All
Brinkmann Audio
Website:https://www.brinkmann-audio.de/
Location: Germany
Brinkmann Audio is a German maker of turntables, tonearms and electronics, founded in 1985 by engineer Helmut Brinkmann in the southwest of the country. Its first product was the Balance belt-drive turntable, sold alongside a preamplifier that included its own phono section, and both strands - analogue sources and amplification - have run in parallel ever since. The firm is one of the few that builds every component of a playback chain itself.
Range & what it's known for
Turntables are the core. Belt-drive models include the Balance, offered also as a 33rd Anniversary edition, and the Spyder, while the Bardo, Oasis and Taurus use direct drive. Tonearms come as the 10.0, 10.5, 12.0 and 12.1, joined by the Pi cartridge, a protractor and the RöNt III tube power supply for the turntables. Electronics cover the Edison Mk II phono stage, the Marconi Mk II line stage, Mono and Stereo Mk II power amplifiers and the Nyquist ONE streaming DAC. Development relies on measurement to rule out basic errors, but final voicing decisions come from listening, with component selection treated as the deciding factor.
Who owns it and where it's made
Before Brinkmann, its founder ran Audiolabor, for which he designed all products, including the Konstant turntable of 1980; he sold that company in 1984. Brinkmann Audio stays privately held. Matthias Lück joined as co-owner in 2018 and co-developed the Nyquist with Helmut Brinkmann. Electronics are assembled in-house, with circuit boards and SMD placement from a local supplier, and turntable subcomponents come from trusted regional suppliers.
The lineup in this catalog
The catalog lists turntables, tonearms and electronics, priced from about EUR 8,000 for entry turntables to over EUR 40,000 for top analogue front ends.
Who it's for
Brinkmann suits vinyl listeners who want turntable, arm, phono stage and amplification from one source designed to work together. The Bardo with a 10.0 arm is a natural entry. The upgrade path leads to the Taurus or Oasis, then to the Balance with a 12-inch arm and the RöNt III supply, with the Edison phono stage and the Marconi line stage completing the chain.
Range & what it's known for
Turntables are the core. Belt-drive models include the Balance, offered also as a 33rd Anniversary edition, and the Spyder, while the Bardo, Oasis and Taurus use direct drive. Tonearms come as the 10.0, 10.5, 12.0 and 12.1, joined by the Pi cartridge, a protractor and the RöNt III tube power supply for the turntables. Electronics cover the Edison Mk II phono stage, the Marconi Mk II line stage, Mono and Stereo Mk II power amplifiers and the Nyquist ONE streaming DAC. Development relies on measurement to rule out basic errors, but final voicing decisions come from listening, with component selection treated as the deciding factor.
Who owns it and where it's made
Before Brinkmann, its founder ran Audiolabor, for which he designed all products, including the Konstant turntable of 1980; he sold that company in 1984. Brinkmann Audio stays privately held. Matthias Lück joined as co-owner in 2018 and co-developed the Nyquist with Helmut Brinkmann. Electronics are assembled in-house, with circuit boards and SMD placement from a local supplier, and turntable subcomponents come from trusted regional suppliers.
The lineup in this catalog
The catalog lists turntables, tonearms and electronics, priced from about EUR 8,000 for entry turntables to over EUR 40,000 for top analogue front ends.
Who it's for
Brinkmann suits vinyl listeners who want turntable, arm, phono stage and amplification from one source designed to work together. The Bardo with a 10.0 arm is a natural entry. The upgrade path leads to the Taurus or Oasis, then to the Balance with a 12-inch arm and the RöNt III supply, with the Edison phono stage and the Marconi line stage completing the chain.
