Argon Audio TT-4 MK2

A gorgeous belt-drive turntable with a pre-fitted Ortofon 2M Blue and a carbon tonearm

The TT-4 MK2 is the second-generation version of Argon Audio’s TT-4, a manual belt-drive turntable. The TT-4 MK2 is pitched as a serious, ready-to-play deck rather than a budget starter. Tt ships with a genuine Ortofon 2M Blue moving-magnet cartridge already fitted, a carbon-fibre hybrid tonearm, and a built-in switchable phono stage so it can plug straight into any amplifier or active speakers.

The headline question is whether the these upgraded components it bundles, the 2M Blue in particular, justify the step-up over the classic entry level burnables from the likes of Project, Audio-Technica and the new competition coming out of China. There is no Bluetooth and no USB; this is a pure analogue record player aimed at sound quality, but it does include a decent built-in phono preamp.

I set the TT-4 MK2 up in my new retro listening and ran it through a proper set of subjective comparisons against several other turntables. The short version, which will not surprise anyone, is that the Ortofon 2M Blue is where the money goes but the AB testing definitely helped make that difference easy to hear.

But first, let’s take a look at what’s in the box.

Unboxing and Packaging

The TT-4 MK2 arrives well protected in a sturdy shipping carton, with the deck and accessories cradled in moulded foam:

Opening it up reveals the inner box and the turntable held in foam with the manual:

The deck is wrapped with a safety warning about the transit protection, and unwraps to reveal the plinth and tonearm:

Setup and Connections

Setup is the usual turntable routine of fitting the platter, setting the counterweight to the recommended 1.8g tracking force and dialling in the anti-skate. The supplied accessories cover what you need:

Connection is via a detachable RCA cable with a separate ground lead, and the deck is powered by an external supply that ships with UK and EU adapters:

Usefully, the TT-4 MK2 has a built-in switchable MM phono stage, so it can run straight into a line input on an amplifier or a pair of active speakers — and that stage can be bypassed if you would rather use an external phono preamp later.

Design and Build Quality

The TT-4 MK2 is a substantial, well-finished deck. The plinth here is a real-wood walnut veneer over a rigid MDF body, and with the platter removed you can see the clean layout and the bearing hub:

The platter is a 1.73kg aluminium unit with a damping mat on top and a ball-bearing spindle underneath. It was stored separately underneath the turntable:

The tonearm is a carbon-fibre hybrid with an aluminium headshell and Argon’s patent-pending ATS (Anisotropic Torsion Stabilizer) — the kind of arm you would normally expect on a dearer deck.

Cartridge and Tonearm

The single biggest reason to consider the TT-4 MK2 is fitted at the end of that arm: a genuine Ortofon 2M Blue moving-magnet cartridge with its nude elliptical stylus, pre-mounted and aligned from the factory:

The headshell mounting is conventional, so the cartridge can be serviced or upgraded later:

Sound Impressions

To get a real sense of the TT-4 MK2’s character I ran a direct AB comparison against the Fosi Audio Luna3 turntable. I bought two copies of the same record — Dave Brubeck’s Time Out, a classic jazz album — so I could play them mostly in sync on the two decks and switch between them, listening for the subtle differences rather than relying on memory. I also did further subjective listening comparisons against the FiiO TT13, the FiiO TT11, and my original “Pragmatic Audio” turntable pick, the Audio-Technica LP60X. Here is the comparison setup, with the two copies of Time Out loaded on the two decks, and a video of the test in progress below:

It should be no surprise that the Ortofon 2M Blue on the MK2 made all the difference. Through my KEF LS50 Meta speakers the Argon had a noticeably lower noise floor than the more affordable decks, and I felt it presented a more linear, even response — cleaner and more composed, with less of the haze and grain that the budget cartridges on the LP60X and the FiiO decks bring. The differences are subtle in absolute terms, which is exactly why the synced AB test was so useful: switching between two copies of the same pressing made the lower noise floor and the steadier tonal balance of the 2M Blue obvious in a way that sequential listening would not.

Measurements

I also ran the Ortofon Test record through the TT-4 MK2 and both listened to and measured the test sweeps — here is the deck spinning that test record with the pre-fitted 2M Blue:

The measurements themselves will be added to this review in an update.

Specifications

Some figures differ slightly between Argon’s spec sheet and retailer listings (notably wow & flutter and weight); the values above follow Argon’s official specification.

Rating Explanation

The Pragmatic Rating of 4 reflects a turntable that spends its budget where it counts. The pre-fitted Ortofon 2M Blue is the star — it gives the TT-4 MK2 a genuinely lower noise floor and a more linear, composed presentation than the budget decks it competes around, as the AB test made clear — and it is backed by a proper carbon-hybrid tonearm, a heavy aluminium platter, a real-wood plinth and a built-in switchable phono stage. It is a deck you can plug in and enjoy at a real hi-fi level without buying anything else.

The Price Rating of 4 acknowledges that €799 is a serious sum, but that you are getting a 2M Blue, a carbon tonearm and a flexible phono stage in a well-built package — components that would cost more bought separately. The main caveats are the absence of any modern conveniences (no Bluetooth, no USB) and the fact that, like any turntable at this level, it rewards careful setup. The measurement rating is provisional pending the test-record sweeps, which I will add.

This one is for the listener stepping up from a first turntable like the Audio-Technica LP60X who wants a clear, audible improvement in noise floor and tonal composure, in a deck that looks the part and is ready to play out of the box.

Conclusion

The Argon Audio TT-4 MK2 is a well-judged step up the turntable ladder. It puts its money into the things that actually change the sound — the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge above all — and the synced AB test against the Fosi Luna3, the FiiO TT13 and TT11, and the Audio-Technica LP60X made the lower noise floor and more linear response easy to hear through the KEF LS50 Metas.

It is not cheap and it skips modern conveniences, but as a plug-and-play analogue deck with a genuinely good cartridge and tonearm already fitted, the TT-4 MK2 is an easy recommendation for anyone ready to move beyond their first turntable.