Cambridge Audio Spira Belt Drive Turntable with Bluetooth

The Cambridge Audio Spira is a belt drive turntable that arrives with its Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge fitted and aligned, a built-in phono stage and a Bluetooth transmitter, so it plays into an amplifier, a pair of active speakers or wireless headphones the day it comes out of the box. A 1.8 kg steel platter, an adjustable aluminum tonearm with a removable headshell and five finishes matched to Cambridge's L/R active speakers give it somewhere to go as your collection grows.

Key Features of the Cambridge Audio Spira

• Pre-fitted Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge: mounted and aligned at the factory, so the deck plays from the first record.
• Built-in phono stage: a switchable RIAA preamp connects the Spira straight to a line-level input or active speakers. Flip the rear switch to Phono and it feeds an external phono stage instead.
• Bluetooth transmitter: sends your records to wireless headphones, earbuds or a Bluetooth speaker, with a rear switch and pairing LED.
• 1.8 kg steel platter: a high-mass platter on a sub-platter, belt driven by a DC motor, for rotational stability and lower vibration.
• One-dial speed control: electronic switching between 33 and 45 rpm. No belt to move for a seven-inch single.
• Adjustable aluminum tonearm: a straight arm with an adjustable counterweight, an anti-skate dial and a removable headshell for cartridge changes.
• Upgrade path: swap to the Audio-Technica ATN3600LE elliptical stylus with no adjustment, or fit a new cartridge with the included alignment protractor.
• Five finishes: Black, White, Orange, Green and Blue, matched to the L/R active stereo speakers.

Ready to Play: the Pre-Fitted Audio-Technica AT3600L

Every Spira ships with an Audio-Technica AT3600L moving magnet cartridge already mounted and aligned on the removable headshell, fitted with the ATN3600LC conical bonded stylus (0.6 mil) and a recommended tracking force of 3 to 3.5 grams. Set the counterweight, match the anti-skate, and it plays.

Audio-Technica says this stylus has sold by the millions over more than 50 years, and its conical tip keeps proper contact with the groove even when the cartridge is not quite level. When you want more detail, the ATN3600LE elliptical stylus (0.3 x 0.7 mil) pulls straight onto the same cartridge body, with no realignment. Audio-Technica rates the elliptical at roughly 300 hours and the conical at 300 to 500 hours, and Cambridge's manual says to inspect the stylus regularly and replace it around the 300 hour mark.

A Tonearm You Can Adjust

The Spira's tonearm is a straight aluminum arm with an effective length of 218.5 mm (8.6 inches) and an effective mass of 7.3 grams. The counterweight sets tracking force on a calibrated scale ring, the anti-skate dial sits beside the pivot, and the headshell comes off for cartridge changes.

Setup follows the standard sequence: balance the arm level, zero the scale ring against the line on the back of the arm, wind on 3 to 3.5 grams per Cambridge's manual, and set the anti-skate dial to match. A set screw on the counterweight controls how much friction holds it in place. Cambridge wants some resistance there so the tracking force stays put during play. The alignment protractor is in the box for the day you fit a different cartridge.

1.8 kg Steel Platter, Sub-Platter and Belt Drive

A 1.8 kg engineered steel platter sits on a sub-platter and a ball bearing, belt driven by a DC motor. The mass is there for rotational stability and lower vibration: Cambridge rates wow and flutter below 0.15 percent and speed variation within +3/-2 percent. A felt mat controls resonance and keeps the record from slipping.

Speed is one dial on the top panel: Stop, 33 or 45. The change is electronic, so a seven-inch single never means lifting the platter to move the belt, and the same dial starts and stops the platter. The belt itself ships in the box and goes on around the motor pulley and the hub during setup.

Built-In Phono Stage, With Room to Upgrade

The Spira has a built-in RIAA phono preamp for its moving magnet cartridge, with an Output Level switch on the rear panel, and Cambridge rates signal to noise at 60 dB. Set to Line, the internal stage feeds any line-level input or a pair of active speakers. Set to Phono, the deck outputs the raw cartridge signal for an external phono stage or an amplifier's phono input.

Cambridge names its own Alva Solo and Alva Duo phono preamps as the step up when you are ready. The ground screw beside the RCA outputs is for the Phono setting, and the included RCA cable carries a ground lead. One rule from the manual: power the deck off before moving the Line/Phono switch.

Bluetooth to Headphones or a Wireless Speaker

A built-in Bluetooth transmitter sends the Spira's output to Bluetooth headphones, earbuds or a speaker. A rear-panel switch turns it on, the LED flashes while pairing and goes solid once connected, and the deck pairs to the closest device in pairing mode. It transmits only: the Spira cannot receive a Bluetooth stream.

Cambridge's pairing sequence is short. Switch Bluetooth on at the back of the deck, put the headphones or speaker into pairing mode, and the two connect on their own. To drop the link, switch Bluetooth off or power down the headphones.

Plinth, Feet, Ground and Dust Cover

The plinth is lacquered MDF on isolating rubber feet, and the rear panel carries a ground screw, so hum and rumble stay out of the signal. A smoked, hinged dust cover is included and lifts off its hinges if you would rather run the deck open. The Spira measures 41.8 x 34.3 x 12.2 cm (16.5 x 13.5 x 4.8 inches) and weighs 5.95 kg (13.1 lb). It runs from the supplied 12 V DC power adapter and draws 5 watts.

Five Finishes, Matched to the L/R Active Speakers

The Spira comes in Black, White, Orange, Green and Blue, the same hues Cambridge uses on its L/R active stereo speakers, so a Spira and a pair of L/R S, L/R M or L/R X in one color read as a single system. Cambridge says the deck sits just as comfortably beside its AX and CX Series hi-fi, or anything else you already own.

More from Cambridge Audio

The upgrades Cambridge names for the Spira, and the speakers it was colored to match:

• Alva Solo: Cambridge's moving magnet phono preamp, one of the two external stages it names for the Spira.
• Alva Duo: Cambridge's MM/MC phono preamp, the other external stage it names for the Spira.
• L/R active stereo speakers: the L/R S, L/R M and L/R X, in the same five finishes.

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Cambridge Audio Spira Specifications