My Miniot Wheel 2 finally arrived, but does it deliver on the promise?
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- Опубліковано 23 тра 2024
- The Wheel 2 is a highly sophisticated record player. In many ways it is a modern day reimagining of the compact linear tracking turntables Technics made in the 1980s. It includes features such as linear tracking, direct track access, auto speed Selection as well as speed and tracking compensation for off-centre and warped records. However it's definitely not for everyone...
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The non-replaceable cartridge is a deal breaker. And reducing stylus replacement to just the manufacturer creates a bottle neck for company that may go under. I love the device though.
Agreed, that was a monumentally stupid design decision. Plonking the better part of 2k on a device from a manufacturer with an unproven track record is already a major gamble, but non-replaceable cartridge for apparently no good reason is unforgivable.
Agree. For the price, I'd want the ability to upgrade the stylus myself.
thanks, saved me from wasting 30 minutes 😁
Everything is replacable. It's just the amount of effort you're willing to take to do so. Just because the manual says "non replacable" means nothing to me. Should mean the cart is hard wired which I refuse to believe.
Full agreement, how foolish.
Seven years - that must be a record!
I see what you did there...
*groan* :D
Dad!!
Well played, sir.
lol
One thing I'm happy to see is that you don't have to keep your 1800-quid turntable connected to the internet for firmware updates or whatever.
Sure, since it's already firmly tied to the manufacturer for cartridge replacement... 🤔
Techmoan: "They're rather pricy."
Me: *checks website* GOOD FUCKING GOD
For 2000 dollars, you can get some endgame level turntables that also look very beautiful. This one looks kinda cool, but i would much rather have a Pro Ject Debut Pro for example. And that one is only around 900 bucks, so you could even put in an Ortofon 2M blue or even a 2M black and still be much cheaper. Or how about a real Technics 1210 for its retro design. Or maybe a Pro Ject Classic with real wood veneer and an aluminum platter. All of those would give you better soundquality for less money, and look better (at least in my opinion). And i really don't care about being able to skip tracks - when i listen to vinyl, i listen to the whole record.
I'ts like an upside down Technics J2 without the support for Audio Technica standard cartridges. These can be found under 100€
People that spend 30 grand on just a pair of speakers would find this rather cheap. One of the most expensive turntables out in the world cost over a half a million US.
They are already selling knockoffs on AliExpress for $50. lol jk
lol
That price is insane! It’s a lovely device but for that money you could get a far superior and upgradable turntable.
At that price you could get a Refurbished Thorens 1600. Which would be worth more every year if looked after.
Its like my dual cs1229, I paid 300 refurbished and after a year the price has increased another 50
@@strawberryjam3670 Agreed. With Dual and Thorens you can still get new parts. Even brand-new acrylic dust covers. It’s in the price range of people who are paying for reasonable quality separates. Yet it has a ridiculous stylus / cartridge. At the price point being proposed I would want an Ortofon Quintet Blue or an Ortofon Red. If they had gone for any cheaper cartridge it would have ended up being a ceramic.
@@MadeleineTakam Bleh. For a lot less money I could get a Sony PS-FL77.
@@jonc4403 Hmm. I drive a 456M, but for a lot less money you could drive a Nissan Micra. The performance difference is about the same, as the difference between a Thorens 1600 and a Sony PS-FL77. I use an Ortofon Quintet Blue on my Thorens 1600. But on a Sony PS-FL77 your limited to really poor cartridges like the Sony XL-250G at best. Certainly cheaper, but wouldn’t you be better off, sticking the record over a pencil, while you spin it round really fast with your fingers and listening to it with a nail stuck in a tin can?
Yeah… 1700 quid and I CANT change the stylus?
Nope.
And I must applaud your trust and patience Matt. I would have gone bat poop years ago.
Cartridge*
i mean you can... you just have to use their proprietary one, and hope they don't go bankrupt after buying the player.
@@SuperPickle15 You can change the Stylus not the Cartidge.
I'm a backer and still waiting. I actually was in The Netherlands a few months ago for Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven. Miniot had a booth and I stopped by. They are in fact real people trying to make a great product. As you explained, they are subsidizing the Kickstarter units with full retail ones. I was assured I would get my unit in due course.
You can also just burn your money next time if you don't care for audio quality
More fool you. I've got better things to spend that kind of money on.
I would put another way, they used the Kickstarter backers money to subsidise their full retail operation to still be holding off sending out those backers a unit after 7 years is a joke
@@Bambeakz Yeah bro fell for a scam lol
That the cartridge is not user upgradable, the pre-amp is built into the tonearm and can’t be bypassed (!!!), AND that the price is so high it’d make a King blush… I’ve got to call it a kitschy money-grab for those placing aesthetic preference over performance (and savings!). Thanks for the wonderful video!
I can only agree with what several others have said. This is the most visually pleasing and functional bit of industrial design that I've seen in many years, but the limited audio output and questionable choices around cartridge/stylus replacement are ridiculous at the retail price point.
