Portable Record Player

Numark PT01 Scratch Portable Turntable with Built-In DJ Scratch Switch

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Numark PT01 Scratch Portable Turntable with Built-In DJ Scratch Switch overallNumark PT01 Scratch Portable Turntable with Built-In DJ Scratch Switch

Do you have a budding DJ or desire to learn the latest DJ Techniques or moves as they prefer to call them? Do they need a portable scratch turntable? Then the Numark PT01 Scratch Portable Turntable with Built-In DJ Scratch / Fade Switch is something you would have to seriously consider. It is not a professional grade turntable but it has many features that could make it more desirable than some of the professional gear. At this very affordable price this one is hard to look past check out my  Numark PT01 scratch review.

I think that it is better quality than the low price would lead you to believe. The build quality is very acceptable when you consider the price. The portability is a huge bonus being both powered from AC and battery with built in speaker. Your budding turntablist could do a lot worse if they are highly mobile.

To have such an affordable and highly portable turntable that has many connection options including both large (¼ inch) and small (1/8 inch) headphone outs along with USB and RCA makes this a strong contender for the best portable turntable that I’ve seen for quite some time.

If you meant to go straight to the product click the link link below.Numark PT01 Scratch Portable Turntable with Built-In DJ Scratch Switch with DJ

Go Direct To Amazon Numark PT 01 Scratch 

 Main Features Of The Numark Portable Scratch Turntable

  • 3-speed vinyl turntable (33 1/3, 45 and 78 RPM) with built-in Scratch Slide Switch
  • Built-in speaker, protective case, and integrated carrying handle
  • Wall-powered with included AC adapter or six batteries (not included)
  • 1/8″ aux input with adjustable volume; RCA line outputs; 1/4″ & 1/8″ headphone outs
  • Class-compliant USB connection for PC recording
  • Ease of replacement stylus and slide scratch switch
  • 3-Speed Vinyl Turntable
  • 45 RPM Adapter included

The Numark PT01 Scratch can play 33 RPM, 45 RPM or 78 RPM records. The mechanism is a belt driven which makes for simplicity and helps to keep the cost of this turntable low. Belt drives are less power hungry than a direct drive and there this helps to give better battery life which is important for this highly portable scratch turntable.

The 3 speeds gives you considerable versatility to play or scratch your 7 inch, 12 inch or 10 inch records. This could be an interesting way to use your old 78’s as these are very hardy but are heavier. The greater mass of the old 78 records might require you to change your scratching techniques for this older vinyl format.

However the 3 speed mechanism is will require the replacement of belts every once in a while but that’s ok as the belts are quite inexpensive and very easy to replace.

Built-in Scratch Slide SwitchNumark PT01 Scratch Portable Turntable with Built-In DJ Scratch Switch scratch switch

This is such a brilliant idea for a turntable that is marketed to the beginner turntablist to put the scratch switch in the player and allow it to be made fully portable. The switch is not really a professional quality switch but is however quite reasonable quality. Numark call it a scratch / slide switch which is a good description, it doesn’t really have any fade capability. Despite this there is more than enough fun for a new Turntablist in this  portable record player to develop the the basic skills to go on to greater things.

The placement of the scratch / fade  switch and access to it makes it very simple to swap out with a new one. No technical skills are required just the ability to turn a screwdriver. The switch itself is readily available and very inexpensive.

The scratch switch is designed to easily configure for different positions. If you are left or right handed or have other preferences for the position of the switch it highly likely you can find something that suits your needs.

It is not a professional scratch switch with cross fade capability. Despite the shortcomings of this feature the NuMark PT01 scratch is still a very capable and extremely powerful low priced portable vinyl player  for someone who is not able to afford professional gear and when the cost of professional gear is not justified.

For the newbies this is a great option that will allow you to step from “no idea at all” to “got the potential skills to do great work”. This is a very important period for people that have the desire and can develop their dream of becoming a DJ Turntablist.

Built-In Speaker, Protective Case, And Integrated Carrying Handle.

The Numark PT01 Scratch has been developed from the standard PT01. The standard PT01 had many features and was the favourite of the scratch community due to the flexibility of this great turntable.portable scratch turntable diagram

The PT01 has a built in speaker that will enhance the portability and usefulness of this portable turntable. People that have purchased the PT01 Scratch have commented that the internal speaker does not have a great sound . This is understandable given the size of the speaker and the price of this portable turntable. However do not be discouraged by the comments made by purchasers.

The quality of the sound from the internal speaker is typical of this style of Portable Record Player. The great thing about the Numark PT01 Scratch Portable Turntable with Built-In DJ Scratch Switch is that although the sound is not the best from the internal speaker it has some absolutely stellar connection options that more than make up for this shortfall.

Got to Amazon Here to the Numark Scratch Portable

1/8″ aux input with adjustable volume; RCA line outputs; 1/4″ & 1/8″ headphone outs

First of all there is the 1/8th or 1/4 headphone outs for plugging in all kinds of headphone to suit your needs. Even with a relatively inexpensive headset your  PT 01 scratch will begin to sound like a very professional unit indeed.

portable scratch turntable side viewIf you want to go bigger then there is the option of the RCA outputs that can plug into active speakers, a home stereo or even a professional amp and speakers. The difference in sound is going to be mind blowing. The PT01 has adjustable volume or gain controls that will allow you to set the volume into your amplifier to avoid any distortion.

Now as if that wasn’t enough you can also plug a 1/8th line into this record player and use it like a music centre. Most media players and phones will be able to hook up to it and provide background music to perform your routine too.

