Pro-Ject Audio engineers have had a hand in a brand-new budget turntable by upstarters TONE Factory.
The TONE Bluetooth, belt-drive turntable, which has so far reached double its goal on Kickstarter, is designed to be easy to set-up and use for vinyl lovers who don’t necessarily want a complete hi-fi system. To that end, the TONE has a built-in phono stage, as well as Bluetooth transmitter allowing vinyl to be streamed to any Bluetooth headphones or speaker.
Such abilities are fairly common nowadays, but TONE Factory (comprised of three young Austrian designers) hopes to win people over with its cleverly flat, compact design. The circular base includes the motor, phono stage and Bluetooth module, and functions as the structural foundation of the turntable, with the chassis and player sitting within this base. Because of that, the TONE turntable has an unusually flat look. In fact, as you can see, the platter is only just thick enough to make lifting up the vinyl easy.
The TONE’s cartridge is a result of “close cooperation with Ortofon”, too. Considering the expertise involved, we’d hope the TONE performs with the best Bluetooth turntables around, then.
Expected in June 2020, the TONE turntable will retail for €249 in either black, white and green finishes. If you’re quick you can snap one up for €199.
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