John Darko
New from the Reliable Corporation, makers of the UberLight Flex, comes the UberLight Frame, a premium turntable light designed for the more discerning vinyl enthusiast with deeper pockets.
Inside the box, the right-angled cast aluminium UberLight Frame ships with a choice of three vertical mounts: a freestanding weight, a desk mount with screws and – my preference – a mount that screws onto the side of the turntable’s shelf. The UberLight Frame then drops onto the open spindle for 360 degrees of rotation. That’s especially useful when opening the turntable lid on a Technics SL-1210GR but not necessary when lifting the plastic cover from a Rega Planar 8.
Powered via a 5V USB-C adapter, the UberLight Frame illuminates 18 LEDs mounted to the underside of a plastic housing that tilts 30 degrees forward or backwards. The touch-sensitive top panel permits power on/off plus a choice of three colour temperatures and six intensity levels for a maximum of 500 Lumens. The 18 LEDs are subdivided into six zones to be (optionally) turned on/off in groups of three LEDs.
I’ve been living with the UberLight Frame these past few weeks. At night, I keep only the far end’s three LEDs switched on and at the lowest intensity. I set their colour temperature to ‘warm’. During the day, I turn all the LEDs on and set their colour temperature to ‘daylight’; but I only crank the intensity when inspecting a record’s overall condition and cleanliness. The ‘warm-daylight’ setting that sits in between I do not use.
The Reliable Corporation has also included a small plastic IR remote control – that incorporates a small torch – for anyone wanting to adjust the Frame’s colour temperature and intensity (or turn it on/off) from the comfort of the listening position. Note: I have found the remote to be a little particular about the firing angle. As a nice touch, the remote control magnetically ‘clips’ into the underside of the Frame where its battery recharges.
Price? €499. Your choice of black or white.
Further information: The Reliable Corporation
