JBL spins into the wireless turntable trend

By Shawn Chung - Singapore

With Vinyl records enjoying a resurgence, accounting for 43 percent of album sales in the United States in 2022, its now a wonder why most audio equipment brands haven’t followed Audio-Technica’s example to release more affordable turntables.

One brand that has is JBL, as the American audio house announced the upcoming JBL Spinner BT Turntable at HARMAN Explore during CES 2023.

The sleek Spinner BT comes with an aluminium platter & tonearm, a contemporary front panel, and a hinged dust cover, and has been designed to pair easily with portable speakers, soundbars, and headphones via Bluetooth for wireless vinyl playback, with aptX HD encoding support. For a wired connection, the turntable features an analog output with switchable moving magnet phono stage perfect for use with traditional component audio systems or active loudspeaker systems. 

Playing records in perfect time at 33 1/3 rpm for LPs and 45 rpm for EPs and singles, the Spinner BT’s speeds are locked with a speed sensor to guarantee perfect pitch from the belt-driven aluminum platter. The tonearm features a high-quality Audio Technica moving magnet cartridge pre-installed on a removable head shell for easy replacement and upgrading. The turntable’s feet are damped to reduced vibration ingress to records.

The JBL Spinner BT will be available in the third quarter of 2023 with a manufacturer suggested retail price of US$399.