Wall-Powered With Included AC Adapter Or Battery Operation

The PT 01 has power AC adapter and includes battery power capability. The battery pack will take 6 x D cell batteries. Although these can seem a little expensive to purchase and D cells are not as common as some other sizes there been reports of people getting more than 40 hours playtime from a set of D Batteries. This is an extraordinary amount of time from a single set of batteries. 40 hours is a long time to use this portable turntable for.

Battery powered portable vinyl players are harder to find and if you are looking specifically for highly portable and very small battery powered record player I have a review on the Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding that may be of interest.

Class-compliant USB connection for PC recording.portable scratch turntable with usb

This is one very important feature that is included with your Numark PT01 Scratch. USB connection allows you to record your routines for later playback or to send as demos of your art.

The Numark Scratch comes with free recording software EZ Vinyl / Tape Converter. This software is by Ion  who I believe are the licensee for this software I have included a download link to the EZ Vinyl Tape Converter setup software for Windows

https://www.ionaudio.com/downloads/EZVinylTapeConverterSetup_Win_11-7.zip

Here’s a download link for the MAC OSX version https://www.ionaudio.com/downloads/EZVinylTapeConverterSetup_OSX_11-5.zip

Now this is not the only software that you can use there is other free software available the will work just as well as EZ Vinyl / Tape Converter others that you can use. These are both free software.

Free Conversion Software

Paid Conversion Software

Slip Mat or Platter Mat

I would strongly recommend getting a platter mat, or Slip Matt there are several very good ones on Amazon. I can recommend Turntable Labs Spacemat Record Slipmat  for your DJ work . At sub $15 it is a good mat at a very reasonable price. The Spacemat will give you an even slip rate and help to protect your vinyl at the same time. However you can just put a plastic bag  flattened out under the Numark platter mat and you can get some excellent results. The reason why is that platter mats are designed to increase friction so that slippage is reduced. A good DJ knows that a certain amount of slippage is what is needed to cut a really good routine. The plastic bag for most beginners DJ’s will work well.

The Conclusion

Basically this is one of the best portable turntables for The beginner DJ around at the moment it could be the best portable turntable for the newbie period. The quality is very good given the low price for this portable record player. It has the Scratch / Cut switch that makes an instant hit for anyone in the DJ fraternity.portable scratch turntable

It has true portability, lightweight and great selection of connection options. And thrown in for good measure is the additional gain control just like the professional gear.

There have been some comments regarding quality of the build but I don’t see how these are justified. However I have 1 reservation about the tonearm on this player. The tonearm is a little on the light side and in order to have working properly the player would have to be setup absolutely level. If not then it may need some additional weight on the stylus to keep it from skipping grooves.

Overall all with a 3.5 star rating this portable scratch turntable is the best portable turntable I have seen for some time. If you would like to see a video of this portable scratch turntable check my Best Portable Turntable Video Reviews  page here.

 Go To Amazon Now And Checkout This Great DJ Turntable Now 

portable scratch turntable the ad viewportable scratch turntable with lid

 

Victrola Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable

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victrola-nostalgic-3-speed-vintage-bluetooth-suitcase-turntable-Black Victrola Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable

Have you seen the Victrola Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable, Black. If not then I’m going to tell you all about it today in this review of this portable record player from Innovative Technology. The Victrola is a 3 speed turntable with Bluetooth technology built in.  It enables you to enjoy the old world warmth of Vinyl and the latest Bluetooth streaming technology. This very tech savvy old style turntable is able to receive a stream from your phone, tablet or other Bluetooth device. You can listen to your downloaded music and use the portable turntable as a music centre.

 

Main Features

  • Effortless Portability is Great for Travelling, Visiting Friends or Enjoying Albums in the Garage. Portable suitcase design with easy carry handle.
  • Three-speed turntable (33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM) plays all of your vinyl records and favorite albums.
  • Built-in Bluetooth to wirelessly play music from your Bluetooth enabled device. No cords needed.
  • 5mm Aux-in for playing music from any non-Bluetooth device, RCA Aux-in and headphone jack
  • Built-in stereo speakers
  • Available in Assorted Colors

If you want to go straight to Amazon Click here

Effortless Portability Is Great For Travelling

The heart of this player is portability and convenience – you can take it anywhere and enjoy playing your vinyl victrola-nostalgic-3-speed-vintage-bluetooth-suitcase-turntable pairalbums. It might be down in the garage or to a friends house. You might take it to a picnic with a special friend or an intimate occasion. Whatever you needs, this player is definitely ready to go anywhere.

It has carry handle and locking mechanism that keeps the unit safely closed until you want to open it and play. The hinges seem to be well designed and sturdy. The carry handle is comfortable and easy to use as is the lock.

It has a power adapter that can plug in to any power source and give you instant operation. It has very low power requirements and could be operated from a small solar to mains converter unit. This would make your Victrola Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable truly portable. Maximum power requirements for this portable record player are only 6 Watts.

Three-Speed Turntable (33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM) With Auto Start And Stop.

The Victrola Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable  is a 3 speed unit that allows playing of :-

33  1/3 RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) records – 12 inch vinyl records. These are the most popular and are still available brand new with current artists releasing on this format.victrola-nostalgic-3-speed-vintage-bluetooth-suitcase-turntable-blue

45 RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) 7 inch singles or 12 inch Extra play (EPs). The 7 inch were very popular and have recent releases but in extremely limited numbers. These are most likely something that your parents may have that you would be able to play. They had usually 1 song per side. There were some that were released that had 2 songs per side and were also called EPs. There was also some 12 inch LPs that were released as extra plays generally only had 1 or 2 songs per side. I seem to remember these were most popular in the Disco era.

