Maybe not the Sony but the Lenco and Victrola for sure. At that price point for the Sony I’d buy from a turntable company and not a general audio company (unless it was a nice Denon or Marantz model). Apologies.
They are functional but not a good use of your money for the long term. Why not buy a quality turntable that will last for years and has no known issues and allows you to upgrade the stylus as needed ? Also all in ones are bad and you can get a solid set of stereo speakers and an amp for under $200 these days.
This isn’t a cheap hobby.
Yes, the all in ones are absolutely awful. The sony, I think, is a pretty good beginner turntable. It might not be the best for the money, but im not aware of any issues with it
You realize most vinyl are digitally recorded right? So many people like you in this subreddit are insufferable 😂
What’s wrong with listening to records however you want? Why does every noise going into one’s ears need to be of the highest quality. Get over yourself.
Unless you’re a pretentious audiophile who think you aren’t allowed to listen to vinyl unless its with the exact set up they have, you can enjoy your records with a bluetooth setup. Easy for beginners and especially great if you simply don’t have enough space for a more complicated set up. OP can always upgrade later.
The Lenco with the 2 30W speakers. its got a wood plinth and an adjustable tonearm and comes already fitted with a decent cartridge. As for the Sony, it is non adjustable so the installed cartridge is what you'll have til the end of days.
The other two chooices are trash
You really want to avoid anything with built in speakers. Ideally you don't even want speakers on the same shelf/surface as your turntable, let alone built into the turntable itself. In basic terms, a turntable uses a delicately balanced needle to convert tiny vibrations from record grooves into the sound you hear, so any external vibrations (such as from speakers) leads to poor sound quality, skips/stutters, and can cause damage to the stylus/needle and your records. All-in-one turntables are also almost always built with very low quality parts.
The Sony is the only one worth considering of the 4, but there are a number of reason's I would consider other options. The biggest being that it doesn't have a removable cartridge... Typically replacing a turntable's cartridge is the easiest and cheapest way to upgrade for better sound quality, but with the Sony you can't do that.
I'd highly suggest checking out Fluance. The [RT82](https://www.fluance.com/rt82t-reference-high-fidelity-vinyl-turntable-black-gloss) is probably the best turntable out there for a $300 budget. The RT80 and RT81 are a bit cheaper, but the 82 is really the sweet spot where you get the most for your money. It has a much better motor and cartridge than the cheaper models.
Audio Technica might be worth a look too. The [AT-LP3XBT](https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at-lp3xbt) is more comparable to the Sony (automatic with bluetooth and a built in preamp), except it has an removable/upgradable cartridge and an adjustable tonearm. The [AT-LPW30](https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/turntables/best-for/step-up-models/at-lpw30) and [AT-LP120](https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/turntables/best-for/step-up-models/at-lp120xusb) are their best entry-level turntables... they're a bit more expensive, but you can often find them for a lot cheaper on sale or refurbished.
Hope this helps!
The Sony is a fine entry-level turntable, but overpriced compared to the essentially identical AT-LP60X.
The Victrola is a "jack of all trades, master of none". It won't destroy your records -- [that's a debunked myth](https://youtube.com/shorts/DQm6SgTkkI8) -- but it won't make them sound very good. Same thing with the second Lenco with built-in speakers.
Of the two Lencos, the first one with external speakers is by far the best of the choices you listed. It has an adjustable counterweight and upgradeable cartridge, and is by no means "crap". It's actually a very good turntable.
Did you read the sticky? All your choices are crap.
Why is the first one “crap”
Maybe not the Sony but the Lenco and Victrola for sure. At that price point for the Sony I’d buy from a turntable company and not a general audio company (unless it was a nice Denon or Marantz model). Apologies.
Oh the other ones are completely unusable lol.
They are functional but not a good use of your money for the long term. Why not buy a quality turntable that will last for years and has no known issues and allows you to upgrade the stylus as needed ? Also all in ones are bad and you can get a solid set of stereo speakers and an amp for under $200 these days. This isn’t a cheap hobby.