Neither visually pleasing nor functional, sorry. The visual aspect is totally destroyed by seeing the wrong side of the disc (the one that isn't playing) turning backwards, and the typical functionality of a turntable that centers on the "hands-on" manual control of disc and cartridge/tonearm, without any electronics involved except for turning the motor and amplifying the signal isn't happening either. How are you supposed to manually center a disc that is pressed somewhat off-center by eyeballing the groove spiral and the movement of the tonearm? How are you supposed to keep the stylus in the groove in a scratched spot by slightly holding a finger against the headshell? How are you supposed to play very thin pressings and flexidiscs, given that there is no actual turntable for them to lie on and keep flat? No, this is a barely functioNING, but no really functioNAL toy.
lmao, a joke right? looks like 5 dollar turntable off ali baba
@@PazLeBon Well would say a 40 dollar one but still it kills everything that is nostalgic about playing records
@@Bambeakz haha fair nough, i did it a disservice :) yeah actually after watching this I did mention t the better half, "do you remember going to the store n buying a new stylus" haha Rumbelows apparently she said
@Bambeakz Very good point! It doesn't offer the tactile pleasure of a traditional turntable. Not sure I like the idea of a track locator either. I love the commitment one has (when placing a record on a platter without a shuffle control) to listening to an album uninterrupted from start to finish.
Lots of red flags including fulfilling new sales before delivering to backers (which often leaves backers with nothing when companies go broke). I'm glad it worked out eventually. It's a cool device.
I’m glad you were patient with a well meaning company, even if their business venture was executed a bit poorly, and I’m glad Miniot was willing and able to deliver on their promise. That’s a nice machine, right there!
Perfect for visually impaired vinyl enthusiast. Easy to use, eliminates tonearm operation which for them could be a challenge. There is an excellent YT review of Wheel 2 by blind user.
Wow, I spat my toast out when I saw the Kickstarter price. I’d only just cleaned myself up just in time for the retail price.
On top of not being even able to swap out the stylus, no bypass of the preamp and no dustcover.
Smacks of Apple to me, in the worst possible way.
Not even expensive if you compare the price to a designer 80s turntable when they were new with inflation taken into account.
I was quite happy to carry on chewing my toast. But the price is silly, when you consider the excellent turntables out there that perform so much better. Or, buy a whole new system for the same price.
@@kristoffer3000 They offer replacement styli, you just can't change the _cartridge._
@@MikaelLevoniemi except we have modern turntables that are nowhere near as expensive and the technology isn't even that complicated
I'm astonished that you gave in to their egregious bait-and-switch-feeling "Wheel 2 Upgrade" option, but I'm honestly more astonished that it seems to have *paid off* and resulted in an honestly great device, albeit at a pretty absurd MSRP (well, at least for us non-enthusiast folks).
The crazy thing is though is that design wise it seems aimed at the non-enthusiast - non user replaceable effectively proprietary cartridge and no capability to bypass the inbuilt pre-amp.
@@Thermalions Definitely. For as beautiful and performant of a device as it is, it's a square peg in a round hole. It lacks the cost to have mass appeal, and the customizability to hit the mark for enthusiasts willing to shell out for its $2K price tag.
Mat says it himself: he expected them to be bankrupt well before the device shipped on account of the scores of outraged backers and the bizarre "upgrade" scheme. That they're possibly only shipping backer orders when new orders come in to cover margins means they're cutting it razor thin.
Why on earth would any enthusiast want a company with that shaky of a foundation to be the sole supplier for something as essential as a stylus on their $2K record player?
& you could say there is no wheel 1 so a upgrade to the 2 is a forced upgrade pay 150 extra or get nothing
It needs a cover
@@linuxstreamer8910 It was 'we're out of money, pay more or get nothing'. I suspect after 7 years there's no money left & unless this device does surprisingly well the company will be gone in less than a year.
That’s the single most hipster thing I’ve ever seen. It’s like someone has looked at a perfectly adequate conventional turntable, listed its features and then said ‘how can we make this operate in the opposite way people would expect to give the impression of futuristic progress, and make it more complicated than it needs to be?’
There’s a whole raft of comments suggesting incorrectly that the stylus is not replaceable.
The stylus is replaceable. They are readily available and popular styli that have been modified (plastic cut away) and can be bought in modified form.
It’s the cartridge that is not “user” replaceable due to modifications made, which to me sounds more like an interesting challenge than fact. Most turntables have never had their cartridge replaced, and those that do generally are replaced because their owners prefers replacing something entirely adequate with something that provides the same function but costs more and may sound a little different, maybe better. At least that’s what I keep telling myself, and ridiculing those that disagree.
For that price the stand looks rather wobbly and looks easy to knock over by maybe “a cat”😅
You can get a GOOD turntable for that price.
Yep I have two cats.
BREEKBAAR!
It is the soft desk that makes it wobble. The feet’s are from 4mm metal.
Also, as someone who finds that playing vinyl goes well with an evening session on the pop, my chances of operating this successfully while Brahms and Liszt to try to listen to Brahms or Liszt is practically nonexistant.
The cover is the clear record
Oof beat him to it.
@@GoAway-vj4vj
you’re
I was curious: was it a single-sided record? (If yes, then indeed it would do as the cover.) (What is on it?)
Definitely. I'm feeling a bit stupid not picking up on that before you wrote it.
Ahh yes because a cover with either open sides or open top depending on orientation of the player makes perfect sense.
