Audio-Technica Hotaru first review: floating, glowing turntable elevates vinyl playback

The Audio-Technica Hotaru is a music system like no other. This limited-edition turntable combines analogue vinyl playback with magnetic levitation and reactive lighting. Only 1,000 units have been made, each priced at €9,999. 

The design is intended as both a high-end music system and a sculptural object d’art. The Hotaru uses a floating structure and novel lighting system to create what the company describes as ‘an emotional connection’ between music, space and listener.

The model has already received international recognition, winning Platinum at Milan Design Week in the product design category, and when it recently made its London debut, The Luxe Review was amongst the first to experience it up close.

Hotaru is clearly not designed to be hidden away on an equipment rack. The platter appears to hover above its base, suspended by magnetic repulsion. The entire upper section, tonearm, motor and platter, are therefore isolated from internal and external vibration.

Inspired by the soft glow of fireflies, the Hotaru uses a floating structure and novel lighting system…

Design, sound and the story behind the glow

Audio-Technica’s history lends the Hotaru concept credibility. Founded in 1962 as a cartridge manufacturer, the company has spent decades refining the mechanics of vinyl replay. Hotaru is an artful distillation of that analogue knowledge, reinterpreted here through inspired industrial design.

As a record spins, the lighting responds. Inspired by the soft glow of fireflies, there are three illumination modes, including a reactive Link Mode that shifts colour and intensity in sympathy with the music.

Cleverly, this is not driven by an external sensor. The lighting cues are generated directly from the analogue pickup itself, with signals derived from the stylus tracing the record groove.

It’s not so much a light show as a visual echo of the music.

Chapters of Transience: hearing Hotaru in the flesh

To launch Hotaru in the UK, Audio-Technica staged an immersive event titled Chapters of Transience at London’s Ab-Anbar Gallery. The space was transformed into a multisensory experience, with visitors invited to craft bespoke scents, sample Japanese-inspired canapés and sip carefully paired cocktails.

Hotaru appeared twice during the evening: first as a static design piece, and then as the centre of a full demonstration system. I was among the first in the UK to hear the turntable in action.

There’s something innately theatrical about the Hotaru. As the needle touches down, the lighting settles into a gentle rhythm; but the effect is mesmeric rather than distracting.

For this demo, Audio-Technica chose suitably cool jazz, and the result was, quite simply, beautiful. The sound was smooth, warm and intimate, with a sense of ease that made vinyl pressings (bright colours mandatory) seem tangible and real.

Although the Hotaru is sold as an all-in-one system with integrated speakers, those were bypassed for this event. Instead, its internal phono stage was routed into an Atoll IN80 Signature integrated amplifier, paired with JBL L80 loudspeakers. Cabling came from Chord’s Clearway range, courtesy of London Hi-Fi specialist Audio Gold.

The turntable itself is fitted with Audio-Technica’s AT-VM740xML moving magnet cartridge, featuring a microlinear stylus and custom black finish. For users who enjoy tailoring their system, a switch beneath the platter allows selection between moving magnet and moving coil operation via the built-in phono stage. The straight tonearm is crafted from lightweight, high-rigidity carbon fibre, balancing stiffness with low mass.

The result, in this carefully curated setup, was a soundstage that felt spacious and believable. Detail emerged without glare, bass lines were rounded and taut. Few ever get to hear vinyl sounding quite so clean. Add the moody visuals, and I felt like I had been transported to some sort of next-gen jazz kissa bar.

Hotaru unapologetically blurs the boundary between audio and interior design. The result is bold and audacious.

Its creators describe Hotaru as a re-examination of analogue’s value in a digital age. After six decades of cartridge design and audio engineering, this statement piece strikes me as time well spent.

For more, visit Audio-Technica here.