Sony's PS-LX250H is an entry-level belt-drive turntable that offers fully automatic operation. It's an easy way to get back into the vinyl game, particularly if your current amp doesn't have a phono gain stage. The PS-LX250H has an onboard phono preamp that'll boost the levels, allowing you to hook into any RCA jack on your amp. It can play back records at both 33.3 RPM (revolutions per minute) and 45 RPM, and comes with a plastic, hinged dust cover - Drive Type - Belt
Get into the groove with the fully automatic PS-LX250H turntable from Sony. Hook the turntable up to any stereo and reacquaint yourself with all of your old vinyl records. The turntable is compatible with all stereo receivers, even units without traditional phono input jacks.
The PS-LX250H doesn't require a lot of setup out of the box. A built-in preamplifier adjusts the audio output, giving you a terrific sound. The phono cartridge with a diamond stylus needle snaps right into place. Adjust the turntable EQ setting to your stereo receiver's input configuration and you are ready to go.
The PS-LX250H spins at 33-1/3 and 45 rpm, allowing you to enjoy albums and singles. A spindle adapter is included for your singles. All of the controls are on the front panel and easy to access. The fully automatic, belt-drive turntable features push-button controls that allow you to change the turntable speed and record size, and raise the tone arm automatically.
What's in the Box
Turntable, dust cover, 45 rpm record adapter, user's manual, warranty information.
1 Not Bad 4.25 stars
My only problem with this turntable is that it is a belt-driven system. the "belt" comes loose quite often. When the belt comes loose, the vinyl record doesn't not play correctly. After about 4 years, the belt came loose daily. It's not a bad turntable but Direct Drive systems are much better
2 Best inexpensive turntable anywhere!
I love this turntable! Sound quality is superb. Features are great. It has a start button so just put the album on and hit start and you're in bisiness! Of course, you can also manually put the needle on too. Just so you know, you will have to hook up the belt and set a equilization switch (depending on whether you have phono imput or not). Follow the directions closely and these two things will take only 10 minutes. I happen to have a phono input on my receiver, but for those who don't, that equilization switch could be a god-send. I like the fact that this turntable is super cheap yet still very good performance. Highly recommended!
3 Great turntable for the newcomer.
I'm a newcomer to the vinyl scene. With pretty much no knowledge about turntables I was looking for one that was pretty much idiot proof.
This bad boy fit the bill. Out of the box all you have to do really is attach the drive belt and attach the platter, and depending if you have a phono input on you're receiver, you have to click the built in preamp switch on or off. No calibration of speeds was necessary. Whole process from unpacking to playing LP took 5 minutes at most. My bedroom system consists of the following:
Sony STR-6045 Receiver (1974)
Sony PSLX350H Turntable
Klipsch SB-1 Bookshelf's
Monster Cable & Acoustic Research Interconnects
My receiver has a phono input, so I didn't have to use the built in preamp. The first 2 LP's I tested was a copy of Death Cab For Cutie "Transatlantiscm" and John Coltrane "A Love Supreme". I hit the "Start" button on the front of the turntable and the arm automatically went up, then down on the edge of the record...how easy was that?
Right of the bat I noticed that sound was spectacular. The highs were crisp and the bass was low and distortion free. It could be my particular setup, but I was really impressed. My receiver was built in 1974, so I can only imagine how it would sound through a modern day receiver. I have absolutely no complaints as far as sound quality.
I next hooked up the turntable to my PC to rip some 7" singles that I had acquired. I ran the turntable with the built in preamp on to my SoundBlaster Live! Card with a Monster Cable RCA to mini cable. I ripped the tracks using MusicMatch and encoded at 128kbps. The whole process went off without a hitch. The mp3s sounded great and the process couldn't have been easier.
Now onto my complaints:
1.The overall feel of this turntable is kind of cheap. It seems pretty much all plastic. But then again, at this price what do you expect?
2.The feet are not adjustable.
