Turntables haven’t changed much over the years. Makes sense—why fix what isn’t broken? The mechanics of vinyl records have stayed the same, so the design of record players has largely stuck to tradition. But one company has decided to take a hard left turn into uncharted territory. Meet the Waiting For Ideas PP-1 Turntable, a brutalist, tonearm-less music machine that looks more like a monolithic art piece than a record player.
And when I say brutalist, I don’t mean it’s made of concrete (though that would be kind of fitting). The PP-1 is milled from a single block of aluminum, embracing an ultra-minimalist aesthetic. But the real kicker? It has no tonearm. That’s right—no delicate arm to adjust, no cartridge to align. Just slap your record on (upside down, by the way), press play, and let it do its thing. It even automatically detects the speed (33 or 45 RPM), so you don’t have to fumble with switches.
This turntable is all about blending analog sound with modern ease. It boasts seamless track navigation and promises a pure, tactile listening experience—because let’s be real, music these days just streams endlessly in the background. The PP-1 forces you to be present with your music. The downside? If you have a record with an intricate design on one side, tough luck—you won’t see it while playing.
But that’s not going to be a deal-breaker for many. The real deal-breaker here is likely the price. The PP-1 will set you back a cool €5,800 (~6,019 USD based on the current going rate)—and that’s just for the turntable. If you want the matching minimalist passive speakers, be prepared to cough up €9,000 (or around 9,340 USD) for the full set. For that price, your music better sound like it’s playing live in your living room.
Would you buy one? Or would you rather spend that money on an entire wall of vintage records? Either way, the PP-1 isn’t just a turntable—it’s a conversation piece. Oh, it is the first turntable without a tonearm, btw. There was the MINIOT Wheel 2 Turntable, which has a pretty radical design.
Images: Waiting For Ideas/@MathildeHiley.
via techradar.
