JBL just lately did one thing considerably out-of-the-box and experimental: launching its first-ever wi-fi turntable. It’s referred to as the Spinner BT, and launched it a few weeks in the past, simply in time for the vacation season.
The BT Spinner has what JBL calls a “trendy but retro really feel.” This gadget goals to “elevate your house, “concentrating on Gen Z and millennials. It’s attempting to take a contemporary tackle turntables and emphasizing the way it will notably up your house decor recreation.
Aside from the design, the Spinner’s Bluetooth performance offers it the trendy edge over most different turntables within the business, in addition to those we’ve seen prior to now couple of a long time. It options Bluetooth 5.2 and may join wirelessly to your audio system, soundbars, and headphones. There’s additionally an analog output for a wired connection.
JBL oversold the gadget’s aesthetic a bit, particularly by making it one among its greatest promoting factors. It’s marketed as ‘glossy,’ if something, the Spinner’s construct is definitely just a little cumbersome. It occupied extra space than I’d anticipated (and preferred) on my TV console and aesthetically paled in comparison with the speaker I paired it to, the attractive Authentics 300—one other latest JBL launch I’ve been utilizing for a couple of weeks.
With sharp edges and an enormous matte slab of MDF, the Spinner’s plinth is much from what most would think about flashy or glossy. At 11.7 lbs, it’s significantly heavier than Sonos’ 8-pound Pro-Ject T1 Phono SB turntable. The textured exterior on the plinth’s entrance appears like the one space the place the corporate tried to combine some aesthetics. The remainder of the physique feels prefer it was made in a rush. The Spinner isn’t disagreeable sufficient to make your lounge look dangerous, however it won’t “elevate your house” the way it stated it will.
The Spinner is extraordinarily easy to make use of and designed in order that any turntable newbie can get the cling of it inside seconds. It gives a comparatively easy management panel on its again and two buttons on the entrance. The rear management panel sports activities two ports for wired/analog outputs (L and R), a pre-amp toggle swap, a small, protruding pairing button, an auto-stop/begin toggle swap, an influence inlet port, and an influence button. I really like how each button had a very totally different really feel, making the panel extremely simple to make use of. After a couple of makes use of, I acquired used to how every button felt and will navigate them with out its rear facet.
Equally, it was simple to set it up, too. Effectively, or a minimum of for a Gen-Z one that’s comparatively good with tech. It comes with all the pieces you want, and all you need to do is comply with the six-step meeting course of within the guide. I discover following manuals a chore, however this one didn’t really feel like one. There was no pointless or extreme jargon. All the things was temporary and to the purpose, with useful footage.
The calibration course of was just a bit extra difficult than the setup course of, and it took extra than simply the guide—a video tutorial—for me to get it performed, however it wasn’t robust, both.
I listened to all the pieces from Mozart’s symphonies to some Gillian Welch and Declan McKenna on this for days and genuinely loved my expertise. The uncooked, crude texture of the sound was fairly obvious. I preferred how even the wi-fi connection didn’t lead to sufficient audio high quality loss to take away the essence of the vinyl really feel. That was a professional worry of mine, seeing how the Spinner solely works through exterior audio peripherals. My roommate, an expert musician, was additionally pretty upset to study that and located it shocking {that a} report participant doesn’t produce any sound of its personal. There additionally isn’t a 3.5mm jack on it, which is an actual bummer for people who like to fall asleep listening to music on the report participant through their wired earphones.
Fortunately, the connection to the audio system was seamless and easy. And because it amplifies what the Spinner initially appears like, it retains that vinyl playback impact you’d pay $400 for. I cherished the dramatic really feel of Mozart’s tracks that it helped carry out. Whereas at it, I additionally discovered some newbie scratch tips from a DJing tutorial on YouTube and had enjoyable working towards the scribble and the drag.
The Spinner did a fairly good job sparking my curiosity in report gamers, and that’s an enormous win in my guide. As a turntable beginner, I went into this product with many expectations and was totally impressed. I may set it up and calibrate it simply with out studying lengthy, boring on-line tutorials. The controls had been intuitive and simple, and it virtually didn’t really feel just like the gadget was international to me.
Extra importantly, the sound had that traditional, classic really feel that report participant fanatics can’t cease speaking about. The delicate hisses and whirs had been what made the listening expertise so satisfying. It was like a uniquely classic expertise packaged into a contemporary, up to date construct.
I’ll add, although, that I nonetheless don’t see myself spending $399 on this, contemplating the competitor model, Audio Technica, has premium choices for approach underneath $300. And I’m discovering it even tougher to justify the additional price for Bluetooth, contemplating the omission of a wired 3.5mm connection seems like extra of a limitation than how huge of a perk the inclusion of Bluetooth feels. This gained’t make hardcore audiophiles pleased both, as they’d favor onboard sound over the slight loss in audio high quality that connecting the Spinner to a Bluetooth speaker would result in.
The Spinner isn’t dangerous for JBL’s first stab at a turntable, however the firm must supply extra incentive to justify their steep worth level of their subsequent report participant (if that ever occurs).