I doubt this combination of vertical turntable and retro-style speakers is a good idea, but doesn’t it look fantastic?
One of the minor annoyances of vinyl, especially fancy vinyl, is that you can’t really show it off while it’s playing. So if you have an LP with a particularly beautiful color, or one that creates a zoetrope effect when played, it will only be visible if you look straight down at it. Wouldn’t it be great if your vinyl was vertical?
That is the approach Fuse Audio takes with its GLD record player. Instead of the familiar horizontal plateau, your LP is held up like a Ferris wheel, so you can see it as it spins. It also comes with Bluetooth in and out, a pair of 36W speakers to connect directly to it, and it supports 33, 45, and 78 rpm records. It’s yours Kickstarter for $229 plus tax and shipping.
That’s a pretty good price for an all-in-one turntable package, especially one as nice looking as this one. Of course, we have no idea yet what it sounds like, but I am completely charmed by the appearance.
Is vertical vinyl feasible?
This is not the first vertical vinyl player. I remember thinking in the 1980s that the Technics SL-V5 was impossibly futuristic, and we’ve seen vertical models from companies like Mitsubishi, Sharp and even Sony. For British readers there was also a vertical “music centre” from Amstrad, the SM104, which is currently on sale on eBay for around £70. Vertical vinyl wasn’t just an ’80s fad, though. Pro-Ject made one in the 2010s, the VT-E BT, and you can still buy one for around $499.
But are they any good? Visually yes: they are great conversation pieces. But as turntables they don’t have the best reputation. The Amstrad was described by a poster on Vinyl Engine as “possibly the worst turntable ever”, while others ridiculed the speakers and stylus; in their review of the VT-E BT, The audiophile man suggested it was “a lifestyle design that sits among a pile of rubbish”. While that turntable was vastly better than other comparable models, it still wasn’t something audiophiles should consider.
If you’re looking for the best turntables at any price, a vertical one isn’t the best buy. It’s a matter of basic physics that it will be easier to rotate uniformly and levelly if gravity works with you, and the same goes for stable tracking on the tonearm.
But if you want something that will get people talking, or just want to stare fondly at your vinyl while kicking back with one of your favorites, this looks like it could be fun.