Q: I'm in the market for a beginner record-playing system with a turntable and speaker. I'm a grad student in my late 20s and fairly transient, so I don't want to invest in an expensive setup with too many components. I was thinking about a $149.99 Audio-Technica AT-LP60X turntable and a $249 Sonos Era speaker. What do you think? My budget is $500. Any advice on a setup that would be in that price range?
A: The components you have chosen are good, but I do not think there is a lot of synergy between them, specifically with the speaker. Given that the music starts with the turntable, I will begin there.
The AT-LP60X is a good entry-level turntable, but with your budget you can do better. For $100 more you can get a turntable that sounds far superior and can grow with you as you upgrade your system. The Fluance RT81 (fluance.com) is $249.99 and has a beautiful wood base, easily upgradable cartridge and built-in phono preamp. With almost 3,000 reviews, it has a 4.8/5 rating on Amazon.
The Sonos Era is a single-piece speaker that is not ideal for vinyl playback because you don't get much stereo separation. If you are truly set on the Sonos, go for it. But I recommend upgrading the speaker when your circumstances allow.
A pair of Edifier R1280DB powered bookshelf speakers with Bluetooth sell for $149.99 and will provide a more authentic vinyl experience with genuine stereo separation from speakers placed a few feet apart from each other. A Certified Refurbished Andover SpinBase (andoveraudio.com) is $269.99, a bit over your budget but it will provide a base for your turntable, as well. It would be extremely convenient given you will be moving around over the next few years.
Another speaker candidate is the $199.99 Tribit StormBox Blast (tribit.com), which has the best overall sound of the three speakers I am recommending. The sound quality is truly exceptional, competing with high-end brands selling for much more.
Noteworthy sale
In February, I briefly mentioned the Focal Bathys Headphones, the first noise-canceling Bluetooth headphones from famed French manufacturer Focal. They recently went on sale, so this is a good time to tell the rest of the story.
The Bathys are some of the most satisfying headphones I have reviewed, They can be connected via Bluetooth, but my favorite way to use them is with a direct USB-C connection to my iPad Pro. They take the digital signal over USB, convert it to analog and play it with unique Focal drivers for sound that is rich, pure and dynamic, with extended and detailed treble that never sounds harsh or fatiguing. The only downside is that the sound quality suffers a bit when using the analog 3.5 mm input. It is passable, but stick with USB and Bluetooth for the best sound.
Normally $799, the Focal Bathys are now on sale for $699 on headphones.com.