78 RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) the older 10 inch Shellac record that may have been owned by your Grandparents. These were the quite heavy and the recording quality was not so good but for many years it was all that was available. These were very brittle but resisted wear very well.

 Check Out The Victrola Portable Record Player At Amazon

The Victrola turntable has Auto Start and Stop. The auto start / stop can be switched on or off. When it is on by lifting the tone arm and swinging it towards the record the turntable will automatically start to spin on the platter. Once the record has played through and  tone arm is at the end of the music then the record will stop turning automatically. You can lift the tone arm and replace it on the tone arm resting position.

 Built-In Bluetooth To Wirelessly Play Music.

The Bluetooth receiver is simple to use and seem to be reliable so as you can connect your IPhone or IPad in fact “I anything” plus android phone and tablets. This allows you to use the turntable as a music centre. You can connect wirelessly and play your digitally downloaded music as well as playing your analogue vinyl music.

victrola-nostalgic-3-speed-vintage-bluetooth-suitcase-turntable-with headphones3.5 mm Wired Input For Flexibility

The Victrola Portable portable record player has 3.5mm Aux-in for playing music from any non-Bluetooth device. The 3.5mm jack socket is located just behind the function knob on the top of the playing area.  This means that with the combination of Bluetooth and wired 3.5mm input almost any device can be connected to your portable record player and played on its internal speaker system.

RCA Output For Connection To Amplification

There is an RCA Aux-output located at the rear of the record player. It is located beside the power adapter jack. This allows you to plug your record player into an external amplifier or active speaker system. Although the internal speakers are very adequate for personal use in a relatively quiet environment if you need more sound then it’s time to pump up the volume.

So you can plug your portable player into your home stereo and give the neighbours a taste of vinyl power!

The Victrola portable vinyl player keeps the features keep coming with headphone jack. It’s located at the front of the playing area just in front of the power on-off / volume knob. When you want to listen to your favourite album without disturbing others plug in a good set of headphones or ear buds. Listening this way can give quite a big improvement in your listening pleasure.

Built In Speakers

This brings me to the speakers that are built in to this portable record player. There are several comments from purchasers that were not happy with the quality of sound from the speakers. They are adequate and given the size and portability of this portable vinyl player. To be perfectly honest when it comes to speakers and bass response – size does matter! The quality of the engineering, the design and a lot of other parameters will make a difference but size is the first parameter.

The built in speakers are only small and the power usage of the player in total is very small and the price is very small. That said the performance given the restrictions of size and price the sound is very adequate. The fact is that you can connect this unit to much more capable amplification.  I think that option combined with the convenience and price point makes the sacrifice of sound quality well worth it.

The Verdict

 The Victrola Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable comes in a range of very retro colours that make it a very cool looking. It has some purchasers growling about the engineering quality. Most of the buyers appreciate what they are purchasing and at this price point value for money is very acceptable – it is what it is! In my opinion this could be the best portable turntable I have seen for quite some time.

In all my portable turntable reviews I try to be as straight with my readers as possible.  I think, and customers who’ve purchased think, that overall this portable record player scores 3.5 stars. That’s not too bad and I believe a good indication that my opinion is justified

You Can Go StraightTo Amazon Here

PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable

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PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable

Have you seen the PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable with USB-to-PC Connection with Built-In Rechargeable Battery? This is a truly portable briefcase turntable record player. You can take it anywhere on the planet and listen to your favourite LP’s. Something that an Audiophile can’t do with his high specification snooty turntable. Make no mistake this is not for the audiophilliac that has the desire to be able to recreate the exact sound from a full philharmonic orchestra in his lounge room.

In this review I am going to tell you about the Pyle Retro belt drive turntable. We are going to look at the performance of this belt drive turntable and whether it may be suitable for you. Mainly designed around portability and has a low price. It is also battery powered and therefore has some compromises that may make it not suitable for everyone.

Click Straight Through To Amazon here

Main Features of the Pyle PVTT2UOR

  • 3 Speed Turntable: 33, 45, 78 RPM
  • Stereo RCA Output
  • Ceramic Stereo Cartridge
  • AC Power Supply
  • 45 RPM Adapter
  • Free Audacity Software Included For Vinyl-to-MP3

3 Speed Turntable: 33, 45, 78 RPM

This is a belt drive 3 speed turntable with auto start and stop. 3 speed means that the Pyle can play all the popular vinyl record formats including

  • 12 inch Long Play (LP’s) – 33 RPMPYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable angle
  • 12 Inch Single Play (SP’s) – 45 RPM
  • 10 Inch old Shellac Resin 78 RPM
  • 7 Inch Single Play (SP’s) 45 RPM

Belt Drive Turntable

The belt drive turntables are versatile and use less power than some other types of drives. On this battery powered model every bit of saving helps. The belt drive is a mechanically simpler type of drive that makes servicing if it is ever needed, easier too. This drive is an auto start and stop version which means that when you lift the tone arm over to the record start it will automatically start the turntable in motion. When it gets to the end of the record it will automatically stop.

The Ceramic Cartridge

The turntable tone arm is fitted with a Ceramic Stereo Cartridge. Ceramic Cartridges are thought by some to be inferior. I believe that in the case where portability and reliability are of greater importance that the choice of Ceramic is a good one. Other types of Cartridges such as the Moving coil or Magnetic Cartridge may have some qualities that are more suitable to Audiophiles but in this case I think the Ceramic is a good all rounder that will stand the test of time.

