CES 2013

Franc Kuzma's new Stabi M turntable, shown with his 4 Point tonearm, continues the designer's descent into blackness, physically and, it's assumed sonically. With the exception of his handsome Stabi XL and perhaps the smaller "pipe bomb" Stabi S turntable, both of which are finished in brass, the Slovenia-based designer has kept things dark and pebbly.

On the surface, the new Stabi M appears to be no more than a massive, traditional suspended plinth design dropped into a square case, but that would be a completely wrong assessment.

In fact, the massive, 132 pound Stabi M is not what it appears to be on the surface, as I found out when Mr. Kuzma showed me (and not easily!) the innards. Instead, it's an ingenious assemblage that as with most CES encounters, will require a longer and fuller explanation hopefully in the context of a full review some time in the near future.

The turntable includes a massive, hinged dust cover, designed not to resonate in the presence of music, but of course that's a minor feature in this turntable, the price of which has yet to be determined.