House of Marley Revolution: two-minute review

A good starter deck should be easy to use and sound decent without breaking the bank. The House of Marley Revolution does both, with an added dose of sustainable style that makes it one of the best-value Bluetooth turntables we’ve tested.

Made with eco-friendly components, the Revolution sets itself apart from your average budget turntable's plastic build. There’s a reassuring weight to its construction, while the materials lend it a quality feel which belies the cost. The base is wrapped in fabric woven from recycled resources, while the distinctive bamboo plinth makes a statement wherever you place it.

Pre-calibrated out of the box, setting up the Revolution is as simple as dropping the felt mat on the platter and attaching the counterweight to the tone arm. You can wire up for easy analog audio or push the Bluetooth button for wireless pairing. Then you’re good to go. It’s all incredibly straightforward. This plug-and-play approach won’t appeal to hi-fi enthusiasts, but it makes for a hassle-free vinyl experience that’s ideal for first-time listeners.

The same goes for the audio output: this isn’t the kind of deck that needs to be paired with high-end hi-fi separates. If you’ve got a picky ear, there’s plenty to be picked at. Mids can be muddy, for example, and we detected some distortion in the treble at times. Then again, hooked up to House of Marley’s Uplift Bookshelf Speakers (sold separately – although you'll find tempting bundle deals), the sound was more than dynamic enough for everyday listening, with a surprising fullness to the low end in particular.

It won’t trouble the best turntables for audio quality. But if you want an entry-level Bluetooth deck that looks good, sounds decent and is foolproof to operate, we think the Revolution offers fantastic value.

House of Marley Revolution: price & release date

• Launched in September 2024
• Available now for $169.99 / £149.99 / A$199

The House of Marley Revolution turntable was released in September 2024. It joins the Stir It Up and Stir It Up Lux decks in the sustainable brand’s turntable line-up. Priced at $169.99 / £149.99 / A$199, it sits very much in entry-level category.

The Revolution turntable can also be bought bundled together with House of Marley’s wired Uplift Bookshelf Speakers ($179.99 / £199.99 / A$349) or a Get Together Duo wireless stereo pair (£249.99) in the UK.

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT review: Specs

House of Marley Revolution: design

• Plinth made from renewable bamboo
• Dust cover made from post-consumer plastic
• Unit wrapped in sustainable Rewind fabric

House of Marley has made its name with audio gear crafted from sustainable materials – and the Revolution is no exception. This is a turntable that does its bit for the planet. The built-in dust cover is made from post-consumer plastic, while that unmissable plinth uses renewable bamboo. The body of the unit is clad in Rewind fabric, which is woven from reclaimed cotton and hemp, with recycled rPET.

More than a fad, these materials make the Revolution a genuinely distinctive turntable, especially compared with the generic plastic build of many budget decks. The grain pattern on the plinth might not appeal to minimalists, but it gives the Revolution an organic look seldom seen in modern audio products. Similarly, the fabric wrap lends the base a nicely tactile finish, albeit one that might attract dust over time.

There are still clues that this is an entry-level turntable: the section at the base of the tonearm is plastic and there’s more flex there than you’d get from a deck at twice the price. But on the whole, the Revolution doesn’t feel cheap. It helps that there’s a good weight to the unit. It’s also obvious that House of Marley’s design team has paid plenty of attention to detail, right down to the subtle red, yellow and green stripes found on the headshell.

• Design score: 4.5/5

House of Marley Revolution: features and setup

• Plug-and-play setup with arm counterbalance
• Wired or wireless speaker connectivity
• Pre-calibrated tracking force and anti-skate

As you’d expect from a starter deck, the Revolution is a cinch to set up. The only assembly that’s really required is to slide the counterbalance onto the tone arm and screw it in place. Otherwise, the Revolution is the definition of a plug-and-play turntable. Tracking force and anti-skate come pre-calibrated out of the box, so all you need to do is connect a set of speakers and you’re away.

You can wire in a pair of separates for a full analog setup, using either the RCA line out or passive speaker jacks on the rear. Alternatively, the Revolution’s Bluetooth support lets you output audio wirelessly. House of Marley offers the Revolution as a bundle with its Uplift (wired) or Get Together (wireless) bookshelf speakers, but it works just as well with your existing audio kit. Put a Bluetooth speaker into pairing mode, press the Bluetooth button on the turntable and – in our experience – it will find and pair within 10 seconds.

Controls are kept to a bare minimum, with the power knob doubling up as a volume control, in addition to a three-speed playback setting and tonearm lift lever. There’s also a switch to toggle Bluetooth in and out. With Bluetooth set as an input, you can pair it with a source device, allowing you to stream music via the turntable to your wired hi-fi speakers – a useful feature if you don’t have another way to connect your separates to a streaming service.

• Features and setup score: 4/5

House of Marley Revolution: audio performance

• Replaceable Audio-Technica AT3600L stylus
• Stream to and from Bluetooth devices
• Quality is fine for everyday listening

Lift the tonearm over a record and the platter will start spinning automatically. Lower it and you’ll be rewarded with audio that’s surprisingly rich for a budget deck. Your choice of speakers will naturally have an impact on the sound signature, but output quality from the Revolution is perfectly serviceable for everyday listening.

Wired up to House of Marley’s Uplift Bookshelf Speakers, there was a nice dynamism to the playback. Albums of all genres sounded lively, from Radiohead’s OK Computer to Rumours by Fleetwood Mac. There’s a surprising amount of weight to the low end as well, which means your records are never at risk of sounding flat. Playing Barry Can’t Swim’s When Will We Land? on a Friday afternoon certainly got the house moving.

That bass actually proved too much when paired with the JBL Authentics 200 over Bluetooth. It could be that House of Marley has tuned the output to suit its own speakers, but the lower frequencies were too punchy to enjoy in that particular setup, crowding out the upper range. That isn’t the case when the Revolution is connected to the Uplift speakers, which deliver a relatively balanced listen for the money.

