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Goldring GR3 turntable: two-minute review
Just two decades or so since it last had a turntable in its product line-up, Goldring is back. The GR3 has been developed in collaboration with acknowledged experts and it really looks the part in a âblack high-gloss lacquerâ sort of way.
Connected to an appropriate system, the Goldring GR3 is an articulate, informative and confident listen with just enough drive and attack to stop it sounding leisurely. Dynamic headroom, soundstaging and timing all impress, and the amount of detail the GR3 can extract from the groove is also noteworthy.
In a slightly less appropriate system, though, the latent high-frequency stridency the Goldring hints at becomes a little more evident â a minor lack of treble substance can become apparent. When weighed against all the things that are enjoyable about the GR3 sound, though, âminorâ is the word to bear in mind and it bears serious consideration to sit among the best turntables available.
Goldring GR3 turntable review: price and release date
- $1,299 / ÂŁ699 / AU$1,599 (approx.)
- Launched in October 2025
The Goldring GR3 launched towards the end of October 2025, and in the United States it’s priced at $1,299. In the United Kingdom it goes for ÂŁ699, while in Australia it will set you back around AU$1,599.
Goldring GR3 turntable review: features
- Low-vibration belt drive motor
- Integrated phono stage
- Pre-fitted Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge
The plain fact is that the Goldring GR3 has a few more features than is the norm where a record player costing this sort of money is concerned. So where has that half-a-star gone from the âfeaturesâ score below? Iâll get to that, but for now letâs establish whatâs what.
The motor that moves the belt that spins the platter is a low-noise, low-vibration design. The tonearm is a 237mm one-piece aluminum tube with a three-point arm mounting system – and itâs pre-fitted with an extremely well-regarded Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge, a design thatâs well on the way to becoming a classic.
The GR3 is also supplied with two pairs of relatively high-quality interconnects, manufactured by Goldringâs sister company QED. One is a 1.5mm stereo RCA design, the other a 3.5mm / stereo RCA alternative, so connecting the GR3 to a full-size system or a pair of powered speakers should be no problem.
The Goldringâs stereo RCA outputs are fed by an integrated phono stage, and itâs here that the GR3âs final half-a-star goes astray. Iâm absolutely in favor of record players with integrated phono stages, donât get me wrong; it makes for ultimate flexibility, and it means the deck can slot into pretty much any system you care to mention. But the phono stage here is always on and cannot be switched off, so if you own a system with a phono stage of its own (and surely any number of people ready to spend $1,299 on a record player must do), you must avoid your own phono stage for the one fitted here. You donât even get to compare and contrast.
Just a simple âon/offâ switch is all thatâs required, Goldring. Is it too much to ask?
Goldring GR3 turntable review: Sound quality
- Tremendous rhythmic positivity
- Extracts plenty of fine detail
- Lacks a little top-end substance
There are some aspects of audio reproduction at which well-sorted turntables seem to excel. And the Goldring GR3 is almost a caricature of a record player in this respect; the areas where itâs at its most convincing and most enjoyable are all textbook turntable strengths.
Take rhythmic expression, for instance. The GR3 manages the low frequencies during a listen to Patti Smithâs Horses with absolute confidence, closely observing the attack and decay of individual bass sounds so that rhythms and tempos are described in the most naturalistic, fluent and convincing manner. Thereâs plenty of variation in the low end here, ample detail regarding tone and texture is available, but itâs the effortlessness with which the Goldring describes even quite tricky, off-kilter rhythms that lets you know youâre in safe hands.
The unity and togetherness with which the GR3 presents the whole recording is another one from the Big Book of Turntable Cliches. Detail levels are high throughout the frequency range, and (with the slight exception of the very top end) tonality is very consistent too â and thereâs a real sense of singularity and performance about the way the Goldring handles the entirety of the music. As with rhythmic expression, thereâs a complete lack of stress or apparent effort in the way this turntable handles the timing of a recording.
Thereâs decent dynamic headroom available for when the going gets especially hectic or intense. The GR3 is able to create a large and quite persuasive soundstage and thereâs more than enough room available for each strand of a recording to make itself heard. The Goldring communicates eloquently through the midrange, and has just enough positivity to its overall presentation to prevent the words âlaid backâ seeming like something that might come in useful at some point.
