1byone Belt-Drive 3-Speed Portable Stereo Turntable
Quick Summary:
The day of the vinyl record is far from gone. This medium is one of the best fidelity options for true audiophiles and the record shop industry is still going strong.
If you’re looking for a great turntable that is fairly portable and can good sound, then this is a great product for you.
In addition to this, this turntable also makes an excellent gift for someone with a large record collection and no working record player.
Selecting a Portable Record Player
Ever since the early invention of the record player in 1877, audiophiles have had a love of vinyl. Vinyl records have been a definitive technology for listening to great music for more than a hundred years, and if it wasn’t for the invention of digital music, vinyl records would still be in heavy use.
Can’t the same be said of any old technology? Well yes, but the vinyl record still has a lot of merit as compared to music that’s produced digitally. Firstly, digital music recording is a somewhat loss-heavy system, so you’ll not hear every aspect of the recording process; meaning that some tones that would otherwise enhance your music can be lost in production.
This is why vinyl records are still considered the best recording medium by many audiophiles and vinyl enthusiasts. With this in mind, how does one go about playing their old and new vinyl recordings? Fortunately, there are still vinyl record players being produced that use new technologies to further enhance the vinyl experience. I’m here to tell you about one such record player that can not only play your favorite vinyl records but is also portable enough to carry with you anywhere.
The 1byone Belt-Drive 3-Speed Portable Stereo Turntable
Description
Designed with a lot of portability in mind, this 1byone turntable actually is housed in a classic style suitcase that is comprised of faux leather. On each corner of this suitcase is a chrome metal bumper that will save your portable turntable from an impact. The closing system utilizes a metal latch; the same type of latch that you’d expect from a standard suitcase.
I find that the antique aesthetic of the suitcase adds a lot to the appeal of this device; there’s something fun about opening up a suitcase and revealing a DJ-friendly turntable. This is a charming device, and it even has some modern gadget friendliness.
The external suitcase housing comes in two color choices; turquoise or black, and is light enough to carry anywhere. The device only weighs a total of seven pounds, so if you have a DJ gig, you can easily have this turntable in arms reach without much of a hassle.
Compatibility and Function
For one of these vinyl turntables to be worth their salt, they need to be able to play every type of vinyl record. The 1byone Belt-Drive 3-Speed Portable Stereo Turntable has this functionality covered; it’s able to play 33s, 45s, and 78s.
In addition to this, the device is belt driven, which helps the turntable function much more reliably. There are three types of drive systems in turntables today: belt drive, idler wheel, and direct drive. As a general rule, most DJ’s like to use direct drive, as belts can slacken with extensive use. With this said, this device can certainly still be used for impromptu DJing.
Ease of Use
This is a very easy to use portable turntable. Once you have it set down, you’ll notice a console on the side of the device. This console has all of the connectors that you need for attaching it to speakers, plugging in your headphones, or adjusting the devices volume.
The tone arm is a high-tech unit that has exceptional balance and soft damping control. Where this turntable shines, from the usability point of view is in its speed selector. Right beside the actual turntable platter, you’ll find a switch. This switch lets you choose between 33/45/78 RPM speeds. This is great because some audiophiles have been hard-pressed to find a good turntable that will play at 78 RPM. In addition to this, there is also a 45 RPM adapter that snaps into place into the housing of the device when not in use.
Once you start up the device, simply position the tone arm over the spinning record, and it will automatically lower onto the records surface. This is a nice feature, and it lets you avoid accidentally scratching the record during the playback phase.
When a side of the record is done, the device will automatically stop, so you won’t have to hear the repetitive sound of the needle constantly trying to play the same part of the record. This makes it easy to leave the immediate proximate of the player during playback.
Taking the Party Mobile
Many of the portable turntables on the market have one great feature: speakers. The 1byone Belt-Drive 3-Speed Portable Stereo Turntable has two stereo speakers in the front of the device that produces pretty good sound. While you won’t project sound to the back of an auditorium, you’ll find that in a small room, it’ll sound fairly resonant. Frankly put, if you’re going to need a lot of sound, you can connect this device to a set of speakers in order to get real projection.
Connectivity, Settings, and Control
- Line in Mode – This mode allows you to actually connect an external device and use the speakers. This is perfect for simply using a 3.5 mm cable to connect up your MP3 player, Smartphone, or tablet to the device. In my estimation, this feature brings the whole device in line with many of the audio devices used today and makes it so that you can enjoy both analog and digital music on this product.
- Headphone Connectivity – Since spinning vinyl can be a loud experience, the inclusion of a headphone jack was a great move by 1byone. This allows you to play your favorite classics late at night without disturbing the neighbors.
- Volume – This turntable has a spinning volume dial that will allow you to adjust the volume output on the speakers. It gives a fairly large range of volume level and is easy to spin with one hand.
Considerations
If you’re planning on purchasing this device, there are some considerations that you should take into account. First and foremost, the speakers aren’t going to give you a top-notch listening experience. If you’d like to hear some music when you’re on the go, these speakers produce a great level of volume, but insofar as sound quality, you’re better off with a dedicated pair of speakers. I have found that in wide open spaces, the sound quality seems to be somewhat higher than when playing this turntable in a smaller room.
In addition to this, if you’re expecting a 100 percent portable experience, then this might not be the turntable for you. This device doesn’t have an internal battery, so you’ll have to plug it in via a wall adapter. This means that if you are planning on playing it in a place without an outlet, then you might be out of luck.
Finally, there can be a bit of wobbling on the turntable from time to time. When this happened I simply adjusted it with my hand. I think this is an artifact of the belt drive.
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