AMG Viella V12 turntable

If you think £9,500 is a lot for a record player - even one as exquisitely beautiful as this - then allow us to introduce you to the world of the hi-fi geek. Believe it or not, there are some who turn down the corner of every page of every book in their listening room - all in the pursuit of the ultimate audio experience. AMG's V12 turntable is clearly aimed at this market. It's hand-machined using 'analog' lathes and drills; they even float the 11kg stainless steel platter on ball bearings made completely from scratch. What's more, the tonearm is suspended with sprung steel wires rather than a gimbal, so it's extremely precise and doesn't require any maintenance. To be fair, AMG has gone to so much effort, turning down the corner of every page of every book seems like the least we could do... 

£9,500 | www.amg-turntables.com

Pro-Ject Art-1 turntable

Pro-ject Audio have teamed up with Austrian artist Barbara Mungenast to create 100 individually-numbered turntables. Admittedly, we'd not heard of Mungenast but, to be fair, her trademark 'intertwined spiral' motif is a rather beautiful addition to Pro-Ject's dressed up Debut III model. Expect exquisitely good performance thanks to a decoupled motor, shock-asorbing feet that minimise vibration and a high-quality Ortofon 2M Bronze cartridge. Each Art-1 is signed by the aforementioned Ms. Mungenast. Answers on a (arty) postcard...

£855 | www.project-audio.com