AC Power Supply

This player will run off the AC but it doesn’t come with a power adapter. It does come with a USB cable that enables it to be played and charged from almost any USB power source. It can plug into almost any laptop of desktop computer and play and charge from that. If you have a AC adapter that has a USB outlet on it there is a good chance that it will play and charge the Pyle Turntable Record Player. Usually your phone or tablet or car USB charger will act as a source for the Pyle Portable Turntable.

The PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable with USB comes with a 45 RPM adapter that fits over the centre spindle and enables you to play the 7 inch 45’s. the adapter has a recessed area on the top of the PYLE retro turntable that means it is easily accessed and yet cleverly tucked away while not in use.

Go Straight To Amazon Here

PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable digitizingFree Editing Software

Free Audacity software that is supplied with the Pyle PVTT2UBK record player. This is not the only software that will work with the USB to PC recording system. The Audacity is not very sophisticated software but is certainly adequate for the job it has to do and it is easy to learn how to use. The audacity software has a very automated approach to recording and modifying your digital recordings. This makes it very easy for beginners to learn how to start processing the recording from the Pyle recording unit.

The software (Audacity) features 1 click recording and very few clicks for even fairly complex tasks. Editing is easy and produces quite good results with minimal intervention form the operator. I have included a YouTube of a fairly armature user demonstrating how to operate the software with little experience and knowledge of audio editing. She is able to produce very acceptable results.

Audacity can be updated from the Audacity website. There are versions of Audacity for Windows, Mac and Linux available. There is help and FAQ and Help files available for anyone looking for help. The Audacity Team also has contact details and plenty of information to help you with any difficulty you might have with the software.

Alternative Editing software

There is other software that can be used with the PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable. Plenty of it is available for free or as a shareware program. There are other software that may actually be a little more flexible than Audacity. You could have a look at Goldwave.com, it seems to have more features and for some people may be more suitable but it is not free the cost is $45 for a lifetime license or $15 for a 1 year license. This seem fairly reasonable to me.

Other audio editing software is available but some go way beyond simply editing converted LP’s for analogue to digital conversion. If you were to purchase any software before actually putting out your money go to the manufacturers site and if needed ask if they have trial version so that you can see how easy it is to use and whether you like it or not.

RCA sockets for connecting to external AMPPYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable RCA sockets

The PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable has RCA output socket or jacks if you prefer to call them that. The RCA outputs are mounted on the back of the record player and can be very handy if you have an amplifier or active speakers to connect them to. The built in speakers are not too bad if you are playing records in a room at home and it is fairly quiet. Under these conditions there is ample volume although the tiny speakers don’t provide any notable bass.

Comments From Purchasers

When you check out the Amazon sales page you may find that there are some negative comments about the sound quality for this vinyl player. This is to be expected at such a low price point. The speakers are a compromise that makes the portability so much more convenient. There will usually be compromises for the best portable turntables to make them useful and suitable for the purpose they are designed for.

Other comments for this player are made about the quality of the finish and the engineering of the unit in general. These comments are few and far between most people realise that the price point doesn’t allow for the quality that you would get if you were to spend $1000 on a turntable or even $500.

My Conclusion

To my way of thinking the PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable is what it is. It will provide you with a good convenient player that you can take anywhere and not need a power point to plug it into. It is fun and convenient and allows playing of a wide variety of records and LP’s. Along with the convenience of converting those records to digital formats very inexpensively makes it a really nice portable record player.

Click to Amazon PYLE PVTT2UOR Retro Belt-Drive Turntable

Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding

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Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding Black

Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding

This review for the Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding will show you how versatile it is. It’s one of the smaller player5s on the market and is so portable you take it with and run it with plugging into the power. It is a belt driven 2 speed turntable.
So many people are getting back to vinyl record players now and although there are some very good turntables around it is harder to find units that are portable. Sylvania have produced a nice unit here.
We will look t the features of this turntable and look at how it performs and by the end of this review you’ll be able to decide if it’s the best portable turntable for you. This one is available from Amazon and for a very good price it is also available from EBay but at a higher price plus freight depending on where you are located.
We’ll look at what customers who actually purchased this turntable thought of it and check out both the good and bad points for this record player. If you want to go straight to Amazon and purchase click below.

Click For Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding at Amazon.

Main Features

  • Turntable Record Player with Built in Speaker and Volume Control.
  • Belt drive Turntable with  2 Speeds; 33RPM  or 45 RPM.
  • Convert your Vinyl records to MP3 or WAV Digital Files and Store on Your Computer, Software Included.
  • RCA AUX Out Jack.
  • LED Power Indicator; USB Power Jack.
  • Very Portable size 15 x 6.9 x 5 inches (380 x 175 x 127 millimeters) only weighs 2.5 Pounds ( 1.3 Kg) .
  • Lots of colours.

Is this the best portable turntable for you to purchase.

With the current resurgence of vinyl records there is much to be considered when purchasing a turntable. Electronics and technology have progressed enormously since the heyday of the vinyl LP options that were not even dreamed about then are everyday stuff now.

When purchasing your first thought is probably going to be about:Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding red

  • how you intend to use and play your records.
  • Where you intend to use and play your albums.
  • Whether you are an Audiophile craving perfection .
  • If you are just happy to reveille in the nostalgia and bring back some memories.
  • If you are new to the whole tactile audio media thing.

No matter how you feel or what you are looking for you may have a place for this little player. The whole idea of this record player is strongly focussed on portability. So portable that in fact it will run on batteries or from the USB power from a computer or any USB charger.

This would be an ideal player to take anywhere if you were looking to buy used records form junk sellers or thrift shops. By taking a small portable unit that runs form batteries you could check LP’s out on the spot to make sure they are as good or bad as they look. If you found a record for an artist or band that you were unfamiliar with play there and then to decide whether you like them or not and purchase with confidence.

