Described as “blending nostalgic Y2K vibes with futuristic design for convenient music enjoyment on the go,” Gadhouse’s Cosmo Solar Edition portable turntable – complete with built-in speakers, Bluetooth 5.3 streaming and yes, a radio tuner – likely won’t be for discerning audiophiles who are after raw, unforgiving accuracy in their vinyl replay. And that’s okay.
Sporting a design language that put more than a few What Hi-Fi? members in mind of Apple’s iconic 90s iMac, the Solar Edition pushes all the right nostalgia buttons, with Neptune Blue, Venus Red, Jupiter Green, and Lucid White finishes taking us back to simpler times – when Game Boys and consoles were colourful and transparent, and all was right with the world.
Powered by a USB-C port, the built-in speakers (we don't have further specifications here), will serve up audio from all the aforementioned sources (including, of course, your favourite records), in addition to accepting USB sticks and even SD cards. There’s also a 3.5mm input jack, 6.35mm and 3.5mm headphone jacks, and an RCA output for hooking it up to a beefier setup.
Controls include 33/45 RPM speed selector, along with tone, volume, and pitch controls. There’s a DJ mode for non-stop playback when a vinyl reaches the end of its session, with Gadhouse’s own G cartridge running the show, promising “no more jarring interruptions or glitches that detract from your enjoyment.”
While there are plenty of feature-packed turntables hitting the market right now – with automatic operation, built-in phono stage, Bluetooth and even UPnP wi-fi streaming – this unit from Thailand-based Gadhouse is one of the most eclectic record players we've come across yet that tries to pack in so much into one box.
Record players with vibration-happy speakers built in (along with all the other electronics) don't always produce the best sound quality, but there's no denying its quirky, novelty appeal. While unlikely to make it onto our list of the best turntables given its clearly more casual use-case, this particular millennial would be lying if he wasn’t more than a little tempted by the wacky 90s nostalgia on offer here. And with a launch price of $199 / £199, this player could be a tempting offer for those looking for something a little different.
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