All of this is caveated by the fact that the Revolution is by no means a hi-fi-quality turntable. Audiophiles will find plenty to sniff at. The mids are easily muddied, for example, especially on complex tracks. Listening to AM by the Arctic Monkeys, detail was quickly lost on heavier numbers. Treble can also be quite harsh at times and we picked up a fair bit of distortion at the top end.

This isn't a deck capable of doing justice to high-end stereo speakers, but nor is it priced like one. More expensive turntables will give you a fuller and more dynamic listen, but if you want an affordable first deck to spin records on a daily basis, you can do worse than the Revolution.

Interestingly, we picked up that the Revolution ran ever so slightly slow compared with digital tracks, although not enough that you’d notice unless you were timing for it.

• Audio performance score: 3.5/5

House of Marley Revolution: value

• Distinctive design and decent build at a fair price
• Sounds quality is reasonable for the cost

If you’re looking for a straightforward turntable at a palatable price, we think the House of Marley Revolution gets close to the value sweet spot. There are some cheaper Bluetooth turntables out there, but none with the same style and build quality as the Revolution.

It’s not a perfect product by any means. This isn’t one for serious audiophiles, but it ticks all the right boxes for a reasonably priced starter deck. You get a solid construction, simple setup and distinctive design, plus the flexibility of wired or wireless connectivity.

There are plenty of turntables that sound better and the Revolution’s audio shortcomings would be laid bare if paired with some of the best stereo speakers. But team it up with a matching set from House of Marley and you’ve got a reliable setup for spinning records on a daily basis, with audio quality that’s rich enough for easy listening.

• Value score: 4/5

Should you buy the House of Marley Revolution?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT: Also consider

How I tested the House of Marley Revolution

• Tested for three weeks
• Used as my primary turntable in living room
• Tested using House of Marley’s Uplift Bookshelf Speakers

I installed the House of Marley Revolution in my living room for the best part of a month. It was used on a daily basis to spin records of all genres. I paired it with House of Marley’s wired Uplift Bookshelf Speakers, as well as testing its wireless capabilities by connecting it to my JBL Authentics 200 via Bluetooth. I listened keenly to tracks that I know well, to get a feel for how the Revolution handled specific details, as well as its overall character.

First reviewed: December 2024

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Rekkord Audio F300: Two-minute review

The idea that the man who operates turntable hero Pro-Ject might require another brand building and selling record players might seem an odd one – but Heinz Lichtenegger (for it is he) sees Rekkord Audio as the perfect method of filling in gaps in the Pro-Ject line-up. Specifically those gaps marked ‘automatic operation’.

So the Rekkord Audio F300 (hand-made, like the rest of the Rekkord Audio range, in the Black Forest) is a fully automatic turntable, arrives with its cartridge and even its belt pre-fitted, and is about as close to ‘plug and play’ as a product of this type ever gets. It’s properly built and finished, too – so the asking price seems absolutely fair enough.

Or. at least, it does until you get down to the business of actually ‘playing a record’. The F300 is a fine-sounding device in many ways – it’s detailed and forgiving, able to flow through rhythms and tempos with complete assurance, and creates a convincing soundstage on which the action can unfold.

But it’s ‘action’ that exposes the Rekkord Audio’s few shortcomings and marrs its bid to enter our best turntables buying guide. It’s not an especially dynamic listen when it comes to tracking shifts in volume or intensity, and it’s overtly short of outright ‘punch’ when it comes to describing bass sounds.

So ultimately it comes down to your own personal scenario. That there are more complete-sounding turntables available at this sort of money is undeniable. But if the fully automatic convenience of the F300 excites you (and that's understandable – nobody likes harming vinyl), it’s currently about as good as you’re going to get at the price. 

Rekkord Audio F300 review: Price and release date

The Rekkord Audio F300 automatic turntable is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it sells for £549. It’s available to American customers for $599, but currently no price is quoted for the Australian market – if exchange rates are anything to go by, you’re looking at AU$1,049 or something quite like it.

There's no shortage of well-regarded turntables from well-regarded brands available at this sort of money, chief of which might be the excellent ProJect Debut Carbon Evo. But Rekkord Audio reckons it has a worthwhile point of difference…  

Rekkord Audio F300 review: Features

• Fully automatic operation
• Audio Technica AT91 moving magnet cartridge
• Captive RCA connections and grounding lead

The obvious feature, and the feature Rekkord Audio is understandably most pleased about, is its fully automatic operation. Hands not as steady as they used to be? Hand/eye coordination not all it might be? The F300 is here to help.

Better still, the F300 is not only fully automatic but it’s quiet and reliable with it. Set the controls to the desired rpm, and press the ‘start’ control – the Rekkord Audio takes care of the rest. About my only gripe concerns the F300’s insistence that 12in discs spin at 33.3rpm and 7in discs at 45rpm. So, anyone who wants to listen to a 45rpm 12in single will have to cue it up manually and take it off manually at the end of the side. Which takes a bit of the shine off the ownership experience, no two ways about it. 

The F300 is hard-wired for stereo RCA and grounding wire connections, which adds to its ‘plug-and-play’ credentials but does mean you’ve no possibility of upgrading. The Audio Technica AT91 cartridge that arrives pre-adjusted and attached to the headshell that is, in turn, pre-attached to the 211mm low-mass aluminium tonearm is a very capable item – but again, it seems optimised for the role and upgrading doesn’t seem to have been factored in. Still, all you need to do is adjust tracking weight and dial in the appropriate anti-skate setting, and the F300 is good to go. Added to the automatic operation, it makes the whole ownership experience about as painless as it realistically can be. Even the belt that moves the aluminium platter is pre-fitted when you take the player out of its packaging.

• Features: 4.5/5

Rekkord Audio F300 review: Sound quality

• Nicely tranquil and fluent sound
• Good detail retrieval and pleasant rhythmic expression
• Not especially dynamic or at all punchy

There’s a Paul Simon song that opens with the line, “Well, I’m accustomed to a smooth ride”. It seems unlikely to me that he is referencing the Rekkord Audio F300 (especially as the song in question is getting on for 35 years old), but nevertheless it sprang to mind when I first heard the F300 in action, and I haven’t been able to shift it. 