Then again you could be right they might have put next to no thought into the dust cover like they have over aspects of the device.
They made an incredible device. The features are great and look so easy to use, and it's quite attractive.
...and then they made it incompatible with standard aftermarket styluses. Which is an absolute deal killer for me and so many others.
Nice product. There are not many good news record players, and the team behind this one really put effort in it
Good to see the return of a direct drive, track sensing turntable, I had a Technics back in the day and it was a brilliant piece of kit that made listening to records as easy as playing a compact disc, as opposed to the masochism of an audiophile turntable.
This Miniot has the look of something that Bang and Olufsen might have made back in the day. It would slot nicely into the modern day Technics range too, the styling would complement the new Technics components.
I loved my SL-J2; it spoiled me. It started creaking, though. I'm not sure why these guys wouldn't use P-mount technology, unless there's still a licensing fee.
It’s very straightforward to snip down the plastic carrier for the stylus yourself. That’s all this company does. The microline and shibata styli are both fantastic upgrades to the vm95 cart
I was wondering if the plastic was shaved off, or they cut some of the metal too, it was hard to see.
Agreed. I bought a Shibata stylus from LP Gear for the standard cartridge and now just need to use a dremel to cut the plastic stylus body.
Presumably voiding the guarantee on your £2k device, though.
@@G6JPG Nah, you'd just keep the original stylus and put it back on before you shipped it back for repair. Consider it justice at them charging such an amount of money just to Dremel a bit of plastic off.
@@greenaum 3D printing could make that concern obsolete as the home use technology becomes more developed. but the cartridge carrier contact force would have to be worked with.
I thought I vaguely remembered their name, and it turns out I bought a beautiful ipad mini cover made in real wood. Their attention to detail back then was already very high, and it seems it only got better (or worse, depending on what end of the stick you're on....)
lovely device, and love it that it is a Dutch product. Price-point is somewhat out of this world and will offer a limited clientele.
Pleasing to see you hung it out and saw the deal through with the patience of a saint. It’s nice to see in a sea of fraud and scams that sometimes there is sincere business out there that may be frustrating for honorable/legitimate reasons and has a happy ending for all. Refreshing.
The maker seems very genuine, he ran out of money and borrowed more, to fill the orders, and a heart attack in 2021 (probably from the jabs), so people were lucky to get it at all.
@@G-ra-ha-m Take the Fox News misinformation elsewhere, thank you.
@@Cre80s Data, true information, sorry. You have been programmed to defend something that you didn't even notice before 2020.
Funny thing, I met the designer on the Dutch Audio Event 2021. He seemed very proud of their design. The most egregious spec is still the 3.5mm jack output on such a device.
And built in preamp/amp.
It's not a soundburger, plastic novelty of a portable reccord player. It's a close to 2000 bucks item, and specd like a toy.
@@Damien.D Agreed. I'll wait until crosley makes a plastic one...shouldn't be long now...
@@basshorseman998don't they get audio tecnica do make them that's if it's not a curusser
@@Damien.D Let's reinvent the wheel but this time make it round
This looks like it's all about the design and nothing to do with audio fidelity.
A novel idea, however nearly £2000 for a budget cartridge and in built RIAA phono stage is a no go. At that price I'd expect to be able to pop in an after market moving coil cartridge and use an external phono stage.
And made out of slate
The idea to make product aimed toward a "hipster" audience is not that novel...
While we might discuss whether the tracking force should be 0.02N or 0.015N (2 gram-force or 1.5 gram-force), the typical hipster just wants hipness without the details (although the might look up the tracking force in the manual so he can feel smug).
@@klausstock8020
You appear to misunderstand what I was saying. It's not about the tracking force. It's about a low budget bad sounding cartridge in a £2000 turntable. Low budget is just that, high end, is just that. You can not mix a low budget bad sounding cartridge in a premium turntable....end of story.
@@jimdandy2024 I understood perfectly well. "Tracking force" was just an example about something the *target market* most probably has no clue about (it's kind of funny that they added the option to adjust tracking force, but their web site only mentions "1.8 to 2.2gram" -- I think they want say "gram-force"...?).
Anyway - their black comes with a Shibata stylus as standard, and the black model is only 3,800€. Cheap! But they could have made it even cheaper if they'd offer the AT95ML, which *is* currently cheaper than the AT95SH. And if you love your vinyl, you'll probably want a micro linear stylus.
Downside if course that a micro linear stylus requires a precise installation. Maybe you can't do that with the Wheel 2?
TL;DR: no need to discuss styli here, the Wheel 2 is neither made nor marketed for vinyl enthusiasts.
14:05 WOOOOWWW That record looks so good with all the little reflective angles on it!!!
My father would have loved the inclusion of the spin to start feature. He was a radio DJ in the 60s in Portland, Oregon, and his studio tables had that feature for queuing.
Ah, the seven-year glitch resolved! Love it!!!
It looks good. I'm glad there are folks out there doing this sort of thing. Now if they could make a decent tape deck...
@@bletheringfool I think the biggest limitation to making a new & decent tape deck would be the heads .. the mechanism itself is not much more complex than that for a record player. If I was tasked with making a new tape deck I think I would digitise the position of the tape and output from the head and use the combination to output a stream without any wow & flutter (could be done on a record player too, of course, and more easily actually).
