It’s Vinyl Week over at What Hi-Fi? and we are celebrating all that’s good and great about the format as we hurtle towards Record Store Day, which, this year, takes place on Saturday, the 18th April.
If you’re brand new to the format and don’t know where to start when it comes to turntables, then we've got a great deal on a superb starter deck.
This takes the price down from £299 to £249, which isn’t bad for a great beginner’s deck that mixes the traditional with the modern.
The Sony is a Bluetooth turntable which means that not only can you connect it to a hi-fi system through traditional methods (it even has a built-in phono stage if your stereo amplifier doesn’t), but you can also hook it up to a Bluetooth speaker or a pair of Bluetooth headphones if that’s how you want to consume your record collection.
You’ll get better audio quality if you go the traditional route, but there’s something to be said for the simplicity and accessibility of this kind of turntable design.
Adding to the simplicity is that Sony is a fully automatic deck. This means you simply have to press a button and the machine will spring into life, moving the arm into place and lowering itself down onto your record.
When it reaches the end of your record, the arm lifts automatically and returns to its starting position.
Everything comes assembled in the box, meaning all you need to do is hit that button, sit back and relax.
Want to pair with a Bluetooth speaker or pair of headphones? Press the large pairing button on the top of the deck, and your device should connect automatically.
It’s a turntable that doesn’t exactly ooze glamour, but it does exactly what it says on the packaging and our testers thought it delivered the goods when put through its paces.
In our Sony PS-LX3BT review, we said, “We’re taken with just how composed, controlled and well-organised the Sony sounds, marvelling at the effortless cohesion and solidity it brings to the entirety of Michael Jackson’s Bad album.”
It’s a musical-sounding deck and one that can entertain with any genre of vinyl placed on its platter.
Over Bluetooth, the Sony sounds great too, delivering music full of life and character, and it's this level of consistency that makes it a great all-round recommendation for anyone looking to scratch that vinyl itch for the very first time.
The fact that you can now pick one up for £249 instead of £299 at Sevenoaks, Richer Sounds, and Argos should be music to your ears.
MORE:
Read our full Sony PS-LX3BT review
We pick 8 of the best Record Store Day 2026 releases – The Cure, Nas, Miles Davis, Pavement and more
Don't dismiss the dirt – cleaning your records properly could revitalise your vinyl collection
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
