Audio-Technica has begun general sales of the “Hotaru” turntable, which converts record music into light for a deeper analog music experience, on December 4, 2025. Official online store price is ¥1,650,000 (tax included), limited to 1,000 units worldwide.
Product Overview
This product was first unveiled at Milan Design Week in April 2025, followed by limited advance reservations on a dedicated website. General sales have now officially begun.
Concept: “Fusion of Music and Interior”
Audio-Technica analyzes that the demand to enjoy turntables visually as interior pieces has been growing in recent years. With Hotaru, they aimed to extend this visual enjoyment beyond the turntable itself to the music recorded on the record, achieving a “fusion of music and interior.”
“By converting sound into light and staging the space where records are played, the moment of listening to music becomes more vivid, allowing you to experience the entire space and etch it into your memory.”
Lighting System
Equipped with a “Lighting System” that synchronizes the sound read from records with light. Features include:
- 20 Color Palettes: Wide variety of colors to choose from
- 3 Lighting Modes:
- Basic Mode: Continuous light
- Gradation Mode: Smoothly transitioning light
- Link Mode: Captures sound waves as light
A “Floating” Turntable
The design pursues unique aesthetics while addressing the challenge of external vibration isolation for turntables by adopting a structure that “levitates” the turntable section.
Records are played by the cartridge needle reading grooves finer than a human hair. To perform this delicate operation more accurately, a levitation structure using powerful magnets’ repelling force suspends the turntable in mid-air. Beyond the visual impact, isolating vibrations maximizes the cartridge’s playback capabilities, improving overall record reproduction.
All-in-One Design
Hotaru is an “all-in-one turntable” combining turntable and speaker functions. By devising the internal structure, maximum speaker size has been secured within the chassis. According to the company, this realizes powerful sound unexpected from its compact size, with brilliant and flourishing mid-high frequencies and clear, deep bass reproduction.
Sales Information
- Price: ¥1,650,000 (tax included)
- Release Date: December 4, 2025
- Quantity: Limited to 1,000 units worldwide
- Sales Channel: Audio-Technica Official Online Store
Reference Links / Sources
- PHILE WEB: https://www.phileweb.com/news/audio/202512/04/27165.html
- Audio-Technica Official: https://www.audio-technica.co.jp/