Their kickstarter project raised over $500k & this appears to be the most recent publicity video:



And this is how they say it sounds:

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Made in Slovenia, nice website:

maglevaudio.com

Now comes with an in-built UPS, in case you have a power cut Lifts tonearm, rests the platter.

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Its definitely very impressive but will have to see and hear and the flesh

Manager & Product specialist at Rapallo AV & HI-FI

I hear that it's shipping to distributors now.

Debut at LA Audio Show in June 2017:

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German magazine AUDIO, in their recent July 2018 issue, have produced the first 'review' of this TT that I have seen:
abo.audio.de/index.php?cl=alist&cnid=rlt7c35ea6a605896fa6206d5412580a&&wtAdd
www.audiolust.de/media/pdf/f7/fa/bf/AUDIO_-TEST_ML1_pdfEnVhoWJUjiMjA.pdf

However, it is entirely in German, so for those like me, whose German language is a bit rusty , I have run it through Google translate for our reading pleasure:
(Below is excerpted only, from the above online-published PDF, hopefully no copyright infringements:)

For several years the Slovenian Developer tinkered with the system. Ultimately, a combination of 21 ultra-strong permanent magnets (Neodymium) in the turntable and digitally controlled fixed coils in the chassis.

The permanent magnets in the plate bottom form a tapered magnetic field. The coils in the frame create a complementary, upwards opening field. So, the field lines mesh with each other. Even without rotation the platter remains stable in balance over the coils.

And the rotation? A total of ten Coils turn on sequentially and again off (linear motor principle) and turn the turntable into rotation. The speed is regulated by an optical system consisting of two infrared LEDs and receivers in the chassis below the turntable and nine small mirrors in one radial groove are embedded at the bottom of the Turntable. Hard to believe, but the whole system in operation draws only 2 to 3 watts of electricity.

But there were still more hurdles to overcome.
For example: How to lay down a vinyl disc on a floating platter? Well, 4 plastic supports are motor belt-driven, upward from the chassis plinth for record changing & record brush-cleaning. Doing this during levitation is not advisable as the platter easily wobbles, which is not actively corrected by the system.

The tonearm also contains optical sensors and another motor operated the arm lift. Only when you have the Arm over the inner (outer?) groove, do the support rods lower & slowly disappear, the platter starts to float and starts rotation. The arm, however, can only then be lowered onto vinyl when the platter is at the preselected rated speed (33
or 45 rpm).

At the end of record, another optical sensor lifts the tonearm. The rotation is slowed down and the support rods drive out again. In practice, this operating pattern is very fast, even fun.

But what do if there is power failure? Does the platter falls then like a stone? No, strong capacitors inside the device maintain the supply voltage for a few minutes. All components
keep working, there is enough time to slow down the turntable and the extend supports, fully automatically! So there is no danger.

Other specifications:
A modified tonearm by Pro-Ject (9cc), height adjustable.
Ortofom OM10 cartridge factory fitted.

THE SOUND
This turntable is not for absolute High-end sound. True, the floating platter brings advantages of impact sound and also in rumble, the importance of the latter will depend on your home environment. Sparkling high frequencies and crisp bass. Only low bass was not reproduced.

INSTALLATION
Due to its special technology you have to pay attention to some things.
Because of the extremely strong magnets in the turntable, every magnetisable material in the immediate vicinity can become a disruptive factor. This primarily affects the surface, on which the ML1 should stand. Metals such as iron, steel or nickel are absolutely to avoid here. Also, screw fittings or hinges made of steel can cause the turntable to not rotate properly. Flutter would be the consequence - in testing we have experienced that for ourselves. aluminum and copper are usually not critical. However, they could affect (eddy currents) when objects made of these metals are in the immediate vicinity of the turntable. Above the turntable is magnetically significantly damped, located to a magnetic shield in shape of a steel plate in the turntable above the magnet. This is necessary to minimise effect on the pickup. Sensitive MC systems should be better not to use.

The futuristic optics of the floating turntable works best when you place the ML1 at eye level. If possible on a free wooden board, that attached directly to the wall.

ADDITIONAL NOTES
The 4 pillars drive noisily upward out of the chassis of the turntable when not in use and when changing records.

SUMMARY
Magical visual effect thanks to floating platter
Solid sound, safe, not high end
Not critical in the choice the installation possibilities (apart from the magnetic considerations)
Sound - 80
Equipment - very good
Service - good
Processing - good

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Pricing from - www.audiolust.de/hifi/elektronik/plattenspieler/mag-lev-audio/

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Some informative pics from the MAG-LEV Audio Kickstarter Updates page.

