BEST IN TEST Cambridge Audio Alva ST

£849 With the launch of the superb Alva TT in 2019, Cambridge Audio transformed what a Bluetooth turntable could be, but at £1,500 pushed many budgets to breaking point. Having just updated the original with the Alva TT V2, the company has also distilled the brilliance to create the Alva ST, a more affordable, belt-driven HD streaming Bluetooth design that ticks all the key audio boxes.

To minimise vibrations, the 1mm-thick aluminium plate is mounted on an MDF base with EVA layer. The tonearm comes with the well-regarded Audio Technica AT-VM95E Moving Magnet (MM) cartridge pre-mounted on a headshell, so set-up is simple – they’ve even included an Ortofon pressure gauge. With just power and speed (331/3 and 45rpm) buttons visible, you need to access the back of the turntable to find Bluetooth, switchable phono pre-amp and RCA output options. Not having a Bluetooth button on the front means awkward manoeuvres when switching between speaker and headphones, but that’s a minor gripe. Hard-wired into an amp, it offers peak performance, but for wireless convenience, it’s as good as it (currently) gets. You can also listen wirelessly on headphones, even if it is wired into an amp. Paired with my office Naim Muso Qb wireless speaker, and new Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 headphones the Bluetooth (up to 24bit/48khz) gave an impressively detailed and powerful rendering of Rossini’s William Tell Overture. cambridgeaudio.com