Itâs only at the top of the frequency range that the GR3 seems anything less than nicely balanced and assured. Unlike the rest of the frequency range, which is described with quite carefully neutral tonality and a fair amount of substance, the very high end sounds a little thin and malnourished. It stops well short of hardness or edginess, donât get me wrong, but its relative lack of body puts it at odds with pretty much everything thatâs going on beneath it.
In a sympathetically matched system it will hardly be an issue but with carelessly chosen or similarly inclined partners the GR3 could conceivably bare its teeth a little more readily than is ideal.
- Sound quality score: 4.5/5
Goldring GR3 turntable review: Design
- Belt drive with manual speed change
- Phenolic resin platter
- High-gloss black plinth
Goldring, up to a point, is being quite open about the fact the GR3 was developed in collaboration with a third party. This is the Goldringâs first turntable in over two decades, after all, so the idea of getting some outside help is probably sensible. âA renowned British hi-fi manufacturerâ is how Goldring rather coyly describes its associate.
If youâre in any way au fait with the work of any renowned British turntable brands, the design of the GR3 is going to look pretty familiar â heck, if youâre in a similar line of work to me youâre probably likely to recognize the arrangement of the packaging the GR3 arrives in. But if youâre going to collaborate, then why not collaborate with the best around?
Anyhow, the GR3 is a belt-drive design, and is fitted with a phenolic resin platter. The platter is designed to increase inertia and maximize the flywheel effect (thus maintaining consistent rotational speed) by having the bulk of its considerable mass at the outside.
The plinth is built of anti-resonant composite fiber, and is finished in the sort of high-gloss black that collects fingerprints like a particularly zealous scene-of-crime investigator. It stands on three pliant, resonance-suppressing feet, and can be fitted with a supplied clear Perpsex dust cover. With the lid closed, the GR3 is 120 x 450 x 360mm (HxWxD), and weighs around 5.5kg.
Goldring GR3 turntable review: usability and set-up
- Cartridge is pre-adjusted for all but downforce
- Can easily be connected to many types of system
- Manual speed change
The Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge is fitted to the tonearm before the GR3 leaves the factory, and itâs pre-adjusted for all but downforce. Dial in the recommended 2g and youâre ready to play.
Connecting to a system is very simple, too. Use one of the supplied cables to take line-level left-and-right channel information away from the turntable and into an âauxâ or other line-level input on your set-up â anything from a powered speaker to a full-on hi-fi system is fair game.
After that, make sure the belt is around the correct part of the pulley in order to get the rpm you need. The power switch is on the underside of the plinth, almost directly beneath the legend âGoldring – established 1906â on the surface. Take the guard off the cartridge and lower the needle onto the vinyl⊠then sit back and enjoy.
- Usability and setup score: 5/5
Goldring GR3 review: Value
- Great build and finish
- Articulate sound
- Very acceptable cartridge
A good standard of build and finish, a very acceptable cartridge thrown in, and specification that makes system-matching the work of a moment all go towards suggesting thereâs value for money available here. Add in the confident, articulate way the Goldring GR3 sounds and its case is approaching âwatertightâ.
Should I buy the Goldring GR3?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Rating |
|---|---|---|
|
Features |
Low-vibration belt drive motor; integrated phono stage but would benefit from an ‘off’ option. |
4.5/5 |
|
Sound quality |
Excellent level of detail with decent dynamic headroom, but lacks a little top-end substance. |
4.5/5 |
|
Design |
Belt-drive design with a phenolic resin platter, developed in collaboration with a third party. |
5/5 |
|
Usability and setup |
Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge fitted to the tonearm, though you must set the downforce; otherwise easy to connect to a system. |
5/5 |
|
Value |
Good build and finish, great cartridge, a fine proposition. |
5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Goldring GR3 review: also consider
How I tested the Goldring GR3
- Tested over the course of two weeks
- Connected to a Naim Uniti Star network streamer/amplifier and Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature speakers
- Listening to various types of music
I connected the Goldring GR3 to the line-level analog input of my Naim Uniti Star network streamer/amplifier using the supplied QED RCA/RCA cables.
The Naim was connected to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature speakers on FS-700 S3 stands using QED XT50 speaker cable.
And then I listened to a lot of records for quite a long time, which was not the hardship it sounds like, I have to admit. I used a Rega Planar 2 with Carbon MM cartridge and a Technics SL-1300G with Goldring 1042 cartridge as reference devices.
- First reviewed: January 2026
- Read more about how we test
Read the full article here
