Cambridge Audio just announced a turntable that asks you to do almost nothing: take it out of the box, plug it in, drop the needle. It's called Spira, it costs €349, and it comes in five colours.
The cartridge is already fitted and aligned, there's a phono stage inside, and a Bluetooth transmitter handles wireless listening. That's the whole pitch, and for a first record player it's a good one.
Key Features & Benefits
- Ready to play. An Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge comes pre-fitted and aligned, so there's no protractor work before the first record. The headshell is removable, which makes a later upgrade to the 3600LE elliptical stylus simple.
- Phono stage built in. Connect it straight to powered speakers or an amplifier with a line input, or bypass the internal stage and use your own phono preamp.
- Bluetooth transmitter. Send records to Bluetooth speakers or headphones without a cable.
- Proper belt-drive basics. 1.8 kg steel platter on a sub-platter, ball bearing, DC motor, and one electronic dial for 33⅓ and 45 RPM.
- Adjustable tonearm. Straight aluminium arm with adjustable tracking force and anti-skate, so it can grow with a better cartridge.
- Five finishes. Black, White, Blue, Green and Orange, made to match the Cambridge Audio L/R active speakers.
Gallery
Who It's For
First-time vinyl buyers, anyone building a compact system around powered speakers, and listeners who want a colourful, low-fuss deck with room to upgrade the cartridge later. Pair it with L/R S and you have a full vinyl system with no separate amplifier.
Who should look elsewhere: if you want automatic start/stop or a USB output for digitising records, Spira is a manual deck without USB.
Quick Specs
- Type: manual, belt drive (DC motor), 33⅓ / 45 RPM
- Cartridge: Audio-Technica AT3600L, pre-fitted
- Tonearm: straight aluminium, 218.5 mm effective length
- Platter: 1.8 kg steel, felt mat
- Wow and flutter: under 0.15%
- Built-in RIAA phono stage with bypass, Bluetooth transmitter
- Size: 41.8 × 12.2 × 34.3 cm, 5.95 kg
- Price: €349
Pros & Cons
Pros: pre-aligned cartridge, built-in phono stage with bypass, Bluetooth, five matching colours.
Cons: fully manual, and Bluetooth quality depends on the receiving speaker or headphones.
Where to Buy
Spira is listed at Soundium now in all five colours at €349. It's a new release and our first units aren't here yet, so it sits in Forthcoming; order it from the Spira page and we'll send it as soon as stock lands.
Want the whole system in one go? In Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, the Spira + L/R S Vinyl Set pairs the turntable with Cambridge Audio's L/R S active speakers in a matching colour for €749 instead of €848.
Final Thoughts
Spira isn't trying to out-spec anything. It removes the awkward first steps of vinyl and leaves the upgrade path open, which is exactly what an entry-level deck should do. We'll have it at Soundium in all five colours.