Whether you’re spinning LPs on a high-end rig, vintage classic, or budget model, certain features should be standard on every turntable. For starters, a motorized arm lift, auto shutoff, self-leveling feet, and self-leveling VTA are features that should all be automatically on tap. (Hey, a man can dream.) For added perspective, my 1957 Thorens TD 124 turntable came with both a built-in level and a strobe for dead-accurate speed adjustment. If they figured this out almost seven decades ago, why can’t modern manufacturers? Is anyone listening?
TEAC is. For $2,200 — well, for $2,199.99, to be exact — the TEAC TN-5BB manual belt-drive turntable delivers two of the six wishes noted above, making my life as a reviewer, and yours as a consumer/listener, much easier. And TEAC didn’t …
Whether you’re spinning LPs on a high-end rig, vintage classic, or budget model, certain features should be standard on every turntable. For starters, a motorized arm lift, auto shutoff, self-leveling feet, and self-leveling VTA are features that should all be automatically on tap. (Hey, a man can dream.) For added perspective, my 1957 Thorens TD 124 turntable came with both a built-in level and a strobe for dead-accurate speed adjustment. If they figured this out almost seven decades ago, why can’t modern manufacturers? Is anyone listening?
TEAC is. For $2,200 — well, for $2,199.99, to be exact — the TEAC TN-5BB manual belt-drive turntable delivers two of the six wishes noted above, making my life as a reviewer, and yours as a consumer/listener, much easier. And TEAC didn’t stop there. The TN-5BB is a well-made, well-executed, and fun turntable, and its setup was as easy as sipping bourbon on the stoop of my imaginary front porch. Let’s see how they did it.
Specs & Features The TEAC TN-5BB table supports both balanced (XLR) and unbalanced (RCA) outputs, and it sports a hybrid plinth that combines synthetic marble, washi paper (more on that in a minute!), and MDF materials, along with a 9in S-shaped tonearm — one that was jointly designed by the Japanese tonearm company SAEC — that utilizes a knife-edge bearing. To that latter end, quote, “The knife-edge tonearm, which is a SAEC x TEAC collaboration, is another component that further enhances the soundstage,” confirms TEAC’s official site. “The 20mm thick acrylic platter is driven by our original Platter Rotation Sensing Servo System (PRS3).”
The TN-5BB’s plinth is a multilayer structure combining a 36mm MDF baseplate with 12mm synthetic marble. The tonearm and platter are mounted on the synthetic marble top plate. The motor is mounted to the MDF baseplate to prevent vibration from reaching the platter and tonearm. Used as dampers, they isolate the tonearm and motor from each other.
Washi paper used as a damper in a turntable? That’s a first. “Based on our experience using Japanese washi paper turntable sheets and after repeated listening tests,” reports the TEAC site, “we determined that the appropriate thickness washi paper is the best material to use as a washer between the synthetic marble and the MDF for achieving optimal sound balance. By using washi rather than rubber or metal, the original vitality of the sound can be drawn out when records are played back.” (In case you’re wondering, TEAC also makes their own washi paper anti-static turntable sheet, the TA-TS30UN, which goes for $39.99.)
I haven’t seen this approach, equally refined and unique, used with any turntable that I’ve reviewed to date. Speaker manufacturers like Voxativ use Japanese washi paper in their driver cones, but to the best of my knowledge, turntable manufacturers haven’t utilized it — until now, that is. Like I said, it’s very unique.
The TEAC TN-5BB table is a belt-drive design using a flat belt that transmits the power of the DC motor to the outer circumference of the acrylic platter. An optical sensor in the bottom of the platter detects the platter rotation speed, and an automatic rotation adjustment mechanism applies a servo to the motor in response. The table ran at a perfect 33.55rpm, as confirmed by my RPM iPhone app and the Humminguru LUMI gauge.
“TEAC’s Platter Rotation Sensing Servo System (PRS3) realizes high rotation precision that would be difficult to achieve with just inertia and a motor,” states the site. Supporting three speeds — 33⅓, 45, and 78rpm — this turntable can play back old records as well as 78rpm records.” (I’m sure the “old” distinction there wasn’t meant to exclude “new” pressings, of course.)