@@davealancaruana6727 that was essentially the DAT (digital audio tape).And, still, my DAT crapped out due to the belt/bands mechanism.
Damn, wish it was a bit more affordable. Beautiful engineering and design.
Sort of. I think the single line-of-light display would get a bit wearing.
£1700+ for a record player. It better be decent and make my morning coffee for that price.
Lovely looking and great features and I don't even mind the price but my heart sank when you dropped the bombshell "no user replaceable needle" and no separate output for another phono preamp !! so close but no cigar.....cheers.
Well got there in the end, I think your the only UA-camr who can get away with having multiple years inbetween each video of a series.
Ever heard of "project binky" ? 🤣
ClickSpring took 5 years or so to build/ finish his Antikithera Mechanism video due to a few discoveries made while recreating it that lead to a bunch of previously unknown features/ research. It's a great series though, highly recommend
you're
...Though in the days before UA-cam, the BBC used to do this _all the time_ ... 🙃
(Sometimes because the videotapes would get misplaced, often turning up - Mysteriously - On the 16:32 InterCity to Glasgow... 🚅📼💨😋)
This is the first new manufacturer linear tracking turntable I have seen. This is brilliant!
I think you have been very generous with your presentation, thanks for sharing your experience!
Low volume niche products are really hard to get right. I hope they can keep making them for the foreseeable future, and maybe offer the mechanism for others to integrate into their own designs.
love the vertical version of this but the money outlay would need both kidneys to be sold.
still love it though
Just sell one kidney and one lung. 😂
@@my3dviews that would work.
sign me up. lol
Good thing I don't want one as I only have one kidney left, cancer claimed the other one.
@@SlyPearTree sorry to hear that.
maybe Techmoan will give you his one. lol
put more value on your organs
I must say, this was an excellent video. You spent the whole time explaining why this an OK deal for a backer, and never once had to slag off the company. The non-replaceable cartridge and built in preamp did a great job of driving home the point that this is not a device I would consider. Love your videos!
it would make an impressive gift to a kid with a gaming computer and a set of headphones. they could play all the Taylor Swift records they bought before they owned a turntable
I think he was just over the moon at having received ANYTHING at all after waiting 7 years and continually having to pump more money into it. The final price is like 5 times what the initial offering was. And the company will no doubt go out of business if they haven’t already 🤷♂️. He better order replacement parts now while they’re still in business.
Great you finally received it, very B&O styling with great functionality. I am sure the Wheel3 will include superior conectivity.
I had an old Gerrard or Technics that did most all of this that was from the early -80s. Direct drive with a separate belt drive for the tone arm. Had an S style tone arm. Did 16, 33, 45, and 78. Had electronic buttons to select tracks and also did pause and all that. Also auto-sensing size/speed with manual override. I don't remember the model. I do know it is rare. Had a nice real woodgrain veneer cabinet. I fixed it up and got $350 for it a few years back. Never seen another one like it.
Reminds me of DVD's and CD's being played from the underside. Except they run clockwise and the laser starts towards the center and moves outward while playing. I like that record player. Really nice.
The cartridge / stylus situation is a complete dealbreaker.
Being realistic, if you plan to make this your daily driver, you would have to order a couple of replacement styli with the device because at the end of the day they are a proprietary part and if the company does end up going bankrupt in 5 or 10 years and you need a replacement stylus at that point, you´d either have to try and modify one yourself or you got yourself a fancy paperweight.
and the day they are gone you got a expensive paper weight.
I bet there are two things that required a bespoke cartridge: Needing close physical proximity to the optical sensor, and needing it to be light yet stable enough to move on the X and Z axis via (what I assume is) a voice coil for compensation against warps and off-center pressing.
The first problem might have been solved by using a worm drive shaft that extended the optics on one side and the stylus on the other. The second... is pretty unique. I'm not sure there are a lot of off-the-shelf carts that would work, and even a "compatibility list" would be subject to design tolerances, since they weren't ever made for that purpose.
Whether that feature is worth the bespoke consumables is a up to the buyer, I suppose.
not that it makes the main problem better (why not a p-mount?) but there are professional retippers in case you have an old but great or mc cartridge that isnt made anymore.
no way this would hold down paper
I really do not recommend using any turntable as your, "daily driver."
Such a beautiful piece of kit. Props to the dedicated team that made this!
I like the fact that it can play off center pressed vinyl. No other player can do that as good.
If money is no object, then it's a great casual player and conversation piece.
Fantastic review. Thank you.
How exactly would, say, an SL1210 not be able to play an off center pressend vinyl?
Are you a sales drone of that scam?
I'd like to see a test with an offcentre hole drilled into a disk.
@@Oli1974a conventional tonearm tracks the groove. It cannot correct for spindle offset like a servo controlled linear tracker can
I may need a video on that massive swiss army knife.
I love how it´s just used without comment 🙂
@@nordishkiel5985 it doesn't need any comment, that version is made specifically for people like Matt
The champ is the model name. I own one myself
I think he did a video on it?
Yeah, he used it in multiple videos at this point. I wonder if he would ever do a video on it ...
