Victrola Unveils Cheaper, Sonos-Ready Turntable at CES
The wireless Victrola Stream Onyx goes on sale next month for $599.
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Victrola has unveiled its latest wi-fi turntable at CES: the Stream Onyx, which comes in at a more affordable price of $599. This record player connects to your network and streams to your Sonos system, but also allows you to hook it up to a regular stereo.
Victrola says the Stream Onyx is functionally the same as the flagship Carbon ($799) but it has a few cosmetic and feature changes to achieve the lower price. For instance, the Onyx replaces the carbon fiber tonearm with an aluminum one, as well as substituting the metal fascia with plastic. The pre-installed cartridge is now a choice of either the Ortofon OM 5 or the Audio-Technica AT95E instead of the Ortofon 2M Red.
I reviewed the Stream Carbon for the best record players roundup and found its sound quality and ability to play to Sonos without even having to think about it were its best qualities. The only thing I would change -- and this stays the same for the Carbon -- is that the deck's ergonomics could use some work as it has both a tiny speed change knob and tonearm lift. However, apart from the different cartridges the new, cheaper version should perform similarly, and that alone should make it more recommendable.
Victrola Stream Onyx will be available for preorder on Victrola.com and Amazon for $599 from Jan. 7, with availability from late February.