Review on 📀 Sony PS-LX310BT Belt Drive Turntable: Wireless Vinyl Record Player with Bluetooth, USB Output, and Fully Automatic Operation in Black by Matthew Riley

(Please watch my attached video if you want a live review demonstrating the features and performance of this player). The vinyl renaissance of recent years has brought with it a multitude of new turntables. To the market. While ten years ago you could still buy 1-2 turntables in a large electronics store, today there are dozens. The range of turntables can be summed up as follows: bass and mid-range turntables ranging from $100-$250, your mid-range turntables that range from $300-$700, and your sky-high turntables that range from $700-$700 reach to heaven. For those looking to get into the vinyl album hobby, I'd like to start off by saying that there's nothing in the cheap basement space to really consider. These turntables deliver the same crappy sound, have the same crappy design, and are also subject to undue wear and tear on your records. Avoid unless the player is designed for a small child who will break anything you give them. The low/mid range is much better, although players are still limited in this area. They generally don't offer anything special in terms of customization, they come with Medicore cartridges, construction is just about adequate etc. But these are real turntables and if you're not already a music lover this is the right place for you to start your hobby. You can get an amazing player in the following segments, but that's beyond the scope of our story today. What we have here with this Sony sits a bit closer to the top end of bass/mid range turntables. Does it justify the price? Just take a look. This player offers several useful features: A) It offers three types of connection: 1) Bluetooth connection (to a Bluetooth speaker or headphones) 2) RCA cable connection (to a receiver, amplifier or amplified speaker with appropriate inputs). ) 3) USB connection (to a computer, mainly for copying music) B) It offers several options related to (A): 1) Phono output (if you work with a receiver with built-in phono stage) 2) Line out (if you are working with another device connected with RCA cables) C) Here you can toggle the gain: low / medium / high. This is in fact the volume of the signal coming from the player. D) You can switch between 7" and 12" vinyl settings E) You can switch between 33 1/3 and 45 RPM settings G) You can control the arm with three buttons 1) Start lifts the arm off the stand and places it at the beginning of the record 2) Lift lifts the sound straight up and holds it in that position, allowing safe movement of the arm 3) Gently pressing the lift again lets the arm fall back onto the record 4) Stop raises his arm and brings him back to his stance That's it. In terms of components, this turntable comes with: 1) a decent dust cover 2) a 45rpm adapter 3) an aluminum platter and a polyester platter for the platter. Let's go through that for a bit, shall we? In terms of connectivity, Bluetooth sets this player apart from most of its competitors. This is a nice feature and if you have Bluetooth speakers or headphones you will surely find this a bonus. In fact, that's probably a big part of the reasons you're checking out this player. Bluetooth was fairly easy to pair with both the speaker and the headphones I tested with it. Having the option for a photo or line out is nice - meaning there's a built-in phone preamp, but you can bypass that if you like. Of course, this doesn't matter if you're using Bluetooth. I found the gain switch pretty useless. Yes, I could tell a difference in volume when playing with it. But I don't really need it. The medium setting gave a solid signal and appears to be an additional feature as it didn't cost much and was added to the feature list. The start/lift/stop buttons are the real value that come into play here. This is what we used to call "fully automatic player". For silly reasons, audiophiles have long insisted that you DO NOT need motorized features in a turntable, and this spirit has sadly infiltrated even cheap turntables. Many mid/high-end players don't even switch off at the end of a recording. It's a real pleasure to be able to just push a button, start recording and not worry about your record playing for the next 24 hours until you forget it was on and it spins endlessly in its inner groove. - Simultaneous needle wear. I've found the arm controls to work well for both 7" and 12" records. It's a relief that they hide the dust cover - some manufacturers consider this an option, and honestly, what customer considers this an option? A 45rpm adapter doesn't cost 50 cents, but it's nice to have one if you don't already have one. How's the sound? Obviously, part of it depends on what speakers/headphones you're using. But with the help of a quality Bluetooth speaker and quality Bluetooth headphones, the sound quality was decent. It will NOT squeeze every ounce of sound out of your precious vinyl. It's not a wolf in sheep's clothing (and Bluetooth isn't an audiophile transmission mode anyway). But the sound is quite decent, which I expect from a player in this price range. Remarkably, I found the recordings to be fairly well recorded - no unexpected groove distortion. There's no speed adjustment, but speed seems pretty dead. Speaking of no adjustment, there's also no adjustment for tracking, azimuth, or anti-skating. If you don't know what it is, don't worry. These are all settings that allow you to change the angle at which your cartridge hits the record, the weight the stylus applies to the record, and how well the tonearm vibrates when the groove pulls it towards the center in different ways . Most cheap players don't have such settings. In the most expensive turntables you do this. Well, these settings can be tricky to get right - even if you're an expert, it can take a while to get them right. And you can do as much harm as good if you don't know what you're doing. So in a way, their absence from such a player is an advantage that clearly attracts newcomers. But then you're depending on Sony to set them up properly. As I mentioned the LPs seem to track well so they seem to have done a good job. With the exception of the tonearm and platter, the turntable is mostly made of plastic. The turntable is relatively light and doesn't feel like a family heirloom. But that's also to be expected at this price. Belt drive turntables - perhaps an advantage over more expensive turntables, a small shrug for turntables of this class. The possible resonances allowed by the turntable's plastic base are probably at least as problematic as any separation of motor hum from the record that a belt drive (vs. an electronic drive) could solve. All in all, this is a decent entry-level player. I would recommend it to those who are just starting out and want a basic turntable with all sorts of connections and decent sound. If you stick with a hobby, you'll likely upgrade at some point. But if you compare the features and costs in this segment, I would advise you to try this player.