The Transrotor Dark Star turntable is a beautiful model dressed in black that lives up to its name. It was created by Transrotor, a German turntable manufacturer for over 50 years.

All Transrotor models show a commitment to visual beauty, precision and performance. Transrotor turntables range in price from affordable to stratospheric. However, the Dark Star model is in the affordable range, yet is of remarkable quality. With its 60mm thick PYTC platter and 30mm PYTC base frame, the Dark Star has a lunar-like character, but is very attractive.

POM (polyoxymethylene) is used to manufacture the base and frame of the Dark Star. This is a synthetic polymer that is ideal for the Dark Star, thanks to its exceptional acoustic characteristics, its robustness, its hardness, its rigidity and its ability to avoid resonance.

The Dark Star is covered with a black POM material, which considerably reduces manufacturing costs. Like other Transrotor decks, the Dark Star relies on its structure, materials and mass to isolate it from external vibrations and control its own resonances.

The Dark Star is very easy to use, quiet and reliable.

The 33 / 45 speed is easily changed using the upper ring of the chrome-plated Kontant Eins speed control. The Rega RB 880 tone arm is a relatively light 9-inch model.

The design as well as the finishing of the Dark Star are remarkably well done and it will not go unnoticed in the middle of a living room, it is a model which does not miss allure! Its design and its finish are really successful !

The Dark Star is supplied with an external power supply, a REGA RB tone arm and a Transrotor Uccello MM (made by Goldring) or Merlo and Merlo reference cartridge. I used the Dark Star turntable with the Trigon phono preamplifier which easily fits Transrotor Uccello MM and Merlo MC cells. The amplification was provided by a PA 2500 R from T+A. The cables are from O2A. With the Dark Star, I rediscovered the pleasure of listening to music with an exceptional sound quality and very close to the vinyl sound.

If you are looking for a quality turntable, the Dark Star is an excellent option at a reasonable price.

Transrotor certainly know their stuff when it comes to turntable construction and the Dark Star is proof that you don't need to spend a fortune to get great sound quality.

I started listening with the Transrotor Uccello MM cartridge that came with the basic version and I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the sound quality. This cell allowed me to understand the very vinyl sound of the Dark Star. Listening to the Cat Stevens album, I was amazed by the richness and naturalness of the midrange and the reverb around his voice. The highs were well balanced, without being overly accentuated, which gave me a holographic sound image.

There is no doubt that the Dark Star is capable of providing an image with good openness and placement of the soundstage. The details are presented in a very realistic and authentic way, combined with this often elusive magic of the midrange, probably due to the POM material which gives it a very analog sound.

A pure wonder!