Go with the flow

A new Roksan turntable is a rare thing indeed and the Attessa pitches into a competitive area. Ed Selley sees if it holds its own

- Ed Selley

DETAILS

PRODUCT Roksan Attessa Turntable

ORIGIN UK

TYPE Unsuspended, belt-drive turntable

WEIGHT 6.3kg

DIMENSIONS (WxHxD) 432 x 105 x 353mm

FEATURES

• 33 & 45rpm
• Unipivot tonearm
• Dana moving magnet cartridge

DISTRIBUTOR Monitor Audio

TELEPHONE [phone]

WEBSITE roksan.com

Since Roksan was acquired by Monitor Audio in 2016, things have been quiet for the brand. However, the arrival of the Attessa range changes all of that. Roksan has never been particularly prolific in this area, but the Xerxes and Radius have fine reputations at their price points.

The Attessa is a clean-sheet design; there's next to nothing you can readily identify from existing models that has been employed in its design and construction. This is perhaps most apparent in the plinth. This is a single section, rather than one split by decoupling 'blobs' as used in the older models. A reasonable degree of isolation is achieved via three slightly pliant feet, but there's no other suspension or decoupling. This plinth mounts the bearing; which extends a considerable distance below the bottom and a 24-pole synchronous motor that acts via a belt on the sub-platter.

The motor operates on a surprisingly low 5V power supply. Not only that, but the PSU has sufficient oomph to also run an internal phono stage and a touch panel to select 33 and 45rpm speeds. This is impressively efficient although the PSU feels cheap. Rather more impressive is that the Attessa is a two-pin product with no external ground that remains completely hum-free across all the things I test it with.