Good on them. Obviously had struggles along the way but thank god there are still people out there driven to be creative and innovative!
Also, nice to see the Technics SL-J300R again! I first found your channel through watching the 'Budget Hi-Fi' 4-part mini series you did and it inspired me to get one of those Technics linear tracking J300R's. Found one for sale for around £80 about 5 years ago and now it's pride of place atop my Technics stack at home!
A600 mk3 Integrated Amplifier
SH-8058 Graphic Equalizer
ST-GT350 Stereo Synthesizer Tuner
SL PD-687 Compact Disc changer (x5 CDs)
SL-J330R Linear tracking turntable
RS-TR474 Dual Cassette Player
That's quite a thing. I very much like the design, not only the look of it, but the controls as well. Very clever! The features like tracking a wobbly record are impressive. It's way beyond anything I can afford, but I am happy to know that a small company is able to produce something like this.
Seems like they took a page from the design of CD players, using active servo systems to maintain tracking on a groove that may wander in two planes as it travels by in a third. Fairly obvious solution, when you think of it. Although I do wonder what they use as an error input, lacking the four optical sensors and a reflected laser whose beam shape corresponds to focus. Quite clever!
It's 90% about the design though, it's not something you'd get if you were an actual 'audiophile' as you'd want to be able to replace or upgrade the stylus, use a dedicated preamp etc
The invention of The Wheel was a somewhat costly affair! I think it's fabulous.
It is cool. Very cool. For a moment. But (yes, I’m old):
1. If you want to clean the record with a carbon brush, you need to place the record, program, clean, flip and then program and play. Not user friendly at all.
2. If the needle collects some dust, and that do happen all the time, you can’t just lift the PU and blow or brush it away, it is a very cumbersome process.
3. No phono out if you want to use a separate RIAA/pre-stage. Like a vintage discrete component-based receiver to get that fat, rich vinyl sound (I have used a Tandberg Huldra 10 I got for free, but it needs some work now) or maybe a valve kit. Very, very strange.
4. Non-replaceable cartridge and proprietary needle is big turn-off for most enthusiasts. And will these parts be made in the future?
5. The fact that the standard PU on this VERY expensive player is just a modified version of a very cheap, AT budget model tells me that the manufacturer is more into tech statements than music reproduction.
Basically a far too expensive, hi-tech conversation piece, not at all a practical record player for the enthusiast. Sorry.
I do wish that Matt was a bit more critical of this product like you were. He really sold it as being his favourite record player (even though he clarified "currently made") but in reality, it seems like it's simply not good value.
@@inverse_of_zero I would say that it isn't for the enthusiast, it's more for the casual gadget lover with money burning a hole in their pocket. That doesn't mean it's terrible, just a different market.
@@chaos.corner Yes, sort of the same market as Bang & Olufsen - though their stuff was usually rather better technically, but the same sort of "clever design" target customer.
this
@@inverse_of_zero I don't think as many people are as in to "vinyl as a process" as you are. Or at least that you imply you are. I dunno. Maybe you have spent several weekends auditioning different preamps and carts. I think, for the majority of people, this model, with the lower-end cart, would probably still be the best-sounding turntable they have, or ever will hear. It's probably better than whatever they're listening to music on now.
We've all been conditioned to believe there's a substantial difference between any given five pre-amps, when, in reality, you could make one that measures within a few percentage points of perfect out of a handful of parts you bought at Radio Shack. (.... thirty years ago, when those still existed.) Imagine, for a moment, not having been brainwashed by countless hours on Reddit as other people wax poetic about the enormous differences they heard when they swapped this op-amp for that one, built one from mismatched discrete transistors, or bypassed an electrolytic cap with a film cap made with the oil excreted from a unicorn's horn and used to bathe a nude virgin.
And yet.... most of the stereos sold used a simple, utilitarian, textbook design made from the cheapest components on a phenolic PCB and connected not with demonic 3.5mm audio jacks, but garden variety _ribbon cables_ ... unshielded, pressed into plastic connectors that can't be removed non-destructively, and plated not in gold, but tin! The horrors! And all of those listeners survived the experience nonetheless.
I love that you use the swinging Oranges & Lemons music as incidental music.
This video confirms something: @Techmoan is - In fact - A British spy stationed abroad. Most likely - Given his interests and specialties - In Japan... 🕵🇯🇵😉
Great review, thanks for posting the video. I'm glad you received the product albeit Wheel 2. It's great to see a manufacturer look to create a record player with some style and innovative features. Thank you again for being patient and persevering with your purchase.👍🏻🎵🎶
Beautiful design. This is exactly what you'd want for set dressing in a film or commercial where your main character was living a "minimalist, analog" lifestyle. As an audio product however? Yeah, it's best not to judge this device for what it isn't.
You can't upgrade the cartridge/stylus yourself? This has been designed by Apple fans! 😉
B&O fans more like it
Great! It's so refreshing to see someone come up with an innovative new product such as wheel 2. Great vlog as usual.😊
I agree man. It's cool that innovation is still pretty hot even if we have to pay more for it. Especially in a world of so much blandness and"cheap" thinking.
