HYM: Seed – A turntable that is beyond expectation!
By Martin Dunn
I’ve had the HYM: Seed for about a month now and have had a lot of time to test out all of the features that come along with it. The “Seed” is an all-in-one, multifunction turntable system that produces an amazing sound quality, high-end output and wireless streaming, and it’s all contained in one sleek and stylishly designed box.
When HYM sent me the Seed, I was very curious what exactly I’d be getting. I’m a longtime audiophile and I listen to a lot of vinyl records on a daily basis. The Kickstarter-funded project (which earned more than 6x it’s initial funding goal) is an impressive piece of hardware for any true music lover. The best part for all of you out there in internet land is that it will be available on the market in just a couple months.
If you want to get in on it before it’s over, click here to check out the Kickstarter!
This All-In-One turntable is beyond ambitious, It utilizes so many bells and whistles, I half expected it to also cook my breakfast. Starting out it looks amazing, but as with any record player, YOU want to know how it sounds. Well, I found it to be comparable to “Pro-Ject’s Elemental” high-end player. The Seed uses a patented suspension system along with an Audio Technica cartridge and has a 70W amp powering four integrated drivers.
The very first record I spun was Descendents “Milo Goes to College” and right away I was happy with the subwoofers and surround sound. The Seed delivered immediately and was working beyond my expectations. The Seed also supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi streaming, and has RCA outputs for you to link up to your home sound system. It’s also got an aux input as well as a few neat special features you will surely enjoy as you play with it.
The setup wasn’t too difficult, but I will state that it is HEAVY. It weighs in at about 33-pounds. This, however, leads to the question of “What’s inside?” The Seed is Embedded with a built-in amplifier, two 1” tweeter and two 4” woofer drivers, and is able to drive 70W output, and the dynamic range is increased by 20% more than full-range speakers. So from subtle gasps to grand orchestra performances, Seed presents all the details in the sound and immerses you completely in the music.
The turntable deck is what really makes this a unique record player. It completely steps on every all-in-one deck I’ve ever used. This is a complete “bookshelf” player in that it’s ready to go out of the box. It comes with a handy remote control and a mobile app. The suspension system does an excellent job of balancing the record and keeping it from bouncing from the vibration of the speaker system it rests upon.
The only issue I did encounter was some “wow and flutter” from my model. I contacted HYM about it and was informed this is due to my model being a beta tester and that it may not be properly tuned. I did, however, use an old trick for belt driven players. (I used a strong rubber band to balance the current band) and it started to play perfectly clear after that. Hym plan to send me an updated model in August to confirm the issue has been addressed.The Bluetooth and Wireless modes work immaculately and I find myself listening to my Apple music library a lot when I am working and not feeling up to switching out records. Hym says it’s tuned to offer a flat frequency response, for accuracy in the source material –although you can tweak the bass and treble with the remote.
If you’re in the market for an all-in-one turntable, I completely recommend the Seed. It’s got everything you’d want and need for a player that can be set up in your office, living room, or even as a primary listening device.