Portable Turntable with built in speaker and volume.

One of the problems that you have with all portable turntables are the sound quality. The very fact that this unit is so small means that the built in speaker is also small. The small size is always going to make it difficult to get big sound. However it’s not so bad the sound that you can get from these units is adequate if you like a big bass sound however it’s not going to be happening here. The audio is actually pretty good in a quiet room it’s fairly loud you won’t need to sit on top of it to clearly hear the music.

With these units you have options to be able to connect up to bigger and better speakers:-

  • Plug in your best headphones or earphones and listen loud and long without disturbing anyone else.
  • Plug in to a home stereo and crank the volume right up and let the waves of nostalgia roll over you.
  • Plug in to your friends home stereo and sink deeply into the analogue warmth of needle on vinyl.

The analogue volume control is mounted at on the top of the box and gives good control over the levels of volume it is also the on – off switch for the whole player.

Long Play Vinyl to MP3 conversion via USB and RCA

The Sylvania portable record player is a great idea for preserving records that are really precious to you. There may be albums that you don’t want to be taking out and handling any more often than is absolutely necessary. Maybe you have first pressings that are valuable or treasured memories that you don’t want to risk any damage to. Maybe you have a favourite that you play often and want to save to play anywhere you are. These are ideal for recording to MP3 and then putting away the record until next time when you’d really like to pull it out.

The Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding allows you to play your LP and convert it to an MP3, Some people seem to think that software for this process of conversion is supplied but in fact it’s not. The turntable converts the analogue signal to a digital signal to allow the computer to pick it up via the USB port.

There is plenty of software that you pick up online and offline to convert to whichever format is your preference. Usually the software can record the music, split the tracks up correctly and remove pops and crackles that can occasionally appear. Some of the software is paid but there are free programs available for download. These are not the only ones, they are just some that seem to be more than adequate and I won’t go into them as this is not a review about analogue to digital conversion software

Software that can be used with this portable turntable:

Click on the software name to go to the websiteSylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding Light blue

Ocenaudio   Free

Audacity   Free

Roxio LP to MP3    Paid

Nch – Software Golden Records   Paid

RCA Jack Output

Sylvania record Player with aux out can also plug into a standard sound system and be just like a full size stereo system via the RCA jack plug out it does mean purchasing an audio cable adapter but these are very inexpensive and available very easily. By plugging into a high power speaker system this little portable can sound just like a big one

2 Speed Belt Drive Turntable

The Sylvania Portable Turntable is a belt drive record player. It has 2 speeds 33RPM and 45 RPM. This allows it to play 7 inch and 12 inch records that were manufactured from around the 1950’s onward. There were some customers that found that some heavier LP’s did not run at the correct speed – they ran slow. These would probably be 180 gram or 200 gram vinyl LP. These heavyweights are not very common and there is an adjustment that can be done to allow for this however if you’ve just bought a new turntable you may not want to be tinkering with. I suggest that given the price of this Sylvania turntable it isn’t something I would be concerned with but you may you might need to consider this factor.

Battery and USB powered

This is one of the few models of Portable Record player that is truly portable in that it can be powered from batteries. It can run from the power of a standard computer USB which also doubles as the connection for the digitized signal for converting LP’s to MP3’s. This means you can take this little unit anywhere and play you music wherever you like.

In Conclusion

This Sylvania Record Player is not really going to give you  Hi fidelity sound with full bass from the inbuilt speaker. There’s a lot of convenience built into a small very portable box only weighing in at 2.5 pounds or 1.3 Kg. The ability to convert your LP’s to a digital format or plug into and sound like a “big” system means that there is a lot of value in this record player. A few customers commented on the quality of the speakers but were mostly happy over all. One thing that may be a problem for someone who hasn’t had much experience with turntables is that the needle that comes with this player has a plastic protector that needs to be removed before playing for the first time. Finally if you have some of those heavier 12 inch LP’s you may have issues with playing them playing slow. The Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding is overall a  well priced moderate portable record player.

To Purchase From Amazon Click Here

 

                                                 Sylvania Turntable Record Player with USB Encoding purple

 

 

Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable

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Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable (9)     Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable (EANOS300)

This is a review all about the Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable. We’ll look at this beautiful classic 1960’s styled portable turntable with leatherette finish and packed with the latest in technology to create a nice package. We’ll look at both the good and bad points, don’t worry it has a bit of both but we’ll talk about that later.

It’s available from Amazon so we’ll look at reviews by real Amazon customers that purchased these units and have some real points that that will give you information that will help in deciding if this is the best portable turntable for you.

We’ll look at some points to be aware of when purchasing this turntable and  by the end you’ll be pretty we’ll informed about all its features.

Get your Electrohome Portable Turntable at Amazon CLICK HERE

Main Features

  • Multiple Ways You Can Connect Headphones USB Aux In
  • 3 Speed 33 45 & 78 RPM  Belt Drive Portable Turntable
  • Turntable With Speakers Built In
  • Ceramic Stylus With Diamond Tip
  • Fully Automatic Tone Arm

Multiple ways to connect with this Portable TurntableElectrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable (5)

This is a beautiful 1960’s inspired 3-in-1 suitcase turntable record player designed with style and portability in mind, listen to your favourite vinyl wherever you go is what the Electrohome describe this as. I disagree. In the 1970’s we saw 3 in 1’s with Record Player Tape and Radio in one unit. But it does have some great ways to connect with built in MP3 player right on the front with a USB connector.

