SpinBase MAX Review: Andover Audio Supersizes Its All-In-One Turntable Speaker System

Forbes Innovation Consumer Tech SpinBase MAX Review: Andover Audio Supersizes Its All-In-One Turntable Speaker System Brad Moon Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Reviews and guidance for Apple gear, audio systems and consumer tech. Following Apr 26, 2023, 10:15pm EDT | Press play to listen to this article! Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin I reviewed Andover Audio’s SpinBase turntable audio system back in 2020.

It was a great piece of gear for turntable enthusiasts. A 3. 25-inch high white or black base that sits beneath a turntable, providing high quality 270-degree audio (including Bluetooth streaming), without feedback from the speaker impacting record playback.

It is pretty ingenious and the SpinBase’s turntable-sized footprint means it’s a lifesaver for those who like to listen to records but have space constraints. The company improved the original version of the SpinBase I tested, and then they took it to the next level. The SpinBase MAX takes everything that is so great about the SpinBase – including its turntable-sized footprint, 270-degree audio, IsoGroove acoustic feedback elimination, on-speaker bass and treble controls, built-in turntable preamplifier, and minimalist design – and supersizes it.

As in bigger woofers, a more powerful amplifier, and the new ability to not just stream Bluetooth audio from a smartphone but also to stream records over Bluetooth to wireless headphones or another speaker. The new capabilities mean the SpinBase MAX is one inch taller than the original and carries a $200 premium, but after testing one for the past few weeks I can say that it is definitely worth it. Plug and Play Setup Simplicity Boston-based Andover Audio has become a leader in the all-in-one turntable audio space.

As far as I’m concerned, the company’s Model One ( review here ) sets the gold standard for these systems. Inputs (and bass/treble controls) are on the back. Brad Moon The SpinBase MAX shares design elements with the Model One, specifically the use of the company’s proprietary IsoGroove technology that allows a turntable to sit directly over an array of high-powered drivers without vibration affecting playback.

In the case of the SpinBase MAX, you are supplying your own turntable, and that can be pretty much any turntable. Andover Audio has several excellent turntables of its own, if you are looking for a new one. MORE FOR YOU After Beyoncé Failed To Work It Out With IRS, She Filed A Petition In Tax Court The Best Self-Propelled Lawn Mowers That Save You Time And Energy Way Day 2023 Is Officially Here—These Are The Best Deals During testing, I plugged in a Pro-Ject Essential III.

This turntable has no pre-amp, so being able to plug directly into the SpinBase MAX without having to first connect to a pre-amplifier was a win. And that’s about all I had to do for setup. That and connect the power sources for the turntable and the audio system.

Pairing Bluetooth to stream from my phone was a snap. Pairing to an external Bluetooth device (like wireless headphones) to stream a record is slightly more complicated (with no display to show details there can be a little fuss over making sure the device to be connected is in pairing mode and the two make a connection), but you should only need to do it once. If you have another wired audio source like a CD player or TV, there are L/R RCA jacks on the back of the SpinBase MAX.

The front view showcases the minimalist design. Brad Moon It’s plug and play (and pair) simplicity to set up, with no speaker wires to worry about and no additional space required beyond what your turntable uses. Just make sure not to stick it in an enclosed cabinet or a corner with walls less than a foot from the sides, otherwise the 270-degree audio performance will be impacted.

Supersized Audio Performance I found the sound the original SpinBase put out was pretty amazing. It was hard to believe that a slab little taller than turntable itself and with an almost identical footprint could sound that good. And even tougher to wrap my head around the concept of being able to crank up the music and not have vibration from the speaker impact the turntable sitting right on top of it.

That’s Andover Audio’s IsoGroove technology at work. The SpinBase MAX has footprint the size of a turntable. Brad Moon The SpinBase MAX is even more impressive.

First, its larger (3. 5-inch) woofers provide more bass thump than the original and drop the low end of the frequency response from 60Hz down to 48Hz. The amplifier has been beefed up to 30W per channel from the original’s 18W per channel as well.

With a total of 60W on tap, the SpinBase MAX can get pretty loud. And it does so without straining or distorting. If you want to adjust the bass or treble, there are knobs on the back of the system dedicated to doing just that.

You can’t really see them, but that’s the price you pay for the uber-minimalist design. Turntable audio systems don’t get much more compact (or better sounding) than the SpinBase MAX. Brad Moon I don’t know if it was a difference in location (I tested the original primarily in our living room, while the SpinBase MAX has been set up in my home office), but I found the 270-degree audio provided a much more convincing multi-speaker effect in the SpinBase MAX.

It doesn’t sound like blatantly artificial surround sound, it is just plain convincing. Sitting at my computer with this system playing, it sounds convincingly as though there are multiple speakers set up in the room. In short, listening to records and streaming Bluetooth tracks to the SpinBase MAX never felt like a compromise compared to listening to music on a true 2-channel stereo system.

The fact that it takes up virtually no additional space than the turntable on top of it makes this magic even more impressive. SpinBase MAX Key Specs Dual 0. 8-inch soft dome tweeters, dual 3.

5-inch round woofers in array to deliver 270-degree audio Frequency response 48Hz – 20kHz Class D amplifier with 30W per channel (60W total) Front dial on/off plus volume Rear bass and treble controls Top-mounted, illuminated capacitive touch control for Bluetooth receiver/transmitter RCA AUX input Magnetic Phono input with integrated pre-amplifier Subwoofer output (plus switchable high-pass filter), headphone output Proprietary IsoGroove technology employed for cabinet design Cabinet measures 18 x 13. 5 x 4. 25 inches White or black, with heathered fabric wrap speaker grills MSRP: $499 Andover Audio SpinBase MAX Recommendation Andover Audio’s SpinBase MAX delivers impressive, 270-degree sound.

Brad Moon The SpinBase MAX sets a high bar for speaker systems designed specifically for turntable owners. It delivers very enjoyable audio performance, sleek looks, and clever space savings for a reasonable price. Really, $499 is not an excessive outlay for what is essentially a complete audio system – no having to match speakers, an amplifier, possibly a pre-amplifier, and having to deal with the wiring to connect them all.

All you need to supply is the turntable. If its 3. 5-inch woofers don’t provide quite the bass rumble you crave, that is easily remedied by plugging in a powered subwoofer like the matching SpinSub.

And if $499 is a little steep for your budget, Andover Audio still offers the multi award-winning original SpinBase for $299. Disclosure: Andover Audio provided a SpinBase MAX speaker for evaluation purposes but had no input into this review. Follow me on Twitter .

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