My name is Stefan Berghammer. I have been a musician for over 25 years and, for several years now, a designer and builder of high-quality turntables.
As a professional singer affiliated with several renowned ensembles in the Netherlands and across Europe (Netherlands Chamber Choir, Cappella Amsterdam, Huelgas Ensemble, among others), I know how the finest concert halls in the world sound. And when I listen to music at home, I want to get as close as possible to that live experience.
To achieve this, I started by improving the turntable as the source. That’s no easy task, but over the past few years it has been a fantastic journey—full of innovations, construction methods, tests, and listening sessions with colleagues and friends. In the end, I’m very happy and satisfied with what comes out of my speakers… such a musical experience!
Fortunately, a passion like this is never truly finished. I’m constantly making adjustments and improvements whenever necessary.
It all began in 2018, when I was invited to a listening session at my colleague and audio friend Mattijs’s place. There stood a beautiful, original, and upgraded Thorens TD124 – an idler-wheel machine. At the time, I owned a Technics 1210 MK2 – a direct-drive system – but the musical drive I heard from the Thorens was something entirely new to me… incredible!
Since the prices for an original and fully restored Thorens were astronomically high for me at the time, I unfortunately couldn’t afford one. My friend said, “Then you should get an old Lenco and fit it with a heavy plinth. A modified Lenco like that can even surpass a Thorens TD124.”
That’s exactly what I did — and it marked the beginning of all my future developments.
Finally, I had the chance to fully apply my technical skills. That talent—alongside my musicality—I certainly inherited from my father. He was a mechanical engineer and a fantastic musician. That’s why my company name is also a tribute to him: B(erghammer) J(unior) Analog.
Woodworking and metalworking were already familiar to me. The only thing I had to teach myself was 3D design, so I could prepare everything for CNC production and have it made with precision. Working with high accuracy was something I was already used to—both from my professional music career and from my hobbies in RC model building (functional models and aircraft).
To optimize the Lenco, I started searching for all available information about original vintage Lencos. I discovered the fantastic forum Lenco Heaven, an incredible resource with a wealth of knowledge. There, I came across pioneers in the field of Lenco modification: PTP Audio from the Netherlands, Jean Nantais from Canada, and Troels Gravesen from Denmark. Each of these builders had ideas that deeply resonated with me, and I learned a great deal from their work—ideas that I later built upon myself.
At that point, I purchased a Lenco L76S with a birch plywood plinth. I still remember how excited I was. The plinth had been built according to Lenco Heaven guidelines, but I wasn’t happy at all with the finish. And it had never been properly restored. So, I made my first milling templates and placed the turntable into a plinth of my own design… much better!
The challenge was to filter through all the information and focus on the ideas and modifications that truly lead to meaningful improvement.
The wheel of perfection keeps on turning… And don’t forget: I listen with ears that know exactly how the world’s best concert halls sound. Believe me—my ears are not easily satisfied.
Over the past few years, I’ve devoted myself to designing and building a high-end turntable based on the classic Lenco geometry.
For the superMod and silentAir series, I still rely on an original Lenco for its motor, bearing, and idler wheel. But starting with the silentAir Prestige series (expected in 2026), all parts will be developed entirely in-house—including the motor and its control system. Only the time-tested Lenco geometry, featuring the idler wheel drive, will remain.
My dream has become a reality, and that’s why I decided to start a small company—to build these beautiful machines for other audiophile enthusiasts as well.
Finding the right partners—companies with a passion for producing small series at the highest level of consistent quality (all CNC-manufactured and designed by me using Autodesk)—wasn’t easy, but I succeeded in the end:
A CNC woodworker in Austria and one in the Netherlands
A CNC machining company in Austria for my self-developed tonearm
A Dutch–Swiss precision metal turner for the small stainless steel parts
A CNC milling company in the Netherlands for the main bearing and turntable platter
Each turntable is an authentic BJA original, hand-built in my own workshop, designed according to my personal standards and insights.
Every machine is customized to the client’s preferences in terms of tonearm and aesthetics—within the boundaries that sonic performance requires (such as dimensions, mass, etc.).
Because of my approach - similar to building a musical instrument - I consciously choose to craft each turntable by hand myself. This means production remains deliberately limited each year.
By thinking creatively and offering the possibility to visualize your ideas in 3D and manufacture them through CNC, a lot is possible!
Each turntable carries my own sonic signature: a combination of musicality, drive, and precision in sonic detail, combined with natural coherence, timing, dynamics, and beauty.
All of this without compromising tonal accuracy, resolution, stereo imaging, or frequency range.
If you're looking for a fully custom-built turntable—with countless options, outstanding sound, and the unmistakable musical drive of the idler-wheel concept—then you've come to the right place.