So if you run out of records to play fill up a USB flash drive from your digital music collection, stick it in and hit the play button. You can probably charge a Smartphone from this same USB outlet on your Record Player.

The Electrohome Archer portable turntable plays vinyl records and can be connected to your any speaker stereo system. For instance you can plug this record player into your home system and play your dads vinyl LP’s. This will produce a sound that the original artists and makers of the LP had never even dreamed about. Your dad may never have heard them quite like that either.

Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable (3)

A 3.5mm auxiliary input from any music playing device including your iPhone, iPad, Android or any other tablet or Smartphone. Making this portable record player a music centre that can play all your music all in one place. The Electrohome Archer portable turntable can play music that your grandfather may have listened to through to the latest digital downloads.

You can plug your IPhone, IPad, IPod Smartphone, or MP3 player in and use it as a music centre to play your mobile device with speakers instead of headphones or connect your headphones for private listening and bliss out on your favourite LP without disturbing anyone.

Enjoy the warm analogue sound of Vinyl any way you feel like and because of the light weight and size you can take it anywhere with you.

Fully Automatic 3 Speed Portable Record Player

Automatic belt-driven turntable spins 7, 10 or 12-inch records at speeds of 331/3, 45 & 78 RPM so you can enjoy your – and dad’s – vinyl collection with ease. Due to the Belt drive turntable you can play any of the vinyl records that have been produced for at least the last 80 years. You can play:-

  • 33 RPM Vinyl LP’sElectrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable (6)
  • 45 RPM Vinyl singles or the 12 inch Single LP’s
  • 78 RPM Shellac Discs  (the older hard discs sometimes called Bakerlite)

The Electrohome Record Players calls this a Fully Automatic Turntable but I disagree. In my day a fully automatic would at the press of a button, lift the tone arm move it across and gently lower it on to the start of the record. Then when the record had ended it would lift the tone arm and bring it back across the platter and gently lower it back to the tone arm lock post.

Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player I call a semi automatic because it only does the second part of the action. You have to lift the tone arm on to the start of record yourself. Once the record has finished it will return the tone arm to the lock post automatically. Semi automatic turntable – not truly a fully automatic turntable.

Some customers have commented on the tone arm causing skipping while playing newer LP’s. This would usually be caused by the tone arm not having enough weight on the needle to stay in the grooves on the record. Or it may also be a damaged needle. The needle is an easy and inexpensive solution to the problem and one of the first things I would check if this problem occurred. Checking record player needles is very easy all you need is a magnifying glass so that you can visually look at it and see if it is sharp and undamaged.

Built In Speakers

Built-in stereo speakers with full-range high quality sound, housed in an all-wood acoustic cabinet for optimal audio performance, inspired by over 100 years of developing analogue audio systems. The speakers in the Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable are small and although they are pretty good they have limitations. They are mounted one on either side of the case. This placement of the speakers give really good stereo separation and enhances the surround sound and helps to compensate for the small size.

If you are in a room and it’s fairly quiet they will be great. If you take this to a party with a lot of people unless they‘re all very quiet the results may be disappointing. My suggestion is that if you take it to a party plug in to the hosts’ home stereo and blast your vinyl out to the guests. It is easy to do all you’ll need is very inexpensive adapter cable.

Needle 1“Diamond tipped” Ceramic Needle (Stylus) and Cartridge

The Electrohome Archer Portable Record Player “Diamond tipped” ceramic needle gives you great audio performance it has a warm and natural tone that is safe to use, and reliable. The Stylus or needle gives a nice analogue warmth to the music you play and they are very reasonably priced. The needles are available on Amazon  or a number of other retailers.

Stylus are subject to damage and can be quite delicate. Whilst they are in the holder (Cartridge or Head) they are fine. They usually get damaged when pulled out for inspection. They can be inspected whilst still in the cartridge. My suggestion would be to buy a needle cleaning kit or a complete needle and record cleaner kit. It is surprising how much dirt and grime collects in the record grooves over the years. While you are at it get yourself a magnifying glass so that you can do a visual check on the needle and check for wear or damage.

In conclusion

The conclusions I make for the Electrohome Archer record player review is that there have been comments from purchasers regarding the tone arm on this record player and some have indicated they were disappointed in the quality. I think that given the cost of the unit these cannot be compared to high end turntables that cost hundreds of dollars. There were some customers that had issues with the tone arm skipping across the record surface and one enterprising customer fixed this problem with a small amount of weight attached to the tone arm. The tone arm is supposed to have very little weight on it if it were too heavy it could prematurely wear your records out.

I believe that any problems with is unit skipping will be attributable to the needle. It would be the first thing to check as they are quite delicate. Other than that the speaker quality is not Hi Fi and frankly on any of the portable turntables speaker quality is always going to be an issue. Electrohome Archer have made it possible to get around that by including connections to plug in to your home speaker system and blast out your music big time.

Get your Electrohome Retro Record Player HERE

Electrohome Archer Vinyl Portable Record Player Classic Turntable

     

Innovative Technology 3-Speed Bluetooth Turntable

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Innovative Technology Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Turntable open BlackInnovative Technology 3-Speed Bluetooth Turntable

This is a portable record player review about the Innovative Technology 3-Speed  Bluetooth Turntable. This is one of the new wave of turntables that are being released following the swing back to analogue records or vinyl discs. Whatever you want to call them this is an old technology that has found a niche of users that have fallen in love with the tactile technology.

We are going to look at the features of this portable record player available from Amazon that among other things can Bluetooth to your portable devices. We will look at the good the bad and the ugly and at what real users who have purchased have to say about these Innovative Technology Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable. We will be looking at how it performs and by the end you should be able to make a decision about whether this portable record player is for you or not.

