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Will A Cheap Turntable Damage Your Records?

Shopping for a turntable? You'll have undoubtedly seen the surplus of budget-priced models from the likes of Crosley, Ion, GPO and many others, sold by high street retailers and online retailers such as Amazon and eBay. Many claim that these sub-#100 turntables will cause irreparable damage to the vinyl they play. Wanting to offer some conclusive evidence either way, we purchased a GPO Stylo and conducted an experiment to see what it really takes to damage a vinyl record.

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AirPulse A300 Active Speakers Review

Their price and size places them in a segment of the market where there is a great deal of competition, but they compare very favourably to models far beyond their price.

Vinyl Styl Audio Cassette Head Cleaner And Demagnetiser

Cassettes may be making a comeback, but as yet the machines to play them aren’t. As such it is necessary to keep old machines in good health with regular maintenance and TLC. The Vinyl Styl cleaning and demagnetising tape does just that.

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Edifier S350DB Review

If you’re after plenty of inputs, smart aesthetics and convenience features with better sonics than the average one box solution, these are worth a look. For no compromise audio performance, look elsewhere.

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Clear Groove Vinyl Record Cleaner

Herein we feature the products of Clear Groove, a family run business specialising in the design and supply of products for vinyl and CD care and cleaning

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Technics SL-L20 Linear Tracking Turntable Service

I’ve yet to come across a Technics that didn’t at least sound good, and I had great fun spinning 7” singles on the L20 before returning it to its rightful owner ready to deliver another few decades of faithful service.

Pads

Meze Audio 99 Classic Headphones Review

These are some of the best headphones I’ve heard regardless of price or brand status. They simply must be heard because until you wear a pair on your own head you don’t know what you’re missing.

Little Fwend Automatic Tonearm Lifter Review

The Little Fwend is as thoughtfully designed as it is nicely machined. Setup correctly it does its job with no hassle and minimal user input, besides a quick push on its platform after each use. Expensive it may be, but it’s a terrific accessory and is therefore highly recommended.

SoundCraft 22MTK 22-Channel USB Mixing Console Review

It’s a simple 22-channel console and recording interface with none of the useless gimmicks often cluttering up boards at this price. It produces recordings of exceptional quality and is as at home live as it is in the studio. Best of all it’s affordable enough for the gigging local band, the bedroom musician looking to take the next step into quality recording, or even a project studio able to turn out high-quality output for release.

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Yamaha R-N803D MusicCast Network Receiver Review

Yamaha’s R-N803D is a stereo receiver packed with clever tech and plenty of connectivity. The intuitive retro-inspired design, brilliant software and the thoughtful implementation of its many features are the icing on a particularly sweet cake.

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Pro-Ject VC-S MK II Review and Comparison

Thoughtful tweaks to what was already a terrific machine have made the best even better, improving usability, performance and value across the board. Every vinyl fan should own a VC-S, I simply can’t recommend it enough.

Edifier R2730DB Active Bookshelf Speakers Review

If you like hugely over-emphasised bass and little else, these are the speakers for you. For the rest of us who favour neutrality or musicality, these are not contenders; especially at the price.