There are plenty of well-remembered classic turntables. The Thorens TD160, Linn LP12 and Technics SL1210 come to mind, and we wouldn't have to work hard to add another dozen famous names.
However, we're not interested in those well-loved decks here. Instead, we've dug deep into the past 50 years of What Hi-Fi?'s history to find a few gems that seem to have slipped the collective hi-fi consciousness.
Article continues belowBang & Olufsen 1800 (1984)
What Hi-Fi? is all about performance above most things, but even we aren’t immune to the stylish charms of Bang & Olufsen’s 1800 record player. This was a belt drive budget turntable, costing around £99 back in 1984, yet still managed to pack automatic operation and all the style the brand is so famed for.
Surprisingly, considering its ultra-slim plinth, the 1800 featured a fully-sprung sub-chassis to make it less sensitive to external vibrations. There was no platter mat as such; here, it is replaced by thin rings of Nextel that were claimed to reduce any static charge on the record.
The 1800’s arm was a thin, wand-like affair. It was fitted with one of B&O’s MMC (Moving Micro Cross) cartridges, a range of moving magnet cartridges designed specifically to work with the low-mass arms fitted to the company’s record players.
Most 1800 turntables would have been bought to complement Bang & Olufsen’s electronics, and so they featured a DIN output. Users would need a suitable DIN to phono adaptor if they had a more conventional third-party amplifier.
What did the B&O 1800 sound like? Our review at the time talks of a sweet, clear and organised presentation, built on a taut and tuneful bass performance. Lows were considered a little lightweight and perhaps the treble lacked a touch of precision compared to the best at the price, but the combination of the 1800’s elegance, ease of use and tidy sound makes it something of a budget classic in our view.
Cranfield Elite Rock (1982)
Linn’s LP12 had become a dominant force in the UK high-end turntable market by the early ’80s, and its suspended sub-chassis design was mirrored in many other decks of the day. So, the arrival of the Cranfield Elite Rock, with its solid design, heavy plaster-loaded structure and silicon damping trough was something of a shock.
The Rock originated from research done by the Cranfield Institute and was packed with innovative engineering solutions. However, it was the use of silicon fluid (sitting in the trough over the record) to damp arm resonances that proved the most controversial aspect of its design.
This added another step before playing a record, as the trough needed to be swivelled out of place to put the record on the platter, then pushed back. Also, if you weren’t careful, it was possible to spill the silicon fluid onto your records, which was messy.
The thing is, the whole arm-damping idea really worked, giving the cartridge a much more stable base to work from. This arrangement also made the sonic differences between tonearms less significant, and so the Rock got great results from affordable but capable options such as Rega’s RB300.
If you think that records sound warm and smooth, listening to the Elite Rock will prove a real shock. It had a dry and precise balance with some of the tautest bass of any record player.
Detail levels were exceptional, as was the Rock’s composure when playing demanding music. The Elite Rock may not have been the best finished high-end deck on the market, but it was right up there with the very best sounding options at the time.
Dual CS505-2 (1984)
Back in the early ’80s, if you wanted a good-quality, affordable turntable but couldn’t stretch to Rega’s Planar 2, you bought Dual’s CS505-2. This was a well-engineered and decently made budget deck that delivered a sound well above that achieved by most rivals.
The low price, around £75, didn’t stop Dual from offering a suspended sub-chassis, though, which served the deck well when positioned on less-than-perfect supports. The CS505-2 also included an auto-stop and arm-lift function at the end of a record side, making it more convenient to use than the competition.
Sound quality? Pretty good, with the Dual sounding enjoyably energetic and decently detailed. There was a good sense of balance about the CS505-2’s presentation and enough composure to stay organised when the music became demanding.
Sure, if you had more to spend, better sound was possible, but for the money, for a few years at least, nothing budget bettered the Dual as an all-round proposition.
Michell Syncro (1984)
Michell’s Syncro was introduced as a more affordable alternative to the company’s high-end Gyrodec. The Syncro was still a suspended sub-chassis design, though, which made it less sensitive to external disturbances than more rigid options such as the Rega Planar 3.
The Syncro’s platter was made of glass and covered by a felt mat. It was driven by an AC motor via a long rubber belt. Changing speed was a manual affair and involved moving the drive belt from one step of the motor pulley to the next.
