Record Roundup Volume 18: Top Turntable News Of 2022
The first edition of Record Roundup for 2023 is going to look back to the year before. There were some very interesting developments in the world of turntables and related audio equipment in 2022. The products I covered last year have now been shipping for months and most of them are still available in stores — the special edition models may be hard to find, but record collectors know all about the thrill of tracking down a rare release…
It’s hard to pick from the dozens of new launches and announcements I covered here over the past 12 months, but these five stand out.
Audio Technica Sound Burger
Audio Technica’s Sound Burger portable record player.
Audio Technica
The first entry on this list made an appearance in Record Roundup Volume 17. This is a very unique device: a portable record player, powered by a USB-C rechargeable battery, and equipped with a replaceable ATN3600L stylus. It can be connected physically to an audio system or use its built-in Bluetooth connectivity to wirelessly stream music to speakers and headphones. The $199 Sound Burger from Audio Technica was released in celebration of that company’s 60th anniversary. It also marked 40 years since the original Sound Burger was released.
Fluance Ai81 Elite Powered Floor-standing Tower Speakers
Fluance RT85 Turntable + Ai81 Powered Tower Speakers
Fluance
Powered bookshelf speakers have become a popular option for pairing with a turntable to create a compact audio system with true stereo sound. A setup like this lets you enjoy the best sound possible from your records without having to invest in (or find the space for) a traditional component stereo system. Since most consumer-level turntables are sold with integrated preamplifiers these days, you can plug them directly into the AUX input of a set of powered bookshelf speakers.
However, bookshelf speakers are a little on the small side for some and their compact cabinets don’t have a lot of space for woofers. As a result, they can lack the deep low end response that a traditional component system with floor-standing speakers can produce.
The Fluance Ai8i Elite powered floor-standing speakers were an exciting announcement because they offered a much larger and more powerful option compared to powered bookshelf speakers. The built-in amplifier’s 150W of power is driving each speaker’s configuration of dual 6.5-inch woofers and a neodymium tweeter. The MDF cabinets also feature down-firing bass ports. A pair of Ai81s with a turntable plugged in would make for a system that’s tough to beat, with plenty of bass and volume on tap. Their $499 price tag is relatively budget-friendly as well.
Victrola Stream Carbon Turntable
The Victrola Stream Carbon is a premium turntable with Sonos wireless integration.
Victrola
This one was a little unexpected, but it was an exciting announcement. Known for making inexpensive, all-in-one record players, Victrola began making a play for the higher end of the market in 2022.
The $799.99 Victrola Stream Carbon — covered in Record Roundup Volume 16 — featured a modern, minimalist design, and premium components like an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge. But what really made this turntable stand out was its integration with Sonos wireless streaming speakers. The Stream Carbon can be plugged in like a regular turntable, but you can also spin records and stream that music to all the Sonos speakers in the house — wirelessly. There’s even a volume knob on the front of the turntable to control any Sonos speakers the turntable is streaming to.
Limited Edition Technics SL-1200M7L Direct Drive Turntable
Limited Edition Technics SL-1200M7L Direct Drive Turntable
Panasonic
Instantly recognizable, the Technics SL-1200 series turntables have been a top choice of discerning record fans for decades. 2022 just happened to mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic series and to celebrate, Panasonic released the limited edition Technics SL-1200M7L direct drive turntable.
The $1099.99 Technics SL-1200 is blinged out with an anodized gold-tinted tone arm, a slipmat with Technics in gold lettering, and one of seven different colors: black, red, blue, white, green, yellow, and beige.
IKEA OBEGRÄNSAD
The IKEA OBEGRÄNSAD record player is coming this fall.
IKEA
Record sales continued to rise in 2022, and once again dominated all other forms of physical music purchases. In what might be the surest sign yet that vinyl is not just resurgent, it’s going mainstream, IKEA announced it was releasing a turntable.
In Record Roundup Volume 14 last June, I covered the details of IKEA’s USB-powered, plug-and-play OBEGRÄNSAD turntable. It’s available in IKEA stores now at a very reasonable $159.99 price. The OBEGRÄNSAD turntable is a rarity: an IKEA product that does not ship flat and does not arrive with an Allen key in the box…