Because if there’s one thing the F300 offers, it’s a smooth ride. In fact, you could do a lot worse than listen to something like The Rhythm of the Saints (the Paul Simon album from which that line is taken) if you want to hear the Rekkord Audio at its most comfortable and consequently at its best. It fairly glides along in the most natural and unforced manner, handling rhythms and tempos with a deft certainty, digging out plenty of detail at every stage and offering plenty of midrange insight. It has a fair amount of bite at the top of the frequency range, creates a large and plausible soundstage, and has a slightly-warmer-than-neutral tonality that suits the material well.

There’s a pleasing unity to its presentation, and it gives every aspect of the frequency range equal billing. It’s alert to even very minor details, and is able to contextualise them both in terms of their weighting and their position on the stage.   

Unfortunately, it’s not even remotely difficult to take the F300 out of its comfort zone where it is, obviously, far less comfortable. A heavyweight reissue of Aphex Twin’s timeless Selected Ambient Works 85 - 92 makes the point in unequivocal fashion – the F300 may be alert to small dynamic variations in instruments or voices, but it’s not all that adept at dealing with the big dynamic shifts associated with changes in attack or intensity. The distance between the quietest and loudest moment of this record is no distance at all when described by the Rekkord Audio.

Equally problematic is the relative lack of low-end punch the F300 is able to summon. It has no problem expressing the rhythms of this recording with positivity, but the best it can summon is a sort of mild ‘shove’ where you just know the music wants to hit with greater determination. This lack of rigour, allied to the easy-going overall nature of the F300’s delivery, conspires to serve up a presentation that’s probably most politely described as ‘tepid’. Which is no one’s idea of what Aphex Twin should sound like, let’s face it.

• Sound: 3/5

Rekkord Audio F300 review: Design

• Perspex dust-cover
• Single-piece MDF plinth
• Decoupled sub-chassis

It’s not easy to make a mainstream record player look anything other than ‘a rectangle with a circle on it’ – and Rekkord Audio hasn’t tried. The F300 looks exactly as you might expect, in a good way.

It’s very nicely built and finished, though, and feels the part just as much as it looks it. The three available finishes (satin black or silver are available as well as the ‘stirling oak’ wood veneer of my review sample) look good, and in the case of the wood veneer model there’s a degree of tactility in the fairly deep grain, too. The plinth is of a single, relative chunky, piece of MDF – a material valued for its rejection of resonances – and the clear Perspex dust-cover on top of it is mildly angled and consequently mildly interesting in visual terms. 

The F300 is distinct from the less expensive models in the Rekkord Audio line-up thanks to the floating sub-chassis that’s visible beneath the aluminium platter. The platter itself, the tonearm assembly and the components that control the automatic operation are all decoupled from the main body of the chassis – and so the theoretical benefits where isolation from internal and external vibrations are obvious.

• Design: 4.5/5

Rekkord Audio F300 review: Usability and setup

• Minimal user input into set-up
• Even more minimal input needed when playing a record
• ...Sit back and listen

It’s hard to know how setting up or operating the F300 could be any simpler or more straightforward. If you can’t get a sound out of this record player within minutes of taking it from its box, you should probably have a word with yourself.

There’s a wall-wart mains adapter in the packaging that needs to be plugged in. The captive RCA leads and grounding lead need to be attached to your amplifier, wireless speaker or what-have-you. The aluminium platter needs positioning, the counterweight needs adjusting – as does the anti-skate control. And then you just need to take the plastic guard off the cartridge. You are now set up.

And, of course, the whole point of the F300 relative to most of its rivals is its ease of usability. Select the speed at which you’d like the platter to turn. And then, having put a record on the platter, push ‘start’. The job is very much done.

• Usability and setup: 5

Rekkord Audio F300 review: Value

As a painless-to-own, easy-to-use turntable that’s properly built and finished, it’s difficult in the extreme to fault the value that Rekkord Audio is offering with the F300. Whether or not it sounds like the money’s-worth is, admittedly, a slightly different question - the answer will depend quite strongly on whether you consider the words “laid back” to be especially positive or not… 

Should I buy the Rekkord Audio F300?

Buy it if...

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Rekkord Audio F300 review: Also consider

If it’s the automatic operation that’s brought you this deep into the Rekkord Audio F300 review, you won’t find too many alternatives that perform to this sort of standard. If, however, you’re simply in the market for the best-sounding turntable this sort of money can buy, you most definitely have options – Pro-Ject and Rega (see in particular the Rega Planar PL1) are probably the most high-profile turntable brands with very capable machines at this sort of price.

How I tested the Rekkord Audio F300

I plugged its captive RCA connections into my Naim Uniti Star amplifier via a Cambridge Audio phono stage, from where it played through a pair of Audiovector QR-1 SE loudspeakers, and also into the ‘aux’ input of a KEF LS60 wireless speaker system. I played 12in and 7in records of all types, all vintages and various conditions (although I steered clear of those LPs it appears someone has been eating off). And I didn’t stop for the thick end of a week.  

• First reviewed: August 2024
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Pro-Ject E1: Two-minute review

The Pro-Ject E1 is a very capable, but affordable, turntable that's a particularly good option for people who are new to vinyl or who just want a fuss-free turntable that won't break the bank. It looks good, it sounds good and it comes with everything pre-set so you can simply assemble it, plug it in, and start playing.

The simplicity means that the Pro-Ject E1 lacks features you'll find in some rivals, such as a 78rpm speed setting, a phono stage pre-amp, a USB port or Bluetooth streaming – so if you want to stream old shellac singles to your Bluetooth headphones or rip them to digital this may not be the best turntable for you. But its simplicity is its strength: the focus is on delivering an involving sonic performance, and the E1 does that very well.

