TechRadar Verdict
The V2 delivers everything that's great about vinyl in a stylish and well-designed package. It may not be the most resolute player for the price, but it's easily the most engaging and rhythmically coherent
Pros
- +
Clean low frequencies
- +
Incredible timing
- +
Great dynamics
Cons
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The Funk V2 turntable is not that different to its predecessor: it still has a three-point belt drive by virtue of using two idler wheels along with the drive pulley. The idea is that it avoids pulling the bearing in one direction – as is the case with most belt drive designs – which should reduce friction.
What has changed for the V2 is that a higher torque motor has been selected and – out of necessity – a new PCB has been created to drive it. This has also led to a change in the platter: it now has greater mass, courtesy of a steel plate underneath the Achroplat platter.
The expanded vinyl platter started off being extremely light on the original Funk, but has slowly gained weight over the three versions since its introduction – a factor which will have increased its inertia along with its potential for energy storage. According to Funk, the advantage of the air-bubbled Achroplat is that it can turn energy into heat with ease, so this should not be an issue.
The rest of the turntable is pretty simple. Everything fixes to a curvy piece of MDF and this rests on Sorbothane decoupled round feet. The motor also sits in a Sorbothane bed in an attempt to keep its vibrations away from the stylus/vinyl interface.
Power is supplied by a wall wart supply and speeds are selected with a curvy metal knob under the cartridge. It also offers electronic speed selection.
The arm is Funk's re-working of the new Rega RB301. It involves quite a lot of work, but you end up with a post that slides in a collar to adjust VTA. Funk also adds an earth lead to the arm so that it can be used with low output cartridges without fear of interference.
Sound quality
Despite its insubstantial appearance, this Funk turns in a solid performance that blows away our visual preconceptions. It produces remarkably real and three-dimensional stereo images of voices and instruments with good recordings.
The major misconception that this deck's low mass instils is that of lightweight bass, but the new motor and heavier platter have allowed it to delve deep into the low frequencies in a clean and resolute fashion.
What is immediately apparent on setting the needle on the record is that the timing is bang on the money, with a speed and nimbleness that is enthralling. This, combined with more than decent dynamics and a good piece of music, makes for an emotionally powerful listening experience.
With a killer groove like Steely Dan's Peg, the hi-hat drives the tempo and the guitar tone is beautiful, the whole ensemble playing together with a coherence that is rare even among turntables.
The V2 does, of course, improve with good isolation, something Funk is planning to launch this year. On our VSSS stand, the image improves still further and the output level seems to increase, which is a strange one.
Built on clever thinking rather than hardcore engineering, this Funk is not only as beguiling as those that preceded it, but also that little bit more substantial to boot.
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