One of the things I’ve enjoyed most this last year at Richer Sounds has been the enthusiasm around the resurgence of vinyl. Having people of all ages from students to retirees come into our shop expressing an interest in beginning or rekindling their relationship with the format has been a real treat, and the source of some genuinely lovely conversations.
From a product point of view, this resurgence has lead to a boom in the number of options of turntable, especially so the entry level and basic step-up tiers. It’s into this category that the Argon Audio TT MkII emerges as a contender, squaring off against some of the more affordable models from trusted brands like Audio-Technica and Pro-Ject to name just a couple.
It’s a competitive market with a lot of value on offer, so does the TT MkII have what it takes to make a name for itself? Well, I believe in putting my money where my mouth is and so I bought one. If you’ve got a couple of minutes to spare I’ll explain why.
I’ll begin by saying there is no “magic bullet” turntable at this price point, and there will always be a trade-off somewhere among features, build and sound quality. In the case of the TT MkII I think Argon have struck a really great balance, choosing to focus on the aspects which really count at this price: build quality, ease of use, and of course sound.
Constructed with an iron plate and MDF plinth, the TT MkII gives an immediate impression of sturdiness, but it’s also a bit of a looker. Available in a range of colours and finishes the design is sleek Scandinavian elegance, different to be every bit as attractive as rival Pro-Ject’s models at this price. The TT sits effortlessly alongside the clean lines of modern hi-fi separates, but is low key enough to fit in well with gear from pretty much any era.
Functionally, the TT MkII is a manual turntable, meaning there’s no automatic start/stop or tone arm return mechanism; you’ll be lifting and lowering the needle at the start and end of every side, and I think this is absolutely the right decision for Argon to have made in keeping cost down and quality high. One of the joys of vinyl is its tactile nature, and a manual turntable encourages a return to interaction with our audio, something many of us lost in the era of endless streaming, playlists, and algorithm recommendations.
Start your vinyl journey in style, with the Argon Audio TT MK2.
The tone arm here is aluminium, so it can’t boast the optimal vibration damping qualities of the carbon fibre found on more expensive models, but at this price I frankly don’t care, and I don’t think you should either. The weighty base of the TT MkII provides stability and vibration isolation enough, so if like me you’re a bit clumsy or have kids running around the house and bumping into furniture, you’ll find this a far more important and practical consideration.
The factory-fitted cartridge, if you’re interested, is very much entry level. Do you need more than this? Almost certainly not. Most people looking for a starter turntable are going to be more than happy with the audio quality this cartridge provides, and it’s cheap to replace. Having said that my recommendation when the time comes for replacement would be to treat yourself to an inexpensive step up to something that will retrieve just a little more detail, at which point the TT MkII will be performing at it’s best.
A lot of brands seem to take pleasure in making controls either small or awkwardly placed, but Argon use simple, well placed start/stop and speed selector controls that are sturdy and satisfying to use. Positioned clear of the tone arm they’re easy to access at any time without fumbling; you’d think this would be common practice, but it’s not, so it’s worth praising.
Excellently, this model has a built-in phono stage, but if you’re not sure what that means then don’t worry. Long story short, the TT MkII doesn’t care what amplifier you plug it into, and if you don’t even own one you can simply plug it straight into the RCA (red and white) inputs on a set of active speakers.
Brand new vinyl and well-maintained second hand LPs sound great. Actually they probably shouldn’t sound this good on something so affordable, but if you don’t tell then I wont. If you’re mainly playing inherited and/or charity shop vinyl then there’s only so much a turntable can do in terms of avoiding pops, crackles and the like. Thankfully you can have a lot of success hand-cleaning older records and then maintaining them before every play with a good anti-static brush like the AudioQuest Gold Anti-Static. Your local Richer Sounds will happily hook you up with one of these at a very reasonable price; they review very well, are simple to use, and I absolutely recommend one as part of your basic kit.
Speaking of your local Richer Sounds it’s probably time for me to shut up and direct you their way. I’d go on a good deal longer about how much I like the Argon Audio TT MkII, but it speaks perfectly well for itself. Give your nearest shop a call and ask about arranging a demo. I’m very certain you’ll be glad you did.
Author: Ewan, Chester Store