Fantastic review for many reasons. A) you explain and judge very well the turntable in what it aims to be, instead of getting lost on the audio quality or flexibility which is not the main goal of this device. B) you approach very well the trouble Minot faced to deliver the product to the backers. I am industrial designer myself and recall the campaign and I recall thinking "a start up will never be able to pull this off", but here they are, C) finally you made me happy as I am just coincidentally restoring a Technics SL-QL1 linear and you mention you have videos on it. Thanks for pushing this content on your channel.
The light bar is a brilliant piece of design. Especially the tracking force adjustment. I'm happy to see some innovative products in the turntable space, even if it's a ridiculous price.
This table reminds me a lot of my Technics SLQL15 Linear Tracker, which still runs great today. Nice to see a lot of those features returning
Now in curious! how does the Wheel 2 remind you?
@@krimke881 Great question!
My technics deck is basically an amalgamation of all the high tech features of the mid 80s in a turntable, so it gives a very unique experience compared to other turntables. It's a linear tracking tonearm built into the dust cover, it will auto detect the size of your record and place the stylus down in the right place, it scans for tracks and lets you program a playing order non linearly, so I can play tracks 3, 5, and 1 for instance, and its direct drive with a quartz crystal disciplined motor for accuracy. It's not the peak of audiophile turntable by any stretch, but with all the quality of life features and enhancements it has it makes for a great user experience with great audio.
That's the sense I have of the wheel 2 as well. Is it the best audiophile turntable on the market today? Definitely not. But it's taken so many useful and interesting features to provide a great record playing experience, with new concepts to try and improve the turntable for the astute listener (looking at that upside down tonearm). If they ever get the price down closer to 600-1000 usd, I'd seriously consider it.
@@krimke881 It's linear tracking, direct drive and detects tracks
So is my Sony PS-FL9 and it's also fully programmable like a CD player and has a drawer so you can build your stereo on top of it
I have a Technics SL-7 that cost a fraction of the price and it can even play records upside down. Plenty of them on eBay.
Indeed. I, too, have one and it is an excellent turntable. I've also just finished fixing and servicing an Sl-ql15 another fantastic table from the 80s which has programmable track orders.
But that's ugly
Please, dear reader, take this on board. If you are moaning about the price, I feel the moan unjustified. The user interface seems top notch. The device is pleasing - very pleasing to the eye. Someone has put a lot of thought it to this unit and deserves commending for that allone. For my money, ALL NEW TURNTABLES of stature reqire dual outputs. Both passive and active. Not withstanding the inability to accomodate cartriges from other manufacturers is far too restrictive. If I had the money, I'd love to pair this, on a wall, no cables with my B&O 9000. That would be Mega!! (For the eye) Bw from Germany. Mike
I have a Techincs linear tracking, direct drive turntable. I have had it for 40+ years and it still works great. The band I am in just released a new 12" and I was able to play it straight away when I got home from rehearsal where they were passed out. My turn table isn't the fancy one you are showing as it doesn't have direct track access. I have to cue the needle and move it to the correct location. Not an issue as I normally play an LP from start to finish. I do refer to it as my close and play which was a children's turn table from back in the day.
Wow, that light interface is shockingly informative for how minimalist it is. Genuinely awesome device. Like everyone else though, I really question the lack of user replaceable catridge and forced preamp in a device targeted entirely at enthusiasts.
I was just about to mention the Technics, I had one, I liked it it was very cool for the time.
Wow what a machine. So nice to see excellent craftsmanship still exists in the world.
I'm certainly impressed with the product and in the company behind it. Manythnx for your review!
Gotta feeling this sort of tech is gonna make a small wave of "smart record players" because the record market is like the dedicated fans who buy stuff whatever the cost where as cds will likely always be in the charity shop
If Miniot could do the following:
1. Work out a deal w/ Ortofon to implement their line of 2M replaceable styli (and include the 2M Blue preinstalled with purchase)
2. Add an RCA out & grounding point.
3. Allow users to bypass the built-in phono preamp (or offer a model without a built-in preamp outright)
they'd be onto somethin' big here. ...and $2,000 USD MSRP would make a lot more sense.
Not the crappy Ortofon rubbish which is no better than the present one! A quality turntable needs a standard mount with two screws, or better a standard headshell mount (could be accessible from the back). But in the end, it will always remain a very unsatisfying toy from the POV of an actual record collector because the playing side of the record, and the stylus riding in the groove, are hidden from view. Watching the reflection patterns of the groove walls that correspond to the music recorded and are unique for every record, and watching the stylus pointing to the current spot within that pattern that is currently being heard, is a major part of the fun that is in playing records as opposed to listening to the same music from a CD, a tape, or a digital file. None of that is happening here. It might just as well be a fake machine that just makes a record turn for display and plays the music from a memory card - you'd never know because you can't see nor touch nor handle the tonearm that sweeps over the surface to retrieve the recording!
Why Ortofons 2M, its cheaper to have a cartridge which not have to be replaced, but instead only
the needle (stylus) it self. If you got Ortofon to design at cartridge where one of their OM styli would fit on, people would have it more easy when the needle needs to be replaced and they would also have the entire freedom of choice which one it should be in the entire OM series.
