Handmade with slate from the last two functioning quarries in Pennsylvania, Oswalds Mill Audio turntables aren’t merely eye candy — they incorporate only idler and direct drives (instead of belt drives) to achieve an incomparable sound quality. At 210 pounds, the player’s literal mass insulates the vinyl record from any vibration. When used in tandem with founder/CEO Jonathan Weiss’ speakers, which take inspiration from audio equipment made for cinemas in the 1930s through the ’50s, the sound has proved so moving that a cult following of audio engineers and celebrities have placed orders.
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OSWALDS MILL AUDIO Tourmaline SP10 turntable system with Pennsylvania slate plinth, $33,000; oswaldsmillaudio.com.
This story originally appeared in the April 16 issue of Billboard.