For this price, you won't really get any better sound than this has to offer. And it comes basically ready to out of the box – you won't need to have any fears over the set-up process, which makes it fantastic for beginners. It lacks automatic operation, which is a bit of a shame, but not a big deal. It's also quite lightweight, so make sure it's not positioned somewhere vulnerable to vibrations.

Aside from these notes, it's hard to fault this for what it delivers – it's designed to make great sound analogue sound easy, and it 100% achieves that.

The version we tested here is the plain Pro-Ject E1, which does not have its own phono stage – it's designed to be connected to an amplifier or to a system that has a phono stage before the amp. It's also available as the Pro-Ject E1 Phono with an integrated pre-amp, enabling you to use it with self-powered speakers, and as the E1 BT, which has the same pre-amp and adds Bluetooth transmission.

Pro-Ject E1 review: price and release date

• Released in May 2022
• $349 / £299 / AU$649
• Usually available for less

This isn't Pro-Ject's cheapest turntable – that honour goes to the Primary E, which is about a third cheaper – but it's still priced keenly. The Pro-Ject E1 has a recommended retail price of $349 / £299 / AU$649, but at the time of writing it was available in the UK for as little as £209 and AU$494 in Australia, so buy at the right time and you can get a serious bargain. It was launched in 2022.

Pro-Ject E1 review: design

• Beautiful in an understated way
• No need to adjust tracking force
• Very lightweight

The Pro-Ject E1 is beautiful in the way that a classic Swiss watch or a really good tailored suit are: understated rather than look-at-me flashy. The version I tested was entirely black with a gloss black plinth and matte black hardware, a look that reminded me of Hotblack Desiato's spaceship in The Hitch-Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy or the cover of Spinal Tap's Smell The Glove.The other colors retain the black hardware but replace the black composite fibre plinth with gloss white and walnut versions respectively.

The tonearm is rigid but lightweight aluminium with tracking force and its anti-skid pre-set and the 8.6-inch platter is lightweight ABS polymer with ridges designed to reduce unwanted resonance. The power supply plugs into the back, where you'll also find the decently long phono cables and ground wire. Unlike other Pro-Ject turntables, the RCA cable here is pre-soldered directly to the turntable. The cable length is 1.23m.

This is a very light turntable, so much so that lifting the lid can move the entire thing. You'll want to use the supplied hex key to loosen the hinges a little, and ensure your turntable isn't close to the speakers, or anything else that shakes the room, because it's likely to pick up some vibrations when it's this lightweight. High-end turntables are often seriously heavy in order to absorb unwanted vibrations, but this one is slight.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Pro-Ject E1 review: Features

• No flashy bells or whistles
• No need to do a belt change
• Fully manual operation

This is a very zen turntable: if it's not necessary, it isn't here. It's a fully manual turntable without bells and whistles, which helps explain how Pro-Ject has managed to keep the price down.

Unlike many belt-driven turntables, there's no need to do an awkward belt change when you want to change speeds: the E1 has an electronic speed switch with three positions, 45, off, and 33.

Although the Pro-Ject website currently lists the E1 with an Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge, our review unit came with an Ortofon OM 5E. That cartridge is known for its neutral sound, making it a good choice for eclectic music tastes. It's upgradeable to Ortofon's other Super OM styluses.

As mentioned above, you don't get a built-in phono stage here either, so pay attention to whether your amp has one, or whether you might be better off getting the E1 Phono model.

• Features score: 3/5

Pro-Ject E1: Audio performance

• Exciting and involving sound
• Great clarity and separation
• Bass is big without being baggy

Belt-driven turntables are typically quieter than direct drive ones, and that's definitely the case here. The E1 is very quiet in operation, enabling the music to shine. And it really does. After reviewing some much cheaper turntables, listening to the same records on the E1 was like the bit in The Wizard of Oz where everything goes into technicolor. 

The stereo stage was much better defined, the high frequencies were airier, and the low end was thrilling and tight rather than merely thumpy. Although the Ortofon cartridge is known for its neutrality it still delivered what I'd describe as a warm and lively sound, especially on vocals and acoustic instruments.

This is a very musical turntable. Old classics such as Fleetwood Mac's Rumours were a delight, the backing vocals and keyboards taking their rightful place without overpowering those lush vocals; Billy Duffy's guitar on The Cult's Electric growled and soared; Sigrid and Pet Shop Boys' electronic pop was propulsive without becoming crowded. If the mark of a good audio product is its ability to let you hear things that were previously buried, the E1 passes with flying colors: it makes room for details that you simply can't hear on lesser turntables.

Obviously, at this price, they're not the last word in turntable sound. If you spend more, and have the amp and speakers to make the most of it, you can get even more dynamic range and crisp detail. But you won't feel wanting as a result of listening to the Pro-Ject with a suitable setup, and an affordable pair of the best stereo speakers to match,

I also have one of the E1's main rivals here, the Audio-Technica AT-LP120X-USB, which has a similar price. And while the rival turntable has more features, such as Bluetooth and USB connectivity, I think the Pro-Ject E1 is the better sounding of the two. The AT is a very good affordable turntable but the E1 is more involving.

• Audio score: 4/5

Pro-Ject E1 review: Usability and setup

• Everything's been done for you
• You'll be up and running in no time
• No automation

The Pro-ject E1 has been designed to be effortless to set up. The tracking force is already set, as is the anti-skid, so getting organized is just a matter of following the simple instructions to put the belt onto the pulley, the platter on top, and the felt mat on top of that. Run the cables to your amp or phono stage, plug in the power, and you're good to go. 

That super simplicity does mean some sacrifices, though: there's no automation, so you'll need to manually lift the tonearm when you reach the end of a side. 

Although the tracking force is pre-set, you can adjust it: the counterweight is locked but the supplied hex key loosens it should you wish to increase the downward force. 

• Usability & setup score: 4.5/5

Pro-Ject E1 review: Value for money

• You're not paying for features you won't use
• Sounds more expensive than it is

At this price, the E1 is excellent value for money: you're not paying for bells and whistles you won't use (how many people are really ripping vinyl to USB these days?), so pretty much every penny is going on how your records will sound. So while lacking the extra flexibility of a phono stage or Bluetooth connection knocks this score down a little (though you can always get the E1 BT model instead!), it's still superb value overall.

