Vertical vinyl players look cool, but are they worth the money?
Vinyl players are making a comeback, and audio technology companies are developing new ways to display and play our favorite albums.
Image by Getty/VW Pics
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Vinyl players are making a comeback, and audio technology companies are developing new ways to display and play our favorite albums.
Fuse Audio has returned to CES to showcase its range of innovative turntables. In 2024, the audio technology company launched a Kickstarter campaign for its Fuse Audio GLD, a vertical vinyl record player.
Since the release of the GLD, the audio tech maker has developed a few other products.
At CES 2025, we saw the ‘Fuse Vert,’ another vertical vinyl player. The fused speaker system sets this audio setup apart from the GLD.
Instead of having two independent speakers, as you would have with a classic turntable, the vinyl player has a built-in speaker system similar to that of a portable speaker.
One Fuse Audio representative told the Cybernews team that they developed their vinyl players to play vertically for aesthetic purposes.
Fuse Audio wanted to find a new and innovative way to display our favorite albums, as vinyls are usually stylishly designed, colorful, and interesting to look at.
The turntables come in standard and premium versions. The premium version comes with an Audio-Technica needle cartridge, whereas the standard version has Fuse Audio’s own needle cartridge.
The tonearm is counterweighted in such a way that it won’t scratch or damage your records but will play your favorite albums while in a vertical position.
“Each tonearm is dynamically adjusted to ensure the tracking force is applied at the correct weight (4g) without damaging your favorite records,” Fuse Audio said.
The record player can play at three speeds: 33, 45, or 77. The turntable has Bluetooth connectivity, meaning you can play your own music from your phone or computer.
All vinyl players featured at the Fuse Audio CES booth are available for sale. They cost between $150 and $400, which is pretty good for turntables.
However, on the website, customers have complained about the audio quality, stating that the turntables look great, but they don’t sound as good as they look.