SAVE $51.99: As of May 27, the new Sony PS-LX3BT Bluetooth turntable is on sale for $348 at Amazon (normally $399.99). That's a 13% savings and its best price ever.
Credit: Sony
$348
at Amazon
$399.99
Save $51.99
After testing Sony's updated PS-LX3BT turntable earlier this spring, I can confirm it's still one of the best record players for beginners.
It sounds great, it's super easy to set up, and its Bluetooth connectivity and automatic operation are both very convenient. To quote my review: Having come from a regular manual turntable, "It made me feel so spoiled that I was genuinely bummed to ship it back at the end of my testing period."
The PS-LX3BT also has a USB-B port that lets you rip vinyl tracks onto a laptop — a pretty nifty feature. (If you managed to snag the new Charli xcx singles on vinyl, you can use it to digitize those exclusive B-sides.)
One of the only things I didn't love about the PS-LX3BT was its price. It retails for $399.99, which is significantly more than the competition, so I'd try to find it on sale for less. Right now, it happens to be on sale for its lowest price ever: Amazon has it marked down to $348, or roughly $52 off. Best Buy and Sony also have it on sale with free shipping, but for a buck or two more.
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The Sony PS-LX3BT is a fully automatic belt-driven turntable. Just press its green "Start" button to start listening to a record. Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable
The only other thing I dinged the PS-LX3BT for was having a heavy tracking force of 3.5 grams. You generally want it to be between one to three grams to minimize wear and tear on your records. If that concerns you, Sony's higher-end PS-LX5BT turntable has a removable cartridge with a tracking force of just two grams.
The PS-LX5BT is even more expensive, but it's also on sale right now. Amazon's discounted price of $473 (or about $27 off) also beats competing deals at Best Buy and Sony by a teensy bit.