Skip to main content

Hi-fi Corner: This stylish cast iron turntable is 100 pounds of awesome

When it comes to electronic paraphernalia in the home, few devices bridge the worlds of form and function as brilliantly as a good turntable. A stylish turntable is at once the centerpiece of your hi-fi system, a retro throwback to the musical days of yore, and a conversation piece that “ties the room together,” as they say. And few turntables make a statement quite as definitively as the cast iron chunk of industrial awesome from Fern & Roby, known simply as The Turntable.

Weighing in at a over 100 pounds, including a 70-pound cast iron plinth at the core, this Sherman Tank of sonic pleasure is designed to make a statement both visually, and sonically — if you can find a piece of furniture robust enough to hold it up, that is.

Recommended Videos

Related: Onkyo waxes nostalgic with the CP-1050 turntable

The high-mass balanced platter is held down by sheer force of gravity, weighing 35 pounds on its own to ensure extreme resistance against unwanted resonance and vibration. The weight of the device is key to Fern & Roby’s single-point bearing system, designed around a “low-contact and low-friction concept.” Forged from bronze, the hefty disc is claimed to be balanced to a full 1000 rpm, running quietly on an AC motor at both 33 ⅓ and 45 rpm.

At $6,500, this system is not for the timid (or, likely, the artistically employed) among us. However, beneath that minimalist exterior, a world of complicated mechanics is at play to make The Turntable spin records at near perfect rotation without belt slip, temperature changes, or pulley wear affecting your session.

Instead of a fixed motor or drive speed, Fern & Roby’s design employs the synthesis of waveforms to measure the speed of the platter 48 times per revolution by way of a “precision-cut optical interrupter wheel” mounted on the bottom. Essentially, this allows for a smaller (and therefore quieter) motor to bring the platter’s massive weight slowly up to speed, and then reduces the motor’s power to a bare minimum as the platter spins with its own momentum, making incremental adjustments (.003 percent per spin) along the way to keep your records at speed with minimal effort. An LED at the side alternates between green and orange to indicate adjustment.

What all this means to you is a near perfect spin of your favorite wax, with virtually nothing between you and your tunes but the device’s included Rega 303 tonearm. Fern & Roby are happy to supply other tonearms upon request, too, as well as customizing a heart pine arm-board.

And even if you can’t get down with all the tech involved, there’s no question this retro mass of bronze and iron will be the crown jewel of virtually any hi-fi system. You can order your own from Fern & Roby now or, if you’re like us, simply admire (and drool) at the photos from here.

This post first premiered on our brother site Digital Trends.

Ryan Waniata
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Ryan Waniata is an audio engineer, musician, composer, and all-around lover of all things tech, audio, and cinema. Hailing…
Nina Dobrev talks love for F1 & the ‘electric’ feeling of race day
From Netflix to the paddock: Nina Dobrev on her passion for Formula One
Nina Dobrev holds a Peroni and smiles.

When Nina Dobrev first attended an F1 event over a decade ago, she went as a casual observer. Similar to many recent Formula One fans, she streamed Netflix's Drive to Survive and immediately fell in love with the sport. Fast-forward to now, and Dobrev is all-in with F1 thanks to her greater appreciation for the world-class drivers and their sensational teams.

This past weekend, Dobrev attended the 2025 Miami Grand Prix on behalf of Peroni Nastro Azzurro 0.0% to support their iconic partner, Scuderia Ferrari HP. The Vampire Diaries star is also friends with Lewis Hamilton, one of the greatest drivers in F1 history, who competes for Ferrari.

Read more
8 intense and gripping movies like Sinners to watch next
These movies are just like Michael B. Jordan and Ryan Coogler's hit
Michael B Jordan in Sinners

Sinners is the biggest original movie of 2025 so far. With an overabundance of franchises and retreads, fans have fervently crowded theaters to see Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan's next collaboration. The movie follows twin brothers who must fight back against evil spirits in a Mississippi town after returning to civilian life following World War I. The mix of racial commentary, social analysis, and beautiful set pieces has transfixed viewers to the big screen so far.

Going to a movie two or three times is always a good antidote for your movie craving, but if you've already exhausted your Sinners allotment for the time being, it might be best to look for similar films. Vampires, period pieces, racial implications, and so much more feature in this wide array of movies like Sinners. We've got you covered right here.

Read more
The best feel-good shows to watch when you need a pick-me-up
From Gilmore Girls to Schitts Creek, these are the best feel-good shows ever made
The cast of Ted Lasso

Television is, by its very nature, something that we invite into our lives over an extended period. Unlike the movies we watch, TV shows are designed for you to develop some sort of familiarity with the characters on them.

Sometimes, that familiarity doesn't necessarily breed love, but other times it does. The shows on this list will make you fall in love with their characters and leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. These are what I'll call feel-good shows.

Read more