It's a similar kind of thing with its lack of automatic operation – it would be even better for beginners if it had this option, but it's not a big deal that it doesn't have it. The really important thing is the quality, and it has that in spades.

If you're looking for a fuss-free turntable that looks good and sounds even better this is a Pro-Ject you'll want to join.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Pro-Ject E1?

Buy it if...

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Pro-Ject E1 review: Also consider

How I tested the Pro-Ject E1

• Tested over several weeks alongside the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1
• Tested with Onkyo amp and Bowers & Wilkins bookshelf speakers / Beyer-Dynamic headphones

I tested the Pro-Ject E1 at home over several weeks, connecting it to my Onkyo amplifier (with the direct setting enabled to completely bypass the amp's EQ circuit) which in turn powered twin Bowers & Wilkins bookshelf speakers and Beyer-Dynamic studio headphones. 

I listened carefully to albums I already know inside out across a wide range of genres to assess how well the turntable delivered not just spacious, well-recorded music but also much more rowdy and crowded recordings.

• First reviewed: June 2024
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Editor's Note

• Original review date: November 2022
• Launch price: $595 / £299 / AU$645
• Target price: $595 / £299 / AUS645

Update: February 2024. Although it's no longer Rega's latest progeny – that would be the flagship September 2023-launch Rega Naia – the Planar PL1 is still the newest affordable deck from the revered UK firm. And most importantly, the 2021 proposition is still one of the best turntables on the market – because this is vinyl, not smartphone iterations. That said, for similar money today, you could get a more forward-thinking deck (see Victrola's record turntable with repeat function or the 2023 Victrola Stream Carbon which will work with your Sonos multi-room wireless setup) but for vinyl purists on a budget, the PL1 remains hard to beat. Take note though, its price rarely sees any discounts. If anything, its continued popularity is only sending the price one way, so if you find it retailing for even a fraction cheaper than the launch price, consider yourself extremely lucky… The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Rega Planar PL1: one-minute review

The Rega Planar PL1 is the latest version of an entry-level record player first introduced in 2005 – and this may be the best version yet, which is saying something. For very nearly 50 years now, Rega has been setting turntable standards – and at all price-points.

The Rega Planar PL1 is not a very luxurious item, no – paying out for this doesn't buy you something that looks deluxe. But everything about the Planar PL1 is fit for purpose, and where the real essentials are concerned, it’s worth every penny. The motor, bearings, tonearm and cartridge are all carefully designed and engineered, and the attention to detail here is apparent in the sound quality. 

In almost every way, the Rega explains what it is people love about the best turntables as a way to enjoy music and, by extension, why vinyl has dodged the coffin all these years. It presents music as a unified, integrated whole, as a tangible performance rather than as a collection of individual strands or events. It does great work making rhythms and tempos feel natural, it extracts an awful lot of fine detail without getting uptight about it, and it has the sort of dynamic heft that can make your hair stand on end.

Not every turntable brand considers this sort of money to be ‘entry level’, it’s true. But if you want to know why vinyl is still a preoccupation for so many music-lovers, and if you perhaps want to be lured into a lifetime of tonearm adjustment, cartridge upgrades and vinyl subscription services, well… you know what to do.  

Rega Planar PL1 review: price and release date

• Released in 2021
• $595 / £299 / AU$645

This version of Rega Planar PL1 was released in 2021 (it's taken a few different forms since the P1 launch in 20005). In the United Kingdom it costs £299 or thereabouts. In America it’s a rather more prohibitive $595 or so, while in Australia you’ll need to part with AU$645.

No matter the territory in which you’re shopping, there’s no denying this is quite a lot of money for what the manufacturer blithely calls an ‘entry level’ turntable. But then not every manufacturer has the hard-won reputation of Rega. 

Rega Planar PL1 review: Design

• Matte white, black and walnut effect finishes
• Well made and finished, with pre-fitted cartridge
• Belt drive

‘Design’ is to overstate it somewhat, of course. Not much designing has gone on here – only the cheapest or the most expensive turntables try to do something other than follow the template that was set down three-quarters of a century ago. There’s a reason all turntables look like this, after all.

As an object, the Planar PL1 is perfectly fine. It’s properly made and quite nicely finished. But, as always with Rega, the bulk of your money is going on components and top-of-the-line engineering rather than on luxurious materials or other fripperies. 

The plinth is now available in three different finishes, and no matter which one you choose, it stands on three quite assertive feet that provide both stability and vibration-rejection. There’s also an ‘on/off/ switch under here.

On top, the latest version of Rega’s well-regarded RB110 tonearm is pre-fitted with an equally capable Rega Carbon moving magnet cartridge. The arm features new low-friction bearings, automatic bias adjustment and, just to prove Rega isn’t as hair-shirted as you might imagine, an integrated clip for keeping the arm secure when it’s not in use.

Rega has fitted a synchronous motor with a reworked PCB and an aluminium pulley to drive the platter – technology that has trickled down from the company’s more expensive models. The platter itself is made from phenolic material, and is relatively high-mass, especially at the outside, in an effort to guarantee speed stability and assist the flywheel effect.

You might not expect much from the belt drive, but Rega has had just as much of a think about the rubber belt on this product as for the rest of the Planar PL1. The drive belt is moulded, cryogenically frozen, and then barrelled to ensure its cross-section is perfectly round. This is in an effort to provide accurate stability, too, and it apparently extends the lifespan of the belt by a margin at the same time.

Rega Planar PL1 review: Sound quality

• Open and convincing soundstage
• Good dynamic heft
• Impressive detail levels

What sort of records do you own? What sort of music do you like? Whatever it might be, the Rega Planar PL1 likes it too.