3.I have heard that replacing the stylus is a total pain. I have not yet had to do so, but it seems according to others that it is only available through Sony for $50. I do suspect that by going to www.needledoctor.com you will be able to find a suitable replacement though, and for considerably less.
To wrap it up, this is a great turntable for a beginner. Spectacular if you take the price into consideration. Right out of the box it was easy to set up and use. While the build quality is questionable, at the price you can't really complain. I do plan to upgrade to a higher quality manual turntable once I read up on how to properly calibrate and care for it.
For vinyl fans here are some cool links:
www.simplyvinyl.com
www.insound.com
www.needledoctor.com
www.sleevetown.com
www.vvinyl.com (If you live in NJ this is must shop
establishment. Support local independent
businesses!)
4 Not bad for a reasonably priced DISPOSABLE product.
Like most SONY products the PS-LX250H performs well. It is also very reasonably priced.
However, like the oil in your car, turntable stylus replacement becomes necessary with time and use. Suddenly, the bargain quickly disappears. The stylus which is only available directly from SONY currently costs $55.52 plus shipping and handling. If SONY would dramatically lower the replacement stylus cost, this turntable would rate 5 stars for it's price to performance value.
This model should serve well if only occaisonal, casual use is foreseen or if you don't mind paying $15,000 for an oil change.
5 Great turntable at a bargain, plays old records great!!
I was pleased to see my new Sony turntable in only 2 days after my order! I set it up and was playing my old records in just 15 minutes! Its sleek design compliments my entire stereo component system. You can't beat it for the price!!
6 very satisfied
ive been wanting to get into vinyl for a while now,and finally took the plunge with this turntable,it plays and sounds great to me.its pretty basic with no bells or whistles to get in the way,just stick the record on,select the size and speed and press start.also the pictures on the saftey warning sheet are hilarious and worth the price of the table.
7 Just what we needed
This turntable is exactly what we were looking for. After buying a Sony mini-bookshelf system, we asked the salesman at the well-known electronics super store to recommend a turntable that we could hook up to it. He advised us that we could not attach a turntable. He almost talked us into buying a very expensive shelf system just so we could play our old LP's. I'm so glad that I did a little research and came accross this Sony turntable. The reviews from others who have purchased it helped me tremendously. It was simple to hook up and our old records sound great! We can finally play the music we haven't played in years, and are still hoping to figure out how to hook it up to our computer and burn our favorites to CD's.
8 Excellent
This record player is a great price, good design, and performs exactly how it should. It is easy to set up, and allows for a great sound even with some of the oldest records. If you are looking for a turntable that is relatively inexpensive and simply plays records, then this is the one for you!
9 vinyl lives !
I'm not much on technical expertise, so all I can say is
that my old records sound just great on this product. I've
recently listened to records that have sat dormant for 15 or so years, and have thoroughly enjoyed the sound. Brought back
so many memories. And at the price, definitely worth it. If you have taken good care of your old LP's, they'll sound great on this turntable.
10 Scraping Bottom
While this turntable will play your records, the audio quality leaves a lot to be desired. To me it sounded like it was being played underwater and this was through my venerable stereo system that sounded great with my old turntable (which finally ground to a halt). Granted, this is about the most inexpensive turntable available and you get what you pay for.
Also, if you are looking for the option of switching in a better cartridge, this is not the turntable for you. It was difficult to determine that from the sketchy information available for this product. If you are shopping for an inexpensive turntable, you are better off to pay a little more and get the Technics (Panasonic) SL-BD20D which does have a P-mount on the tone arm, and though I admit I haven't actually auditioned that product, must sound better than this "bag over the head" piece of plastic.
11 Great Value
I'm not an audiophile, but I do really enjoy good music. This economically-priced turntable has made it quite easy for me to listen to my small record collection. I was rather young when records went out of style so I know very little about how to operate turntables, but I found this one to be extremely easy to use. Another plus is that it has some built-in amplification and can thus not only be used with a regular pre-amp but can also be plugged directly into the sound input port on a computer for the purpose of digitizing tracks. I'm perfectly satisfied with the sound quality of this turntable, although I suspect audiophiles would probably not be. I don't expect them to be shopping in this price bracket in any case. This unit is perfect for those who like me just have a few records they would like to listen to or digitize and don't want a major hassle or expenditure.
