Sales of vinyl records have been steadily increasing in recent years, meaning that turntables are also back in production. Folks looking for a disc spinner that's eye-catching as well as practical could opt for a vertical player, and the latest comes from startup ToVerse.
Making the living room turntable a conversation starter and stylish focal point is nothing new of course, but the ToVerse automatic vertical turntable does add modern streaming capabilities while also having a pleasant vintage charm.
It features a 215-mm (8.5-in)-deep MDF base cabinet from which sprouts the vertical turntable setup. The user places a record on the spindle and then clamps it in place using the "fixator" stored around back between plays.
The motor drives a belt hidden inside the platter and support structure, which turns the vinyl record at either 33 or 45 rpm – with the listener selecting between 7- and 12-inch record sizes and spin speeds via switches to the right.
The tonearm automatically positions the stylus (which appears to be from Audio Technica) in the grooves, "sensing the position of the record and eliminating the need for manual adjustments." There are buttons for starting/stopping playback as well as lifting and lowering the stylus during play if necessary, and a control slider is included for moving the tonearm without needing to touch it, to skip tracks for example or replay a favorite section.
The system rocks anti-resonance dual-channel speakers with a passive bass radiator, plus Bluetooth 5.1 for wireless headphone listening and a 3.5-mm jack for wired. There are RCA outputs for cabling to a living room hi-fi system, and users can of course stream tunes to the ToVerse system's speakers too.
ToVerse expects that its vertical turntable will be priced at US$169 when available for retail, but current Kickstarter pledges start at $109. The usual crowdfunding cautions apply, but if all goes to plan, shipping is estimated to start in November.
Source: ToVerse
