COMPLETE GUIDE

These hard-working wireless turntables aren’t the dusty old record players you might remember from your parents’ attic – and the right model can make your favourite vinyl truly sing

Get the warmth of vinyl and the versatility of wireless audio with Bluetooth turntables

We are in the midst of a musical revolution, with innovations in digital music, streaming and wireless connectivity dominating the world of home audio over the last decade.

However, many of us are looking to the engineering of the past in our quest to achieve audio nirvana, hoping to find the perfect way to combine modern convenience with old-school cool. The answer? Wireless turntables.

These incredible audio gadgets give you all the palpable charm and sonic fidelity of vinyl, without the need for complicated setups and annoying cables, using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to stream the music from your record player to your speakers or headphones wirelessly.

That means these days, you don’t have to be an expert to indulge your passion for vinyl, with super simple setups making record players accessible to everyone from tech-savvy teens to those who remember the first time turntables came into vogue.

WHY VINYL?

Lovers of vinyl will often talk about its ‘warm’ sound; music played from a record often sounds richer, and more immersive than digital MP3s and even CDs.

This is because vinyl is a truly lossless format – in other words, you don’t miss out on the tiny details and subtleties of the original recording, which most digital music files can’t fully convey. Lossy files like MP3 are compressed, making it possible to download them quickly, and store lots of them on your laptop, mobile phone or portable music player – but for all that convenience, you lose a great deal of the information stored on the original recording.

As such, vinyl is a truer representation of the exact conditions in the recording studio, and a better likeness of the artists’ true intentions – every scratch of the guitar, every breath, and every rhythmic nuance.

Of course, the record players of old could never measure up to the convenience of digital music streaming, with all those complicated setups and annoying cables – that is, until Bluetooth turntables came onto the scene.

These wireless record players cut out the cords, transmitting your tunes to your speakers or headphones over Bluetooth – some modern turntables are even capable of broadcasting your music to your speakers over your home’s Wi-Fi network, offering an even better quality wireless connection.

HOW IT WORKS

So, how do turntables – Bluetooth or otherwise – actually work? To the modern music lover, turntables can be something of an enigma: how can such rich sound be conjured up by a needle tracing a plastic disc?

All modern turntables are descended from Thomas Edison’s phonograph, a sound recording machine the inventor devised in 1877. This early sound recorder featured a sheet of foil wrapped around a hand-rotated wooden cylinder; pressed against it was a needle attached to a horn. As Edison spoke into the horn, the resulting

vibrations moved the needle up and down, creating a groove on the foil that recorded the frequencies of his voice over time. When repeating the process, the needle traced the pattern, vibrated, and the noise was amplified by the horn, recreating his voice exactly.

Today’s turntables follow a very similar principle, with the needle (or stylus, if you prefer) following the grooves in a vinyl record as it spins to recreate the sound of the recording. However, instead of a giant horn to amplify the sound, modern record players convert the vibrations from your record into electrical signals, which are then amplified by a preamp or phonostage. This powers the speakers or headphones connected to the turntable, creating a louder (and far cleaner) sound than the phonographs and gramophones of the early 20th century.

Bluetooth and wireless turntables swap the physical cables that connect the record player to your speakers or headphones for a wireless connection, transmitting the electrical signals from the phonostage over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi. Without the need for cables, wireless turntables are easier to set up than their wired siblings, and are often cheaper too, as many manufacturers aim to lure in vinyl novices with lower prices and the convenience of Bluetooth connectivity.

There are a few downsides to opting for a Bluetooth connection, however; while the technology has advanced tremendously in the past few years, some believe that the audio quality still can’t match that of a wired setup. This is because Bluetooth transmission compresses audio files to fit in as much data as possible over a low bandwidth, which leads to a slight loss of detail. Connections can also drop out, particularly if you have a lot of Bluetooth devices being used in the same area. Saying that, newer Bluetooth codecs like aptX HD and aptX Adaptive offer lower rates of compression and are capable of transmitting Hi-Res Audio files over a wireless connection – they’re also much better at offering a stable connection.

Worried about a loss of quality? Wi-Fienabled turntables allow for compressionless audio transmission thanks to Wi-Fi’s higher bandwidth compared to Bluetooth, and drop outs are far less common – however, you may find that you have to pay a little more for wireless turntables that offer Wi-Fi connectivity, as opposed to those that only offer Bluetooth pairing.

CHOOSING THE BEST

So, how do you go about picking the best wireless turntable for your needs? And what exactly should you be looking for in your new record player?

Well, there are a few key features you should look out for when making your decision. First up is price. Like all home audio gadgets, Bluetooth turntables vary massively in price, ranging from sub-$200 decks to top-of-the-range players that cost well over $2,000.

While you might have to sacrifice the premium finish and materials you’ll find in expensive models, budget Bluetooth turntables are often better suited to beginners. That’s because cheaper record players usually come pre-assembled, so you

Budget Bluetooth turntables are often better suited to beginners

can pretty much play your records straight out the box; the further up the price band you go, the more likely it is that you’ll need to set up your turntable yourself.

If you’re set on ditching the cables, you’ll need to look at the kind of wireless connectivity you want your turntable to offer. Want something cheap and cheerful? Just be aware that the connection to your speakers or headphones might not be flawless. Concerned with preserving audio quality above all else? Look out for Bluetooth codecs like aptX HD and aptX Adaptive, or search for a wireless turntable that can be hooked up to your home’s Wi-Fi network.

For both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi turntables, you’ll need to make sure you have compatible speakers – some Wi-Fi turntables in particular are only compatible with speakers from the same brand that use the same wireless technology.

You should also consider whether you want a belt-drive or direct-drive turntable. The latter are often used by DJs, as they allow you to move the record back and forth to cue and sync tracks, without damaging the mechanisms of the turntable. For most people, a belt-drive will be sufficient, as they reduce the risk of noise from the motor that spins the platter being picked up by the needle and messing up your record’s sound.

It’s also well worth looking into how well damped a Bluetooth turntable is before you buy it. Damping is how manufacturers reduce unwanted vibrations; this can be done in a number of ways, including the use of rubber feet to prop the base of the turntable up and absorb these vibrations. If you opt for a cheaper model that isn’t particularly well-damped, you can also purchase your own damping kits that consist of rubber-like strips of material that fit into the recess beneath the platter.

Lots of modern turntables also come with cool extras like built-in support for streaming services, and USB outputs that allow you to record your vinyl directly to your computer or laptop. Bear in mind, these additions will often bump up the price.

Last but not least, the look of your turntable is a really important consideration; after all, the right model could be a stunning ornamental addition to your home. Lots of modern turntables sport sleek, minimalist designs, with burnished metallic finishes and glossy controls that wouldn’t look out of place in any smart home. However, you can still find plenty of familiar retro designs – look out for suitcase record players from brands like Crosley and Victrola if kitschy vintage decor is your jam.

Whatever kind of Bluetooth turntable you opt for, the choices really are endless – and that’s incredibly comforting to anyone who misses the tangible physicality of vinyl, and the mildewy solace of browsing a quiet record shop on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Turntables can come with cool extras like built-in support for streaming services