While the Michell could be bought without an arm, it was usually fitted with a Mission 774LC or Linn LV-X in the early days, and a version of the Rega RB300 tonearm later on. Regardless, the Syncro was considered a lucid and detailed performer that could dig deep into the fabric of the recording.
This record player was a well-engineered and capable alternative for those who couldn’t stretch to the range-topping Gyrodec. Looking at it now, we can’t help but be tempted to search eBay for a sample in good condition.
Roksan Radius (1989)
Roksan’s first product was the legendary Xerxes turntable, released in 1985. The Xerxes was a truly ambitious and innovative record player that set the cat among the pigeons in the UK high-end market.
While the Xerxes established the brand, it was a pricey product, and the company needed a more affordable offering to help with growth. That new deck was the Roksan Radius (£399).
This was aimed at a more mainstream audience and came with the new Tabriz tonearm. Speed change was electronic, and the deck used a simplified version of its big brother’s clever isolation system.
The result was a truly capable performer that not only delivered a class-leading performance but did so in a package that was easy to use and much more affordable..
The Radius’s sound was agile and informative. It had a lovely top-to-bottom consistency and a low-frequency performance that prioritised tunefulness and articulation over outright weight and warmth. If you find one in good condition on the second-hand market, you won’t be disappointed.
Pink Triangle Tarantella (1998)
It is hard to believe that the Tarantella is almost 30 years old. Its styling still feels so fresh. This talented deck was something of a revelation back in the late ’90s, combining a striking appearance with class-leading sound quality at an entirely reasonable £850.
Our sample was fitted with the then-ubiquitous Rega RB300 tonearm and proceeded to dominate its price class for a number of years. The Tarantella sounded clear, detailed and musically coherent; a blend of talents that meant that it sounded at home with all types of music.
True, build quality wasn’t perfect, but if you got a good one, it was a pleasure to own. Speed control was electronic rather than manual, and the plinth-mounted LED lights made it look stunning in a darkened room. All in all, this is a modern classic.
Pro-Ject Elemental (2014)
Pro-Ject has long been the master of great-value turntables, and the Elemental was one of its finest. This was a wonderfully minimalist design that cut back on every luxury, leaving just the essentials. Elemental was truly an apt name.
Costs were saved by reducing the plinth size. It was just big enough to house the arm and cartridge. There was no means to level the deck and no form of suspension to isolate it from its surroundings.
However, there was an artificial stone mass anchor below the main bearing to add structural stability and act as an energy sink for noise generated by the main bearing and motor.
The platter was made of MDF and drive was delivered by a smooth-running DC motor. Speed change was manual, of course, but at least the Ortofon OM cartridge was factory fitted and the arm adjustments for bias and tracking weight already set. This was truly a plug-and-play turntable.
Sound quality was great for its £150 price, with good detail and a fine sense of organisation. This was a nicely balanced performer for the money, with a well-rounded presentation that would work well in the kind of budget systems it was designed for.
In the end, despite great reviews, its stark appearance proved too much for customers. Pro-Ject soon reverted to conventional rectangular plinths for its budget offerings, which we think is a shame.
Wilson Benesch Full Circle (1999)
While Wilson Benesch is now best known for its terrific range of high-end speakers, its first product was a record player. It was simply called The Wilson Benesch Turntable and was a determined effort to get more out of the record groove by using careful engineering combined with cutting-edge materials (such as carbon fibre) for the sub-chassis and tonearm.
That first record player was a well-received product, but by the early ’90s it was clear that the turntable market was in decline – thanks to the introduction of the Compact Disc – and so the company focused on speaker production.
However, it didn’t ignore vinyl replay altogether, releasing the Circle turntable around the turn of the century. When it was partnered with the company’s carbon fibre tonearm and cartridge, the package was called The Full Circle.
The Circle replaced the original record player’s suspension system with cantilevered carbon fibre rods. The deck was built around a layered construction that separated the motor (and all its inherent vibrations) from the sensitive cartridge/record interface.
The result was a beautifully simple-looking design that was superbly made and class-leading in performance. So much so that it garnered multiple Awards and five-star reviews from us over its production run. We think it remains an attractive and sonically competitive product to this day.
MORE:
13 debut decks from iconic turntable brands
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