JBL has one eye on the vinyl revival with its first Bluetooth turntable
JBL
You can see why JBL has brought the Spinner BT turntable to market. Modern Bluetooth products have never been more prevalent. There aren't many households in the land that don’t have at least one Bluetooth speaker, while wireless headphones have become the default device through which most people now consume their music.
JBL has its feet firmly in both of these product camps, so why not ride that vinyl wave? Just like JBL’s portable Bluetooth speakers, the Spinner BT gives off the vibe of a cool product that will be fun to use.
The unboxing process reveals three different sections: the plinth, platter and lid, a pair of phono cables to connect to your amplifier, a counterweight, an Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge (which is already fitted and aligned to the headshell), a power supply and the hinges for the lid. It’s not a particularly tricky or laborious set-up process; instructions come in the box but we are also pointed to an online video of how to set the Spinner BT up.
The JBL is belt-driven, and as you drop the platter on the central spindle you manipulate the belt around the motor pulley. Your life is made easier via the small cutouts in the platter’s surface, allowing you to get a finger (or two) in position to help.
Audio-Technica’s AT3600L cartridge comes ready to rumble –it is pre-fitted into the headshell which is then secured to the arm by a twist of the locking collar. Next up is the counterweight which slots onto the back of the arm – straightforward enough, although balancing the arm takes a bit of patience. From there it is a case of setting the counterweight dial to 0, rotating it a full turn clockwise to give a 3g tracking weight and then setting the anti-skate to match.
The Spinner BT looks slab-like, but there’s a sliver of style here too. The mainly black finish gives it a stealthy appearance but multiple splashes of traditional JBL orange give it some character, notably from the all-orange aluminium platter and the edges of the raised JBL logo that adorns the right side of the fascia.
Bluetooth onboard
The front of the turntable also has buttons for selecting speed (33⅓ and 45 rpm). They are a nice size, smooth to the touch and remind us of the buttons we have seen on recent hi-fi separates from Arcam.
On the rear of the deck are the power button, auto start/stop switch and a pair of