Really, it doesn’t matter the vinyl you play, the PL1 relishes it all. In this test we slipped on everything from Simon & Garfunkel’s Bookends to Cosmogramma by Flying Lotus via Arrival by ABBA, all of which was easy to listen to – and that’s meant in the least pejorative, most positive sense.

The vinyl format hasn’t survived this long by accident. There are virtues to the way it presents music that make it the only way to listen, for some people at least, and the Rega Planar PL1 embodies all of them to a lesser or greater extent. 

The soundstage it describes, for example, is open, well-defined and easy to understand. It locks individual elements of a recording securely, and it allows each contributor to a recording all the breathing space they need in order to express themselves. Yet it manages to do this without letting anything sound remote, or estranged, or in any way dislocated. Recordings are delivered with a unity and a coherence that makes the word ‘performance’ entirely appropriate.

It’s equally confident where tonality is concerned. Bass sounds are robust, properly textured and loaded with detail. Yes, some other turntables (inevitably more expensive than this) can give the low end a little more speed and momentum, but the PL1 is no slouch in this regard. At the opposite end of the frequency range, treble sounds are similarly detailed and so similarly articulate. Again, there could conceivably be even more sparkle to the sound, but don’t imagine the Rega is in any way dull or blunt. And in the midrange, which is where the action is for singers and so on, the PL1 is just as eloquent, just as information-rich and just as direct as it is elsewhere.

Integration through the frequency range is smooth and convincing, and the Rega has the sort of low-end positivity that allows rhythms good expression. It’s helped by the dynamic headroom that’s on offer here – the distance from the quietest moments of a recording to the most raucous is considerable – as well as the harmonic variations the turntable can identify and describe. 

If we’re being picky (and we usually are),  the PL1 is a little too ready to indulge lush or luxuriant recordings. The Simon & Garfunkel album, for example, can sound a little less perky than is ideal – the Rega seems seduced by the warmth of its sound. But let’s not get carried away, this is a minor shortcoming, one we mention really for no other reason than it doesn’t suit us to be utterly uncritical.

Should you buy the Rega Planar PL1?

Buy it if…

Don't but it if…

First reviewed: November 2022

Editor's Note

• Original review date: June 2022
• Launch price: $1,999 / £1,699 / AU$3,699
• Target price: As above

Update: February 2024. In the turntable arena, a May 2022-issue product is a babe in arms – this isn't the smartphone space, where fresh iterations are expected (nay, demanded!) annually. News that the Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 is still one of the best turntables around will come as little surprise to anyone who read our Cambridge Audio Alva TT review, upon which it is built. This particular turntable has an ace up its sleeve too: onboard hi-res 24bit/48kHz aptX HD Bluetooth transmission (not to be confused with the swathe of recent decks that have a Bluetooth speaker inbuilt, to receive music from your phone; the Lenco LS-410 is a good budget example) which means whatever's spinning on the platter can be sent to your wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers around the house. Other decks can do similar (the Victrola Stream Carbon will even work with your Sonos system, if you want that) but very few turntables can do it in hi-res, or this well… and that's before we mention how good it is when listening the old-fashioned way, via its inbuilt switchable phono stage… The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 turntable: One-minute review

The Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 is the updated version of a turntable that caused a bit of a stir when it launched – here, at last, was a premium turntable that wanted to offer more convenience than is normal. Specifically, wireless streaming – and hi-res wireless streaming at that. Acclaim was immediate and more-or-less universal.

So Cambridge is back with a new, more expensive and mildly updated Alva TT: the V2. Its integrated phono stage is now switchable. It has a new tonearm and cartridge. The price has risen a little. But V2 retains the original’s bank-vault build quality, aptX HD hi-res wireless streaming smarts, and overall air of profound solidity that made it one of the best turntables around.

It also retains a lot of the original’s sonic emphases. The Alva TT V2 is a deft, smooth and insightful listen, a little short of dynamic headroom but very long indeed on detail retrieval, tonal balance and generously engaging sound. 

Yes, this sort of money can buy a more rigorous sonic attitude and more dynamic headroom at the same time. What it won’t buy is better build quality, greater midrange fidelity, anything like as much convenience, or the ability to listen directly on the best wireless headphones. So, even more so than is usual on these pages, you need to make a value judgement.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 turntable: Price and release date

• $1,999 / £1,699 / AU$3,699
• Release in May 2022

The Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 turntable was released in spring 2022, and it's officially priced at $1,999 / £1,699 / AU$3,699. Don't expect to find it with much of a discount, either.

That’s serious money for a record player – and it’s the sort of money that brings quite a few high-profile alternatives into view. Everyone from Clearaudio and Rega in Europe, Technics in Japan and VPI in the United States will happily sell you a turntable for this sort of money with high-end audio credentials – although they won’t be quite so extensively specified, admittedly. In fact, let's take a look at the features now.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 turntable: Design and features

• 24bit/48kHz aptX HD wireless streaming
• Integrated, switchable phono stage
• Direct-drive operation

As far as true ‘design’ is concerned, nothing about the Cambridge Audio Alva TT v2 is going to surprise or startle you. This turntable is designed to look like a turntable, albeit a nicely constructed and finished one, and as such is never going to be an interior decorator’s favourite item.

That’s not to say it doesn’t look good, or a lot like the outgoing Alva TT, though. A hefty, smoothly finished chassis is topped by a tactile aluminium plinth with the ‘Cambridge’ logo punched into one corner and three buttons (‘power on/off’, ‘33.3’ and ‘45’) nicely recessed into another. The whole thing is covered by a hinged, smoked-plastic dust-cover.

On top of the plinth there’s an extremely hefty polyoxymethylene platter, and off to one side an entirely fresh design of tonearm. For this V2 model, the tonearm now features anti-skate as well as counter-weight adjustment and has a detachable headshell for ease of cartridge-replacement. It’s pre-fitted with a cartridge, of course – a high-output Cambridge Audio moving coil option with a replacement cost (according to the brand’s website) of £499.

