Turntables — Argon Audio TT-3 PLUS

The TT-3 PLUS is a hand-operated turntable with belt drive from Argon Audio of Denmark, updated in 2024 with a factory-fitted Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet cartridge, a carbon fibre tonearm and a built-in phono stage. It is priced at EUR 529 in Europe, against EUR 390 for the earlier TT-3, and finishes are black matte lacquer, white matte lacquer and walnut veneer.

Key specs that matter

Speeds of 33 or 45 rpm are selectable and speed may deviate by up to 2 percent. Rated wow and flutter does not exceed 0.06 percent. Its noise floor is quoted 67 dB down. The aluminium platter weighs 700 g, is damped and turns on a ball bearing. The tonearm combines carbon fibre and aluminium, has an effective length of 224 mm and an effective mass of 21.3 g, and accepts cartridge weights from 15.5 to 19 g including the headshell. Recommended tracking force for the 2M Red, which has an elliptical diamond, is 1.8 g. The deck is 12.7 cm high, 41.8 cm wide and 36 cm deep, and weighs 5.9 kg.

Engineering and use context

Compared with the TT-3, the arm moved from aluminium to carbon fibre and the Ortofon OM 5E cartridge gave way to the 2M Red. The built-in phono stage matches the one fitted to the pricier TT-4 and TT-4 SE. Argon uses a patent-pending Anisotropic Torsion Stabilizer, called ATS, to reduce internal resonances in the tonearm tube, where a thin slot counters the twisting forces that build up during playback. The plinth is made from MDF. The headshell is aluminium and detachable, which makes it simple to swap cartridges or keep a second one mounted and ready. Operation is fully manual - the listener cues and lifts the arm by hand - with no auto-return mechanism. Packaged, the turntable weighs 6.2 kg in a 19 x 50 x 41.5 cm carton. Power comes from an external supply with a 1.5 m lead, and a 1.0 m RCA cable and a dust cover are included.

Pairing

The RIAA preamplifier can be switched on or off. With it on, the deck can plug into line inputs on active speakers, soundbars with an analogue input or an amplifier with no phono socket. Switched off, the cartridge signal can be sent to an amplifier with its own MM phono socket, or to a standalone phono stage for a later upgrade.

Alternatives

Argon Audio also makes the Aurora, its first direct-drive turntable, with three speeds and an Ortofon Concorde Music Blue cartridge.