Garrard 401 vs Roksan Xerxes

Side-by-side specifications and a plain-English account of the recorded differences. Full profiles: Garrard 401 · Roksan Xerxes.

Practical differences

Highlighted cells show a lower reference price, support for more listed speeds, or the presence of a convenience feature. They are not an overall score.

The Roksan Xerxes undercuts the Garrard 401 by £100 — £800 against £900.

The Garrard 401 spins its platter via idler drive; the Roksan Xerxes uses belt drive instead. Neither is objectively better — a rubber idler wheel driving the platter rim directly, giving huge torque and a punchy, immediate character that's become a specific taste among collectors versus a motor that's mechanically isolated from the platter by an elastic belt, which is the usual route to a quieter noise floor — the default choice across most of hi-fi.

Bottom line: the Roksan Xerxes has the lower reference price; the table shows which documented features change with the £100 gap.

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