to warrant it. When told that the company was planning a 25th anniversary model, my curiosity about Skyanalog was truly piqued. 'New' it most certainly isn't.

As the EISA Awards jury noted this year [HFN Oct ’24], AV furniture is ‘often overlooked… but has a crucial part to play’. Monitor Audio would agree, and having acquired Blok in 2019, it has launched a redesigned Stax 2G system this summer. Retaining its predecessor’s wooden box-like supports and full-width shelves, the improved modular form-factor promises to be easier to configure and assemble.