Vinyl sound on a budget: Lenco LS-100 Turntable review

Since the 19th century, we’ve been enjoying that comforting and familiar crackling as a piece of music plays. From the early gramophone years to Bluetooth-friendly turntables, we’ve come a long way. And – companies like Lenco have been innovating the classic vinyl player, bringing it to a scratching halt in the 21st century. Luckily, What’s the Best writer – and long-time vinyl collector – Piper was able to test out the Lenco LS-100 Turntable. Here are her thoughts.

As I lay back on my bed and listen to the familiar and comforting crackle of Carole King's Tapestry, I'm instantly at home. The Lenco LS-100 treats me to good sound on its attractive turntable and midcentury-style speakers, which is all very fitting with my personal style. Why is the Lenco LS-100 so special? It's affordable, easy to use and set up, not to mention looks fantastic! This turntable is an all-in-one treat. Let's dive into the Lenco LS-100...

Verdict: Lenco has made a stylish, trusty vinyl player for beginners. It has several modern functions and playback options like Bluetooth, as well as decent sound quality from two eternal speakers. No matter what you’re listening to, this Lenco LS-100 provides an enriching experience for music fans.

Build

• Stylish, wooden effect exterior
• Matching speakers look great

With matching external speakers, this turntable set looks really fabulous in any home, coordinated and fashionable. It’s a versatile look, suiting a cottage, or mid-century aesthetic, with the warm wooden tones serving the style well, or acting as an eye-catching counterpoint to more industrial tastes. As for how it sits, the turntable’s feet are sturdy, and it performs best on a flat surface.

If you’re using the speakers provided, set-up is easy as pie, with two separate cables for the external speakers being all you need to conquer – alongside the power, of course. They just go into their respective jacks at the back of the player. No fiddling about is required.

On the speakers, they are an impressive addition to the who look. In fact, the speaker cables are each around 45cm long, so there’s enough give for them to be propped onto a shelf above, for example. Here, they can look organic, natural and just like general décor - if that’s what you like. Personally, I think this is a nice and practical bonus.

As for the turntable itself, the deck consists of what you would usually find on a modern turntable with a speed selection switch, power LED light indicator and auto-stop switch. Plus, you’ll be able to locate all the other parts else with ease (e.g. turntable shaft, needle arm). More on this later.

Made out of solid material, this vinyl player has a ceramic cartridge, which looks sleek and moves fine. Plus, with the transparent plastic dust cover, you can protect the Lenco LS-100 against any damage. You can oven pop this down when a record is spinning, which keeps everything compact and safe. Luckily, both the plastic dust cover and the AC adapters are included. Overall, the build of this player is solid.

Usability & Performance

• Simple, straightforward
• Decent sound quality
• Bluetooth capabilities
• No MP3 recording

Much like the Lenco L-3809BK we've reviewed previously, the Lenco LS100 is notoriously easy to use. Many modern turntables combine the volume knob with the power-on switch, which makes an easy one-turn manoeuvre when setting up.

If I’m playing vinyl on the system, it doesn’t take long for it to be set up and raring to go. I start with lifting up that handy dustcover and slip-mat, which make good protection. The vinyl slides onto the turntable with no issues and there’s no fiddling with the needle as it easily unclasps.

Next, the turntable shaft starts to spin as the needle edges closer. Remember to use your hand to guide the needle to the right spot. When you think it’s in the right spot, shift the lever on the right of the deck. This will lower the needle to meet your spinning record. This bit is a little slow, though.

If you’re wanting to play a 7” inch single, which I have a few of, you’ll need to change the speed. Your full-size 12” LPs will be playing at 33 1/3 RPM, whereas your singles will need to be at 45. This is adjustable by the switch adjacent to the lever. I must admit, it’s a little tricky to see the numbering, so it initially took me a little while to work out which direction I had to slide the switch.

But, after this, no issues. I pop the protected dust cover down and let the music play.

When I heard this player could play music directly from my phone, I was sceptical. I’ve never really understood how Bluetooth works – and why a turntable would feature this. Though this feature may defeat the point of owning a vinyl player in the first place, it’s a cool addition; especially if your collection is lacking an album or two that deserve to be played out loud. For the Bluetooth to activate, you need to make sure the needle arm is back in its holder - and the LED flashes to indicate a connection. You can even control the volume from your phone.

Pretty simple, if you ask us.

As for the sound quality, it’s OK – nothing impressive, but certainly not bad. This is for both vinyl and Bluetooth whilst using Lenco’s external wooden speakers. Sometimes, I may hear a faint buzz or scratch on a higher volume, but that’s part of the whole vinyl appeal, right? I love how rough-cut and scratchy vinyl can be. It’s part of the overall charm of using a turntable. If you like crisp-sounding audio, maybe a vinyl player isn't for you.

For example, I listened to Regina Spektor’s 20th Anniversary re-release of her debut album){href='https://hmv.com/store/music/vinyl/11-11-(1)' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener sponsored nofollow' class='add-referrer-link'} - on my Lenco turntable recently. It’s been finally remastered for streaming and a limited vinyl release. Here, I was able to appreciate the range of instruments that she played for this album - in all of its glory. That was a special moment for me.

Another feature that deserves a mention is the "Auto Stop", which is a nice touch. It certainly makes use a little more accessible – and reminds me to turn the vinyl over. When a side reaches the end, the vinyl player will automatically stop spinning the turntable. Then, a little noise plays to notify you that this is the end of a side and not just a long pause between tracks. It’s a small feature – with very little impact, but it makes sure that the turntable doesn’t work more than it has to.

Surely, that’s worth a mention?

Price

The Lenco LS-100 Turntable has an RRP of £139.99, dead-set in the lower end of the price range. Although, it is pricier than most of those aesthetically-pleasing suitcase vinyl players with built-in speakers. We recommend you avoid those.

As for the Lenco LS-100, the competition includes Bush’s Classic Micro Combo Record Player, the Crosley Gig Turntable & Speakers and Camden’s Luxury Bluetooth Record Player, which are all around the £150 mark. Compared with these rivals, Lenco’s Wood Turntable looks super stylish and is less expensive. But, is it worth paying more?

However, grabbing this turntable set at a lower price is even more of a steal – as it’s pretty solid, all-around. Lenco has other turntable sets, namely the LS-300 and 500 models, which retail a little higher – and may potentially perform better than this model. That being said, if you’re looking for crisp, ultra-amazing sound, it's very likely that you'll be forking out for better speakers. So, you could at Lenco's other turntables which don't include external speakers.

Think of the Lenco LS-100 Turntable as a budget alternative to most, perfect for occasional use.

Verdict

I’m such a big fan of vinyl. My collection seems to grow by the month. So, if you’re looking to invest in a budget-range vinyl player, I couldn’t recommend the Lenco LS-100 Turntable more. Not only is it swish, attractive and totally fits my aesthetic, but the set-up is super easy. I’m not very tech-savvy, so this worked for me. Simply, plug and go. It’s really that easy.

Moving away from built-in speakers was a big step but honestly, the experience is better. There’s nothing better than hearing your favourite albums on a wood-effect vinyl player with decent sound. However, it still retains the crackling quality of vinyl which we all love and appreciate. Adjusting the speed and volume is very easy. The Bluetooth capabilities are more of a fiddle, but worth it. Overall, this record player is solid.

How we tested it:

The LS-100 was adopted into my life over a number of weeks. It was used to listen to my extensive record collection and to stream music from my smartphone.

Other items to consider:

Piper Huxley is a Commercial Content Writer at Bauer Media, where she writes for titles such as Heat, Closer, What’s the Best and Yours.

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