Click Here Go To Amazon & Checkout This Portable Record Player

Main Features   Innovative Technology Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Turntable open red

  • Bluetooth Capability Streams Music Wirelessly up to 33 Feet Away
  • Effortless Portability is Great for Traveling, Visiting Friends or Enjoying Albums in the Garage
  • Built-In Full-Range Stereo Speakers
  • 3.5mm Aux-In, RCA and Headphone Jacks
  • 3-Speed Turntable (33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM)
  • Available in Assorted Colors
  • Available in Bluetooth and Non Bluetooth models

Nostalgic Looking Record Player

The first thing to comment on is along with the movement back to old technology is the old look and feel that Innovative Technology have done with this turntable. The look and feel is old world. It is housed in a suitcase looking box no slick high techie modern looking materials used here. It has been covered in what we all used to think was very sophisticated leatherette. It has a very analogue volume on off switch and of course it is a record player when it all comes down to it. It is designed to play an old record the old tech is really the only way to make it affordable and besides music is an experience and the old tech is part of that experience.

Portability in a Record Player.Innovative Technology Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Turntable Black

Portability is one of the features that make this player is so popular. Being able to share this experience and take it with you like your other mobile devices is what people are wanting nowadays. The one thing I would recommend buying if you are taking your portable turntable around with you is a Crosley CR401-TA Record Carrier Case for 30+ Albums. This will protect your vinyl discs and help to keep them in good condition for many years. Likewise a RCA RD-1006 Discwasher Vinyl Record Care System will help to look after you records. With the Innovative Technology Portable Turntable you can take your favourite records with to friends, to parties, all sorts of places that will allow you to share the warm musical experience of these vinyl discs anywhere and everywhere.

Bluetooth Streaming Record Player.

The Innovative Technology Vintage 3 Speed Bluetooth Turntable has married the old with the new. The old records can with this marriage by streamed to your new technology mobile and current technology device via Bluetooth. This is so convenient and I thought a masterful stroke of genius when I first heard about it. You can Bluetooth to your home system or to a portable blue speaker system at home, to your phone, your IPod, IPod, any Android or OS device. This would also give you the ability to capture and record your analogue music to digital format. You would be able to list to your records through a big sound system. I note here that even though this record player has speakers they are small and do have some limitations, more about that next.

Built-In Full-Range Stereo Speakers

The Innovative Technology retro turntable speakers are front facing and built in to the suitcase style cabinet. The speakers are very adequate given their size. In a room that is quiet these little speakers have more than enough to be heard very clearly across the room. At say a party where a lot of people and noise is going on it is unlikely that you will be able to get enough volume from these speakers satisfactorily. There is also another minor shortfall when using the built in speakers the bass response is not amazing and a few purchasers of theses turntables have noted this fact when commenting about the product. The great news is that when you connect the record player by Bluetooth or RCA jack to a more capable audio system the results can be fantastic. Another way to improve the sound is to put on your headphones and plug to the headphone jack. This will give you privacy to listen exclusively to your music and make a big improvement to your listening pleasure if you love big bass.

Multiple ways to connect Your Record PlayerPink Innovative Technology Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Turntable

As I explained earlier in this  Innovative Technology Turntable Review this portable turntable has some very flexible connection Technology:-

  • Bluetooth wireless connection to to stream your digital music from an IPod, IPad, Smartphone or Media player through your turntable audio system.
  • Headphones or Earbuds 3.5mm Jack
  • RCA cable connection to an audio system
  • Aux In to stream your I Phone, I pad, IPod Android Phone, Media player and use this Record Player as a music centre.

This makes your Innovative Technology Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Turntable a very versatile music centre that allows you blast it out through an audio system and have a party using the RCA out Jacks. You could listen anywhere without disturbing others around you by using headphone or Earbuds. Or you can listen to your digital music through your turntable with speakers.

3-Speed Turntable (33 1/3, 45, 78 RPM) 45 adapter and needle (stylus ) included

The Innovative Technology Nostalgic Bluetooth Turntable is able to play all the records from current to very old:-

  • 33 RPM LP Vinyl Discs
  • Very old 78 RPM sometimes called Bakerlite or Shellac records
  • 45 RPM records or single discs.

This means you can purchase brand new LP’s or you can listen to your Parents or even records that your Grandparents may have listened to. The Innovative Technology 3-Speed Vintage Portable Turntable is a belt drive turntable which was the most common and reliable turntable mechanism. It has been in use continuously for many years and would have most likely been the type that your parents would have used. It was a more complicated mechanically but very consistent and cost effective. Despite it being a little more mechanically complex it is actually simpler than a direct drive turntable. It has a manual tone arm which means that you have to manually pick up the arm and place it gently on the start of the record. Placing the manual tone arm on the record is a skill that is easily learnt as is picking it up again when the record is finished. The manual tone arm reduces the complexity of this retro record player and adds to the experience when playing your favourite music.

In Conclusion

Innovative Technology Nostalgic 3-Speed Vintage Bluetooth Suitcase Turntable is available in a assorted colours including Black, Blue and Red. It is also available in both Bluetooth and Non Bluetooth models although I’m not sure why you would purchase the non Bluetooth version. Bluetooth adds another whole world of function to what is already a very cute retro style portable record player. It is really hard to say anything bad about this vintage style turntable and if there was I would be talking about the speakers. Apart from that for a sub $100 portable turntable that has that warm fuzzy nostalgic cuteness and great functionality I think it very hard to beat.

