- Audio-Technica’s Bluetooth turntables are solid buys
- The Pro-Ject Juke Box costs more but does it all
- House of Marley packs may be worth seeking out
It’s that time of year: the weather is changing, there’s finally some good stuff on TV, and my inbox is already full of businesses 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 the month and a bit of Super Mega Black Friday deals), but if you’re thinking about investing in new audio or entertainment equipment, now is a good time to make plans and look at spec sheets, because you don’t want to get caught up in the sales madness.
If you know what you want, what it normally costs, and what you want to spend, you can significantly increase your chances of scoring a real Black Friday deal rather than just paying the same price you would have paid three or four weeks ago.
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 difficult to identify which Black Friday turntable deal is actually worth getting. I have reviewed many turntables and am a working musician. So I have strong opinions on what makes a beginner turntable really do your music justice. Here are three quite different purchases for beginners that I think you should watch out for.
The all-rounder: Pro-Ject Juke Box E1
It’s a lot more expensive than the other turntables I recommend here, but if you want a great all-in-one where you just add a pair of passive speakers, then the Pro-Ject E1 is a great option. As I said in my review of the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1, “This isn’t a cheap system, and it doesn’t look, feel or sound like one either.”
The advantage of an all-in-one is that you don’t need to invest in a preamplifier or even an amplifier. And in addition to the built-in amplification, the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 has a good Bluetooth module that allows you to stream from your phone or laptop as well as stream to Bluetooth headphones. It is exceptionally simple to install and offers impressive performance.
The launch price for this all-in-one was £599 / $799 / AU$999. But I think we’ll see it cheaper during Black Friday – and if you don’t need the built-in 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 very economical purchase: Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT
This excellent Audio-Technica is the little brother of the vinyl turntable that I use at home, and its excellent quality/price ratio. As we said in our review of the AT-LP70XBT, this is an ideal plug-and-play device for anyone getting started with vinyl, designed for both wired and wireless listening thanks to its built-in Bluetooth.
It’s the successor to one of our long-time favorites, the AT-LP60XBT, which is still available at retailers and is also likely to feature in Black Friday deals: at the time of writing it costs around 10-20% less than its new sibling, meaning it could be one of the best turntables under $200/£200 to buy this year – again, best prices on this model are just below.
That of 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 Uplift wired bookshelf speakers or if you’re in the UK, the Together Duo wireless speakers. Adding wired speakers roughly doubles the price and wireless speakers cost a little more on top of that, but bundles are often favored by retailers who discount during big sales.
This is a very inexpensive 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 simple turntable at an acceptable price, we think the House of Marley Revolution gets close to the ideal value. There are cheaper Bluetooth turntables, but none with the same style and build quality as the Revolution.” This is a particularly good option for small spaces such as student accommodation.
Here are the latest prices for the pack with speakers:
The best vinyl turntables for every budget
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