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In a world of Spotify and Apple Music, vinyl records are still going strong as an audio medium. last year, vinyl record sales reach over $1 billion For the first time in this century, it proved that music lovers are still attracted to the art of listening and collecting records.
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With all these record sales, you had to have a way to play them, and turntables have now entered the 21st century with features like Bluetooth and USB outputs for recording vinyl to digital. I’ve tested many turntables over the years, so I was excited to try a new one Sony PS-LX5BT To see how well it meets my sonic standards – and whether it would be a good purchase for anyone looking to upgrade.
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Sony says the PS-LX5BT is an “upgrade on your vinyl journey”, aimed at those who are not new to vinyl, but also seasoned collectors and audiophiles. The construction of the turntable is really good quality and it is designed with a one-piece body and aluminum tone arm, which minimizes vibrations and interruptions to your music. It also has Hi-Res wireless audio with Qualcomm’s aptX Adaptive, with a frequency of ～96kHz/24bit.
It’s very easy to set up – probably the easiest turntable I’ve ever assembled – especially when it comes to installing the belt, which can be challenging for some people. Purists won’t like autoplay, but I appreciated the ability to press the start button, move the tone arm up automatically, and auto-cue the first track.
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The PS-LX5BT has both phono output and Bluetooth, so you can use it in the traditional way by connecting it to quality speakers or in the modern way by connecting it to your Sonos speakers or headphones.
listening experience
Whenever I test a turntable, I always put a vintage vinyl that has seen a lot of play, side by side with a new vinyl to compare the sound. On vintage vinyl (The Beatles White Album), the record sounded almost new. I did miss a bit of the crackling and popping sound present in older records, but overall, I can’t complain about the sound quality.
The new albums sounded equally good: Bob Moses’ “Days Gone By” sounded crisp, bubbly, even on an electronic-based track. On Taylor Swift’s “Evermore” (yes, I’m a Swiftie, sue me), the vocals were clean and sharp and gave a fresh sound to one of my favorite albums.
A really nice feature of this turntable is that you can connect the USB output to your computer to digitize your vinyl. Although this isn’t a use case that the average person will need, for DJs who want to extract song samples or who want to digitize their old collection for listening on the go, this is a great way to do so.
Now here’s what seasoned vinyl listeners and purists won’t like: There’s no adjustable anti-skate and no adjustable tracking force, meaning you’re limited in your cartridge replacements. The turntable comes with a MM cartridge in the AT-3600 version, so it’s not a terrible cartridge by any means, but customizing the cartridge is something that many people look for in a turntable. If so, this is not the turntable for you.
I’m also hesitant about the price: while the audio sounds great and the build is of good quality (no vibrations or skips heard), I think this turntable would be better priced at $350 rather than its $500 price tag.
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That doesn’t mean it’s not a worthy turntable, it is – especially for those looking for an easy upgrade from their cheap, first turntable that won’t require much knowledge of setting up or customizing. The sound is truly impressive and influences both old and new records. Sony PS-LX5BT Versatile for both traditional and modern setups and built to last.
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However, not having adjustable anti-skate or tracking forces doesn’t justify the $500 price in my opinion, even though it’s currently discounted to $475 on Sony’s website.
If you want to spend a little less for an impressive turntable, I recommend this Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBTWhich is $348.
