This Unique Wireless Speaker Makes Listening to Vinyl Easier

Andover Audio is a Boston-based audio company best known for its Andover One, a high-end all-in-one turntable system. It places a turntable on top of a box housing a powered speaker and all the necessary hi-fi components to play vinyl. It also supports modern conveniences like Bluetooth streaming.

For people who have their own turntable, Andover Audio has also offered the SpinBase, a line of powered speakers that connect and rest underneath your turntable. It’s a kind of soundbar for your turntable.

And now, Andover Audio has released its best SpinBase to date.

Andover SpinBase Max 2

Andover Audio

100-watt power

The SpinBase Max 2 is the company’s biggest and best turntable speaker to date — it’s an all-around upgraded version of the company’s original SpinBase Max, which was released in 2022. But, more accurately, it’s a bigger, better and more expensive version of the company’s SpinBase 2, which was just released this past fall.

The main upgrade is sound and power. The SpinBase Max 2 has a new 6-driver array consisting of two 3/4-inch silk-dome tweeters and four 3.5-inch woofers. This is two more woofers than the previous SpinBase Max and the recently released SpinBase 2.

The woofers and tweeters are powered by Class D amplifiers and, in total, the SpinBase Max 2 can output up to 100 watts of power … which is a significant upgrade over the original SpinBase Max’s 60-watt output. The SpinBase 2 outputs up to 70 watts.

Andover Audio

Better bass

But it’s not just the SpinBase Max 2’s added power and extra woofers that aid with Max 2’s improved sound. It also features a sealed enclosure, instead of a vented enclosure like other SpinBases, which promises to give it improved bass.

“Although the Max 2 does play louder than the previous version, our goal was to also deliver more apparent detail and better tonality,” says Bob Hazelwood, Andover’s Director of Engineering and Product. “The design also offers a more gradual low-frequency rolloff, with the benefit of richer, more extended bass.”

Like the company’s other SpinBases, the new Max 2 can deliver a 270-degree panoramic sound. It’s also integrated with the company’s proprietary technology, called Isogroove, that drastically dampens vibrations … a common problem of most all-in-one turntables.

Andover Audio

Makes vinyl easy

Andover Audio has given the SpinBase Max 2 the same cosmetic upgrades as it did with the SpinBase 2. It features a new heathered fabric grill (instead of a perforated metal grill) along with a large volume control knob.

And, just like before, the SpinBase Max 2 is designed to be a plug-and-play solution for your turntable. It has several analog inputs: optical, USB, aux or phono. There’s a subwoofer output and headphone jack, too, in case you want to build out your system or have a private listening session.

The SpinBase Max 2 is compatible with a wide variety of turntables. It has a built-in phono preamp, but if your turntable already has one, you can hook it up to the speaker via its aux input. Note: The turntable in most of these pictures is Andover Audio’s SpineDeck 2 ($299).

And the SpinBase Max 2 supports two-way Bluetooth. So you can stream vinyl to wireless headphones or wireless speakers. Or, when not listening to vinyl, you can stream music from your smartphone or laptop to the SpinBase Max 2 just like any Bluetooth speaker.

Andover Audio

Price and availability

The Andover SpinBase Max 2 is available now from the company’s website. It comes in two colors, white or black.

The extra power of the SpinBase Max does come at a price. It costs $549, making $200 more expensive than the SpinBase 2.

Andover Audio

Andover SpinBase Max 2

• $549 at Andover Audio

Related Topics