My analog inner soul died a little bit when I saw this turntable announcement from German über-hip design/manufacturing company Ballfinger the other day. The Schallplattenspieler (love how that sounds) is claimed to be the first ‘table that has a radial arm mixed with a micro-processor controlled linear glide mechanism. According to Ballfinger this allows for “a completely straight tone arm without skating force and tracking angle.” Which means I won’t be able to obsess or sweat over those two critical minutae of cartridge alignment if I were setting up this ‘table in my own home. I was heartbroken… Oh well!
German engineering triumphs again. Along with that new linear tonearm, the turntable features one-touch platter activation control. Simply stop the rotation of the platter with your hand, and when you’ve flipped the LP, or swapped in a new one, just tap the button to initiate rotation again. Simple.
All the connectors are located on the underside of the chassis because apparently Ballfinger gives a damn about a ‘table blending in with modern decor, and the design aesthetic of “demanding room concepts.”
The turntable looks to be joined by a perfectly matching integrated amplifier with a built-in phono stage too.
Pricing is set to be $9,400 USD ($12,300 CAN). No delivery date that I can find anywhere online. Originally spotted here.
You know you’ve been into this hobby too long when you see a turntables price and yell . . . damn thats cheap! Not that I could afford it , just saying.