SUPERB VALUE SIMPLICITY
Sony PS-LX310BT £249
Though around for a couple of years, this is still one of the best entry-level turntables, with push-button automatic operation, 33⅓ and 45 rpm, built-in phono stage, line-out and aptX Bluetooth which easily connects up to eight devices. Small and relatively light, the low-profile, mostly plastic design is modern and stylish. The tonearm and cartridge are pre-installed and pre-weighted – you just need to attach the belt to the platter – and with push-button controls, you don’t have to cue up records manually. Even with all these features, it sounds significantly superior to any other ‘bargain’ Bluetooth turntable. sony.co.uk
DEPENDABLE DO-ALL DESIGN
TEAC TN-400BT £449
This offers 33⅓, 45 and 78rpm, has a USB output for digital archiving your vinyl collection (to CD quality), built-in phono-stage with AUX-out (so you can plug directly into most amplifiers) and Bluetooth streaming. It comes with the reliable Audio Technica AT-95E cartridge. Pairing Bluetooth took seconds, the connection remaining stable. Played through a Bluetooth speaker it sounds engaging, though it is a little fatiguing through a high-end system. It’s also quite sensitive, any knocks to the turntable or stand being amplified over the Bluetooth connection.
teac-audio.com
BEST IN TEST
Cambridge Audio Alva ST £849
With the launch of the superb Alva TT in 2019, Cambridge Audio transformed what a Bluetooth turntable could be, but at £1,500 pushed many budgets to breaking point. Having just updated the original with the Alva TT V2, the company has also distilled the brilliance to create the Alva ST, a more affordable, belt-driven HD streaming Bluetooth design that ticks all the key audio boxes.
To minimise vibrations, the 1mm-thick aluminium plate is mounted on an MDF base with EVA layer. The tonearm comes with the well-regarded Audio Technica AT-VM95e Moving Magnet (MM) cartridge pre-mounted on a headshell, so set-up is simple – they’ve even included an Ortofon pressure gauge. With just power and speed (33⅓ and 45rpm) buttons visible, you need to access the back of the turntable to find Bluetooth, switchable
