Cambridge Audio expands Alva TT turntable range with cheaper aptX HD Bluetooth deck

(Image credit: Cambridge Audio)

It’s been three years, almost to the day, since Cambridge Audio launched the world’s first aptX HD Bluetooth turntable, the Alva TT (which went on to receive a solid review from us). And now, choosing the CES stage once again, the British hi-fi brand is launching a successor as well as a brand-new, more affordable deck.

The fittingly named Alva TT V2 (£1700, $1999) you can see above is the next-generation model of the 2019-released record player. It retains the original’s direct-drive design, pre-installed Alva MC cartridge, and the aptX HD Bluetooth streaming that allows owners to stream their vinyl wirelessly to wireless headphones or speakers, but this time there’s also a new-and-improved tonearm, with a detachable headshell offering an upgrade path, a switchable phono stage, and the option to turn the Bluetooth transmitter off. Cambridge says both new features are in response to customer feedback.

Cambridge Audio Alva ST — (Image credit: Cambridge Audio)

Then there’s the all-new Alva ST (above), a more affordable, belt-drive turntable priced at £850 ($999). The Alva ST’s belt-drive design is complemented by a 1mm aluminium top plate and a vibration-dampening absorption layer on top of MDF, with the detachable Audio Technica AT-VM95e moving magnet cartridge coming pre-installed. It shares its sibling’s aptX HD Bluetooth streaming, the same new tonearm, and a switchable phono stage.

You may like

The Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 and Alva ST turntables will be available in spring this year, and our expectations of both are high. Now that there are more aptX HD Bluetooth headphones and devices out there, streaming vinyl wirelessly in 24-bit is more viable and, while still niche, perhaps more attractive than ever before.

MORE:

Best Bluetooth turntables 2022: wireless record players for streaming vinyl

All the CES 2022 news and highlights as the world's biggest tech show returns

3 of the best turntable systems for playing vinyl

TOPICS

Becky is the managing editor of What Hi-Fi? and, since her recent move to Melbourne, also the editor of the brand's sister magazines Down Under – Australian Hi-Fi and Audio Esoterica. During her 11+ years in the hi-fi industry, she has reviewed all manner of audio gear, from budget amplifiers to high-end speakers, and particularly specialises in headphones and head-fi devices. In her spare time, Becky can often be found running, watching Liverpool FC and horror movies, and hunting for gluten-free cake.