The city of Detroit has always been known for its tradition in industrial development as much as it has been known for its musical legacy. Now, the city's socially responsible start-up Shinola has come up with an offering that marries both- engineering and music. The company has launched its first audio-gear- a turntable made from precision-machined aluminium.

Named as the Shinola Runwell Turntable, the gadget celebrates both the ethos and audio and flaunts a chassis made from high-end aluminium machined parts. It is 19 inches wide, 14 inches deep and weighs 40 pound, and comes with a built-in phono preamplifier that facilitates convenient speaker or amplifier connectivity. There is a belt-driven pulley for operating the turntable; it offers speeds to the gadget at 33 1/3 or 45 rpm.


According to Shinola’s audio parts division head Alex Rosson, the company has long been planning for an audio equipment manufacturing. With the machined aluminium made Runwell Turntable it makes a successful foray into the new genre.

"Our goal is to recreate what the artist intended," explains Rosson, "And to do so, you need accuracy and precision." The aluminium used in the platters has been down-gauged to micron using machining expertise used in NASA and laser optics.

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Rosson further explains the block of aluminium in Runwell Turntable does more than just adding good looks to it. It absorbs vibration so that it does not affect the phono stylus cartridge. In doing so, the aluminium block helps in decreasing noise while contributing to the overall objective of delivering the best quality of sound levels that are detailed in the ‘Runwell spec sheet.’

The Shinola Runwell Turntable with precision-machined aluminium has been priced at US$2,500 and a limited edition of it will be made available in 500 units at the company’s select outlets.

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