It seems oxymoronic to say modern turntable. But Miniot has certainly changed my perception of what a turntable looks like. The Wheel 2 almost looks invisible to the eye when a vinyl record is playing on it.
The family business from the Netherlands shuns the traditional box and fits the components needed inside something that’s the size of a record. The new limited edition Black Wheel version of the Wheel 2 hides all the electronics and mechanical parts behind the vinyl record you have on the player.
It maintains the illusion of a record on display when you have it upright on its stand. But the Wheel 2 is something you can lay flat, too. You don’t need to clamp the record on when it’s sat horizontally. But if you have it mounted or on the vertical stand, you’ll need a magnetic disk clamp. The clamp also works as an adapter for popped-out 7-inch singles.
This Black Wheel edition swaps its wooden enclosure for a brushed aluminum chassis with black accents and the team’s signatures laser-etched in the bottom.
With an unusual body, the control system on the Wheel 2 is unique, too. It has a tactile Slide Track with all the controls you need. It lets you slide or push parts of the hidden wheel to change the volume, pick tracks, or even set the stylus’ weight.
The Wheel 2 rocks a high-end Audio Technica Nude Shibata cartridge and features a built-in audiophile-grade photo premap. It promises to deliver a “pure RIAA-equalized signal straight to your amplifier, headphones, active speakers or wireless setup.” And it can auto-detect a 7-, 10-, or 12-inch record you place on it.
The Black Wheel is hand-built at Miniot’s lab in Schagen, Noord-Holland, and has a limited production run of five units per month. This special Wheel 2 model retails for EUR 3,799, while the standard Wheel 2 goes for EUR 1,999. It comes with a stand for vertical playback.
This beautiful piece of tech gets crowned our Cool Tech of the Week! Send this to someone you know who would love this!