The 20mm-thick opaque acrylic platter weighs 1.7kg. No mat is provided from TEAC, who prefer that listeners/customers place their records directly on the platter — or utilize their TA-TS30UN washi paper sheet, that is.
As noted earlier, the arm on the TN-5BB was created in collaboration with SAEC, a Japanese brand with 40 years of tonearm design experience. How often have you seen a knife-edge bearing tonearm on a sub-$5K turntable? In case you’re not familiar with the terminology/technology, a knife-edge tonearm uses a sharp, bladelike pivot point in a hardened yoke with the intention to provide extremely low-friction vertical movement, high rigidity, precise tracking, and detailed signal recovery, and it offers a good compromise between unipivot and gimbal designs.
While the stainless-steel knife-edge bearing handles the vertical movement of the TEAC/SAEC arm, when it comes to lateral movement, the usual ball bearing at one point for support has been replaced with Japanese-made, high-precision ball bearings at two points for support. This is high-cotton technology, folks. Vertical tracking angle (VTA) can be adjusted in a 6mm range; the tonearm geometry adheres to the Baerwald alignment recommended by the IEC.
Furthermore, “Lead wire that uses PC-Triple C conductor made by SAEC is employed for the wiring inside the tonearm,” notes the TEAC site. “With outstanding conductive performance, this conductor transmits even weak signals from analog records.”
By the way, you are not seeing specks of dust on the TN-5BB’s plinth in the photos I’ve taken that are on display all throughout this review. “The fundamental theme of this [table’s] design is the contrast between black and silver,” affirms the company’s site. “The MDF used in the plinth has a piano black finish with a beautiful luster. In addition, the synthetic marble that comprises the top panel appears to be jet black when viewed from a distance, but it sparkles at points in pearl black when seen closer up. Moreover, we incorporated extruded aluminum components with a luxurious feel for the operation knobs and the arm lift switch, as well as the feet.”
TEAC claims wow and flutter is 0.1% or less, and effective tonearm length is 223mm with overhang of 18mm. The TN-5BB table weighs 24lb and includes a 45rpm adapter, counterweight, headshell (with an Ortofon 2M Red cart pre-installed), platter, flat rubber belt, pulley cover, dust cover, foot height adjustment washers, arm height adjustment hex wrench, RCA audio cable, ground wire, AC adapter, cartridge alignment gauge, and user’s manual.
Setup My playback system for this review included an AVM Evolution AS 5.3 streaming amp with an excellent built-in phono preamp, and DeVore Fidelity Gibbon Super Nine loudspeakers. Interconnects included AudioQuest Pegasus, AudioQuest Firebird, and Triode Wire Labs Spirit II (RCA); speaker cables were AudioQuest William Tell Zero.
The AVM amp’s phono preamp was merciless when it came to setup, but once configured, I used two cartridges — a Nagaoka MP-200 MM, and the new Sumiko Oriole MC (the latter cart is in for its own forthcoming AP review [Footnote 1]) — in place of the supplied Ortofon Red 2M Red. The TEAC TN-5BB table quickly sussed the vast differences between the two carts. The overachieving $395 Nagaoka MM sounded refined, detailed, and tactile, while the far more expensive $1,200 Sumiko MC generated deeper lows, more refined treble, and a generally see-through personality.
Listening Sessions Three albums provided the review’s needle-drop playlist: Yusef Kamaal’s contemporary groove treatise, 2016’s Black Focus (Brownswood BWOOD0157LP); Neil Larsen’s 1978 funk blowout, Jungle Fever (Horizon SP-733); and Pepper Adams Quintet’s self-titled 2025 reissue on Gammaut (GAMMAUT 001; originally a 1957 Mode release [MOD LP #112]). In short, we got some funk, some hard bop, and some seriously smokin’ 1970s L.A. session grooves to put the TN-5BB table through its paces.
