JOHN JEFFRIES LAUNCHES THE LUMLEY STRATOSPHERE MK3 TURNTABLE

The British turntable brand Lumley from John Jeffries has launched the new iteration of their high-end vinyl spinner, the Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable.

First spotted by HiFi Pig at High End Munich 2022 in a stunning lipstick red finish, the Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable is the culmination of over forty years of developments by the British HiFi brand.

The Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable at High End Munich 2022

HIGH END MUNICH 2022

We first spotted the new Lumley at Munich in May this year where Lumley Audio showcased the Stratosphere MK3 with the Stratonium MKI tonearm in a system with Lyravox loudspeakers, HSE Swiss phonostage, Van den Hul, Origin Live, Puritan Audio Labs, Bladelius, Soundaware and Quadraspire racks.

The Lyravox and Lumley system at High End Munich 2022

LUMLEY AUDIO

Lumley Audio was founded with the aim of “crafting the finest high-end audio equipment the world had to offer”. Starting out in the market for amplifiers and loudspeakers, engineer and avid vinyl enthusiast John Jeffries soon turned his expertise towards the design of a new turntable: the Stratosphere MK1. Jeffries continued to iterate and improve upon its form, with the release of the Stratosphere MK2 in 2007. Over the following years, the decline in popularity of vinyl playback and the emerging digital music market led Jeffries to focus on other endeavours, until in 2020 he once again saw the opportunity to develop a new turntable with upgraded materials and performance. The Lumley Stratosphere MK3 has been designed and made with the principles of the original Stratosphere, enhanced by modern engineering.

Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable

JOHN JEFFRIES

John Jeffries told us more about how Lumley Audio came about: “There were one or two names synonymous with top vinyl playback, many of them still with us today.  Linn, SME, and Michell to name just a few, all worthy of very special merit.  However, being an enthusiast and always searching for the very best or indeed any improvements possible, I had some ideas from my engineering background that there may just be a different way and maybe even a better way of retrieving whatever is in vinyl record grooves. Solidity has always been something I have been interested in concerning many commodity products and that is how the Stratosphere has emerged, from looking at the solution from a slightly different angle.  Many turntables of the day used a fairly lightweight philosophy to achieve the results desired, perfect timing with minimal wow and flutter, quietness of bearing and motor, low rumble and most of all, serious dynamics. The Stratosphere was firstly conceived nearly 40 years ago and the philosophy I used then was down the solidity road.  My theory was, as it is now, solidity has less chance of adding any unwanted problems or frequencies or what is know in the HiFi world as ‘colouration’.  In other words, deviation from the original program material.  The world is full of vibrations.  Even the ground we stand on can deliver measurable vibrations that can in the world of vinyl reproduction be detected albeit in very small quantities through the record grooves up to the stylus that retrieves the music from the grooves and then further up the chain, to the arm, cables and just about anything that may interfere with a true and accurate musical signal. My theory was if you start with solidity, there will be less corruption and less additives to the sound, the true music on the record being delivered in full”.

LUMLEY STRATOSPHERE MK3 TURNTABLE

Enter the Stratosphere MK3, as John says, “The Stratosphere is built to last.  Although I believed at the time that the original Stratosphere was pretty good for its day, I have over the last few years realised that it needed updating and over the last 18 months I have been working on every aspect of the turntable’s performance”.

LUMLEY STRATOSPHERE MK3 STAND

The stand base and top plate of the Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable have been upgraded with solid aluminium. This stand supports the main turntable using three legs that can also be filled with sand if the situation permits, giving the operational part of the turntable a sturdy base offering maximum solidity. In total the turntable weighs around 200 pounds.

Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable with stand weighs in around 200 pounds

MAIN TURNTABLE FLOATING SUPPORT

The main turntable is further isolated from the stand by an in house designed supporting device which are known as ‘Air Pods.’ These enable the main turntable to ‘hover in the air’ with the connection from the stand to the turntable itself being almost 99% free and without vibration being transmitted from the ground.

BEARING ASSEMBLY

A special plating material, used by NASA, is used in the bearing assembly, which gives almost zero friction and therefor lowering the noise floor to be ‘virtually undetectable.

LUMLEY STRATOSPHERE MK3 FLYWHEEL ISOLATION

The main flywheel weighing in at around 25lbs has a series of spikes on its upper surface. This substantial weight plus the platter spikes offer a further stage of isolation. The final level of isolation comes from a new 20mm nylatron platter which sits on the spikes on the top of the flywheel. The record rests on this platter and is then held firmly to the platter by a record weight.

ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL

The main flywheel encompasses a sensor which supplies information to the power supply that controls the accuracy of speed, ensuring any deviation or variance is kept to the minimum.

MOTOR SUPPORT

Lastly a new electrically speed controlled DC motor (which John tells us is one of the quietest motors current available) is housed in a substantial motor pod which then stands on a separate pillar on the base stand, preventing any further vibration from being transferred.

LUMLEY STRATONIUM MKI TONEARM

The Lumley Stratosphere turntable now is complemented with a new tonearm, The Lumley Stratonium MKI. Designed in Holland by Douwe Medema, a metallurgist, jeweller and music enthusiast, it is available in 9 ” or 12″ versions, with a standard SME mount (other mounts available on request). It is made from African Blackwood, Ebony ore Rosewood with a titanium headshell, in a chrome or gold finish and is wired with Van den Hul cable.

Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable and Stratonium MKI tonearm

LUMLEY STRATOSPHERE MK3 TURNTABLE PRICE

The Lumley Stratosphere MK3 Turntable retails at £33,000 in black or chrome with other colours on request.

HiFi Pig Says: The Lumley Stratosphere MK3 really is a stunning flagship turntable.

Get all the latest Hifi News with Hifi Pig here!