Home > Consumer Reviews > Sony PSLX250H Turntable

No, you can't use this Sony turntable to beat mix 12" dance records or to perform fancy dj-ing tricks. And it certainly will not compare with any $1000 audiophile turntables in terms of audio reproduction quality. This amazingly inexpensive unit will function nicely, however, if you are seeking a basic turntable to play records.

This turntable will NOT play old 78 rpm records, but it does just fine with 45's (the small "hold in the middle" kind or l2") or 33 1/3 rpm lp's. Operation is simple: all you need to do is place the record on the platter, put down the built-in dust cover, and push "start." If you wish to interrupt play, you push "stop." If you want to raise the tonearm above the record temporarily, you push "up/down." What could be simpler?

Since it includes its own built-in preamp, this unit is easy to use in conjunction with a home computer. Why would someone do this? Not only can you utilize your computer's audio reproduction capabilities to listen to records as you work (or play), but hooking up a turntable to your sound card is the first step in setting up a system to convert your old vinyl records to digital files so you can burn them to cd. That's mainly how I use my PS-LX250H, and in this capacity is has performed flawlessly and magnificently.

It's unfair to rate this item based upon unrealistic comparisons to far more feature-laden and expensive turntables. What's truly astonishing here is just what a fine machine Sony has made available for such a bargain price.

This turntable works easily, sounds great, and is offered at a great price. You can spend more and get a better cartridge and more features, but for someone who wants a very good basic turntable in addition to a CD player and other decoding devices, this one is fantastic.

I recommend vinyl as an adjunct to CDs for several reasons, among them:

1. You may already have a collection you haven't listened to for years. (You'll remember how holding the album, looking at the cover, and reading the liner notes were once part of the entire aesthetic experience.)

2. Vinyl does sound warmer than traditional CDs. (Joni Mitchell's "Blue" is unbelievably raw and "present" on vinyl.)

3. It's easy to build a new collection, especially classical records, by hunting down inexpensive LPs at library and garage sales.

Unlike some record players sold now, the turnplayer does not play 78's. However, many of those that do play this format have self-contained speakers only. This model has a preamp which connects to PHONO, AUX, or VIDEO jacks. The needle weight is not given in the information booklet; generally speaking, the more expensive, lighter needles better preserve sound quality. Although not a "high-end" model for the strict audiophile, here are the SPECS:

Drive: Belt
Motor: DC
Platter: 295 mm. diameter (aluminum, die-cast)
Speeds: 33 1/2 and 45 r/min
Wow and Flutter: Less than 0.25% (WRMS)
Signal to Noise: More than 50dB (DIN-B)

Tone arm: Dynamic balanced straight shaped with soft damping control
Effective arm length: 195 mm

Power consumption: 2 Q
Weight: 2.7 kg
Dimensions: Approx. 420 x 100 x 342 (w/h/d)

Supplied Accessories: 45 r/min adaptor, platter with drive belt, rubber mat, dust cover.

The needle raises, lowers, and moves to the edge of the album automatically; the dust cover is moved by hand. Very highly recommended!

My 30-40 year old lp's play excellently on this turntable. Some with visible scratches play without noise or skips. I have gotten excessive noise and some skipping only on 3 or 4 records out of about 60 I have played so far. Those few had scratches that looked like a knive had been dragged across the surface.
This turntable is a good buy even at a higher price I paid at another store because every [local store] within 130 miles was sold out and I didn't want to order by mail.
One salesman tried to sell me a pre-amp to go along with this turntable. It doesn't need it. It has a built-in preamp which was pre-set for connecting to AUX or VIDEO jacks, with a switch to reset if connecting to PHONO jacks.
If I were comparing to units selling for much higher prices, I'm sure it would not rate 5 stars, but I'm rating it for price and my usage, playing through a mid-grade bookshelf mini system which cost only a little more than the turntable.

I'm a newcomer to the vinyl scene. With pretty much no knowledge about turntables I was looking for one that was pretty much idiot proof.

This bad boy fit the bill. Out of the box all you have to do really is attach the drive belt and attach the platter, and depending if you have a phono input on you're receiver, you have to click the built in preamp switch on or off. No calibration of speeds was necessary. Whole process from unpacking to playing LP took 5 minutes at most. My bedroom system consists of the following:


Sony STR-6045 Receiver (1974)
Sony PSLX350H Turntable
Klipsch SB-1 Bookshelf's
Monster Cable & Acoustic Research Interconnects

My receiver has a phono input, so I didn't have to use the built in preamp. The first 2 LP's I tested was a copy of Death Cab For Cutie "Transatlantiscm" and John Coltrane "A Love Supreme". I hit the "Start" button on the front of the turntable and the arm automatically went up, then down on the edge of the record...how easy was that?

Right of the bat I noticed that sound was spectacular. The highs were crisp and the bass was low and distortion free. It could be my particular setup, but I was really impressed. My receiver was built in 1974, so I can only imagine how it would sound through a modern day receiver. I have absolutely no complaints as far as sound quality.

I next hooked up the turntable to my PC to rip some 7" singles that I had acquired. I ran the turntable with the built in preamp on to my SoundBlaster Live! Card with a Monster Cable RCA to mini cable. I ripped the tracks using MusicMatch and encoded at 128kbps. The whole process went off without a hitch. The mp3s sounded great and the process couldn't have been easier.

Now onto my complaints:

1.The overall feel of this turntable is kind of cheap. It seems pretty much all plastic. But then again, at this price what do you expect?

2.The feet are not adjustable.

3.I have heard that replacing the stylus is a total pain. I have not yet had to do so, but it seems according to others that it is only available through Sony for $50. I do suspect that by going to www.needledoctor.com you will be able to find a suitable replacement though, and for considerably less.


To wrap it up, this is a great turntable for a beginner. Spectacular if you take the price into consideration. Right out of the box it was easy to set up and use. While the build quality is questionable, at the price you can't really complain. I do plan to upgrade to a higher quality manual turntable once I read up on how to properly calibrate and care for it.

This link is to NeedleDoctor.com. You can find the replacement stylus there (Audio Technica) for this player....for $30.00..which is $25.00 less than what Sony sells it for. http://www.needledoctor.com/s.nl/sc.2/category.14/it.A/id.480/.f

For vinyl fans here are some cool links:

www.simplyvinyl.com
www.insound.com
www.needledoctor.com
www.sleevetown.com
www.vvinyl.com (If you live in NJ this is must shop
establishment. Support local independent
businesses!)

Turntables are hard to come by nowadays, let alone one an average person can afford. That is what makes this Sony so special. Not only is it priced right but it gives great performance. I've had it for two months now and have used it constantly. It sound great and there have been no problems at all. Hats of to Sony and the PS-LX250H!