Just arrived in the UK is the McIntosh Laboratory MT5 turntable, one of the winners of our Stars of CES 2013 awards when it was announced at the beginning of this year.
Selling for £7495, the McIntosh MT5 comes pre-fitted with a Sumikio Blue Point 2 moving coil cartridge, and is supplied factory adjusted, with tracking force, anti-skate, cartridge overhang and arm height all preset for maximum performance. That makes it just about a 'plug and play' component, with none of the usual fiddle required by most high-end turntables.
It uses a massive silicone-acrylic platter, mounted on an anodised aluminium sub-platter, suspended on a magnetic bearing and belt-driven by a Swiss-made DC motor. 33.3, 45 and 78rpm speeds are available, each with its own trim adjustment.
The arm is made from dural-aluminium, and uses ceramic bearings, plus magnetic anti-skate adjustment, while the chassi uses a stainless steel base with an aluminium baseplate and acrylic top-plate, with the front panel and platter LED-illuminated via fibre optics.
The McIntosh MT5 is available through UK distributor Jordan Acoustics
Written by Andrew Everard
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