WIDE ANGLE

Ace of Base

Quick Takes: Spinbase turntable speaker system; Mantelmount motorized TV mount.

At first glance, almost everything about the Andover Spinbase turntable speaker system seems wrong. Why? Audiophiles go to great lengths to make sure their turntable, a delicate vibration sensor, is isolated from external sources of mechanical vibration. But with the Spinbase, you plunk your turntable on top of the worst offender in a system—the speaker. That’s a bit like asking a ballerina to do a pirouette while being tackled by the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line.

Such thinking would miss the entire point of the Spinbase, which is not intended to be an audiophile solution, but rather an all-in-one powered speaker/turntable platform that allows for vinyl playback where a full rig won’t work due to space, budget, or domestic acceptability reasons. I initially thought the Spinbase would be a glorified step-up from a Crosley suitcase, but it turned out to be way better.

Andover is pretty coy about what's inside the Spinbase. Available in matte black or white, it has a stylish look, with just a single volume knob on the front that doubles as a power switch. The platform’s width and depth are a perfect match for typical turntables, and height is 3.25 inches. The front and sides are covered with a metal mesh, while the top, bottom, and rear panels are made from thick MDF. Support comes from three rubber feet that can’t be adjusted for leveling, although some turntables provide that feature.

Andover calls its vibration control technology Isogroove Feedback Elimination, and it proved to be remarkably effective. Even when playing the Spinbase at a loud volume, its top surface remained well-damped and vibration-free. The Spinbase has an 18 watt-perchannel class-d amplifier, with two 1.5 x 4-inch oblong woofers on the sides and two 0.75-inch soft dome tweeters up front. (When you listen to it, most of the sound seems to come from the sides.)

Setup

It’s hard to imagine an audio component simpler to set up and operate than the Spinbase. The back panel has two stereo RCA inputs, one for a turntable with a moving magnet cartridge, and the other one switchable between a line-level and a phono input for low-cost record players with a ceramic cartridge. The are also bass/treble controls and a minijack headphone output. Bluetooth wireless rounds out the connection options.

Andover went to great lengths to make operation foolproof. There are no indicator lights or a remote control, and it's always in Bluetooth pairing mode. Despite having three inputs, there is no input selector switch of any kind. All three are active all the time, so if you play a connected Bluetooth device and a turntable simultaneously, you’ll hear both sources playing through the speakers!

Performance

I tried the Spinbase with Technics SL-1200 Mk2 and Rega Planar 3 turntables. The Technics is a DJ deck with excellent built-in isolation, so it had no problem, but I also found that the less well-isolated Rega worked fine. With both, I could turn the volume up to room-filling levels without any sonic downsides.

The first thing I noticed when firing up the Spinbase was just how open, expansive, and free from boxiness its sonic image was. Playing “Nowhere to Run” from

Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane’s Rough Mix album, I heard a natural, relaxed sound that was engaging and tuneful. It’s certainly not going to rival the visceral experience you get from big speakers, but bass was tight and clear. With record after record, I found the Spinbase to be a great way to enjoy music.

Conclusion

I was prepared to be underwhelmed by the Spinbase, but its performance exceeded my expectations. While it’s never going to replace a high-end stereo rig, the Spinbase is perfect for a small dorm room or office and can provide a fulfilling stepping-stone to bigger systems down the road.