Rating: 
Hot: This fifth-generation version of a classic is easy to set up and get going, thanks to the manual. Spot-on timing and hold on the music, but never in your face. Lively sound, tacking musical transients and dynamics with equanimity. Will match a variety of budget cartridges. Conveys what vinyl playback is all about without trying too hard.
Cold: Lower extreme could be more extended, while upper band can occasionally sound less revealing than it should be.
Encore: A rhythmically fluent bit of vinyl gear, sporting a warm-ish tinge and with a good understanding of many fundamentals. Finish and cosmetics give it an edge over the obvious competition, if these are important to you. Tweakers can keep at it until the cows come home.
Specs: Belt-driven turntable / 8.6c carbon tonearm with aluminium headshell and conical arm-tube (adjustable height, VTA and azimuth) / Acrylic platter / Manual speed change / Low-noise AC motor / MDF plinth / Height adjustable rubber-damped aluminium feet / Gold-plated RCA terminals
