If you're in the market for a new record player, this year's What Hi-Fi? Awards turntable category is a good a place to start. This year we have six great options, each offering best-in-class performance. So which decks won? And what makes them so good? Read on.
The DG-1 Dynamic Groove record playing package from Vertere Acoustics takes the premium award thanks to its clever engineering, insightful sound and competitive price.
For the sum of £2850 ($3895, AU$5995) you get the deck, arm and a surprisingly capable moving magnet cartridge. There’s so much to talk about here, but it’s the flat tonearm that grabs the attention. The arm uses a sandwich construction to give the blend of rigidity and resonance control Vertere required.
This arm even eschews conventional metal bearings for twisted nylon threads. Add this to the carefully designed deck and the sensibly chosen cartridge and you end up with the most entertaining and informative premium record player we’ve heard anywhere near its price.
It’ll come as no surprise to regular readers that Rega is once again well-represented in this category, with the rest of the category having a familiar look about it.
The company picked-up three gongs this year for its excellent Planar 1, Planar 3 and Planar 6 record players. You can't go wrong with a Rega, is the over-arching message.
Other spots are taken by Technics for its SL-1500C and Pro-Ject for the still excellent Primary E budget deck.
The SL-1500C is a beautifully made, fuss–free record player that sounds great. If Rega’s back-to-basics approach doesn’t appeal, this is a brilliant alternative and highly recommended.
Meanwhile the Primary E is a repeat winner. For vinyl lovers who have a small budget and aren’t fussed about features such as record ripping and automatic operation, the Pro-Ject Primary E is just the ticket.
