Victrola’s line of Stream turntables are getting an automatic, over-the-air software update that will give owners the ability to stream music via Bluetooth, Universal Plug’n’Play (UPnP), and they’ll also be able to use their turntables as source for Roon-based multiroom systems.
The update is expected to begin rolling out today and it will include Victrola’s first three Stream models: Stream Carbon, Stream Onyx, and Stream Pearl.
When Victrola debuted its Stream turntables, their claim to fame was their built-in Sonos integration. They were the first turntables that could stream vinyl directly to Sonos speakers over Wi-Fi, without the need of a middle component like a Sonos Port or Sonos Amp.
At the time, however, if you wanted a turntable that could stream over Bluetooth, you would have needed to look elsewhere. Now, it looks like Victrola had the hardware for Bluetooth streaming already built-in to its Stream models and simply didn’t enable that functionality at launch.
Bluetooth gives the Stream turntables the ability to pair with and stream to any Bluetooth audio device, including wireless headphones, earbuds, or Bluetooth speakers. The upgrade is also good news for those with Wi-Fi based multiroom audio systems that aren’t built on Sonos components. With UPnP support, a Stream turntable can use Wi-Fi to stream to an UPnP-compatible network music streamer, endpoint, or integrated amp like the Wiim Amp Pro.
In August 2024, Victrola launched its $1,300 Stream Sapphire — the flagship of the Stream collection — with Sonos and UPnP. The Sapphire is also included in the software update, giving it Bluetooth as well as Roon compatibility, a feature that was promised but never released. Through Roon, it’s possible to stream from these updated turntables via AirPlay and Google Cast to compatible devices.
Editor’s note: an earlier version of this story said the Stream Sapphire wasn’t included in the update.
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Audio-Technica, a brand well known for making some of the best studio and professional headphones on the market, has just come out with the ATH-AWX7000, which the company itself claims to be its "finest headphones ever." The new flagship closed-back headphone has debuted at an eye-watering price of $3,799. It combines hand-finished Japanese woodwork with a newly developed 58mm driver.
The earcups are made from Kiso cypress, a prized wood historically used for Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. Each housing is finished by hand with traditional Echizen lacquer, which brings out the grain and is expected to darken over time. The frame and sliders are finished in a deep navy kachi-iro shade traditionally associated with samurai.
This post is brought to you in paid partnership with Best Buy.
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