This Marilyn Monroe-esque vinyl music system is everything I want and more TechRadar Skip to main content TechRadar is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here's why you can trust us. This Marilyn Monroe-esque vinyl music system is everything I want and more By Becky Scarrott published 20 July 2022 The gloriously-named Donut i5 Monroe isn't even available outside of China – and I don't care I'd happily recline next to such a beautiful modern record player (Image credit: Fennessy) Audio player loading… As Norma Jeane Mortenson (otherwise known as the incomparable Marylin Monroe) once said, "A wise girl knows her limits, a smart girl knows that she has none" – and that's how I feel about the all-in-one, high-end Bluetooth record player you're looking at. If I could but hear it for just a few fleeting moments, I'm quite sure it would find its way onto my shortlist for the best turntables currently on the market – and it would not be low on that list. The limitations I might mention include the fact that Fennessy, the gifted Chinese manufacturer that has created this thoroughly modern and somehow minimalist gramophone (yes, I consider that bright red 'bugle' horn minimalist) is a hard company to reach – and it doesn't currently sell its products in the US. Although I'm based in the UK, I'm struggling to find the British hi-fi dealership able to source me one, either. Apparently, it sells for somewhere just upwards of 13,999 yuan (approximately $2,071, £1,723, or AU$3,000) before any duties or shipping, but even this information was hard to come by. And yet I do not care. As Marylin also said: "Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it's better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." So, without further ado, let's have a closer look at the photos Fennessy has kindly taken to showcase its beautiful creation – an all-in-one turntable system with Bluetooth, which none of us is ever likely ever own. 'Mine' is the one on the far right (Image credit: Fennessy) It s all make believe isn t it Yes, that's another Monroe quote, as is: "If I'd observed all the rules, I'd never have got anywhere" – and maybe that's how one goes about getting hold of one of these gorgeous items (not that I'm suggesting any rule-breaking, you understand). What I can do is furnish you with some specs. The Fennessy Donut i5 comes in at 66lbs (or 30kg, so delivery won't be cheap), and at just over 5ft tall, it's a conversation piece, too. You also get plenty of drivers: that horn (or bugle) includes a 10W, 1-in tweeter, and under the deck itself there's a front-firing, 40W 6.5-in midrange driver plus a downward-firing 60W 8-in woofer. There's an onboard RIAA phono pre-amp and class-D stereo amplifier. So, you've got a complete plug-and-play record player – and since there are no analog or digital outputs, you couldn't hook it up to your existing system even if you wanted to. A single knob on the front takes care of power, input switching, and volume. I'm not certain of this, but I think the Bluetooth situation is receiver-only. So, while you can stream music from your phone to the Donut i5's onboard speakers, you can't ping your vinyl collection to your best Bluetooth speaker outside, or your favorite wireless headphones in the same way you can with the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT, say. The turntable is belt-driven and features a 2.2lb all-metal platter including a custom slip mat (Marylin would demand nothing less) and the carbon fiber tonearm comes pre-fitted with a conical bonded diamond tip Audio-Technica (AT) moving-magnet cartridge. Fennessy's standard Donut i5 is available with a black wooden base and fabric grille, but that charming bugle comes in your choice of orange, dragon fruit, red velvet, banana, avocado, chocolate, matcha, or milk, all of which sound delicious – but it's not the one I'm after. This Monroe deck is one of Fennessy's special edition Donut i5s (so named, of course, because records are shaped like donuts), including Van Gogh – a sort of pixellated version of arguably the most famous of the artist's self-portraits, including a glorious yellow bugle – and the monochrome Quicksand. They're all works of art, for me. I could put one in each room and be content. Would I live to regret such a purchase in the age of streaming sites, Dolby Atmos 7.1 surround systems, HEOS, and multi-room audio? I truly doubt it – vinyl's continued resurgence is no accident and that warm analog sound endures. "We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets." Thank you, Norma Jeane. I'll resume my quest to get hold of a Fennessy Donut i5 soon. Look at that vinyl collection too! (Image credit: Fennessy ) Becky ScarrottSenior Audio Staff WriterBecky is a senior staff writer at TechRadar (which she has been assured refers to expertise rather than age) focusing on all things audio. Before joining the team, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success. See more Audio news TechRadar Newsletter Sign up to get breaking news, reviews, opinion, analysis and more, plus the hottest tech deals! 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