Analog Gear News

Continuing with this week’s retro-gear vibe, we now turn to Wrensilva, a San Diego-based company who are debuting two new entries into their Record Console Collection — the M1 and The Standard.

Said to be “created for the design-inspired music lover,” all Wrensilva consoles are built by hand in San Diego’s Barrio Logan district. Each console is made with locally sourced, hand-selected woods. Finish options for both the M1 and The Standard include blonde mahogany (seen directly below), tobacco walnut (seen a bit further on in the story), and classic natural walnut (seen above). These new consoles also sport louvered doors with book-matched grain patterns, duo-weave speaker fabrics, leather-lined record pockets and armrest, and 7.5in brushed-metal spindle legs.

As can easily be gleaned by looking at all the console photos herein, the new Wrensilva Collection has been inspired by the look and feel of vintage recording studios and classic consoles alike, albeit with a contemporary spin.

Customization options are available to tailor the look of these new Wrensilva consoles so that they can “blend into any interior space.” For example, they can be styled without using the fabric covers in order to display the custom two-way bass reflex speakers, which feature a horizontal wood grain pattern taken from a single source of wood.

The top-line M1 console features five listening modes — vinyl, Sonos, Bluetooth, Aux 1, and Aux 2 — plus, it delivers 300 watts per channel (Class D output, IcePower) and can store up to 150 albums (130 in the cabinet, 20 in the on-deck pocket). The M1’s dimensions are 70 x 31.5 x 22in (w/h/d — with the lid stowed, the height is 37in; with the lid in an angled position, the height is 50in).

The M1 contains a floating split-plinth belt-driven turntable with a 1⅜-in frosted acrylic platter, and a solid-state preamp. The company provides a custom two-tone aluminum tonearm and counterweight, and the arm is fitted with an Ortofon 2M Black cartridge. The grain-matched figured wood deck has an LED light panel, and the custom control panel boasts solid aluminum knobs. The LF driver is a 9½-in Egyptian Papyrus cone, while the HF driver is a 1in Textile dome. Frequency response is given as 31Hz to 20kHz ±3dB at the “typical” off-axis listening position.

As for The Standard console, it also features the same table/arm/cart combo, five listening modes, and 300wpc (Class D) as the M1 does. The Standard can store up to 130 albums (115 in the cabinet, 15 in the on-deck pocket), and its dimensions are 59 x 29 x 19in (w/h/d — with the lid in an angled position, the height is 45in). Its LF driver is a 7½-in Egyptian Papyrus cone, and the HF driver is a 1in Textile dome. Frequency response is given as 33Hz to 20kHz ±3dB at the “typical” off-axis listening position.

While designing the consoles, Wrensilva co-founder and audio leader Scott Salyer solicited insight from noted producer and mixer Giles Martin of Abbey Road Studios, mix engineer and studio owner Manny Marroquin of Larrabee Studios, and producer Joe Harley from Blue Note Records. “Our signature is a warm, faithful sound. It’s not about us, it’s about what the artist made,” Salyer said in a press statement. “It is difficult to stay out of the way, and that is why collaborating with creators is so important to us.”

Speaking about the console, Martin added, “It sounds as warm and wonderful as it looks, with a truth and honesty that brings your favorite albums alive,” while Marroquin noted, “This is like bringing the studio home.” (You can see Salyer and the producers talk about the console design and the end-result performance in more detail in the YouTube clip above.)

All new Wrensilva consoles also come with what’s been dubbed Wrensilva Presents, Volume 1: Blue Note Selections, a 3LP collection that celebrates 85 years of Blue Note Records with a trio of albums handpicked in collaboration with Blue Note President Don Was — namely, John Coltrane’s seminal 1958 classic Blue Train, Madlib’s 2003 remix project Shades of Blue, and Norah Jones’ deeply affecting 2012 release, Little Broken Hearts. You can see Was talk about the selection process — and see him personally auditioning all 3LPs on one of the consoles! — in the YouTube clip below.

Finally, the baseline SRPs for the new Wrensilva Record Console Collection finds the M1 starting at $18,880, and The Standard starting at $14,880.

For more about Wrensilva and how to order the M1 and/or The Standard directly, go here.