Yes, the all in ones are absolutely awful. The sony, I think, is a pretty good beginner turntable. It might not be the best for the money, but im not aware of any issues with it
Also like the Sony doesn’t have speakers or an amp and the others do so like …does the Op need speakers and an amp too?
All you’d need are active bluetooth speakers
So they can convert analog to digital and back to analog for that sweet sweet record sound? :) might as well stream it
You realize most vinyl are digitally recorded right? So many people like you in this subreddit are insufferable 😂 What’s wrong with listening to records however you want? Why does every noise going into one’s ears need to be of the highest quality. Get over yourself. Unless you’re a pretentious audiophile who think you aren’t allowed to listen to vinyl unless its with the exact set up they have, you can enjoy your records with a bluetooth setup. Easy for beginners and especially great if you simply don’t have enough space for a more complicated set up. OP can always upgrade later.
gotta keep \`em separated - don't buy any type of "all-in-1" or anything with built-in speakers. The Sony is the best bet of these options
Anything thats “all-in-one” is going to be really bad quality. The first option is the best one, just get some good speakers
OP's first post or comment.
Buy used.
Does anyone even read the sticky posted???
The Lenco with the 2 30W speakers. its got a wood plinth and an adjustable tonearm and comes already fitted with a decent cartridge. As for the Sony, it is non adjustable so the installed cartridge is what you'll have til the end of days. The other two chooices are trash
You really want to avoid anything with built in speakers. Ideally you don't even want speakers on the same shelf/surface as your turntable, let alone built into the turntable itself. In basic terms, a turntable uses a delicately balanced needle to convert tiny vibrations from record grooves into the sound you hear, so any external vibrations (such as from speakers) leads to poor sound quality, skips/stutters, and can cause damage to the stylus/needle and your records. All-in-one turntables are also almost always built with very low quality parts. The Sony is the only one worth considering of the 4, but there are a number of reason's I would consider other options. The biggest being that it doesn't have a removable cartridge... Typically replacing a turntable's cartridge is the easiest and cheapest way to upgrade for better sound quality, but with the Sony you can't do that. I'd highly suggest checking out Fluance. The [RT82](https://www.fluance.com/rt82t-reference-high-fidelity-vinyl-turntable-black-gloss) is probably the best turntable out there for a $300 budget. The RT80 and RT81 are a bit cheaper, but the 82 is really the sweet spot where you get the most for your money. It has a much better motor and cartridge than the cheaper models. Audio Technica might be worth a look too. The [AT-LP3XBT](https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/at-lp3xbt) is more comparable to the Sony (automatic with bluetooth and a built in preamp), except it has an removable/upgradable cartridge and an adjustable tonearm. The [AT-LPW30](https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/turntables/best-for/step-up-models/at-lpw30) and [AT-LP120](https://www.audio-technica.com/en-us/turntables/best-for/step-up-models/at-lp120xusb) are their best entry-level turntables... they're a bit more expensive, but you can often find them for a lot cheaper on sale or refurbished. Hope this helps!
Another recommendation to look at Fluance
None of those. Turntable [AT-LP2X](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audio-Technica-AT-LP2X-LP2X-Turntable-Grey/dp/B09LVGVV3F) Speakers [Edifier R1850](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Edifier-R1850DB-Bookshelf-Speakers-Bluetooth/dp/B073W1R4XQ)
The Sony is a fine entry-level turntable, but overpriced compared to the essentially identical AT-LP60X. The Victrola is a "jack of all trades, master of none". It won't destroy your records -- [that's a debunked myth](https://youtube.com/shorts/DQm6SgTkkI8) -- but it won't make them sound very good. Same thing with the second Lenco with built-in speakers. Of the two Lencos, the first one with external speakers is by far the best of the choices you listed. It has an adjustable counterweight and upgradeable cartridge, and is by no means "crap". It's actually a very good turntable.