Customers Pros & Cons

Customers who purchased one of these were mostly very pleased with being able to play those old records again. There were a couple of people who had received the player from new in non functioning condition. I think one person return theirs for a refund and the other was able to get it going with a call to the support line. A few people mentioned the speakers not really being Hi-Fi quality but most also comment that they were adequate and still considered them to be good enough.

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Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable

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Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable

This is a review of the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable. It is a very popular piece of new technology with old world feel on Amazon It is a belt drive turntable that could see you enjoying the warm analogue sound that comes from vinyl records. Whether you love those old albums from way back or the new wave of vinyl discs released by current artists that are becoming very popular, this portable record player has a lot to offer.

The aim of this review is to make it easy for you to know whether the Crosley 3 Speed Portable Turntable is the right one for you.

GO TO THE Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable

 

Main Features

  • Belt-driven portable turntable.
  • Easily replaced NP6 stylus (needle).
  • Manual return tone arm.
  • RCA and headphone jack outputs.
  • Plays 3 speeds: 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM records.
  • Dynamic full range stereo speakers.
  • Fully portable.

Belt drive technology – it’s great !

Belt drive turntable technology has been around for a long time it is tried and true reliable and simple. Belt drives are mechanically more complex that direct drive turntables but usually give a better reproduction at a lower cost than Direct drive turntables.

The belt drive turntable will need replacement of the belt periodically but with modern materials the belt can last for many years before that has to happen. Replacement of the belt is quite simple and will not need complicated mechanical skills or tools in fact it should only take a few minutes.

The NP6 Stylus – easily replaced

The stylus or needle will over time wear down and once it has worn sufficiently will affect the quality of the sound coming from your record player. The way to recognise this is when you hear that the sound is becoming muffled or perhaps distorted one of the first things you can check is how much wear has occurred to the needle. This can easily be done using a magnifying glass to check how much has worn away. Don’t worry about having to do this very often it can take years before it becomes noticeable. New stylus are very reasonably priced I think Amazon has the NP6 for around 10 dollars.

The stylus is very important to the quality of the sound and should be checked periodically for cleanliness. The needle will help to keep the grooves in your records clean as it goes round in the groove if there is any dirt the needle will pick it up but eventually become clogged and may not sit in the record groove correctly therefore affecting the sound.

Manual Return Tone ArmCrosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable

The tone arm is a manually operated this is true old time feel and operation. The tone arm determines how the needle tracks in the groove and keeps the needle in the correct location and vertically situated over the groove to give optimal sound from the outside groove through to the innermost. The pitch changes as the needle moves toward the centre and the tone arm has the job of keeping the needle inline all the way from start to finish on your disc.

There is one problem with the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable. You will have to “get the knack” of gently landing your tone arm on the record surface. The good thing is it is not a hard skill to learn if you know an older person they will probably be able to show you how it is done.

Once the record has finished you will need to pick it up and swing it back to its normal resting post. This is very easy to learn.

Auxiliary Input, Headphone & RCA Output.

The Headphone out allows you to connect your favourite set of headphones and quietly crank up the volume while not disturbing anyone else. You will probably find though that the sound quality will be better listening this way than through the built in speakers. More about that later.

The auxiliary input gives you the option of using your Crosley Portable Turntables as a music system to power your IPod, IPhone, Smartphone or any other portable device for music. You can with the aid of an adapter plug in and blast you digital music through the speakers in your record player. This is a very cool option that makes it a very flexible and useful device.

The RCA output allows you to plug your portable record player into a home music or stereo system all you need is the adapter to go from this portable unit to your home unit and blast your favourite records out through your powerful home system. You will then be able to hear all the warmth and superior sound that is synonymous with the vinyl record technology.

3 Speeds 33 RPM , 45 RPM & 78 RPM

Three speeds for all the different types of records what a great little player! You’ll be able to play the 33 RPM for 12 inch LP’s or 45 RPM for the little 7 inch singles or the 10 inch EPs and 12 inch single discs or the 78 RPM for the much older Bakerlite 10 inch discs. When playing your records make sure that before you put them on the turntable that they are straight and wobble free. Too much wobble can cause tracking problems for your tone arm and may cause speed variations as well. Usually records that are not straight have been incorrectly stored for long periods or during storage have been subjected to excessive temperature. Sometimes they can be straightened but a small amount of wobble may not caused any problem at all.

Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable

Dynamic full range built in speakers.

The Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable has front facing wide range speakers. Now they are a small speaker and although they do a good job for the small size when it comes to speakers size does matter! These are not going to perform well if you take your Crosley portable turntable to a party and try to hear it over a room full of party goers. But at home in a quiet room they will seem quite loud.
In saying that the speakers could be better it would take away the convenience and the portability of this player. If you want to improve the sound an adapter to connect to your home system would be very inexpensive and give great results. Given the price and the size of the Crosley CR8005A the speakers are adequate.

Conclusion

The Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable 3 Speed Turntable is a nice unit that gives good value for money. The convenience of have a record player in such an easily transportable single unit that looks attractive in the leatherette case is amazing. With such a well know brand support for this player will be very solid and in fact the written warranty states that if the unit is not repairable it will be fully replaced. This unit comes with a trouble shooting guide and stylus and belts are easily available through Amazon. Crosley have made this player available in a range of 10 different colours all in leatherette from serious Black through to seriously funky Orange.

People that have purchased the Crosley CR8005A BK Cruiser Portable Turntable have made many comments about the quality and usability of this portable record player. If you have expectations of buying a high end turntable for under $100 this player will not be for you. There have been a few comments where people have not been happy with their purchases. The vast majority of people have been very happy and have talked about how convenient it is to have the portability and be able to play those old records again or even record your old records to digital and keep the records for posterity.

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