Without doubt, there's an elite group of individuals who think the best way to listen to music is on a high-quality old-fashioned analog turntable. But, when you are going to pay an exorbitant amount of money for a piece of antiquated technology like a turntable, you unquestionably want it to be one and only. So, for the elite class who can afford to listen to music on a highly-prized turntable, we have listed the most expensive turntables. Check out:-
Price: $300,000
This turntable is without doubt every music enthusiasts' dream gadget but only the uber-rich will be able to buy it as the price tag reads a cool $300,000. There are only 25 on the planet. The Reference II turntable features a degree of refinement and a number of never-seen-before features. The turntable features a 20kg platter machined to a hundreth of a millimeter, a motor vibration-shielded by 15kg of brass, and teflon-insulated signal-carring electronics. Other specs include cog-free motor with lowest electrical and mechanical noise, liquid-nitrogen-rectified belt, touch controls integrated in the tabletop specially designed new Goldmund T8 straight-line tone arm with total weight of 7 kg. Limited editions of 25 units are sold on subscription with a maximum production of 5 units per year.
Price: $150,000
Basis Audio is one of the leading turntable manufacturers of the world, which guarantees high quality systems to the music-lovers. Audiophiles fancy the quality of vinyl as a musical source, and the very best turntables are built on a philosophy of weight and stability. Basis Audio's 'Work of Art' turntable turntable makes use of a self-contained Resonance Annihilator, which plays the role of isolating it from vibration. The vibrational energy is neutralized by being transformed into heat energy, which is then efficiently dissipated. At $150,000, the Work of Art is definitely one of the most expensive consumer audio devices out there. It boasts features such as Resonance Annihilation, which attempts to remove all vibrations from the record, thereby creating a more pure sound.
Price: $150,000
The Artus turntable comes straight from the house of German company Transrotor. It weighs 220 kg and the record is being held by the 350 kg Clearaudio STATEMENT. The Artus has a contact-less magnetic field drive, a balanced arm and new electronics. The reason for the high price is being a 4-in-1 product as it includes a LP player, phonograph, gramophone, and a turntable.
Price: $150,000
Buying top end audio equipment is one thing, but that piece of equipment being as expensive as your house is a whole new dimension altogether. OneDof (One degree of Freedom) turntable, designed by NASA award winning engineer Aleks Bakman, apart from a numerous unique features, has generous use of gold in its components. This is perhaps the reason why this turntable comes with the price tag of $150,000, the equivalent of your home. Apart from the apparent use of gold in this device, what is setting it apart is the non-resonant liquid suspension of the turntable. This mechanism uses a thick film of oil, which is paired along with the vertical motor adjustment. This results in external noise cancellation and from what we hear, this is one of the unique devices using this technology to such effect. Also the bearing of the device uses a vertical centered platter rotation format, which results in almost zero-vibration inside the device’s cylinder, which is actually the central reason why the clarity of the resultant sound output would be so high.On proper investigation, we found that the turntables have even further complexities, which were much beyond our capacity to explain, but have been created specifically for supreme sound output. And wait; this isn’t all! You would also have to shell out an additional $ 9750 for each of the 2 tri-planar tone-arm, and also the Benz LP cartridge, apart from the 150K which we mentioned earlier. But when it comes to the crazy audiophiles, it wouldn’t matter if what they get is what they wanted.
Price: $125,000
The pertinently named Statement is a $125,000 assembly of wood, aluminum, and other sundry bits that has only one endeavor, to play records, and play them outstandingly well. Weighing 770 pounds, the Statement derives its rotational motivation from the same type of electric motor used to propel the Mars Rover. It touts a patented magnetic driven sub platter, dynamic balanced platters, Kardan turntable chassis suspension, real time speed control and active blue LCD display.
Price: $90,000 to $112,000
Vinyl isn't dead, and the Continuum Caliburn turntable is the thing to prove that. The pricing for the turntable starts at $90,000 and goes up to $112,000, depending on finishes and includes some remarkable technology. The tonearm alone sells for $12,000. The turntable employs a magnetically levitated magnesium platter, which is suspended in a vacuum to guarantee there are no vibrations.
