175 – The Vienna Philharmonic Recordplayer

175 Years – Vienna Philharmonic

The Vienna Philharmonic Recordplayer is already sold out, please consult your trusted dealer if they still have one available.

For the past 175 years, the Vienna Philharmonic has been inseparably linked with European musical tradition from the classical to the contemporary. The Philharmonic‘s performances have gone down in musical history and several masterpieces have been written for the ensemble. When in 1842, conductor and composer Otto Nicolai and music critics August Schmidt and Alfred Julius Becher considered the founding of a professional orchestra for the performance of symphonic repertoire (which until that time had not existed in Vienna), the primary goal was to facilitate high quality performances of the symphonies of Ludwig van Beethoven. From the beginning, this undertaking found willing partners in the members of the Imperial Court Opera Orchestra.

Uniquely, 175 – The Vienna Philharmonic Recordplayer is fashioned from material found in musical instruments. The wooden chassis and the lacquer of the 175 correspond to that of a violin. The gilded metal chassis is based on the brass instruments of the orchestra, while the fingerlift comes from a clarinet flap. Even the knob for switching on and changing speeds comes from a flute button.

The technical heart of the turntable is the latest in record player design from Pro-Ject Audio Systems, based on Pro-Ject’s multi-award-winning model, “The Classic.” The design team has improved every technical detail, and produced the new model according to Pro-Ject’s highest standard of build quality, with the tightest tolerances. Supplied with the 175 is a hand-selected cartridge, the result of a collaboration with Ortofon, based on their top-of-the-line Cadenza series. The housing of the cartridge is made from a very high damping alloy, carefully polished to match the surface of the turntable. The outcome is an extremely mellifluous sound, reflecting the goal of this collaboration: to approximate as closely as possible the sound of the world-famous Vienna Philharmonic.

A limited edition series of 175 samples, the 175 offers music aficionados a unique collector‘s item in a classical design. It is available in two colours: Dark Cello or Bright Violin. At the back of the turntable is a plaque with the serial number and the name of the owner.