Andover Audio of Boston, MA. announces the Andover-One Direct Drive turntable, claimed to be their highest-performance turntable to date. The DD combines digitally controlled direct drive, a carbon-fiber tonearm, substantial vibration-resistant construction, and a premium factory-installed Audio-Technica moving-magnet cartridge in an easy-to-use design. Finished in matte-black this latest model comes in at $999.00.

The semi-automatic design strikes a balance between fully manual or automatic operation. Cueing stays in the user’s hands; moving the tonearm over the record starts the platter, and an end-of-record an auto stop system halts it. Both functions use contact-free optical sensing, adding convenience without impeding the tonearms movement.  

At the core of this new design is a digitally controlled direct-drive motor that drives a cast aluminum platter that is internally damped and topped by an anti-resonant silicon-rubber mat all helping reduce ringing and resonances. Speeds supported include; 33⅓, 45, and 78rpm playback. Each speed is electronically regulated for accuracy and stability, with speed accurate to within 0.2% and wow and flutter below 0.15%. The low speed motor rotation does not require belts or idler wheels to drive the platter.  Unlike high-speed motors that require the mechanical reduction of a belt or idler wheel to turn the platter, the DD’s motor operates at the platter’s low rotational speed. This approach significantly reduces high-frequency motor and other vibrations making for the low noise retrieval of music detail.