Tech Talk: Lenco LS-55 turntable review
With record sales still on the up and spending on vinyl being expected to surpass CDs for the first time since 1987, the retro format players really need to be on their top game to appeal to its new audiences.
I think that is why this Lenco LS-55 turntable stood out in the crowd for me. It is a beautiful unit of Swiss design. It has a wooden finish and has a minimalist look which echoes mid century design, so is very on trend currently.
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Hide AdOnce you go beyond the good looks you begin to realise Lenco crammed this unit full of features. The USB port is a great feature. You can digitise your vinyl onto a USB stick at the touch of a button. It records real time so you get to listen to your music while it happens. It creates an MP3 file which can then be played back directly from the USB stick through the turntable unit, or you can upload this to your own digital music library. The simplicity of this is amazing, and anyone of any tech ability could master it. This function will keep me busy for hours and I have already started dusting off some of my more obscure records that you can’t seem to stream anywhere.
There is an integrated RCA line-level output so you can link this to your current hi-fi, and there is an AUX input so you can hook it up to your existing audio set up too. Even as a stand alone turntable you can plug in and play your vinyl without worrying about any other set up. It has its own stereo speakers at the front, each pushing out 5 watts. I thought the sound filled the room without distortion and gave a crisp tone. I found it a little bit lacking in bass even though this was supposed to be enhanced by its passive radiator, but the vocals were nice and clear. There isn’t a built in equaliser so I wasn’t able to adjust the sound from the turntable to my preference. I easily paired my mobile phone with the unit via Bluetooth and was able to stream music from my iPhone through the speakers on the player. By doing this I could use the iPhone’s equaliser functions and managed to achieve a better sound from these tracks.
Lenco remind us that they are celebrating their 75th anniversary and have pulled out all the stops on this unit, they even put birthday branding on the complimentary vinyl cleaning cloth.
If you are looking for a stand out stereo turntable, I think you would be hard pushed to find another classy model that packs a punch like this one does for style and features. I would like to see the Bluetooth function extending to pairing with my Bose speakers down the line but for the price you can't beat the functionality of this turntable.
The Lenco LS-55 is available for £129.99 from ->HMV, ->Gear4Music and ->Lenco
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