12 Amazing quality at an affordable price!
This turntable more than exceeded my expectations...I was astonished at the beauty and sleekness of design. When I first received the item I wanted to try it out and rather than go through connecting and disconnecting everything in the entertainment center I hooked it up to my teenage daughter's cheap bedroom stereo. Even hooked up to that simple stereo the sound emanating from her speakers were nothing short of amazing. The diamond stylus makes a real difference. Even records that were in less than perfect condition played beautifully. I am definitely impressed. Thanks Sony!
13 Fine if your records are all perfect...
I have a good-sized vinyl record collection, and I wanted to rip all that music into my computer. What I experienced with my first 10 albums is not encouraging. On about half of the albums I kept getting skips on a significant fraction of the tracks I ripped. About half the albums had one or more tracks that would skip. Sometimes 5 or 10 skips on a single track. I became suspicious because I never remembered that much of a problem with my collection, so I replayed them on my 25-year-old JVC component turntable. Most skips disappeared.
The problem seems to be that there is no adjustment contols to allow changing the tracking force or the anti-skating force.
Do yourself a favor. If you want to rip your vinyl collection to your computer, and you already have a reliable turntable, just get a phono preamp and put it between your turntable and sound card. Amazon sells a good selection of them for less than a third of the price of this turkey.
14 Everything I expected...
...very easy to use and well priced for what it is.
15 Is this the same thing that I tried 4 years ago???
I'm sorry that I cannot tell if this product is
the same as a Sony turntable of some 4 years ago.
That machine had power supply hum and the thing
transmitted a terrible roar into the reproduction of sound.
Sorry also that I bought it. Took it back.
16 GREAT SOUND!
Not only did I receive my turntable in just two days, but after my husband managed to get it working and get some extensions for it - my goodness - did it sound GREAT! It's very clear sounding and slim compared to our old one. It was a good choice for me to make. It was an anniversary gift for my husband for our 1st Anniversary and he was so excited since he has mountains of albums laying around and now he can listen to each and every one of them. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR OFFERING THIS TURNTABLE!
17 Hinge Broke
I closed the lid on my Sony Turntable and I heard this terrible snap. The hinge jammed and broke. Appears to be a design flaw. Otherwise performs well.
18 Not what I hoped for
My old turntable conked out on me a few months ago after years of dutiful service, so a couple of montns ago I picked up this Sony turntable. Admittedly, the sound is pretty good, but it's cheap plastic construction, even for the price. It's not adjustable AT ALL. Also, the documentation that comes with it is a joke. I know other reviewers have had better experiences with this turntable than me, and this turntable may be what you need, but think hard about what you're expectations are. It may be worth it to pay an extra hundred to get a manual turntable such as the Sony 350, instead.
19 Great Turntable
High quality turntable. Great for making digital (mp3) copies of your vinyl records.
20 Music at last !
This unit is easy to put together and works quite well, good clarity with no distortion no matter how high I turned it up.A good product and well priced.
21 Great Price and Sound; The One To Get For Most People!
This turntable works easily, sounds great, and is offered at a great price. You can spend more and get a better cartridge and more features, but for someone who wants a very good basic turntable in addition to a CD player and other decoding devices, this one is fantastic.
I recommend vinyl as an adjunct to CDs for several reasons, among them:
1. You may already have a collection you haven't listened to for years. (You'll remember how holding the album, looking at the cover, and reading the liner notes were once part of the entire aesthetic experience.)
2. Vinyl does sound warmer than traditional CDs. (Joni Mitchell's "Blue" is unbelievably raw and "present" on vinyl.)
3. It's easy to build a new collection, especially classical records, by hunting down inexpensive LPs at library and garage sales.