Starting with the Sumiko Oriole MC cart in place, I cued up the Pepper Adams Quintet’s 45rpm disc. The TEAC table’s low noise floor and the washi paper’s damping revealed every detail this disc could offer. The soundstage — thanks partly to the AVM amp — was immense and finely etched, blooming into my room like a steamship leaving port. Images had corporeal weight and ample air, giving instruments lightning-fast release with precise layering and definition. Adams’ baritone sax sounded big and honeyed, Mel Lewis’ drums crackled with spark and fire (though Mel stayed characteristically laid back), the piano from Carl Perkins (not the rockabilly legend) was slightly recessed, but Leroy Vinnegar’s bass was pliant and reasonably extended. I’ve heard amp/turntable combinations deliver more extension, weight, and bass definition, but this pairing performed admirably — especially the TEAC table. There was zero bass overhang, though more weight would have been welcome. Still, this $12K amp and $2K turntable combo hit hard.
Switching to the mellow synths and streamlined funk of Black Focus, the AVM/TEAC pairing delivered deeper, more elastic bass. The TN-5BB captured all the drive, punch, and emphasis this record demands, with warmth, solid tone, and AAA resolution from the $1,699 Sumiko Oriole cartridge. Music flowed with natural energy and drive. The TEAC table may not have exactly matched the breakneck pacing of the Rega Planar 8 table ($3,995) or Pear Audio Blue Captain John Handy ($3,500-$6,000) — both admittedly pricier tables — but the TN-5BB matched their weight and gravitas. (Footnote 2)
A perpetually underrated classic of ’70s L.A. funk, organist Neil Larsen’s Jungle Fever LP features a top-flight cast: tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker, guitarist Buzz Feiten, bassist Willie Weeks, percussionist Ralph MacDonald, and drummer Andy Newmark. (Legendary producer Tommy LiPuma and mixer Al Schmitt helmed those sessions.) This master players’ lineup moves like a single organism — grooves oily and pungent, solos drenched in sweat and soul, melodies indelible. The TEAC/Sumiko pairing restored all the gorgeous tone, glistening treble, and low-end funk I remembered from my days as a 20-year-old drummer playing along to this record. Air surrounded instruments occupying definitive points within a massive soundstage. Layering and separation were superb. Like a waterfall, the TEAC table unified it all — gorgeous treble detail and a warm midrange coloring the dark-toned low end, plus bass drum, B3 Hammond, and Weeks’ pointed electric bass all driving me into the music with force.
I switched briefly to the Nagaoka MP200 MM, and the TN-5BB extracted impressive meat, tone, and drive from this less expensive cart. It lacked the Sumiko MC’s resonance, bass drive, and clarity — but remained fully engaging.
Conclusions At $2,200, the TEAC TN-5BB manual belt-drive turntable delivers a superbly quiet noise floor, rapt resolution, sparkling rhythmic drive, unique washi paper damping, full-bodied tonality, transparency to carts and amps, and it comes with supplied RCA and XLR outputs to boot. Setup took minutes. The SAEC tonearm, auto shut-off, and electronic tonearm lift all added genuine value and convenience to the proceedings.
While other turntables like the Audio-Technica AT-LPA2, Clearaudio Compass, and high-end Rega Planar models throw serious punches at similar price points, the new TEAC TN-5BB table stands tall as a brilliant choice for both cherry-popping first-timers and seasoned veterans looking for their final spin. In short, the TEAC TN-5BB is worthy of your rapt attention. Hats off!
*For more about TEAC, go here. To find an authorized international TEAC distributor, go here. *
Author bio: Former musician, former artist, and former legal wastrel Ken Micallef has written numerous hi-fi equipment reviews for Stereophile and Analog Planet, and his byline has also appeared within Mojo, Electronic Musician, and The Grammys. You can also find him at YouTube (Ken Micallef Jazz Vinyl Audiophile). *
Footnote 1: For more on the Sumiko Oriole MC cartridge that Ken will be reviewing for AP, check out editor Mike Mettler’s Analog Gear News report about it here, which posted on January 29, 2026.
Footnote 2: For Ken’s review of Rega Planar 8 table, which originally posted on September 25, 2025, go here.
For Ken’s review of the Pear Audio Blue Captain John Handy turntable, which originally posted on December 30, 2025, go here.
- Two silhouetted photos of the TN-5BB turntable in this review courtesy TEAC; all other photos by Ken Micallef.*