Xerxes

About the Xerxes

The Roksan Xerxes is a belt-driven turntable designed by Roksan co-founder Touraj Moghaddam and launched in 1985 as a landmark achievement in high-fidelity audio. It positioned itself as a strong competitor against the established Linn Sondek LP12. The turntable features a distinctive three-plinth, triple-layer isolation system with three-level decoupling that minimizes vibration and maximizes detail retrieval. The design uses a two-piece aluminum alloy platter configuration with peripheral weighting and a custom-made 24-pole synchronous motor powered by an external speed controller. The Xerxes has been continuously refined over its 30+ year history, with the Xerxes 20 Plus representing the latest generation. It is compatible with various high-quality tonearms and cartridges, though best suited with Roksan tonearms. The turntable delivers a powerful and expansive sound with fine mid-band, fast deep bass, and smooth open treble, with musicians firmly located within the soundstage. Many reviewers use the Xerxes as a reference turntable.