Unlike some record players sold now, the turnplayer does not play 78's. However, many of those that do play this format have self-contained speakers only. This model has a preamp which connects to PHONO, AUX, or VIDEO jacks. The needle weight is not given in the information booklet; generally speaking, the more expensive, lighter needles better preserve sound quality. Although not a "high-end" model for the strict audiophile, here are the SPECS:
Drive: Belt
Motor: DC
Platter: 295 mm. diameter (aluminum, die-cast)
Speeds: 33 1/2 and 45 r/min
Wow and Flutter: Less than 0.25% (WRMS)
Signal to Noise: More than 50dB (DIN-B)
Tone arm: Dynamic balanced straight shaped with soft damping control
Effective arm length: 195 mm
Power consumption: 2 Q
Weight: 2.7 kg
Dimensions: Approx. 420 x 100 x 342 (w/h/d)
Supplied Accessories: 45 r/min adaptor, platter with drive belt, rubber mat, dust cover.
The needle raises, lowers, and moves to the edge of the album automatically; the dust cover is moved by hand. Very highly recommended!
22 A well perfoming, dependable turntable
Turntables are hard to come by nowadays, let alone one an average person can afford. That is what makes this Sony so special. Not only is it priced right but it gives great performance. I've had it for two months now and have used it constantly. It sound great and there have been no problems at all. Hats of to Sony and the PS-LX250H!
23 excellent unit for the price
My 30-40 year old lp's play excellently on this turntable. Some with visible scratches play without noise or skips. I have gotten excessive noise and some skipping only on 3 or 4 records out of about 60 I have played so far. Those few had scratches that looked like a knive had been dragged across the surface.
This turntable is a good buy even at a higher price I paid at another store because every [local store] within 130 miles was sold out and I didn't want to order by mail.
One salesman tried to sell me a pre-amp to go along with this turntable. It doesn't need it. It has a built-in preamp which was pre-set for connecting to AUX or VIDEO jacks, with a switch to reset if connecting to PHONO jacks.
If I were comparing to units selling for much higher prices, I'm sure it would not rate 5 stars, but I'm rating it for price and my usage, playing through a mid-grade bookshelf mini system which cost only a little more than the turntable.
24 An incredible bargain in a basic turntable
No, you can't use this Sony turntable to beat mix 12" dance records or to perform fancy dj-ing tricks. And it certainly will not compare with any $1000 audiophile turntables in terms of audio reproduction quality. This amazingly inexpensive unit will function nicely, however, if you are seeking a basic turntable to play records.
This turntable will NOT play old 78 rpm records, but it does just fine with 45's (the small "hold in the middle" kind or l2") or 33 1/3 rpm lp's. Operation is simple: all you need to do is place the record on the platter, put down the built-in dust cover, and push "start." If you wish to interrupt play, you push "stop." If you want to raise the tonearm above the record temporarily, you push "up/down." What could be simpler?
Since it includes its own built-in preamp, this unit is easy to use in conjunction with a home computer. Why would someone do this? Not only can you utilize your computer's audio reproduction capabilities to listen to records as you work (or play), but hooking up a turntable to your sound card is the first step in setting up a system to convert your old vinyl records to digital files so you can burn them to cd. That's mainly how I use my PS-LX250H, and in this capacity is has performed flawlessly and magnificently.
It's unfair to rate this item based upon unrealistic comparisons to far more feature-laden and expensive turntables. What's truly astonishing here is just what a fine machine Sony has made available for such a bargain price.
25 Great turntable for the money
I bought 2 of these turntables because I like the quiet tone-arm and rumble free platter. 25 years ago I bought a direct drive turntable that cost twice as much and it didn't perform as well brand new as these Sony turntables. You don't have to touch the light weight tone-arm at all. this turntable is a diamond in the rough!
26 Got my 45's going again
Rediscovered my old Frampton, Allman Brothers and Judy Collins records again on the turntable!!! I forgot how great they sounded. What a great deal at less than (dollar value) bucks! Go back to the 70's again - it's fun.
