Turntables, Arms & Cartridges

From the Japanese founder of the Zoot Sims Fan Club comes a range of artisan moving-coils, all joining distributor Absolute Sounds’ TEN collection. Entry starts with the EX300

If the closure of Japanese cartridge manufacturer, Koetsu, in 2024 left a gap in the lives of analogue fans the world over, it also left a gap in the portfolio of its UK distributor, Absolute Sounds. In this case, the door led to cartridge brand Analog Relax, and the EX300 under consideration here is its entry level model, retailing in the UK for £2698.

It’s always exciting when a designer of great renown finally brings to market an own-name product. So while many of us may not instantly recognise the name Thiele – not to be confused with the Thiel Audio brand of the US that declared bankruptcy in 2018 – there is every chance that we’ve already come across one of Helmut Thiele’s many creations.

While some companies look to completely re-brand in the face of changing attitudes, it’s reassuring to see others persuade us of technological advancements in more familiar fashion. So, at the opposite end of the spectrum from the reborn Jaguar automotive brand, you get Pro-Ject Audio Systems being as evangelical as ever in its quest to steer all vinylistas towards balanced operation.

Two things struck me when PM said we'd be reviewing a cartridge from a new manufacturer. The first thought, from my glass-half-empty side, was: do we really need another? But the second was: this must be proof that the vinyl revival is substantial enough to warrant it. When told that the company was planning a 25th anniversary model, my curiosity about Skyanalog was truly piqued. 'New' it most certainly isn't.

I can sense your confusion. However, before you start wondering why our 'Vintage Review' has moved closer to the front of the magazine than usual, let me explain. Yes, you are looking at a turntable based around a Garrard 301, but this is a rather special one - a Garrard 301 produced in limited numbers and made strictly to order. In the plinth shown here and complete with SME Series V-12 tonearm, it will set you back £51,645, or £43,945 with an SME M2-12R. What, you might reasonably ask, is going on?

SME’s development of its formidable flagship Model 60 turntable, released a couple of years ago [HFN Jul ’22], continues to influence designs lower down the UK manufacturer’s range. All are being upgraded to MK2 status, the latest being the Model 15. On test here, retailing for £12,067 with pre-fitted SME 309 tonearm, this deck is also the most affordable in SME’s lineup with a proper suspended subchassis.

It was back in the March 1996 issue of Hi-Fi News that I took my first look at the £6250 Stratosphere ST1 – a turntable that proved out of this world in sound quality as well as name. Now John Jeffries of Reference International (the name behind both the Strat and Lumley) has delivered a complete system including the £4500 LM2 loudspeakers.