Certain turntables become the stuff of legends. I recall my early exposure to serious high-end components back in the late 1980s, before which I was only aware of Stereo Review-level gear. At that pre-internet time in my hi‑fi evolution, I considered NAD, Rotel, and Thorens to be top-tier equipment.
Then I met Colin, a car-stereo installer who introduced me to a science-fiction world of components that astonished me. Colin had just purchased a Mapelknoll Ariadne Signature turntable, an ultra-high-mass, air-bearing turntable with an air-bearing linear-tracking tonearm. This thing was carved out of Corian, with a lead platter. It weighed well over 200 pounds. From that point on I was drawn into the world of bigger, heavier, more expensive audio.
Heinz Lichtenegger
Colin loved his Mapleknoll, but this was a quirky beast, with a fussy compressor. He fought with that thing and it worked most of the time, but he set his sights on another turntable that was even bigger, even heavier. The French company Platine Verdier was another of those legendary turntable makers, what with its magnetically levitated platter and outboard motor connected to the platter by a thin thread. It turned out that Platine Verdier had produced a version called the Verdier Magnum, a ridiculous contraption featuring a 130-pound platter and a total machine weight of over 800 pounds. This was Colin’s great white whale—his all-consuming obsession, one that left him unable to fully enjoy his already-over-the-top Mapleknoll.
He never did land that Magnum, but I did in passing know someone who owned a standard-sized Platine Verdier, and the memory of it, its size, complexity, and brute-force engineering stayed with me. It became my mental image of the archetypal high-end turntable.
On my visit last summer to the headquarters of Pro‑Ject, the Austrian manufacturer of turntables and hi‑fi electronics, I encountered a tube amplifier from J.C. Verdier, and at that time I asked Heinz Lichtenegger, the owner of Pro‑Ject, what the deal was. He said he planned to revive the brand, which had ceased operations sometime after Jean Constant Verdier’s retirement, and subsequent death in 2014.
Fast-forward to High End 2026. In a place of pride among all the Pro‑Ject and European Audio Team (EAT) turntables, I spotted the distinct silhouette of what looked like an original Platine Verdier. I made a dash straight for it, and a closer examination revealed that, yes, this was a brand-new reissued turntable. There were, in fact, three versions of the Platine Verdier, all in a row, each slightly different, but all unmistakably of the same family.
At first glance, these turntables don’t have the same level of sophistication or the same slick, finished appearance as other products in the extended Pro‑Ject family. “The Platine Verdier was originally an enthusiast’s turntable,” Heinz explained. “It’s made to be adjusted and modified, and I wanted to keep that same spirit,” He pointed to the large, slightly coarse acorn nuts that anchored the blocky armboard to the main plinth. “The Platine Verdier platform is the perfect home for Graham tonearms,” he continued. “As you know, we are helping Bob Graham continue to build his fantastic tonearms, and this is an ideal place to use them.”
On a subsequent visit to the Pro‑Ject room, which (obviously) was shared by EAT, I asked Heinz’s wife, Jozefina Lichtenegger, who leads EAT, if there were any plans to reintroduce the Magnum version of the Platine Verdier. “No, obviously not,” she answered. “That was not a commercially possible product. That’s why so few were made.”
Colin will likely be disappointed. But if he were still interested, he would likely choose the reissue of the original La Platine Verdier. This new version retails for €11,900. It’s the one with the huge opposing ring magnets under the platter. It’s got a large 40-pound platter; a big, blocky SME armboard; and a slightly primitive-looking motor with vintage-feeling knobs and toggle switches.
The smaller La Nouvelle Platine (€8990) uses a hydraulic oil-filled bearing and a very similar drive unit. There’s also a very similar Petite Platine, but that’s not yet available.
Jason Thorpe
Senior Editor, SoundStage!