Shipping commenced on 23 June 2018.

Factory pics:






Neodymium ring magnet (cracked, faulty sample):


Platter moulds being machined:


Platters:

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i like the warning about surroundings with magnetisable materials.

what about the phono cartridge ?

Jul 14, 2018 15:58:04 GMT 12 michaelw said:

i like the warning about surroundings with magnetisable materials.

what about the phono cartridge ?

They talk about "...a magnetic shield in shape of a steel plate in the turntable above the magnet...."

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ah yes...

"...located to a magnetic shield in shape of a steel plate in the turntable above the magnet. This is necessary to minimise effect on the pickup. Sensitive MC systems should be better not to use."

no MC's 

I dare say that MCs could be used.
DD TTs also generate EM fields.

Perhaps their choice of OM 10 cartridge indicates where their (modest) sonic aspirations are, for this TT?

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EUR2500!? Really? While I believe that the OM10 is a fine cartridge in its price range, I would've thought they would use an OM30 or Ortofon Blue.

And talk about wobbling like a fresh piece of jello...

seems a lot of new stuff is coming onto the market at frankly silly prices.

To my simple brain it appears they have gone to a tremendous amount of trouble and clever electronic engineering to solve a problem that doesn't exist. !

Along the way they have broken one of the major rules of good turntable design which is to have the platter and tonearm locked together as one.

You have got to admire  the 'wow' factor but at 2500 eu ( about $4500 nz ) I wont be rushing out to buy one.

Tis true about maintaining rigid geometry between platter & tonearm.

However they may have inadvertently(?) solved one problem & that is isolating/eliminating motor & bearing noise from the record pickup.

My experience with magnetic levitation on a TT (feet support & platter bearing) is that noise is lowered, HFs sound nicer, sound space 'air' is noticeably enhanced.

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MAG-LEV Audio ML1 Levitating Turntable - U.S. Premiere Review by Positive Feedback

US$2900

After the rather dismissive write-up above by the German AUDIO magazine, I was surprised to read this description by veteran audiophile Robert H Levi:

" I was shocked by the beauty of tone and openness of this inexpensive rig "

My own experience with a mag-lev platter bearing & mag-lev footers on my own TT, is one of increased 'openness', 'air', spaciousness, HF information (lower 'noise floor' maybe).

" I leveled the ML1 to perfection with a spirit level.... The table ceased wobbling, the woofers stopped moving, and all was rock solid and more open by far. "

It sounds like this mag_lev TT demands careful levelling for stable rotation.

" ...vocals floated in space. Imaging is breathtaking. Depth of field is endless. Timbres are spot on realistic. "

Robert H Levi replaced the cheap stock interconnects & used a high=end phono stage, & the Mag-Lev ML1 was able to achieve these results.

It sounds like the designers of this TT have set rather mid-fi, mass-market targets for the product.
Whereas, the technology has eliminated one of the major problems of TTs, the audibility of the mechanical motor drives via the hyper-sensitive pick-up cartridges now in common use.
And this is very apparent when used in conjunction with better associated cabling & amplification.

PS. RHL does not fully explain why MC cartridges would not work on this TT - the low mass tonearm? Or magnetic fields? (I understood that there was a platter magnetic shield?)

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now in nz

www.audioreference.co.nz/product/mag-lev-ml1-magnetic-levitation-turntable-w-project-cc9-ta-ortofon-om10-cart

Great wow factor!
The platter might be completely isolated and thus rumble from bearings and mechanical drive decrease massively, but the whole TT could still do with suspension, as the tonearm is still coupled to the plinth and feet. A bit limiting with only certain cartridges recommended.
I suspect none of this matters though as it has just out-cooled the Transcriptor in the movie A Clockwork Orange!

AMR-iFi R&D

Its whole lightweight plastic plinth & platter looks from here to be low-mid fi build quality, but its concept I think has high-end potential.

Usually, a company aiming at the high-end market, would build the flagship model first, then follow with affordable versions.

Clearly the intention here is not about sound quality foremost, but that shouldn't mean that the ideas do not have audiophile potential.

