Review: Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 Bluetooth Direct Drive Turntable

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Meet the Alva TT V2

In 2019, Cambridge Audio introduced the first turntable to offer aptX HD Bluetooth support, the Alva TT. Fast forward to 2022 and the introduction of its successor: the Alva TT V2.

The Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 is the direct replacement to the original Alva TT. This second-generation Alva TT shares the same design and look of its predecessor and includes a pre-installed high-output MC cartridge, a super stable and silent platter, a built-in phono preamp, and that ground-breaking aptX Bluetooth support.

What's new with V2?

Since both versions of the Alva TT look identical, you may be wondering what makes Alva TT V2 different from the original Alva TT. The Alva TT V2 improves upon the original Alva TT in a few important ways - let's jump into it.

New Tonearm with Removable Headshell

The original Alva TT had a one-piece tonearm, but the V2 has a removable cartridge and headshell, so you can easily swap in your favorite cartridge. They've also added a new anti-skating dial that allows you to fine-tune the tonearm with greater precision.

Switchable Phono Pre-amp

The original Alva TT only had line out, so if you had a phono pre-amp that you really wanted to use, you were out of luck. The V2 has a switchable phono pre-amp section, so you can run phono-level signals into a pre-amp of your choice or use the line-level out into an amplifier directly. This will integrate into just about any home stereo setup.

The built-in pre-amp is based on Cambridge Audio’s award-winning Alva Duo, and it’s designed to match the output of the MC cartridge, so you can hear the full audio range in your LPs.

Switchable Hi-Res Wireless Streaming

Both the original Alva TT and the V2 come with built-in Bluetooth aptX HD, which allows music to be streamed to any compatible Bluetooth device, including headphones, at up to 24bit/48kHz Hi-Res quality. Or, you can deactivate it and simply use phono cables instead.

The Bluetooth LED indicator on the back of the V2 also has a new blinking mode that lets you know when you’ve connected your Bluetooth-capable wireless device. While there is no display on the turntable to signify what Bluetooth device you are connected to, the Alva V2 will remember the last connected device and will pair automatically back to that device.

Cambridge Alva TT V2
Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2

Hi-Res Simplified

Cambridge Audio clearly put a lot of thought into the accessible, plug and play design of the Alva TT V2. During my testing, I had the Alva TT V2 unboxed and playing in about 10 minutes!

The added improvements to the Alva TT V2 make this turntable extremely versatile - no matter how you prefer to listen to your music, the Alva TT V2 has you covered.

If you are in the market for a do-it-all, no compromise turntable, this is it.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2

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Cambridge Alva TT V2
Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2
Back of Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2
man with headphones listening to turntable
turntable cartridge
putting record on turntable
record playing
cambridge audio logo on turntable
closing dust lid on turntable

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