A Buyer’s Guide to Vertere Acoustics

Vertere Acoustics: The Brand

Touraj Moghaddam co-founded Roksan Audio in 1985 and designed a run of products that defined the company’s reputation: the original Xerxes turntable that launched Roksan the same year, the Artemiz tonearm (1987), the Radius turntable (1989), the flagship TMS deck (1991), and Roksan’s Caspian, Kandy, and M-series electronics ranges. He remained at Roksan until 2011, when he departed to focus full-time on Vertere Acoustics — a company he had already quietly founded in 2006.

Vertere’s first products were not turntables at all: the company began as a maker of high-end, hand-made interconnects and loudspeaker cables. Commercial success from those cables funded the development of more affordable cable lines and, in time, Vertere’s own tonearms and turntables — an unusual path in an industry where most analog specialists start with a deck and add cables later, if at all.

Vertere is headquartered at 5 Oliver Business Park, Oliver Road, London NW10 7JB. In the US and Canada, the brand is distributed by Rutherford Audio Inc, based in Ferndale, Washington. Vertere’s customer base includes Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason CBE, who is quoted on the company’s own site: “To Touraj, with thanks for the best record player.”

Recent recognition

The DG X (Dynamic Groove) turntable has become one of Vertere’s most decorated products at its price point: What Hi-Fi? has awarded it six consecutive annual Awards, and reviews from The Ear and AV Forums have praised its combination of ease of use and performance relative to its predecessor, the DG-1S.

Design Philosophy

Vertere’s turntable range is built around a shared plinth architecture that scales with tier: a single acrylic layer on the DG X, two layers on the MG-1, and three layers on the SG-1 and RG-1. Rather than building the platter motor into the plinth, the three higher-tier turntables (RG-1, SG-1, MG-1) drive their platters from a separate, external power-supply unit connected by cable — Vertere sells three tiers of these motor drives (Tempo, Imperium, and the flagship Reference Motor Drive), plus a dedicated Challenger DC supply for the DG-series and Tempo. This separates motor noise and switching artifacts from the plinth itself, and lets an owner upgrade drive quality without replacing the whole turntable.

Every tier uses one of two house tonearms — the Reference Tonearm on the RG-1, and the SG-1 MkII tonearm shared by the SG-1 and MG-1 — reflecting Vertere’s preference for a small number of thoroughly refined arm designs over a wide model range. The company also continues to design and manufacture its own cables in-house across every price tier, from the entry Redline series up through Pulse, on the position that a turntable’s signal path is only as good as the cable carrying it.

Iconic Model Families

RG-1 Reference Groove — the flagship (2013–present)

Vertere’s first major turntable release and still its flagship, currently priced at $42,995 through Vertere Audio USA, paired with the Reference Tonearm (around $35,000). Described by Vertere as its “first choice among the world’s high-end turntables,” the RG-1 uses the three-layer acrylic plinth architecture shared with the SG-1.

SG-1 Super Groove and MG-1 Magic Groove MkII — the mid-tier pair

The SG-1 sits below the RG-1 on a shared three-layer plinth, while the MG-1 MkII, priced at $16,995, uses a two-layer plinth and the same SG-1 MkII tonearm as its more expensive sibling. What Hi-Fi? praised the MG-1 MkII/Mystic combination for “rhythmic and dynamic excellence,” and the SG-1 paired with the XtraX cartridge for “superb dynamics and rhythmic drive.”

DG X — the accessible entry point

The current entry-level model, priced from $4,999 and built on a single-layer plinth with the integrated Groove Runner X tonearm. Successor to the DG-1 and DG-1S, the DG X has won six consecutive What Hi-Fi? Awards and been reviewed favorably by The Ear and AV Forums for meaningful gains over its predecessor while remaining Vertere’s simplest turntable to own.

Ruby One MC and the cartridge range

Vertere’s flagship cartridge, the Ruby One MC, is priced at $12,995 and sits atop an eight-model range running down to the $699 Sabre Lite MM — giving Vertere one of the more complete in-house cartridge lineups among turntable manufacturers that also build their own arms and decks.

Current Product Line (2025–2026)

Vertere’s current lineup spans six categories, all designed in London.

Turntables

RG-1 Reference Groove ($42,995), SG-1 Super Groove (contact a dealer for current pricing), MG-1 Magic Groove MkII ($16,995), DG X Dynamic Groove (from $4,999).

Tonearms

Reference Tonearm (~$35,000, RG-1), SG-1 MkII tonearm (SG-1 and MG-1), Groove Runner X (integrated on DG X).

Cartridges

Ruby One MC ($12,995), XtraX MC ($7,995), Solo Mono MC ($3,999), Mystic II MC ($3,699), Mystic MC ($3,599), Dark Sabre MM ($1,999), Sabre MM ($1,299), Sabre Lite MM ($699).

Phono stages

Calon (flagship, reported around $20,000), Phono-1 MkII, Phono-1 LX (~$2,399).

Motor drives & power supplies

Reference Motor Drive (flagship), Imperium (mid-tier), Tempo (entry), Challenger DC power supply (DG-series/Tempo), Luna DC power supply (DG-series).

Cables

Pulse series (flagship), VeRum and VeRum Solo (~$2,699–$3,699), Redline series (interconnects, speaker cable, mains, tonearm cables).

Buying Used Vertere Acoustics

Vertere turntables are heavy, multi-piece assemblies built from layered acrylic plinths, an external motor drive, and a separate tonearm — more moving parts, in the literal sense, than a typical integrated deck. A used-buying framework:

Confirm the plinth is crack-free

The acrylic plinth is layered (one to three layers depending on tier) and, like any acrylic component, can develop hairline cracking over time or from mishandling — special-color finishes make hairline cracks harder to spot in photos. Ask for close-up photos in raking light.

Verify the tonearm cable is genuine Vertere

Given Vertere’s cable-first design philosophy, an aftermarket tonearm cable is a meaningful downgrade from the factory setup, not just a cosmetic difference. Ask the seller directly whether the arm cable is original.

Ask about the original packing crate

Vertere turntables ship as multiple heavy components in fitted packaging. A used unit without its original crate is a real added risk and cost for shipping — factor a professional pack-and-ship, or local-pickup-only, into your decision.

Entry-tier DG models are the most liquid

The DG-1, DG-1S, and current DG X turn up most often on the secondhand market, reflecting both higher production volume and a lower financial commitment for first-time Vertere buyers.

Vertere Acoustics on the Used Market

Vertere’s used market is thin relative to volume analog brands like Rega or Pro-Ject, consistent with a boutique manufacturer building most components largely to order. A handful of real reference points, rather than a comprehensive price table:

A used DG-1 was recently listed asking $2,200 on US Audio Mart; a used DG-1S in white, described as an ex-demonstration unit in excellent condition, was listed at £2,499 by a UK dealer. Current new pricing for the MG-1 MkII runs roughly £9,300 / $12,690 in the UK market. RG-1 and SG-1 pricing is not commonly published on the secondhand market — most changes of ownership at that tier appear to happen through dealers rather than public listings.

Given how few public listings exist at any given time, treat these as directional data points rather than a firm pricing guide, and expect real quotes to vary with motor-drive tier, cartridge included, and condition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Authorized Vertere Acoustics Dealers on HFR

Vertere Acoustics is distributed in the US and Canada by Rutherford Audio Inc, based in Ferndale, Washington.

For the full authorized dealer network worldwide, see vertereacoustics.com or, in the US and Canada, vertere.audio.

Vertere Acoustics Listings on HFR