Cambridge Audio Spira Packs a Steel Platter, Phono Stage, and Bluetooth Into a $499 Turntable
Since launching its first component—the P40 transistor amplifier—in Cambridge, England, in 1968, Cambridge Audio has kept its turntables mostly dressed in sober shades of grey and black. The company’s Alva ST ($699) and direct-drive Alva TT V2 ($1,999) look right at home in an equipment rack, less so beside a bright orange bookshelf speaker. Announced on October 14, 2026, the new $499 Spira (£329 / €349) lowers the entry price for a Cambridge deck while adding five colorways matched directly to the brand’s L/R Series active speakers.
Available in Black, White, Blue, Green, and Orange lacquered MDF finishes, the Spira is built for listeners who want plug-and-play convenience on day one without painting themselves into an upgrade corner six months later. Unlike sealed plastic lifestyle decks that glue a ceramic pickup onto a spring-loaded arm, the Spira uses a proper belt-drive sub-platter layout with full mechanical adjustments.
Steel Platter Mass and Electronic Speed Control
At the center of the 13.1-pound (5.95 kg) deck sits a 3.97-pound (1.8 kg) engineered steel platter riding on a precision ball bearing. That extra rotating mass helps keep wow and flutter below 0.15% without requiring a thick slab of acrylic or cast aluminum. A DC motor drives the inner sub-platter via a rubber belt, controlled by a single rotary knob on the top right corner of the plinth that clicks between 33⅓ RPM, Stop, and 45 RPM—no platter-lifting belt gymnastics required when switching from an LP to a 12-inch single.
The straight aluminum-alloy tonearm measures 218.5 mm in effective length with a low 7.3-gram effective mass, terminating in a removable four-pin headshell. Out of the box, the headshell carries a pre-aligned Audio-Technica AT3600L moving-magnet cartridge. As detailed in the Cambridge Audio Spira user manual, you slide the counterweight onto the rear shaft, zero the floating arm, dial in 3.0 to 3.5 grams of tracking force, and match the anti-skate control knob to the same setting. When it is time for finer groove tracing, the conical stylus can be swapped in seconds for Audio-Technica’s ATN3600LE bonded-elliptical stylus, or the entire cartridge can be unbolted from the removable headshell.
Switchable RIAA Stage and Independent Bluetooth
Around back, Cambridge avoided captive cables in favor of gold-plated RCA jacks and a dedicated ground screw, bundling a 1.5-meter RCA-to-RCA cable in the box. A recessed slide switch toggles between the internal moving-magnet RIAA phono stage (labeled “Line (Spira)”) and direct cartridge bypass (“Phono”) for connecting to an external phono preamplifier or an integrated amp’s phono input.
Next to the analog outputs sits a 2.4 GHz Bluetooth transmitter with its own hardware On/Off switch and status LED. Holding or toggling the rear switch puts the deck into pairing mode for wireless speakers or headphones—including Cambridge’s L/R S, L/R M, and L/R X active speakers—and shuts the radio down completely when you are running a wired analog signal path. A removable hinged smoked dust cover and external 12V DC power supply round out the package.
Cambridge Audio Spira Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Drive System | Belt drive with sub-platter and DC motor |
| Speeds | 33⅓ and 45 RPM (electronic top-panel rotary dial with Stop position) |
| Platter | 1.8 kg (3.97 lbs) engineered steel platter with felt slipmat |
| Main Bearing | Precision ball bearing |
| Wow & Flutter | < 0.15% |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio | 60 dB |
| Tonearm | Straight aluminum alloy with removable headshell; 218.5 mm effective length; 18.5 mm overhang; 7.3 g effective mass |
| Supplied Cartridge | Audio-Technica AT3600L Moving Magnet (3.0–3.5 g tracking force; user-replaceable stylus) |
| Phono Preamp | Built-in switchable RIAA MM phono stage (Line / Phono bypass switch) |
| Analog Outputs | 1 × stereo RCA pair (unbalanced) with chassis ground terminal (1.5 m RCA cable included) |
| Wireless Connectivity | Built-in 2.4 GHz Bluetooth transmitter (<10 dBm) with rear hardware On/Off switch |
| Power Supply | 12V / 0.5A DC external adapter (5 W nominal consumption) |
| Dimensions (W × D × H, lid closed) | 16.46 × 13.50 × 4.80 in (418 × 343 × 122 mm) |
| Weight | 13.12 lbs (5.95 kg) |
| Finishes | Black, White, Blue, Green, Orange (lacquered MDF with smoked hinged dust cover) |
| Warranty & Price | 2-year warranty; $499 USD / £329 GBP / €349 EUR |