On the inside, the Alva TT v2 uses a direct-drive mechanism to turn that chunky platter – but this is no DJ-centric turntable for hooking into a mixer. Cambridge Audio asserts the best way to guarantee rotational stability is to specify a medium-torque direct-drive motor in conjunction with a high-density platter. That’s what this turntable has, and while it takes a turn or two longer than you might be expecting to come up to speed, once it’s there it’s unshakeable.

On the rear of the chassis are a number of items of interest. There’s power input and a pair of stereo RCA analogue outputs for connection to an amplifier, which are both pretty much par for the course. 

There’s also a switch for the integrated phono stage – this circuitry is based closely on the well-received Alva Duo stand-alone phono stage Cambridge Audio introduced a while back and, unlike the original Alva TT, it’s optional. Turn it on and the V2 outputs at a line-level any amplifier can handle; turn it off and the signal will need to be boosted by pre-amp circuitry on board an amplifier or by an external phono stage. 

So if the owner’s system already includes sufficient amplification, it’s possible to compare the V2’s onboard amplification with that of the system into which it’s playing and make a decision based on perceived sound quality. This is an improvement on the original Alva TT, the ‘always on’ phono stage of which seemed a little unhelpful.

There’s also a switch to turn Bluetooth connectivity on or off, plus a button to initiate Bluetooth pairing. Unlike the majority of Bluetooth-equipped turntables, which are generally entry-level devices that prioritise convenience over all else, the Alva TT V2 is deadly serious about wireless streaming. So it’s specified to support the aptX HD Bluetooth codec, and can stream at an authentically high-resolution 24bit/48kHz. 

Which means that if you want a turntable that can sit where you want it to, rather than where it insists on being, and deliver the audio goods wirelessly, well… Cambridge Audio continues to be the only game in town.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 turntable: Audio performance

• Articulate and impressive wireless performance
• Very capable integrated phono stage
• Lacks a little dynamism and positivity  

Unlike the majority of turntables, there are three ways of listening to the Alva TT V2: Hard-wired to an amplifier with phono amplification turned on; the same but with the phono stage turned off; and wirelessly via Bluetooth. 

And while there are pretty obvious differences in the way the Cambridge presents your vinyl, its fundamental attitude doesn’t alter no matter the way you decide to listen to it. In all circumstances, it’s a poised, perceptive and engaging listen – and as long as you (and your music) aren’t permanently in ‘party on!’ mode, it’s a satisfying listen.

That it sounds better when hard-wired than when streaming wirelessly shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. What is quite startling, though, is just how accomplished the Alva TT V2 sounds when streaming via Bluetooth. 

With a heavy reissue of Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue spinning and the turntable streaming to a Naim Uniti Star streamer/amplifier while physically connected only to power, the Cambridge sounds full, detailed and quite eloquent. There is more than enough detail retained to make the nuances of the musicians’ techniques apparent, and sufficient control of the entire frequency range to make the recording sound authentically like a performance. Bass is deep and agile, the top end is acceptably crisp, and the midrange communicates in unambiguous fashion.

The soundstage is reasonably well organised and quite expansive, and there’s never any possibility of one element of the recording intruding into the space of another. Low-level dynamic insight is good too – a recording like this is alive with minor harmonic variations, and the Alva TT V2 is pretty alert to them. 

It’s not quite as successful where the broader dynamic peaks and troughs of a recording are concerned, though – it’s not as if the Cambridge sounds flat or operates at a single level, but the dynamic ebb and flow of a recording isn’t expressed as fully as it might be.

Our Naim doesn’t have any phono amplification, so the Cambridge is first hard-wired with its internal amplification switched on, and then via a Chord Huei stand-alone phono stage with the Alva TT V2’s amplification switched off. The differences in performance, it has to be said, are quite predictable.

Using its own on-board amplification, the Cambridge gains a degree of positivity compared to its wireless sound. It’s still a smooth and detailed listen, but low frequencies gain a little alacrity where attack and decay are concerned while the top end is a little more assertive too. It’s just a more businesslike way to listen, even though the overall TT V2 sonic signature is much the same. When hard-wired, it’s just slightly snappier.

The internal amplification is indeed comparable to the Alva Duo phono stage on which it’s closely based, which is unequivocally a good thing. Unsurprisingly, though, it’s no match for the pricier Chord Huei phono stage – and while the Chord is disproportionately expensive in the context of the rest of this system, it does allow the Cambridge to fully demonstrate both what it’s capable of and what its limitations are.

The shaping of low frequencies steps up again when listening this way. Rhythmic expression becomes more certain, transient detail retrieval improves and the unity, the togetherness of the individual elements of a recording seems more natural and instinctive than before. Even an over-specified phono stage can’t help the Alva TT V2’s slight lack of dynamic potency, though, nor coax greater directness from its overall performance.

Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 turntable: Should you buy it?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Also consider

First reviewed: June 2022

Editor's Note

• Original review date: May 2022
• Launch price: $259 / £219 (about AU$360)
• Target price: $230 / £200 (approx. AU$300)

Update: February 2024. The Lenco LS-410 is still one of the best turntables on the market owing to its particular mix of usefulness and wallet-friendly appeal. The ace up its sleeve is a surprisingly beefy four-driver speaker array (it's actually under the platter, but you knew that), which will also accept music sent over Bluetooth, making it a viable option for anyone dipping into vinyl without losing their beloved music streaming services. Although it was released in March 2022, this is the world of analog audio and the physical music product, so technological advancements are… incremental. That said, in January 2024 a Victrola record turntable with a repeat function made its debut, while the 2023 Victrola Stream Carbon will also work with your Sonos wireless speaker setup, so there is competition when it comes to marrying old with new in record players these days. Our advice? It's still a good gateway vinyl spinner, as long as top notch audio quality isn't top of your list. The rest of this review remains as previously published.

Lenco LS-410: two-minute review

The Lenco LS-410 combines the retro joys of vinyl with up-to-the-minute wireless streaming technology, adds a loudspeaker array and plenty of amplification, and packages it all in a box that looks and feels nicer than it really has any right to at the price.

