This Gorgeous Audiophile Turntable Aims to Make Vinyl Hi-Fi Easy

Andover Audio is a Boston-based hi-fi manufacturer that has made a living debunking a common audio belief: that all-in-one turntables suck.

Most do, don’t get it twisted. With the speakers, amplification, and various electronics all built into a single box beneath the turntable, vibrations disrupt its operation and distort the sound. That’s why audiophile prefer all their components, separate.

But when Andover Audio released its flagship all-in-one turntable, the Andover One, back in 2020, it flipped this notion on its head.

That’s because the Andover One was integrated with the brand’s patented “IsoGroove” technology (consisting of a unique speaker layout, a calibrated cabinet design, and a couple of DSP tricks), a mechanical structure that effectively eliminated most of these unwanted vibrations. And it sounded great.

That catch? Compared to most all-in-one turntables, the Andover One was very expensive. It cost roughly $2,500.

Now, several years after the original’s release, Andover Audio has released a new, improved version of that all-in-one turntable: the MK2.

Andover One MK2

Andover Audio

Refined improvements

Andover Audio hasn’t messed too much with a proven design: the Andover One MK2 has pretty much the exact same mid-century design as the original. It’s built with the same IsoGroove technology. And, when not playing vinyl, the system supports streaming over Bluetooth.

But the MK2 has been upgraded with new refinements to improve its sound, usability and integration with other audio systems that you may already have in your home.

Andover Audio

“With the MK2, we’ve focused on meaningful refinements
based on customer feedback, while preserving the core architecture that defines its best-in-class performance,” said Bob Hazelwood, Andover’s Director of Engineering and Product Development.

“We are proud to hold the benchmark for reference all-in-one record players, that brings an elevated vinyl experience to more listeners.”

Andover Audio

Plug and play

The main upgrade with the Andover One MK2 has to do with making vinyl easier to play right from the get-go. The turntable is now set up and calibrated (meaning it has a pre-aligned cartridge, with preset tracking force and antiskating) right out of the box, thus promising a genuine plug-and-play experience.

Also notable, while the original Andover One was a fully manual belt-drive turntable, the MK2 adds an automatic stop function (making it a semi-automatic turntable). So when the record ends, the motor will automatically stop. This prevents you from hearing that annoying crackling sound. Plus, it helps prevent the stylus from wearing out.

Lastly, the MK2 adds an optical digital output, which helps connect it to a music streamer (such as Andover Audio’s own Songbird HR), so you can add Wi-Fi streaming or multi-room functionality to the system.

Andover Audio

The core speaker system of the Andover One MK2 is identical to that of the original. It houses six drivers, four 3.5-inch woofers, and two Air Motion Transformer tweeters, which are backed by 200 watts of total amplification. This results in a powerful, immersive 270-degree sound.

Naturally, the MK2 promises superior vinyl playback thanks to a new split-plinth design that isolates the motor from the platter by
mounting it directly on the speaker enclosure instead of to the turntable structure itself. This further helps eliminate unwanted vibrations.

Additionally, the MK2 comes with an upgraded phono cartridge, Audio-Technica’s VM95E dual-magnet cartridge, which the brand claims “offers strong stereo separation and light tracking for reduced record wear.”

Andover Audio

Like the original, the Andover One MK technically has a modular design that allows it to work with the company’s greater Andover One ecosystem.

This includes the Andover One Upper Stand ($399), a beautiful storage cabinet with a cubby that holds up to 100 vinyl records and features an integrated drawer. This fits on top of the Andover One Subwoofer ($999), which sits on the ground and extends your system’s low end.

These three stackable components make up the Andover One MK2 Premier.

Andover Audio

Availability and pricing

The Andover One MK2 is now up for preorder on the company’s website. On its own, the turntable costs $2,699 (roughly $300 more than the original has been going for recently). It’s set to start shipping in early June.

For those interested in the Andover One MK2 Premier, which adds the Upper Stand and Subwoofer, that costs $3,892. That also starts shipping in early June.