- Audio-Technica’s Bluetooth turntables are solid buys
- Pro-Ject’s Juke Box costs more but does everything
- House of Marley bundles may be worth seeking out
It’s that time of year: the weather’s changing, there’s finally good stuff on TV, and my email inbox is already full of firms talking about Black Friday deals.
The event is still a few weeks away (although these days Black Friday isn’t limited to the Friday after Thanksgiving; it’s now Super Mega Black Friday Deals Month And A Bit) but if you’re thinking of investing in new audio or entertainment gear, this is a good time to be making plans and looking at spec sheets, because you don’t want to get caught up in sales madness.
If you know what you want, what it normally costs and what you want to spend, you can massively increase your chances of bagging a genuine Black Friday bargain rather than just paying the same price you’d have paid three or four weeks previously.
Turntables are frequently discounted during Black Friday and similar events, but not all turntables are equal – and if you’re new to vinyl it can be hard to identify which Black Friday turntable deal is actually worth getting. I’ve reviewed a lot of turntables, and I’m a working musician, so I have some strong opinions on what makes a beginner turntable that really does your music justice. Here are three quite different buys for first-timers that I think you should look out for.
The all-in-wonder: Pro-Ject Juke Box E1
This is a lot more expensive than the other turntables I’m recommending here, but if you want an excellent all-in-one where all you need to add is a pair of passive speakers, then the Pro-Ject E1 is a great option. As I said in my Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 review, “This isn’t a cheap-o system, and it doesn’t look, feel or sound like one either.”
The benefit of an all-in-one is that you don’t also need to invest in a pre-amplifier or even an amplifier. And in addition to the built-in amplification, the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 has a good Bluetooth module that enables you to stream from your phone or laptop as well as streaming out to Bluetooth headphones. It’s exceptionally simple to set up and delivers an impressive performance.
The launch price of this all-in-one was £599 / $799 / AU$999. But I think we’ll see it for less during Black Friday – and if you don’t need the integrated amplification the standard Pro-Ject E1 is a great turntable in its own right, and less than half the price of the Juke Box – here are the latest prices for that.
A great budget buy: Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT
This excellent Audio-Technica is the baby sibling of the turntable I use at home, and it’s excellent value for money. As we said in our AT-LP70XBT review, it’s a plug-and-play device that’s ideal for anyone getting started with vinyl, designed for both wired and wireless listening thanks to its built-in Bluetooth.
This is the successor to a long-term favorite of ours, the AT-LP60XBT, which is still available from retailers and which is also likely to feature in the Black Friday deals: at the time of writing it’s going for about 10% to 20% less than its newer sibling, and that means it could be one of the best sub-$200 / £200 turntables to pick up this year – again, the best prices on that model are just below.
The one for students / small spaces: House of Marley Revolution
With an official price of just $169.99 / £149.99 / A$199 the Revolution is already aggressively priced, and I’d particularly keep an eye out for Black Friday deals that bundle it with House of Marley’s wired Uplift bookshelf speakers or if you’re in the UK, the Together Duo wireless speakers. Adding the wired speakers roughly doubles the price and the wireless ones cost a bit more on top, but bundles are often favored by retailers doing discounts during big sales events.
This is a super-cheap system so don’t expect to impress your local audiophile. But as we said in our House of Marley Revolution review, “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 a particularly good option for smaller spaces such as student accommodation.
Here are the latest prices for the bundle with speakers:
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