Sony PS-LX3BT review: Still a great record player for beginners

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After seven years – a metric eternity in technology time – Sony has finally returned to the world of Bluetooth turntables. This spring, the company released the Sony PS-LX3BT ($399.99) and Sony PS-LX5BT ($499.99), a replacement pair for its original PS-LX310BT player.

These young people have big shoes to fill. Long considered one of the best beginner-friendly turntables, the PS-LX310BT has been a popular, long-lasting favorite for its easy setup, fully automatic operation, and minimalist appearance. It also helped make it easier to find when it sold for less than $200 in its later years.

Admittedly, I’ve never been on the PS-LX310BT train. The record player I’ve used for 10-odd years is an entry-level wired, manual turntable that has served me well for the most part, save for some needle problems. I like it a lot… or at least, I do a thought I did until I used the new PS-LX3BT for a month (cheaper option). It made me feel so devastated that I had trouble turning it back on at the end of my trial period. If you’re a vinyl enthusiast in the market for a solid plug-and-play turntable, your search still ends with Sony.

Sony PS-LX3BT review: Set up and running

The PS-LX3BT ships in a few parts and looks a little intimidating out of the box, but assembly ended up being a cinch. You simply slide on its aluminum plate, attach a rubber belt around its motor pulley, place a sliding mat on top, and insert the hinges into the plastic dust cover. (You can also use it without the cover.) Sony’s instructions are easy enough to follow, but there are plenty of setup tutorials on YouTube if you need more guidance.

Here’s what the Sony PS-LX3BT looks like out of the box.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The PS-LX3BT is a unit belt-drive turntable, which means its motor is separate from its turntable, the plate-shaped thing under your record. (They are connected by the belt mentioned above.) This produces less vibration when the engine is running, maintaining sound quality, although the belt can stretch over time and may eventually need to be replaced. Another type of turntable you will come across is the call directly variety, with the motor attached to the plate. These are strong and have consistent speeds, but can be noisy. Professional DJs often prefer direct turn-drives, but belt drives, which are often cheaper, are not suitable for all of us.

I saw that the PS-LX3BT made the machine wave sound while it was on, but it was impossible to hear once the record started playing. This will only concern selected audiophiles.

The Sony PS-LX3BT’s main housing, or plinth, has a dark gray finish.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The PS-LX3BT is stupidly simple. Click the “Bluetooth” button on the left side of its base, or plinth, to connect it to a wireless speaker, sound bar, or wireless headphones. The indicator light next to the button lights up blue when paired.

You can also connect the PS-LX3BT to wired speakers if you’re really concerned about latency or sound quality. (Bluetooth compresses the sound in exchange for portability, which, for vinyl purists, defeats the point of listening to analog vinyl.) There’s an audio cable attached and a built-in phono preamp, so you just need to plug in the speakers of your choice.

Two other buttons next to the Sony PS-LX3BT’s home button allow you to manually pause and raise or lower the tone as needed.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

Once the PS-LX3BT is connected to some type of audio output device, you must press the green “Start” button on the other side of its plinth. Your record will begin to spin, and the tone will automatically go to the bottom, and start playing from the beginning. When it reaches the end of the record side, the tonearm rises and returns to its base. It makes mechanical screeching noises on the road, which may bother some people, but it’s good because it’s completely fuss-free.

The PS-LX3BT supports standard 12-inch albums or 7-inch singles, and you can play either of them at 33 1/3 or 45 revolutions per minute (RPM). There are knobs that allow you to switch between two sizes and speeds on the right side of its plinth. Sony throws in a 7-inch adapter, which you can hide in the interior of the plinth.

You can rip vinyl records to your laptop using the Sony PS-LX3BT’s USB-B port. Its power cable is detachable (right), but its audio cable (left) is not.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable compilation

Connectivity on the back of the PS-LX3BT includes a USB-B port that lets you rip vinyl tracks to your laptop. I didn’t have a USB-B cable on hand when I tested the turntable, so I couldn’t try it myself (sold separately). But this is a great feature that I can absolutely use to make special bonus tracks, B-sides, and digital vinyl releases that are different from the streaming versions. I’m not the only one who missed Beyoncé’s “Milkshake” sample The Renaissance.

