Hands on With the Qlearsoul HiFire X

First up is the Qlearsoul HiFire X. I published a detailed feature on this turntable audio system last week. It’s compact, powerful and includes a pair of bookshelf speakers to accompany the built-in turntable with Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge. The big draw of this system–to me, at least–is its nostalgic appeal. The HiFire X sends out serious 1970s vibes thanks to its wood-finish cabinet, aluminum faceplate, big control knobs and especially the pair of amber backlit VU meters.

can Record Storage Crates from Toneoptic

A few years back I wrote about Toneoptic’s innovative rpm, rotating record storage shelves. The company is back with a modern take on the classic record storage crate with its new, can record crates. No plastic milk crate approach here, the Toneoptic can crates are stylish and sturdy, made with premium materials like aluminum and American black walnut. Each holds roughly 80 albums. They can be securely stacked and the company also sells a wheeled eze dolly to make moving a loaded crate much easier. Toneoptic says the can record crates are customizable with a choice of colors and finishes, with each manufactured and assembled by hand at its Los Angeles factory. The new can record crates are now available for pre-order.

Audio-Technica AT-LP2022

Audio-Technica is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and one of the products the company has released to mark its six decades of making premium audio equipment is the AT-LP2022 belt drive turntable. This showcase of modern design is a 3cm thick slab of crystal clear acrylic with high-isolation, height-adjustable feet, a sensor-monitored two speed motor, a carbon-fiber tonearm and a limited-edition Shibata elliptical stylus for its AT-VM95 cartridge.

You’ll have to scour audio retailers to find one of these as Audio-Technica says the limited-edition release is now sold out.

Andover-One SB Orbit System

Finally, I stumbled across an interesting, limited edition package deal from a pair of the most respected names on the American audio scene. Andover Audio and U-Turn Audio–both based in Massachusetts and both makers of turntables and turntable-related products that have fared extremely well in my past testing–have joined forces, with the $2,499 Andover-One SB Orbit System.

This is a premium, compact audio system featuring a custom U-Turn Audio Orbit turntable (with acrylic platter and 2M Blue cartridge) sitting atop an Andover-One SB high-performance speaker base (with 200W powering its six speakers, IsoGroove™ vibration control technology, Bluetooth and furniture-grade hardwood construction). Andover makes its own turntable, but partnering with U-Turn Audio and its Orbit turntable expertise for this setup results in a high end, compact system that will be tough to beat.

Want to read previous Record Roundups? You can read the previous edition here.