We are big fans of Vertere Acoustics' Dynamic Groove turntable. This is the high-end brand's entry-level model, with both the DG-1 and DG-1 S incarnations boasting five-star reviews and consecutive What Hi-Fi? Award wins thanks to their clever engineering and hugely entertaining, rhythmically driven and expressive sound. The Dynamic Groove is a mainstay of our best turntables guide if you're after a superb premium record player that does things just a little differently from more conventional designs.
There is now a new evolution of this turntable, called the Vertere DG X. The deck may look very similar to the previous model at first glance, but the DG X has been completely redesigned from the ground up. The aim is to improve performance and also make the manufacturing process quicker, which keeps the price competitive.
The Vertere DG X has been designed to be as plug-and-play as possible, with the counterweight, anti-skating and VTA all set up correctly for the factory-fitted cartridge included, so you can get the record player connected to your system and start playing music as quickly as possible.
The Vertere DG X remains a belt-drive design, with that stunningly distinctive plinth made of three-layer cast acrylic, with the clear middle layer featuring internal illumination. The precision-machined aluminium alloy platter incorporates an aluminium disc and PETG bonded mat that keeps resonance under control, while a protective cork/neoprene/nitrile mat with equally distinctive patterns adds further record support and damping.
The unusual flat tonearm – now called the Groove Runner X – is made of two bonded pieces of a five-layered polymer. This design aims to eliminate the high resonance peak you get with conventional arm tube designs. The arm has been updated significantly, with a tri-point articulated bearing system that is similar to the considerably more high-end SG-1 turntable's tonearm bearing assembly. The stainless steel counterweight and azimuth setting screw and end weights have also been updated, and there is the return of the secondary weight along the length of the arm to optimise cartridge matching.
Vertere has also made the tonearm beam considerably easier to remove and replace, and the arm sits on a magnetic rest that requires no additional arm clip when not in use.
The DG X has a new Lite Sabre moving magnet cartridge included as standard. This replaces the entry-level Magneto MM cartridge fitted on the previous DG-1 S model, with the new Sabre Lite coming closer to the performance of the step-up and excellent Sabre MM cartridge.
Another key update is that the Challenger DC power supply is now included in the DG X package as standard, rather than an optional (£450) upgrade extra. This comes with a standard mains power cable but can be swapped out for the more advanced Redline mains cable for a further step up in performance.
The DG X comes in three finishes – gloss black, white and red – and features electronic speed change (33 1/3 and 45 RPM).
The new standard Vertere DG X package with the Groove Runner X tonearm and Sabre Lite MM cartridge costs £4150 / $5400 / AU$8500. Considering the scope of updates and new elements in this package, that's a relatively small increase over the outgoing DG-1 S/Magneto package, which we originally tested at £3550 / $4995 / AU$7000 two years ago, but now retails for £3950 in the UK.
We have a sample of the new Vertere DG X turntable package in our test rooms right now (as you can see from the photos in this story), and will be putting it through its review paces over the next few weeks – stay tuned for a full review in due course.
MORE:
Read our current Vertere DG-1 S review
Our guide to the best turntables we've tested and rated
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