Price: $64,000
The Angelis Labor Gabriel turntable features four separate arms that sit on a platter suspended on a magnetically levitated spindle. The materials used in the making include aluminum, bronze and stainless steel. The turntable and arm are totally decoupled at several points, under the base, turntable and the pin. The orbital starship-like turntable combines state-of-the-art technology with a stunning form factor. Pricing for the Angelis Labor Gabriel turntable falls between $27,000 and $64,000. Audiophiles fancy the quality of vinyl as a musical source and the Gabriel turntable is just right.
Price: $48,000
If you are one of those individuals who thinks the best way to listen to music is on a high-end turntable, you need to check out the new Sleipner Airbearing Turntable with Airbearing Tonearm from the house of Denmark-based Bergmann Audio. The reference-level turntable, powered by airbearing technology, features a linear tracking airbearing tonearm, a digital motor-controlled air supply and a vacuum clamp for stabilizing records. "Sleipner," in Danish, means smooth or gliding. In the Nordic Mythology, Sleipner is the magical eight-legged steed, and the first of all horses. The high-end turntable follows the company’s “Less is more” philosophy, and enjoys an elegant design. The airbearing process is frictionless, which helps minimize bearing noise and deliver outstanding stability. The airbearing tonearm of the Sleipner comes in contact with only a record through the stylus tip and tonearm wire. This makes for amazing musical reproduction with effective bass response. The plinth features six layers of different materials for optimal resonance control. There are three boards of powdered granite/epoxy binding material, two layers of aluminum and one layer of bitumen. At the top of the plinth is a two-pound aluminum platter.The turntable’s air supply provides a silent, clean, dry and smooth airflow. It has a high precision digital controlled DC motor, with hallsensor and encoder. The Sleipner Airbearing Turntable with Airbearing Tonearm carries a suggested price of $48,000.
Price: $46,730
We are big fans of high-end luxury turntables. The latest we have with us is the Vega Masterpiece turntable from the house of Althea Musica. The turntable looks to be the just right pick if you are serious about aesthetics and audio. Every component is selected precisely for its amazing sonic performance. The Vega turntable is an analogy with regard to the analogous music reproduction. The base of the Vega Masterpiece is crafted from a combination of various tone woods. The intelligently arranged resonance chambers avert resonation or vibrations of the material and the transference to the record plate by means of transformation of the energy. The geometry and material choice makes every swinging inclination virtually suppressed. A separate tone arm basis is also laid out on stability that decouples the tone. Tone arms of any geometry and length can with a separate installation. The combination of non-resonant materials, and speed stability delivers a playback system that will flabbergast you with excellent dynamics and clarity. The Althea Musica’s Vega Masterpiece turntable will set you back EUR 33,330 (approx. $46,730).
Price: $41,250
The unique design of the DaVinciAudio Labs AAS Gabriel turntable is inspired from the same process that is used to cut grooves into masters for vinyl discs. The turntable looks deadly cool when we take a look at its form factor and compare the make to the Transrotor Artus, Sondek LP12 SE turntable, TEAC's VPI HR-X1 turntable, Goldmund's The Reference II, and the Basis Audio turntable. All of these carry a hefty price tag but when we talk about looks, the AAS Gabriel turntable certainly sits at the top. Frankly speaking, it looks to be something that should be placed in an art museum. It comes equipped with highly stable drive chassis, acoustically sound turntable, silent bearings, and stable power supply. It has been designed in a way to produce absolutely zero noise or vibration. The inimitable design is inspired from the same process that is employed to cut grooves into masters for vinyl discs. Meant for the fat wallets, the 24-karat gold and white Luxury Edition sells for $41,250 while the silver and black version will set you back only $35,400.
