Hardware Reviews

Luphonic R2 turntable hits the ground rockin’

Luphonic R2 turntable & arm review https://the-ear.net

 Luphonic R2 turntable & arm

The vinyl revival is in full swing and turntables sales are on the up. If you needed evidence, just look at how vinyl and indeed turntables have suddenly been given front-of-house status in HMV stores with CDs relegated to the back of the showroom, if you can find them at all.

The latest figures from market analysts GfK confirm this, showing that between April 2023 and March 2024, turntable sales grew by 10.5% in value – one of only two categories in the whole of the consumer electronics market to show any growth at all. And if you go back to 2019, turntable sales were worth £24 million compared with £31m in 2024.

Luphonic R2 turntable & arm review https://the-ear.net

So you could say it was smart timing from Luphonic in Germany and its UK representative Auden Distribution to join the ever-growing choice of brands we have today. Founded by Thomas Luh in Germany just four weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic kicked off, Luphonic is a very new player on the turntable scene. They make a range of four turntables: the H1 at £2,900, the H2 at £3,950 and then the two Reference Series models, the R2 at £4,200 and the R3 at £5,500 (both with Luphonic’s own 9.5in K2 tonearm).

The H models – so called because the turntable chassis is H-shaped, as opposed to the rectangular chassis of the R series – was launched at the Munich High End show in 2022 and the R series at the same show last year. They were seen for the first time in the UK at the North West Audio Show last year.

Luphonic R2 turntable & arm review https://the-ear.net

Sandwich anyone?

When Auden Distribution boss Bill Leigh first told me about the Luphonic turntables, I was intrigued by their interesting construction. While the entry-level H1 model has a high pressure-laminated foam (HPL) chassis, the H2, R2 and R3 have a sandwich chassis of synthetic stone called solid surface with the same properties as Corian (often used in kitchen worktops) and a vibration-damping cellular rubber layer. The H2 and R2 have three layers – two ‘stone’ with rubber in between. The R3 has three solid surface layers sandwiched with two rubber layers. When I asked designer Thomas Luh why he chose solid surface, he told me that it is ideal for turntable construction because of its high density and low resonances.

To prevent any noise from the motor reaching the arm/cartridge, the motor and its speed control circuitry are mounted to the lower layer, while the arm/cartridge and main bearing are fixed to the upper layer, with the isolating rubber layer in between. The R2 platter is also made from solid surface and sits on an aluminium belt-driven sub-platter that has a captive steel spindle running on a ceramic ball bearing.

Luphonic R2 turntable & arm review https://the-ear.net

While the H1 has an external power supply that allows the user to select either 33.33 or 45rpm, the H2 and both R models have it onboard, activated by an innovative puck system. To start the turntable you place the puck on an illuminated circle on the front left of the chassis. When the puck is white side it runs at 33.33rpm, turn it over so the black side is uppermost and you will get 45rpm. Lose it and it’s game temporarily over until you buy a new one for £20.

The R2 on test came with the Luphonic K2 9.5in tonearm. It uses a gimbal bearing in an anodised aluminium housing, a carbon fibre arm tube and a headshell made from sintered polyamide filled with tiny glass spheres. Thomas Luh explained that he felt that this design of headshell is rigid yet light and does not transmit vibrations from the cartridge to the arm tube as readily as an aluminium one would.

The K2 arm will accommodate a wide variety of cartridges weighing from 5g to 14g. VTA can be adjusted by slackening the Allen bolts that secure the arm pillar, while another bolt in the headshell allows fine-tuning of azimuth (the angle of the headshell relative to the vinyl as seen from the front).

Luphonic R2 turntable & arm review https://the-ear.net

Particularly impressive is the fact that all Luphonic turntables and arms are made entirely in-house in their factory in Germany. The R2 doesn’t have a captive lead but RCA phono outputs so the user can easily change the interconnect cable, in the UK it comes ready fitted with an Audiomica Henat 1m lead, worth around £700. Auden Distribution supplied it fitted with an Audio Technica VM760SLC moving magnet cartridge. I know this model and was quite happy with the choice.

Pucker up

Sliding the puck into position confirmed we were ready for action. To find out what the R2 had to offer, I hooked it up to a system comprising a Gold Note PH-5 phono stage, Chord Electronics Ultima Integrated amplifier and a pair of Russell K Red 150Se speakers with QED Supremus Zr cable. I had standing by in the wings a very well respected turntable at the same price point as the R2 to help put its performance into a market context.

