Podcast #1134: Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable Review

HDTV and Home Theater Podcast

On this week’s show we review the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable that retails for $599. We also read your emails and take a look at the week’s news.

News:

• Apple's Vision Pro Won't Launch With Netflix App
• Plex is about to launch a store for movies and TV shows
• Netflix Will Be The New Home of WWE Monday Night Raw in 2025
• Is Hollywood Headed for a Massive Crash?

Other:

• Samsung expands self-repair program to include home entertainment devices

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Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable

In an era dominated by digital music and streaming, the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon Turntable emerges as a beacon of nostalgia, offering a captivating journey back to the golden age of vinyl - but with a few modern twists. Designed for discerning audio enthusiasts and music aficionados alike, this remarkable record player promises superior performance and effortless setup, making it a highly recommended addition to any audiophile's collection. It retails for $599.

Overview

Product highlights:

• semi-automatic belt-driven turntable
• built-in Bluetooth with high-quality aptX HD and aptX Adaptive streaming to compatible speakers and headphones
• anti-resonant die-cast aluminum platter
• straight carbon fiber tonearm
• Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet cartridge on removable curved headshell included
• auto-stop feature (user must select "auto-stop" using button on rear of turntable)
• platter starts spinning when you hover the tonearm over the leading edge of a record
• platter stops spinning at the end of a side
• switchable built-in phono preamp
• adjustable anti-skating and counterweight
• speeds: 33-1/3 and 45 rpm

Connections:

• gold plated RCA output with ground for making wired connection to an existing hi-fi system
• detachable power cord

Performance specs:

• wow and flutter: 0.175%
• signal-to-noise ratio: 45dB

Setup

The Victrola Hi-Res Carbon is designed to be user-friendly, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free setup process even for those new to turntables. As soon as you open the box, before you even pull the player out, you’re greeted with a clear diagram and description of the 7 steps required to get the unit to start playing records. The diagram has clear and concise instructions guiding you through each of the fairly typical steps involved in setting up a turntable. If you’ve done it before, you know the steps; if you’ve never done it, the steps are simple. It is the easiest record player we’ve ever set up. Depending on how you opt to install, you can be listening to vinyl in under 5 minutes.

The turntable has two output options, there are RCA connectors in the back that you can run to a traditional amplifier and speakers. But it also has Bluetooth - so you can send your music to your bluetooth speakers totally wirelessly. We set it up so we could test both options. For the RCA wired connection we used a Yamaha A-S701 amplifier powering a set of Ara Derderian signature tower speakers. For Bluetooth we got our hands on a couple different pairs of AptX headphones. We didn’t have any AptX wireless speakers to test with, but the headphones gave us a pretty good idea of what to expect. All told, from unboxing to savoring the first notes of your cherished records, the entire experience is streamlined and simple.

Performance

As simple as it is to install, where the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon truly shines is in its exceptional audio performance. We compared it with Braden’s current record player, a Yamaha MusicCast VINYL 500 turntable that retails for $100 more than the Victrola at $699. The audio performance difference between the two was astonishing. We would play a song from an album on one player, then transfer the record to the other player and listen to it again. The first time we went from Yamana to Victrola, we had to double check that nobody bumped the EQ. The base was cleaner and more pronounced, everything in each song we tested just sounded better, clearer, more dynamic coming from the Vicrtola.

It’s rare for one piece of home audio gear to so wildly change your view of the world. Listening to records is a fun, nostalgic experience. Oftentimes you revel in and enjoy some of the static, the crackling and popping that we remember so fondly from our youth. But with records, we never really stop to ask ourselves if what we’re hearing is the best that record can sound. You pull out a record, you play it, and that’s it. But the Victrola has changed, at least Braden’s approach, to record players - it made every record we played sound better than his Yamaha.

Next step was testing Bluetooth performance. You’d be surprised how rare AptX still is in headphones, so we had to procure a few pairs to make sure we were hearing the best the Victrola could offer, and it did not disappoint. While the listening experience is vastly different between a pair of tower speakers and a pair of wireless headphones, The Victrola performed incredibly well. The music sounded clear, clean and very rich. We can imagine that paired with a set of high quality AptX wireless speakers, the Victrola will blow you away.

To be fair, the Yamaha has a few more bells and whistles than the Victrola, which may explain the higher price tag. In addition to Bluetooth (tho not AptX), the Yamaha has MusicCast built-in so you can send the audio around your house if you have a MusicCast compatible system. It also allows you to stream music services with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 or Spotify Connect and has voice control with A-Lady and Google Assistant devices or S-Lady via AirPlay 2. With records, you have to flip them or change them every 4-5 songs. The streaming capabilities of the Yamaha allow you to listen to music without as much maintenance, which can come in handy at times. Not to be outdone, Victrola offers an upgraded version of the Hi-Res Carbon called the Stream Carbon that works with Sonos - it retails for $799. If you’re in the Sonos ecosystem, it’s worth a look.

Aesthetically the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon is gorgeous. Minimal, clean, very sleek. Its stylish and subtle design not only exudes elegance but also ensures stability and durability. Crafted from premium materials, this record player is built to last, promising years of sonic bliss and conversations started. While the Yamaha includes a built in dust cover, the Victrola includes a removable dust cover. The built-in cover is very convenient, but there’s no denying how great the Victrola looks with the cover removed while you’re spinning a record. With the Yamaha it always sits under the plastic cover, but in the open air the Victrola looks like a statement piece.

Conclusion:

For those seeking a record player that harmonizes impeccable performance with ease of setup, the Victrola Hi-Res Carbon is an excellent choice. Its user-centric design, exceptional sound quality, and meticulous craftsmanship make it a strong contender for anyone who loves vinyl or for those who think they might enjoy getting into vinyl. It more than delivers on the pristine and vibrant sound quality that you didn’t know you were missing. Marry the Hi-Res Carbon with a pair of high res Bluetooth AptX speakers and you have a turntable-in-a-box system that will put any of the all-in-one units on the market to shame - and the setup is just as simple! If you’re in the Sonos ecosystem, check out the Stream Carbon. What you lose in Bluetooth you gain in Sonos integration and an app for setup.