Groove Plaadimängija by Daniel Henneh is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Hõbeauhind A' Design Award in Digitaalsete ja elektrooniliste seadmete disain Competition Category.

HõbeTarbeelektroonika· 2025

Groove Plaadimängija

by Daniel Henneh

Client: Groove

Hõbeauhind A' Design Award Winner in Tarbeelektroonika Category

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Verified Award Winner

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Groove Plaadimängija

Groove on plaadimängija, mis ühendab vinüülplaatide esitamise digitaaltehnoloogiaga. Korpus on freesitud tervest anodeeritud alumiiniumiplokist ning varustatud poleeritud roostevabast terasest komponentidega. Lähimaa projektor kuvab lähedal asuvale seinale menüü, laulusõnad, albumikaane ja loo andmed. Kui plaat asetatakse plaaditaldrikule, tuvastatakse see automaatselt ja toonivars liigub oma puhkeasendist tööasendisse. Muusikatuvastus identifitseerib loo esitamise esimeste sekundite jooksul. Sissetõmmatav nupp peitub, kui mängijat ei kasutata, hoides vormi minimalistlikuna.

The Recognition

About the Hõbeauhind A' Design Award

Groove Plaadimängija on Hõbeauhinna A' Design Award võitja, ülimalt prestiižikas tunnustus, mis antakse tipptasemel, suurepärastele ja muljetavaldavatele disainidele. Hõbevõitjad on ülimalt säravad ja erakordselt loovad tööd, mis illustreerivad oma disainerite silmapaistvat kogemust, annet ja teravmeelsust. Groove Plaadimängija peaks olema imeline, eeskujulik töö, mis on märkimisväärselt professionaalne ja sügavalt uuenduslik. See Hõbeauhinna A' Design Award võidudisain on väga tähelepanuväärne, imetletud leiutis, mis toob kasu ning nihutab kunsti, teaduse, disaini ja tehnoloogia piire. Groove Plaadimängija on laialdaselt kadestatud looming, mis äratab soove, tekitab positiivseid tundeid ning süütab hämmastust ja imestust.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Experience timeless music and cutting-edge technology in one elegant package. Groove is made from a solid block of anodized aluminum and polished stainless steel components ensuring both durability and a modern aesthetic. It is equipped with advanced AI and a short range projector to automatically detect and display lyrics, album art, music meta data and all the relevant information that modern music players are capable of. This truly elevated Grove beyond the conventional record player.
Dimensions & Packaging: Physical dimensions: 500mm x 350mm x 80mm (WxBxH)
Audio: Built-in stereo amplifier, Bluetooth 5.1, 3.5mm Aux Out, Beam forming microphones.
Connectivity: Wifi, LAN
Display: Short range projector
Platter: Direct drive BLDC motor with precision speed control
Tags: Record player, Turntable, High End, Hifi, Audiophile, Music, Timeless, Premium
Production Technology: To be made from machined aluminum, and polished stainless steel components. Actuators will be used to implement mechanisms that automatically deploys the tonearm and retract and dial to maintain a minimalist look when Grove is not being used. It will also have advance electronics which comprices a projector module, wireless connectivity and a central onboard computer.
Design Challenge: The most challenge part of designing Groove was simplifying the conventional record player to only its essential components in order to achieve a clean minimal design. For instance spring preload mechanism was used in order to get rid of the counterweight which is used in the tonearm of conventional record players.
Research: Most of the research done for groove was to understand the current state of music recognition and explore feasibility of such a technology with minimal computing power. The ideal solution for Groove will be one that is accurately recognizes music in the shortest amount of time.

Additional research was done a retractable mechanism and actuators that could be application for implementation of the retractable dial and tonearm. I identified off-the-shelf stepper motors with reduction gears as well as short distance linear motion systems that could be used.
Inspiration: Inspired by my love for music, advance technology and high end products with durable materials. My goal for groove is to leverage recent advancements in technology to give the traditional record player a modern revival.
Project Duration: 2 months, in San Jose California.
Operation Flow: Once powered on, the multifunctional retractable dial is deployed to enable an interface to interact with the menu system that is displayed on the projected UI on the wall. When a record (vinyl) is placed on the platter, it is automatically detected and presents the music controls on the UI, once the play button in selected the tonearm is automatically deployed from the resting position to the platter to begin playing the music. The first few seconds of the music is automatically used for AI music recognition. Once the song is identified, the lyrics, album art and other useful details about the songs is displayed on the UI.
Team Members: Daniel Henneh