Reports suggest that the Japanese company has “ceased operations”.

Turntable and mixer manufacturer Vestax may have gone out of business. As spotted by gear website DJ Tech Tools, Japan’s Teikoku News Online is reporting that the business “ceased operations August 31”.

DJ Tech Tools has pointed to a number of potential events in recent months that suggest there’s more than a grain of truth to the speculation, from a lack of social media activity to the fact that the company was not present at the BPM trade show in the UK and had no new products to unveil at NAMM 2014.

While these reports are as yet unconfirmed by Vestax themselves, you can peruse the developments in the manufacturer’s chequered 2014 over at DJ Tech Tools.

The news will come as a blow to DJs and devoted diggers out there, with Vestax favoured ahead of the competition when it comes to portable turntables – their Handy Trax model featured in The Vinyl Factory’s recent rundown of the eight best portable turntables.