I’ve needed a new record player for a few years now, as my old one seems to only be able to play Rumours by Fleetwood Mac, skipping when playing pretty much anything else.
So, when I was given the opportunity to try out the new Victrola Automatic, I jumped at the chance.
In addition to the traditional parts of a record player, this turntable has a number of modern additions, including Bluetooth connectivity.
While the turntable was being shipped, I popped out to purchase a couple of new records. Most of mine are currently in my parents’ attic, and my old turntable would not play them.
Once it arrived, I was ready to set up the player and start listening—although there was one slight problem: none of the speakers were Bluetooth, and I did not have the correct cables to connect any others to the record player itself—nor did it come with any.
While it would connect to my headphones, the lack of volume control on the turntable itself made it impossible to turn the volume up or down.
However, this was quickly remedied by ordering a Bluetooth speaker with next-day delivery, meaning I was able to get properly set up less than 24 hours later.
During the process of setting up the turntable, the biggest problem was the belt, which kept coming loose, but after a few tries, this finally connected properly, and the rest of the set-up was quick and simple.
Once turned on, the record player and the Bluetooth speakers quickly connected without any problems – and the volume could be controlled via the speakers, meaning I avoided suffering the same problem as with headphones.
Once connected to the speakers, the turntable worked perfectly, and I’m considering investing in some Victrola speakers to pair with the record player, as I’m sure the music will sound even better with these than my unbranded speakers.
After a few days of using the Victrola Automatic, I even started considering cancelling my Spotify subscription and instead spending that money on purchasing some of my favourite albums as records – plus, I’ll have them forever, and they won’t be removed at the whim of the label executives.
However, the podcasts I listen to on Spotify are obviously not available on records, so I will likely keep my subscription, for now, at least.
The Victrola Automatic is available to purchase in the UK from Argos, Very, Simply Sound and Vision, and Amazon for £219.