You can rely on soul legend Luther Vandross for superb performances, great recordings with backing from some the finest musicians on the planet. So I kicked off with If Only for One Night from Luther’s excellent The Night I Fell in Love album. Immediately I could tell I was going to like the R2 – Luther’s vocals were open and expressive, letting the listener appreciate the nuances, range and understated power that make him special. The R2 also took a firm grip on Marcus Miller’s superb bass line and gave it weight without the rather overblown quality its similarly-priced competitor suffered from. Backing vocals were well presented and nicely focused, without some of the messiness of its competitor. Piano and was open and dynamic, and the whole track moved better. And when it segued seamlessly into the next track, Creepin’, the beautiful, growling bass line from Marcus Miller was very well handled, and when Doc Powell on guitar plays tag with Luther’s vocals, the magic is not lost.

Luphonic R2 turntable & arm review https://the-ear.net

Moving to a purely instrumental track to assess the R2’s ability to reveal how each instrument contributes to the whole, I played Hello Tomorrow from Larry Carlton’s excellent Discovery album. Here, the R2 sounded pacey, tight and rhythmically agile with great insight into drum and percussion lines and good movement to the bass line, which was more coherent and tuneful than on its rival. Carlton’s acoustic guitar sounded more articulate with more of a sense of how each note was played, while saxophone had bite and presence without harshness.

Next up was the track Broad Daylight from pianist/singer Ben Sidran. The R2 proved nimble on the bass line and fast runs of notes on piano from Sidran, as well as dynamic on drums and percussion. The lilting, staccato rhythm of the track was better focused on the R2 than its rival, and the music flowed better.

I never knew Canadian singer/guitarist Stephen Fearing’s work until I discovered him of the excellent The Secret of Climbing album he recorded with Rega – a beautifully simple recording with just Fearing singing and playing his custom-made Manzer Cowpoke acoustic. On Red Lights in the Rain, the R2 conveyed what I thought was the ideal sense of body and bloom on his guitar and openness and detail on his vocal. When he pushed a note, you got power without shouting, and his guitar sounded natural and open. The rival deck I felt made the lower registers of his guitar rather too heavy and ponderous and lost some of the expressiveness and nuances of his vocal style.

Luphonic R2 turntable & arm review https://the-ear.net

Turning up the tempo, I switched to the track No One Emotion from George Benson’s 20/20 album. This track should really fly and the R2 successfully conveyed its fast tempo and got a good grip on the deep, synth bass line that drives it all along apace. The arrangement is lush and layered and the R2 sorted it all out well, with the drum machine less splashy than on its rival and the bass line more distinct. Michael Sembello’s blistering guitar solo rang out with great presence and bite without glaring.

Conclusion

As I moved from album to album, equally enjoying Miles Davis’s Tutu, Linda Ronstadt’s Hasten Down the Windand ZZ Top’s Eliminator, it struck me that the R2 is a great all-rounder, moving effortlessly from genre to genre with a pleasing blend of pace, dynamics, inner detail, subtlety and tonality.

The Luphonic R2 is a beautifully made turntable and proved easy to use. It looks good and in terms of sound quality can hold its head high at the price. If you’re in looking in that £4k price slot, I recommend strongly that it be on your shortlist.

Specifications:

Type: sandwich construction belt-drive turntable & arm
Speeds: 33 1/3 RPM, 45 RPM.
Supplied tonearm: K2 9.5 inch gimbal bearings
Drive mechanism: microprocessor controlled AC synchronous motor
Speed control: electronic
Platter type: 24mm thick solid surface, no mat
Platter weight: not specified
Main bearing:  steel spindle with ceramic ball
Plinth material: solid surface and cellular rubber sandwich
Dimensions (HxWxD): 120 x 440 x 350mm
Weight: 10kg
Warranty: 2 years

Price when tested:
£4,200
Manufacturer Details:

Luphonic Labs GmbH
T +49 6403 968 3907
http://www.luphonic.de

Type:

turntable & arm

Author:

Chris Frankland

Distributor Details:

Auden Distribution
T 07917 685759
http://www.audendistribution.co.uk

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