Paris-based studio Waiting For Ideas has introduced the PP-2, an aluminum turntable that reads vinyl with light, alongside [Pause], a conceptual glass listening room envisioned for central Tokyo, Designboom reported.
Instead of magnetic cartridges, the PP-2 employs an optical stylus system that reads the needle’s movement through light as it traces the record’s grooves. The needle still makes physical contact with the vinyl, but the studio says it reduces moving mass, allowing the stylus to track grooves more precisely and retrieve finer details without the magnets and coils used in conventional cartridges.
The design builds on the PP-1, which the studio introduced in 2025 as a solid square of machined aluminum with no exposed tonearm. In that earlier model, records sit upside down and a concealed mechanism reads them from below; the PP-2 preserves this appearance and its minimal controls while changing the internal hardware.
PP-2 Pairs Optical Pickup with High-Speed Direct-Drive Motor
Housed within the CNC-machined aluminum body, an axial-flux direct-drive motor modifies its rotational speed 1,000 times per second. The motor works alongside a Harmony analog preamplifier developed for the optical pickup. New RCA outputs let it connect directly to hi-fi systems, while a redesigned door seals the stylus from dust between uses. Automatic speed detection handles both 33⅓ and 45 rpm records.
[Pause] Proposes a Glass Cube Suspended Above Tokyo Water
Alongside the turntable, Waiting For Ideas presented [Pause], an architectural concept that places the PP-2 at the center of a glass cube rising from a concrete platform above water in central Tokyo. Renderings by Julia Ippolito show a sparse interior with transparent walls and a grid of square floor panels, each concealing part of a vinyl collection with artists’ names engraved into the surface. Visitors would lift a hatch to retrieve an album before bringing it to the turntable, turning the act of selecting music into a physical interaction with the floor.
Ordering the PP-2 and the Status of [Pause]
Traditional cartridges convert needle movement into audio using magnets and coils. The PP-2 detects that movement through light instead, which Waiting For Ideas says reduces the stylus’s moving mass and improves detail retrieval.
Can visitors experience the [Pause] room in Tokyo? No. It exists only as renderings created by Julia Ippolito. The studio has not announced construction or confirmed a specific site beyond the central Tokyo concept.
Who created the images of the new designs? Mathilde Hiley photographed the PP-2 hardware, while Julia Ippolito rendered the architectural visualizations of [Pause].
The PP-2 is available to order now with an assembly lead time of three to four weeks.
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