For $100 more, the premium PS-LX5BT model gives you a detachable audio cable, a thick sliding mat, and a gold-plated audio jack, which “supports a high-quality wired connection,” according to Sony. (From what I’ve read, it’s mostly a permanent item.) Its plinth is black, while the PS-LX3BT is more of a dark gray.

The Sony PS-LX3BT cartridge has a tracking capacity of 3.5 grams, which puts it on the heavy side.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The pricier PS-LX5BT also has a simple, removable cartridge (the part that holds the needle at the end of its tone). Its cartridge has a tracking capacity of 2 grams, while the cheaper PS-LX3BT cartridge has a tracking capacity of 3.5 grams. I think this is the biggest benefit of splurging on the PS-LX5BT: Lighter cartridges equal less wear and tear to your vinyl.

A tracking power of one to three grams is generally fine, making the PS-LX3BT cartridge a little heavy. It’s not repairable, unfortunately, although you may be able to make a jerry-rig counterweight yourself if you’re worried about long-term damage to the vinyl. Someone on Reddit illuminated the tracking capabilities of the PS-LX310BT (an old Sony turntable) by placing a kneaded eraser behind its tonearm.

Sony PS-LX3BT vs. Sony PS-LX310BT: What’s new?

The original Sony PS-LX310BT (top) versus the new Sony PS-LX3BT (bottom).
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable compilation

My sister, who lives nearby, owns the original PS-LX310BT, so I stopped by her apartment to check it out. There are a few minor differences between it and the new PS-LX3BT, but overall, the latter is a good repeatable review. (Our colleagues say similar things about the latest XM6 headphones and earbuds. That’s modern technology for your consumer.)

Here’s what makes them different:

• PS-LX3BT adds support for AptX and AptX Adaptive Bluetooth codec.

• The PS-LX310BT’s Start, Stop, and Up/Down buttons slide along the side of its plinth. The same buttons appear on the face of the PS-LX3BT.

• PS-LX310BT recording speed and size dial knobs on PS-LX3BT.

• The dust cover of the PS-LX310BT is smoky grey. The cover of the PS-LX3BT is clear.

The PS-LX310BT also retailed for $449.99 at launch, though it has often sold for half that in recent years. I think it’s still worth buying if you can get hold of it for a cheap price, but it’s getting harder and harder to find in stock these days.

The transparent dust cover of the Sony PS-LX3BT allows you to see the colorful prints clearly.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

If you already own the PS-LX310BT, there’s no way you’ll need to upgrade to the PS-LX3BT. Its structure is small, and its tone transmission method is exactly the same. In theory, its AptX and AptX Adaptive support translates to better wireless sound quality, but the recordings I played on my sister’s PS-LX310BT didn’t sound too bad.

Sony PS-LX3BT review: Final thoughts

I am a Sony convert when my current record player dies.
Credit: Haley Henschel / Mashable

The PS-LX3BT is a stylish turntable with idiotproof plug-and-play functionality. Its Bluetooth connectivity and automatic operation will turn off vinyl purists, but it’s useful for beginners.

As someone who came to the PS-LX3BT from a wired, do-it-yourself record player, I can’t deny the appeal of this convenience – and if mine ever fails, I’ll definitely consider defecting to Sony. I’m precious about my vinyl collection, so I’ll go with the nice PS-LX5BT light cartridge model.

The PS-LX3BT and PS-LX5BT are both expensive compared to other high-end turntables, so try to buy them at auction. (I think you’re paying too much of a premium for the Sony name, though I’m inclined to trust its build quality over some random brand you can find at Best Buy or Amazon.) At the time of writing, both models were up to $30 off at major retailers.