Picking an album is the fun part. Lining a needle up with a groove is the part many listeners would rather skip. Waiting for Ideas, a Paris studio, built the PP-2 to take that step away. The table has no tonearm to position, so the listener only sets the record down and starts it.
The studio first tested this approach with the PP-1, which we covered in March 2025. That model hid its needle beneath the record. The studio, founded by Jean-Baptiste Anotin, wanted something simpler The PP-2 keeps that concept and changes the hardware underneath. It is currently open for preorder.
Curious how a magnet-driven design compares? See Esoteric’s vibration-free analog turntable for a contrasting take on turntable engineering.
An aluminum optical turntable swaps magnets for light
The body of this turntable is CNC-machined from a solid block of aluminum and anodized. It measures roughly 13.8 inches square and stands just under 3 inches tall. The square format keeps the hardware visually quiet next to the record.
The biggest change is the pickup. A physical stylus still rides the groove. Instead of the magnets and coils in a conventional cartridge, light measures how that stylus moves. Waiting for Ideas credits Miniot technology for the optical approach, which keeps the signal path analog. This is not a laser player that avoids contact with the vinyl.
The studio argues that removing magnets from the moving assembly lowers its mass. That, it says, lets the stylus follow the groove more faithfully and pick out finer detail. Independent measurements and listening tests have not yet confirmed those claims, so they remain the studio’s position.
The motor in this unit is an axial-flux direct-drive unit with optical speed control. According to Waiting for Ideas, it adjusts rotation 1,000 times per second. The table handles 33 and 45 rpm records through automatic speed detection. A redesigned door shields the stylus from dust.
A built-in Harmony analog preamplifier, developed for the optical pickup, feeds new RCA outputs and a 3.5mm output. USB-C supplies power. Those connections let the PP-2 slot into an existing hi-fi system without a separate preamp.
For more on how modern music players are rethinking hi-fi controls, see RHYTHM’s dual-output hi-fi music player for independent outputs and precise controls.
Price and delivery
The price is the hardest number to ignore. The store lists the PP-2 at €8,900. Buyers outside the European Union also pay import duties and taxes on top of that figure.
Sources differ on delivery time. One says assembly and shipping can take up to eight weeks. Two others cite three to four weeks. Buyers should confirm the window in writing before ordering.
At this price, servicing and long-term support deserve clear answers. This optical turntable suits someone who already wants the object as much as the sound.
[Pause], a listening room built around the record
Waiting for Ideas also unveiled [Pause], a conceptual listening room for Tokyo. Renderings by Julia Ippolito show a glass cube on a concrete platform above water in central Tokyo. The turntable sits at the center of the room.
The floor is a grid of square panels, and each one conceals part of a vinyl collection. Artist names are engraved on the surface. Visitors lift a hatch, take out an album, and carry it to the turntable. In a conventional listening room, records line the walls. Here, the library sits under the feet.
[Pause] remains a rendered proposal, not a building. It shows how the same simplifying logic could extend from a single turntable to an entire room.
The PP-2 asks less of the listener. The record still needs choosing, and the machine handles everything after that. Whether the optics deliver the sound the studio promises will depend on tests that have yet to appear.
Source: yankodesign.com
Frequently asked questions
How does the PP-2 turntable read records without a tonearm?
The PP-2 has no tonearm, so the listener only sets the record down and starts it. A physical stylus still rides the groove, and light measures how that stylus moves instead of using magnets and coils.
How much does the Waiting for Ideas PP-2 turntable cost?
The store lists the PP-2 at €8,900. Buyers outside the European Union also pay import duties and taxes on top of that price.
How long does PP-2 delivery take after ordering?
Sources differ on delivery time. One says assembly and shipping can take up to eight weeks, while two others cite three to four weeks, so buyers should confirm the window in writing before ordering.
Can the PP-2 play both 33 and 45 rpm records?
Yes, the table handles 33 and 45 rpm records through automatic speed detection.
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