@@syntrilliumc.e.p.9326 The 2M styli are replaceable, sir. That is precisely why I said they'd be a great addition to the Miniot Wheel
...and the 2M Blue, in particular, comes preinstalled on many turntables in the same price range as the Miniot Wheel. It's inclusion would make the Wheel look as if it's on par w/ similarly priced turntables.
Also, the 2M series is upgradeable as well....much like the OM series. The 2M Silver, Red & Blue styli all use the same cartridge body....and the 2M Bronze, Black & LVB250 styli also share a cartridge body.
So, basically, you're saying they should do the exact same thing that I said....except they should use a different line of cartridges/styli.
Omg 7years!!! 😮 DUDE!!! I would have gave up after 4 months lol. Thank you for sharing. I can’t believe we didn’t get more excitement, I’m guessing you were freaking out off camera right?
Super cool. The repeat feature is something lacking in every other new turntable made today.
It would look incredible wall mounted and all cables hidden like a TV
My speakers can vibrate my walls.
Or standing freely on a single aluminium post.
This thing seems great... if it weren't over 2K dollars.
And non-serviceable.
Seven years of management salary😋
@@IcecalGamerwhat is that emoji lmao
500 seems more correct.
@@Farquad76.547 the 7th top row DEFAULT YT emoji
I had same experience with the Square Off Chess board. Took four and a half years for delivery. During this more money was asked on two occasions. Once it was being sent there were more problems like the battery falling off and no UK power adaptor was included. Company seem to change hands a few times with each update providing a new supply date that was broken. I did end up with a chess board but after a few days it stopped working. E mail was sent and instantly ignored. After a few weeks it ended up in the bin. Will never order from kickstarter ever again.
Agreed! I was in the Kickstarter for the Ataribox (Now Atari VCS). Announced in 2017, didn't get my backers unit until 2022. About 280 pounds UK for the "All in bundle".
And then only to find that last year (2023) they had an "All in bundle" for about 179 pounds UK. I was fuming!! They asked for over 100 pounds more for a painted woodgrain and a thank you. Same for Ouya, backed it too. Never again. At least the Atari VCS does work and can play well.
What a brilliant concept in design and manufacturing I would be very pleased to have one these units, well done to the Minot team
You can put the Miniot Wheel on top of a regular turntable so that you can play both sides of the record without having to flip it. 😂
I get that it's a joke, but this is making my autism itch.
Since the wheel plays the side facing the machine, placing it on top of a regular turntable would just play the same side again, wouldn't it? 😑
Sorry for ruining the joke.
@@remcovanvliet3018 The turntable that you place the Wheel on top, would play the top side of the record. So, you need to use both turntables to play both sides of the record without having to flip it. 😄
But the Miniot does rotate counterclockwise, so the LP will simply remain mostly stationary
@@Aliens308You just have to slip the drive belt off the normal table.
@Aliens308 No. You don't play both sides at once. Once the Wheel completes playing its side, it stops rotating. Then you play the top side with only that one rotating.
That is a really nicely executed design - I like it! It has a Bang and Olufsen look about it. Definitely worth the wait, Matt! Nice one!
Actually in their advertising, you can see the Wheel 2 on top of a Bang & Olufsen radio.
It certainly has the Bang & Olufsen _price_ about it... 😉
That is so cool! It seems like it wouldn’t be a big stretch to make this record player more useful. Add RCA jacks, a switch to turnoff the pre amp, and use a standard P-mount cartridge. These upgrades will allow the it to be plugged into a hi-if stereo system. Im not an expert so there maybe other things that need to added but it seems like it could be done.
When the audio quality is not important (no phono out, no quality cartridge), but You search the WOW factor... this is the right gear. The price is in target for a luxury design object.
My design upgrades for the presumably $3000 Wheel 3 would have a bluetooth output, RCA outs, a user-replaceable stylus with hopefully something like an Ortofon and a dust cover.
Why would you want a digital output for an analog audio medium like vinyl? In that case just stream the track for 99 cents/pennies
@@albank.5386 He also mentioned RCA outs.
Seems like a remote control(or at least a remote control App)should be another.
An analog device with Bluetooth? That *would* be a waste of dosh.
A very nice item that is essentially a novelty. An expensive one at that. Due to the Cost and it's limitations, it makes me go Wow and definitely makes me Flutter.
Really proud of the makers and proud of you for supporting them
Like you, I was a Kickstarter backer 7 years ago and recently received my Wheel 2. I have not unpacked it yet so seeing your video was wonderful. Thank you!
Hopefully they can release a Wheel 3 and make the cartridge user upgradeable, and maybe throw in the ability to bypass / remove the built in phono preamp. But otherwise that thing looks really neat and quite feature complete.
Or perhaps the next version should come without a cartridge and RIAA amp altogether, so that the buyer could decide for themself what to use..
I'm really curious, if you actually polled every currently living person that has ever played vinyl, whether they gave any thought about what preamp to use. Or if, they did, would they have, if it had not been a mandatory decision due to the fact that the player came with none. (Which is a fairly recent consideration, since before, you would just use whatever your existing receiver had connected to the inside of the Phono Input jacks.)
@@nickwallette6201 Poll everyone who has ever bought an expensive dedicated vinyl player instead.
@@nickwallette6201 I would say people start caring once the fourth digit shows up in the price tag. At least that's the point for me where I start caring a lot more about even minor details on a product before I am willing to commit money towards it.
