Do you like vinyl, but don’t have room for an amplifier and speakers? SpinBase 2 could be the solution
- Combines an amplifier and speaker system for turntables
- High-pass filter for adding a subwoofer
- Bluetooth and optional Wi-Fi streaming
Sometimes the trick to creating a successful product is to think the unthinkable, or at least think the highly unusual. And that’s exactly what Andover Audio did with the SpinBase, which answered the question: “what like a soundbar, but for vinyl?” And now there is a new and improved version.
The SpinBase 2 is designed to fit under your turntable, and while Andover is happy to sell you its own SpinDeck 2, it’s designed to work with any turntable. It’s an amplifier and a speaker system in one device, and it’s designed to produce a fairly wide sound through its 270-degree sound system. It won’t be as wide as a standard set of the best stereo speakers properly spaced, but like the best soundbars, it’s aimed at people for whom space is at a premium.
One of the main differences between this unit and all-in-one turntables is what Andover calls IsoGroove, which he says reduces speaker vibration and reduces feedback. That should mean a louder sound without your tone arm moving back and forth.
What’s new in Andover SpinBase 2
The second generation SpinBase retains the same look as the original, which isn’t a bad thing, but replaces the perforated metal grille with a “heathered fabric”. The single-vent enclosure houses a pair of 1.75-inch x 4-inch oval woofers with 3/4-inch silk dome tweeters, and each woofer has its own dedicated amplifier instead of the passive crossovers used in the first generation. 2 x 20 W power goes to the woofers and 2 x 15 W to the tweeters, and the frequency range is 65 Hz to 20 kHz.
That’s not as low as your average bookshelf speakers, but too much low end will cause your stylus to skip if your turntable is on top of a speaker system, no matter how smart. If you want more bass, there’s a new selectable high-pass filter designed to work with a subwoofer.
There are multiple inputs: Phono, Line, Bluetooth, Optical Digital and USB for flash drives. And there are line-outs for additional active speakers or the aforementioned subwoofer, as well as Bluetooth streaming to headphones or speakers. Andover also sells an add-on Wi-Fi streaming adapter for accessing Internet radio and the usual streaming suspects.
The SpinBase 2 can be ordered now and delivery is scheduled for December. It’s currently only for the US and the price is $349.
