My F-i-L wants a half-decent turntable and wired speakers.
What would you suggest?
I have been recommended a Sony PS-LX310BT turntable and Edifier R1280DB speakers, but the turntable is a bit dear and the speakers are Bluetooth.
Can you recommend a slightly cheaper turntable and wired speakers please?
It's an irony not lost on on a 50+ year-old vinyl enthusiast that there are more turntables available now, decades after vinyl was declared dead, than ever there was in the heyday of vinyl in the '70 and '80s. That's mostly down to one thing; manufacturing in China.
It has been possible for manufacturers to cut the labour costs dramatically compared to making TTs four decades ago in the UK. I think we're seeing that trend bottoming out to a degree now though. If you look at the really cheap TTs you'll see that a lot of the product looks very similar except maybe for some minor cosmetic details and a different brand badge stuck on the front. Because of this, we're reaching the point where the manufacturers have already found the cheapest solutions for the various bought-in parts. One important one for turntables is the cartridge, and in particular the stylus that it carries. If there's one area where manufacturers can shave a few quid off a product then it's in the cartridge and stylus. This will catch out the unwary buyer.
Time is short, so I won't go in to the detail too much, but at the really cheap end you have the ceramic cartridge with a ruby tip. I'm talking here of TTs under £100 generally. The tip wears out much faster than a diamond. You'll get 100-200 playing hours out of one before it turns in to a plough. That's a large reason why cheaper TTs have a reputation for wrecking vinyl. The stylus is worn out, but the users rarely think to change it. They never read the instructions.
Better turntables use a moving magnet cartridge (better fidelity) with a diamond tip. This will give longer playing hours (better mileage if you will). 700-800 playing hours is not uncommon.
So your first buying tip is to look for a turntable with a diamond-tipped stylus.
I mentioned that manufacturers have found the lowest cost items for their bought-in parts. One such part is the cartridge and stylus. Japanese manufacturer Audio Technica has been making cartridges and styli for decades. In fact they'll be celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Their AT3600 stylus mounted in an AT91 cartridge body has become the go-to cartridge combo for any semi-serious TT maker. Sony use this as do most other TT brands in the £120-£300 category.
Audio Technica also make turntables. Their budget offering is the £130-£180 AT-LP60. It has a price range because there are a couple of different versions. The basic
AT-LP60XUSB can be had for £130 from RicherSounds. 'X' denotes an upgrade from the original AT-LP60 that was the original go-to TT for the last couple of decades for buyers looking for
good without breaking the bank. There's an AT-LP60XBT at £170 which as you probably guessed, also includes Bluetooth.
At the same price the company has the newly-introduced
AT-LP2. This is a more grown up product. The tonearm allows for a change of cartridge to something better. The lower priced AT and the Sony turntables don't allow this.
The AT-LP2 is semi-automatic in that the platter starts spinning when the arm is lifted over the record. That's why theres a size selector on this deck; 7" and 12". I believe it may stop at the end of side. The user then manually returns the arm to the cradle.
The deck has no Bluetooth or USB features. It is made to get the best out of the piece of vinyl without wasting money on trending fashion features. There is still a built-in phono pre-amp though, so it can be plugged in to powered speakers or the AUX connection of a stereo system.
A cheaper option for something that looks like a grown up turntable but that still has the auto features is the
TEAC TN175 @ £130 from Richers.
According to the product blurb the tonearm cues itself and then returns to rest at the end of the side.
Like the AT-LP60X, this uses the AT91+AT3600L cartridge stylus combo, so you're stuck with that as it's non-upgradeable other than replacing the stylus with the same when it is worn. Having said that, the 3600L is bloody good for the money - hence why so many brands use it - and you'll have to pay as much as the TT for a new cartridge to make a substantial improvement.
The tonearm is a lighter construction than the AT-LP2, and the inclusion of gear mechanisms to move the tonearm takes money away from the budget for better-engineered tonearm and spindle bearings and a superior motor. The plinth though is made of MDF rather than plastic and that's a good thing. If the look of the AT-LP60 doesn't appeal then at least you have another option at a similar price point.
Speakers are trickier. There's a wealth of product but you do notice that it's all a bit the same. The speakers are fairly small, just 8-10" tall, and with a 4" bass driver in most cases.
