Who Should Buy the Encel S Turntable
The Encel S turntable is a belt-driven analogue record player built for listeners who want direct control over cartridge choice and long-term upgradeability rather than a sealed, non-serviceable deck. It pairs a detachable headshell with an S-shaped aluminium tonearm, so the point where most turntables lock a buyer into one cartridge for life is, on the S, a swap that takes a twist of the collar. That single decision shapes almost everything else about who the S suits: hobbyists building a system around a specific cartridge, buyers who expect to upgrade sound quality later without replacing the whole turntable, and anyone assembling a self-contained vinyl setup that doesn't depend on outboard phono gear.
Why Does the Detachable Headshell Matter for Cartridge Upgrades?
The Encel S is a turntable whose detachable headshell separates the cartridge mount from its 8.6 inch S-shaped aluminium tonearm. Because the headshell unlocks with a twist rather than requiring the arm to be rewired or realigned, cartridges can be swapped or upgraded without specialist tools. The turntable ships with an Ortofon 2M Red moving magnet cartridge pre-fitted to the headshell and factory-aligned, so it arrives ready to play rather than needing manual cartridge setup before first use. For buyers who later want a different sonic character or a higher-output cartridge, the headshell system means that upgrade path stays open rather than being a turntable replacement.
Is It Compatible With Other Moving Magnet Cartridges?
The tonearm on the Encel S is rated at an effective mass of 8 grams, which is the figure that determines which cartridges will track correctly once a buyer moves beyond the supplied Ortofon 2M Red. Cartridge compliance and effective tonearm mass need to be matched for stable tracking, so this figure is what a buyer checks against a replacement cartridge's specification before fitting it. The supplied 2M Red itself specifies a recommended tracking force of 18mN, an elliptical stylus with a compliance of 20×10⁻⁶ cm/dyn at 100Hz, and an output voltage of 5.5mV into a recommended load impedance of 47kΩ, which is standard for a moving magnet phono input. Any replacement cartridge is a moving magnet type suited to an MM input at that load impedance if it's to work with the turntable without modification.
How Is Speed Kept Consistent During Playback?
Speed control on the Encel S turntable is electronic, switching between 33 and 45 RPM with a rocker switch and removing the need to move the belt between pulley steps by hand when changing between albums and EPs. Speed stability is supported by a precision drive belt and a heavy steel platter, which adds rotational mass and resists the small speed fluctuations that lighter platters are more prone to. Encel states a speed variance of ±0.70% at 33 RPM and ±0.60% at 45 RPM, with wow and flutter figures of ±0.19% and ±0.17% respectively; these are the measurements that determine pitch stability during playback, since higher wow and flutter shows up as audible pitch wander on sustained notes. A TPE motor suspension isolates the motor from the plinth, and magnetic anti-skating counteracts the inward pull the stylus experiences as it tracks toward the record's centre, keeping tracking force even across both channels of the groove.
Does It Need a Separate Phono Preamp?
The Encel S is a turntable with a built-in switchable phono preamp, so it can connect directly to a standard line-level input on an amplifier, receiver, or powered speaker without needing an external phono stage. The switch allows that internal preamp to be bypassed if a buyer already owns, or later buys, a separate phono preamp they prefer the sound of. This makes the turntable suited to two different ownership scenarios: a straightforward first deck added to an existing hi-fi or speaker system, and a more developed system where a dedicated outboard phono stage will eventually take over that role.
What's Included in the Box?
The Encel S turntable is supplied with a high quality phono cable fitted with gold-plated RCA connectors, an Ortofon 2M Red cartridge already mounted and aligned to the headshell, and a turntable dust cover. Gold-plated connectors resist corrosion at the contact point over time, which matters for a cable that stays connected for years rather than being regularly unplugged. Together with the pre-aligned cartridge, this means the turntable can go from box to playing a record without buyers needing to source a phono lead, a cartridge, or a dust cover separately.
What Does Hand-Built Construction Mean for Ownership?
The Encel S is a turntable built by hand using materials Encel selects for long-term durability rather than mass-produced components, and it draws on a company history in analogue audio retail dating back to a Richmond store opened in 1958. Power consumption is rated at 4W during playback and 0W in standby, run from an outboard 15V DC power supply, which keeps standing energy use to nothing when the turntable isn't in use. The combination of hand assembly and a durable steel platter is aimed at buyers who want a deck they can keep servicing and upgrading, rather than one built around a fixed lifespan.