Price: $40,000
The SME 30 Turntable is compact and incredibly dense, weighing in at 90 lbs. It employs a nifty suspension system using a combination of elastomers and silicone to achieve an almost zero Q suspension. The SME platter mat boasts a unique combination of high shear stiffness and effective vertical damping to purge the energy feedback from the platter back into the record. The amalgamation of compact high mass, non-resonant materials, and speed stability delivers a playback system that will flabbergast you with excellent dynamics, clarity, and noise free background.
Price: $40,000
The Proscenium Black Diamond Turntable is the result of over 30 years of research to build the best sounding turntable. Every component is selected precisely for its sonic performance. Even the finish on the platter has been selected for its sonic merit. Although the complete system is quite complex, it is extremely reliable and very easy to set up and play. The system comes complete with arm, requiring only your favorite cartridge. Salient features include a huge Air-bearing Platter that is 10 inches in diameter with 3 air jets, Platter and Record Clamp, remote Drive motor, and an Ultimate Motor Controller that comes mounted on an eight-piece Valid Points resonance control kit.
Price: $27,800
It’s hard to justify buying a high-end turntable these days, but for the lovers of much wider dynamic range, here’s the UniSon MK II turntable from the well-known Switzerland based turntable manufacturer, DaVinci Audio Labs. Featuring the same physical principles of the cutting machine and stylus that we have seen in the AAS Gabriel turntable, the UniSon MK II is also equipped with a highly stable drive chassis for the liveliness and silent bearings for absolutely zero noise or vibration. Apart from these DaVinci Audio’s signature features, the UniSon MK II comes with height adjustable damping feet to ensure the turntable system is perfectly level. Priced at $27,800 this state of the art turntable can always justify why you need to buy a turntable.
Price: $24,000
If you have to save your most desirable possession from a burning building then what would it be? Don’t know about you but for a music connoisseur who owns a one of the best turntables in the market will leave everything to save that only. Though he may not own the most expensive turntables, but the Acutus Reference Turntable from Avid that sports a price tag of $24,000 also cannot be left back to get charred. Touted to be the ultimate in analog playback, this outstanding turntable features a new custom designed sturdy power supply. This drives the motor with such precision, the pace and timing of the music takes on a whole new perspective. Also the brand’s design philosophy begins with the most critical component in the signal chain, the stylus tracking the groove of the record. Vibration caused by the stylus during playback is transmitted to the subchassis directly through the bearing and not absorbed into the platter. This is achieved using a unique matting material and clamping system. External vibrations are isolated by a unique suspension system, now conveniently adjustable from above. A purpose designed power supply coupled to a unique hand made motor, 10 times more powerful than normally used, drive a massive 10Kg platter. Recently improvements to the suspension, now allows adjustments from above, making set-up easier. The design and engineering behind this table sets new standards in music reproduction. And it’s not a case of brains without beauty or vice versa, as such an outstanding engineering marvel with the most accurate sonic presentation can be ordered in Polished Chrome. Also the affluent music lovers can opt for a plated Gold one to add an oomph factor to this beauty. Whatever the casing be, it is undeniably one of the most musical-sounding record players you can buy.
Price: $19,000
The ClearAudio Master Reference turntable is the just right pick if you are serious about aesthetics and audio. The turntable is hand-made in Germany and boasts a range of innovative features including APG (Accurate Power Generator) motor control system, master reference chassis, a master TQ-I tonearm and unique 'Side-Force-Free' triple motor and belt drive system. The master reference turntable is also available in various other models and is considered by many leading audio magazines, including 'The Absolute Sound', 'Stereoplay' and 'Hifi +' as the best turntable on the marker. Superb mechanical design and precise production provide the foundation for a cohesive, dynamic sound throughout the complete musical spectrum.
Price: $19,000
If you have a taste for high-end audio and don't mind spending richly for a hi-end craftsmanship than the run-of-the-mill speakers and audio systems, then this $19,000 TEAC's VPI HR-X1 turntable is meant to satiate your affluent tastes. The VPI HR-X from TEAC features a belt driven, 50-mm thick acrylic plate which floats on an air suspension system at 33.3 or 45rpm. The turntable features 24 extremely, 300rpm AC synchronous motors and it weighs approximately 52.5kg.
