Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Audio / Video
  3. News

Victrola’s new Stream Sapphire is the wireless turntable for audiophiles

By
[EMBARGOED IMAGE – 08/02] The Victrola Stream Sapphire wireless turntable on a table with a pair of wireless speakers.
Victrola

After first laying our eyes (and ears) on Victrola’s Stream Sapphire turntable at CES 2024 in January, the eminent audio brand has finally released it into the wild, today announcing that the flagship wireless turntable — that can be played through both Sonos and UPnP enabled speakers with lossless sound quality — can now be had for $1,300.

The Stream Sapphire is the latest wireless turntable in Victrola’s lineup of Stream turntables that includes the previously released Stream Carbon, the Stream Onyx, and the Stream Pearl.

Recommended Videos

The-top-of-the range Sapphire is not only the most expensive in the line but the most technologically advanced. Like its siblings, it bears the Works With Sonos certification that the company first brought to market with the Stream Carbon, which means that you can connect to and stream all your vinyl records through your Sonos system.

The Victrola Stream Sapphire wireless turntable.
Victrola

The Sapphire, however, is the first and only Stream turntable in the lineup that also offers UPnP connectivity to compatible Wi-Fi devices such as speakers, network music streamers, AV receivers, smart TVs, and more, expanding playback options substantially.

Related

The Stream Sapphire also allows users to stream vinyl through Roon Ready, AirPlay, and Chromecast protocols for an even larger range of connectivity. Also setting it apart from its Stream family is the Sapphire’s ability to stream at up to 24-bit/48kHz lossless FLAC audio, which should perk up the ears of audiophiles near and far.

All of that wireless connectivity stuff is great, but the Stream Sapphire is also still a high-end turntable that can be connected to more traditional analog devices like stereo receivers and integrated amplifiers, powered speakers, and the like, connected via its built-in phono preamp.

It features the renowned Ortofon 2M Blue Moving Magnet phono cartridge that can be found on tons of premium turntables and delivers a wide soundstage, detailed playback, and an excellent frequency response for all kinds of music styles.

The Victrola Stream Sapphire on display at CES 2024.
The Victrola Sapphire and its Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, on display at CES 2024. Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends

The Stream Sapphire is a belt-drive turntable that features a servo-controlled motor that offers 33 1/3 and 44 RMP playback speed options. The carbon-fiber tonearm includes a removable headshell for easy replacement or switching out cartridges on the fly.

Additionally, the turntable’s solid MDF plinth, aluminum platter, and height-adjustable sound-dampening feet further keep unwanted resonance and vibration noise at bay. Plus, the deck doesn’t look too bad either, with its real walnut veneer and eye-catching illuminated dial that allows you to control volume and playback right form the turntable.

The Victrola Stream Sapphire is available for preorder at select retailers and will be made available on victrola.com and select custom installation dealers in mid-August for $1,300.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
Contributing Editor, A/V
Derek Malcolm is a contributing editor and evergreen lead for the A/V and Home Theater section of Digital Trends. Derek…
Sonos needs a new CEO
Sonos CEO Patrick Spence at the Sonos One launch in 2017.

Let’s just come out and say what many people are thinking, and more than a few are saying: Sonos needs a new chief executive.

I’ve written previously that I don’t particularly care who runs Sonos. I don’t know Patrick Spence. (I think I’ve been in the room with him once, at the Sonos One launch event in October 2017 in New York City.) I don’t own Sonos stock. I do, however, own a number of Sonos speakers and have enjoyed the system for years. Until this year.

Read more
You can now buy Victrola’s repeat-play automatic turntable
Victrola VPT-800 Automatic Turntable.

Automatic turntables are hardly a new idea, and there are several companies that make them. Bluetooth turntables are also pretty common these days. But an automatic turntable with Bluetooth that can also play the same side of a record as often as you want, without lifting a finger? That's a rare combo indeed, and one that Victrola showed off at CES 2024 in it VPT-800 Automatic Turntable.

At the show, Victrola said the Automatic Turntable would be available for a very accessible $200, and now it has made good on that promise. You can buy it online at tons of retailers including victrola.com, Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and Target, plus lots of bricks and mortar stores.

Read more
What are Bluetooth codecs, and do they really matter? The wireless audio tech fully explained
OnePlus 5T AptX HD

With the rise in popularity of wireless headphones and earbuds, a lot of technical terms have come along with them. From wireless charging to Bluetooth multipoint, wear sensors, ANC and transparency, IPX ratings, and spatial audio, it can all get pretty confusing.

Most of these terms are relatively easy to understand, but one term that can be particularly puzzling is Bluetooth codecs. What exactly are they, and why should you even care about them? We'll break it down in simple language so that next time you come across a headphone review that mentions aptX, AAC, or LDAC support, you'll know what it means. More importantly, you'll understand how it could impact your listening experience.

Read more