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digital turned the old trickle down theory upside down.

now analogue is learning from digital

Initial kickstarter investors only paid about US$800 for theirs

The warnings on its use is frightening!
"Children are not allowed to use the apparatus, to avoid risk to hands, fingers, and other body parts due to strong magnets in the product.

Do not insert any parts of the body between the turntable body and the levitating platter when turned on.
The risk of physical injury when handling this product due to strong force of magnets can damage your fingers and skin that gets caught between the magnets and metal.

People with heart pacemakers are not allowed to handle the apparatus or operate the platter."


And no moving coil carts
"The 9cc Arm would not function properly with any of my MC cartridges that I have here…and believe me, I tried…so forget about it.)"

Mmm...
Seems like trying to fix something that doesn’t exist.
So the only reason for this turntable is cool factor when you look at it!

AMR-iFi R&D

But man, is it cool! Would love to own one just for the fun factor, if it was a bit cheaper...maybe by the third generation...

It does fix (or circumvent) 2 elements of conventional TTs that tend to cause problems:

- motor drive mechanical coupling problems
- platter bearing friction/noise

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Oct 22, 2018 21:51:59 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

It does fix (or circumvent) 2 elements of conventional TTs that tend to cause problems:

- motor drive mechanical coupling problems
- platter bearing friction/noise

Motor drive mechanical coupling problems - alleviated in direct drive turntables such as most classic Denons and Technics.
Platter bearing friction/noise - modern bearings have very tight tolerances and rumble is no longer a problem.
Still, people tend to love their rim drive TTs such as classic Garrards and Lencos with their characteristic abundance of rumble and motor coupling issues. The characteristics and high magnetism of the platter system in the Mag-Lev TT are hard to ignore. But I think it’s an interesting concept currently in its infancy and we might see other similar TTs on the market soon. Hopefully with expanded cartridge capabilities.
And I still think the Mag-Lev looks fab-u-lous! (We are watching the latest Strictly Come Dancing here in Old Blighty and Craig Revell-Horwood's voice springs to mind.)

Graham, why should the platter and tonearm be rigidly coupled?

AMR-iFi R&D

Oct 23, 2018 3:38:45 GMT 12 colinf said:

Oct 22, 2018 21:51:59 GMT 12 Owen Y said:

It does fix (or circumvent) 2 elements of conventional TTs that tend to cause problems:

- motor drive mechanical coupling problems
- platter bearing friction/noise

The distance from the platter spindle to the arm pivot must not alter during playback or wow and flutter will be produced.

If for example the platter momentarily moved towards the tonearm pivot during rotation the stylus would in effect momentarily slow down in its tracking of the groove. If the platter moved away from the tonearm pivot the stylus travel would speed up. This would definitely be audible as wow if the movement was at a slow frequency or flutter if the movement was at high frequency.

I don't see how a magnetic system could hold the platter rigidly in the horizontal plane to prevent this.

As mentioned , it certainly has fantastic wow factor but IMO they have solved a minor problem ( bearing rumble ) and introduced a more serious one. !!!!!

That’s a problem unique to the Mag-Lev.
When you said rigidly coupled I thought you were talking about the frequency response of the tonearm to platter coupling, where the choice of materials has a big influence. There is also FM (frequency modulation) distortion. When the stylus traces transients they create friction and pull the stylus towards the front of the cartridge, and the reaction force goes into the rotating platter. In the Mag-Lev that might create flutter. That would depend on how much inertia and mass the platter has.

AMR-iFi R&D

www.trademe.co.nz/a.aspx?id=1825451479&tm=email&et=47&mt=A3A35B1A-7424-460E-BBCD-DC7A0151423E

Wow factor is a bit cheaper, tempting but not quite cheap enough for me.

AUDIO REFERENCE CO (Auckland) are offering a "A ONE OFF CHRISTMAS INTRODUCTION SPECIAL FOR OUR SHOWROOM UNIT" Mag-Lev ML1 for NZ$2,995.

www.audioreference.co.nz/product/mag-lev-ml1-magnetic-levitation-turntable-w-project-cc9-ta-ortofon-om10-cart?omnisendAttributionID=email_campaign_5be201028653ed3e3ab4e285&omnisendContactID=5be153cfa49a16805219fd52&omnisendScopeID=59deefa4597ed71dca0ec80a_7_&utm_campaign=Booster+of%3A+November+2018_5be201028653ed3e3ab4e285&utm_medium=email&utm_source=omnisend

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Owen, that's the same one in the trade me link I posted.
TradeMe price now $2750