Andover Audio Model One Record Player and Model One Subwoofer | Review

Is the Andover Audio Model One the good old-fashioned record player I’ve always wanted? For the last couple of years I’ve pushed this idea, mostly as a result of spending time with retail customers and finding out what they expect in a new turntable. I’ve concluded that we need to bring back all-in-one record players that sound good and are affordable. Vinyl newbs walk into a “hi-fi” store because they want something simple, an easy entry point into the hobby. They don’t want the salesman to ask things like “Do you have a preamp with a phono preamplifier?” or “Have you thought about a good cartridge?” They want plug and play. The want all-in-one so it fits on that bookshelf over there. They want one page owners’ manuals. The problem is this: these people also want to know why everyone’s getting back into vinyl. They need to make that immediate emotional connection that we’ve been fawning about for thirty years. The trick is coming up with something that sounds good, so good that vinyl newbies will automatically “get it.” That’s tough to do when these people really just want something that already exists—a cheap plastic machine that does it all […]