It’s painless to set up, can be connected to an external system and has an input for yet another source of music. And it has a dust-cover too. Really what more could you ask for from a record player?

It would be churlish to ask for more where Bluetooth sound is concerned. The Lenco sounds quite expansive, muscular and detailed when streaming wirelessly - it’s not the most practical $260 / £220 Bluetooth speaker around, but it’s far from the least enjoyable.

But it all falls to pieces when playing vinyl. The tonearm and its associated controls feel insubstantial - and that’s the way the Lenco sounds when it’s playing records, too. And it’s further undermined by a slight, but undeniable, tendency to wander a little bit where rotational speed is concerned.

It’s a great pity, because in principle the Lenco LS-410 is a fine idea. We would have happily accepted a higher priced device if the engineering was more robust - that would make the LS-410 a genuine contender. Read on for our full Lenco LS-410 review.

Lenco LS-410 review: Price and release date

• Available now
• $259 / £219 (about AU$360)

The Lenco LS-410 is on sale now for $259 / £219 - while there’s no official Australian price just yet, that works out at about AU$360.

There’s an awful lot of tech packed into the LS-410 for that modest price - if you’ve got access to an outlet, a smartphone and a vinyl record, you’ve a multi-source all-in-one system ready to go. But, of course, offering features and functionality is only half the battle… 

Lenco LS-410 review: Design and features

• 33.3 and 45rpm for vinyl
• Bluetooth 5 for wireless streaming 
• 50 watts powering four speaker drivers 

The Lenco LS-410 is functional rather than luxurious where materials are concerned, but the combination of metal, plastic and wood is nicely constructed and properly finished. There’s really nothing to find fault with where build quality is concerned, certainly not as far as the cabinet goes.

Beneath the aluminum platter (which comes with a felt mat) there’s a fairly substantial box in which the record player keeps 50 watts of amplification, a four-strong speaker driver array (each firing out through the criss-cross metal grille at the front), a switchable phono stage and Bluetooth reception-related circuitry. It stands on four pliant feet that are designed to isolate the cabinet from vibration and ook a lot like the classic ‘half a squash ball’ isolation solution so beloved of hi-fi tweekers.

On top, there’s a sturdy plastic dust-cover. Lift it up and you’ve got access to the turntable itself. This is a belt-drive design, and there’s a straight tonearm pre-fitted with an Audio-Technica cartridge - all you need to do to set it up is fit and adjust the counter-weight. Beneath the tonearm, there’s a little control-panel: an on/off/input selection button, play/pause, a 33.3 or 45rpm speed control and a dial to regulate volume. 

As much as we like the way the cabinet is constructed and finished, we have to be a fair bit more qualified about some of the fixtures and fittings. The tonearm itself doesn’t feel all that substantial, the mechanical lift that raises or lowers it feels flimsier still, and the clip to keep it secure in its cradle feels flimsiest of all. 

The rubbery control buttons move around beneath your finger more than we’d like. The entire tonearm mechanism and drive motor are attached to a suspended plate that has a (perfectly acceptable) degree of movement in it, but there’s more movement in the tonearm assembly itself than is either expected or sensible. 

At the back of the cabinet there’s an input for mains power, a switch to turn the integrated phono stage on or off, and stereo RCA outputs - the LS-410 is a self-contained system, but if you want to run it into a bigger system or more powerful amplifier, the option is there. There’s also a 3.5mm analogue input for auxiliary equipment.

As we said, your $259 / £219 buys plenty. Good luck finding many other self-contained vinyl/Bluetooth system with speakers at this sort of money.

Lenco LS-410 review: audio performance

• Spirited, enjoyable Bluetooth sound 
• Vinyl sounds bland and uncertain by comparison
• Rotational speed isn’t consistent 

 You’re not short of choice for wireless speakers at this price, but the Lenco LS-410 is among the better ones. Admittedly the fact that it’s outlet-powered and fitted with a turntable make it a lot less portable than most other Bluetooth speakers at this sort of money, but the fact remains: give the LS-410 a half-decent digital audio stream to deal with and it does very decent work.

Bluetooth 5 proves more than capable of getting a nice big hi-res TIDAL Masters file of Robert Wyatt’s Old Rottenhat on board, and once it’s there the Lenco gives a full account of it. It has impressive low frequency presence, but doesn’t let bass sounds get carried away or overstay their welcome. Instead they’re properly controlled, reasonably detailed and give the midrange plenty of space to do its thing. 

‘Its thing’ in this instance turns out to be a communicative and detailed delivery of the characterful vocals. The voice is nicely isolated but nevertheless integrated into the rest of the performance, and the LS-410 creates a big enough soundstage for a singer to stretch out a little. At the top end things are played pretty safe, with treble sounding just slightly blunt when compared to the rest of the frequency range - which, while not ideal, is preferable to overt hardness or harshness.

This isn’t the most dynamic sound you ever heard, for sure, but neither is it the most inhibited. And when it’s put into proper context, the LS-410 is a perfectly likable and periodically quite impressive Bluetooth speaker. 

Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case when listening to vinyl. The solidity of its low-end presence is undermined when listening to a copy of Devo’s Are We Not Men? and is replaced by a less positive and less detailed version. The midrange is still quite spacious, but it sounds slightly phasey - and that’s the case at the top of the frequency range too. Much of the certainty the LS-410 exhibits as a Bluetooth speaker falls away, and the result is a sound that’s undemonstrative and rather pedestrian.

Most unhappily, though, is the relative lack of rotational stability the turntable exhibits. Even tiny discrepancies in what should be 33.3rpm are audible, and once you’ve heard them they’re impossible to un-hear. For whatever reason, the Lenco doesn’t maintain speed perfectly - and the sonic results are deeply off-putting. 

Lenco LS-410 review: should you buy it?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Lenco LS-410 review: Also consider

Not convinced by our Lenco Ls-410 review? Here are three more record players we think you should consider.

First reviewed: May 2022

• Read our guide on how to set up a turntable