@@BertGrink That's what the "remove" would be for, whether on the product page or later wouldn't be the most important thing to me, but it would definitely be nice if it could be removed for a small discount / have a cheaper bare bones version without them.
Love the concept, loathe the price attached.
Still, we can all dream.
Very enjoyable episode Techmoan, thanks for posting - and for waiting so patiently for this turntable! For a brief moment I thought I might get one but wow, along with the pre-amp only option it doesn't do bluetooth either - a bit disappointing. If Minion keep going maybe they will correct these deficiencies.
This is actually incredible. I was very dubious about this being a bit of cheap tech but I am excited for this. Really modern way for listening to vinyl.
A small remote would have been nice to be able to change tracks....
Yes! Pause and skip tracks from across the room.
I had to rewind the video when you said 7 years to make sure I had heard that correctly.
Wow, what a wild design! I can't believe how long you had to wait for it, but it looks to be worth it anyway. Fancy schmantsy
Kudos to you for having faith, and being happy with it!
It's all very stylish (B&O anyone?) but i cannot help thinking its style over substsnce and at £1750 😳 it should be absolutely superb sounding...does it?
I doubt it looking st that pickup mechanism.
Thank you for a wheely interesting video. 😎
What a beautiful machine. Thanks for sharing good sir 😊
In a way this looks like the kind of innovative style of deck that a company like B&O might have designed at one time. I'm very glad that somebody has done the job and done it fairly well. Perhaps a damped wall mounting kit would be a great way to use it. Thanks for sharing your experience and giving us your backstory with the process. Well done for sticking with it.
For a $2000 device that evidently prides itself on design, not just functionality, I'm surprised how unsightly the top looks. At first, I thought the platter was missing. That wide off-center slot with the shiny bottom and rectangular cut-out towards the center really clashes with the circular shape and matte finish of the device, not to speak of the dust that can collect within. Sure, you can always leave a record on top, exposed to dust, but then, they could've included a nice-looking cover for that price too.
If I were to buy this device, I'd probably try and 3D-print some kind of a matte black clip-in cover that would narrow the slot to just wide enough for the stylus to fit through and that could be easily removed when engaging that cleaning mode.
Covering up the IR sensor would do you no good.
No printed cover. The ideal case would be a mirror or smoked plexiglass door that slides out of the way when you use the turntable. And that center hub could do with a better finish to make it an eye catcher.
"How long have you waited for this road to be repaired? Well, I'm 42, my dad was 75, his dad was 80, dad of his dad was around 85 ... so let's say 300 years! I waited 300 years for this road to be repaired."
Thought you would say: since the romans left
Oh yes? And what have the Romans ever done for us?
Fascinating little piece of hardware, Mat, thanks for the video! It's not something I could ever picture owning, but if I ran into it visiting someone or in a store, I'd probably want to stare as well.
Well done for following it through and getting your wheel and I have to say I actually really like it as well 🤔🤪😀😀
When I order stuff I also enjoy tracking the parcel. I might check the website a few times a day just to check where it is. Not sure how I'd cope with 7 years though.
Every day, tpaul2866 would ask the mail carrier: "Is it here?" And the mail carrier would always respond with a cheerful variation on a theme of, "Not today! Maybe tomorrow, hey?"
Finally, after seven years, on his deathbed, tpaul2866 asked for the mail carrier. "Did it ever come?"
"No," said the mail carrier. "It hasn't been delivered."
"The web site just kept saying my order had been processed and I should be receiving my unit soon. Why would they do that? They must have known..."
tpaul2866's voice trailed off, and as he breathed his last, he could just register the mail carrier placing a parcel in his arms. "Because this delivery was specially for you," said the mail carrier.
(Apologies to Franz Kafka.)
Miniot: „Your parcel has been dispatched using Amtrak RailFreight.“
Me: _Pleasantly surprised when it takes _*_only_*_ seven years to arrive..._ 🐌💨🚂📦😉
That import duty cost is insane. Zero import duty to ship it to me here in Ireland. The price of Brexit I guess.
Absolutely
Successful Russian op, make no mistake about it. Same with MAGA. Any isolationist movement is pretty much guaranteed Russian. Now Westerners are paying the price.
It's VAT and a handling charge, so little difference.
The retail import duty Techmoan shows here actually contains a little hint to help _work around_ it. If you know your TOPS classes for UK trains, you'll know what sort of train a *373* is and where they normally operate. If you pick up your player at the factory and then bring it home on one of those (Or it's newer Siemens counterpart, the 374) you might be able to avoid the import headaches completely! 🚄🇪🇺⭐💨😉
I'd just like to point out in case no one else has, that plug for the charging does not meet UK regs for plugs. Not so long ago Amazon recalled chargers in exactly the same shape and size as that. Apparently they weren't big enough and didn't have the ridges on the side to prevent you from accidentally touching the pins when removing the plug from the socket.
I will say though as is always the fashion with Amazon, more appeared within a few days for sale and were not taken down 😂
This thing is as beautiful as it gets, and I could consider buying it for $600 but 2000 is completely absurd, especially considering the non replaceable cartridge. Still an amazing piece of tech.