UPDATE: Everything in the orignial review stands below. Except the part if you are using line level outputs to hook up to an external source. After a couple weeks, the external outputs started to fail. By fail I mean that the sound came out muddied and unclear. I thought it may be the amplifier but after using 3 different amps, i concluded it was the phonograph itself. Amazon sent me a replacement. Same issue. So I would recomend to proceed with caution if you are going to use this with an external speaker. Everything else in the original review stands.

ORIGINAL REVIEW:

For starters, I ordered the “dark maple” color. I thought it would be dark in color similar to the picture at the top of the item description. But if you scroll down to the middle of the webpage, the color is brighter and more brown. This is the color that more closely matches reality for those who were considering that color. It’s a little brighter and less dark in person and the top picture is a tad misleading.

The reviews on this product seem to vary so widely. It’s frustrating when looking at a product and you see reviews that vary so much. But my take is that the reviews here all have truths to them in some respects. It may very well come down to what you need and expect. Here’s some other information that should help you decide whether or not to get this.

LOOKS/APPEARANCE:
If looks are more important to you than the sound, you won’t be disappointed. The look is very vintage and the outside box is sturdy and seems to be made of real wood. When not in use, the piece actually can add to the room decor. If anything, it makes a solid addition to a room in the looks department alone.

QUALITY:
As I’ve stated, the outside wood box, especially when closed, is very sturdy and solidly built. When you open the lid, you’ll notice that the player components themselves don’t seem to be on par with the outside box. The component materials are more light and plastic rather than sturdy and solid. This may bother some while it may not bother others. Again, it depends on what you are looking for and what you are expecting. If I were to judge on just the components themselves, I would say to stay away from this product. But becuase the components work ok and aren’t the main selling point of this type of product (I say the look is the real appeal), I have to advise people to look at the other pros and cons before deciding.

SOUND:
This is where expectation really comes in to play. If you are looking for a good vintage looking player, and don’t mind if the player doesn’t play loud with tons of low end, then this is a good buy. Are you an audiophile? If you are, you’re looking at the wrong item and will be disappointed. There are virtually no lows, and the speakers have difficulty filling larger spaces. But if you need something that looks really cool and have a smaller space and aren’t picky about frequencies, this may work just fine.

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS?:
So what if you’re like me and you have a receiver and love the look of this thing but the sound leaves a lot to be desired? I recommend hooking this up to your receiver and external speakers. But there’s a catch. There were some owners who tried to get theirs’ to sound good through external speakers and amps but just couldn’t get it to sound right. I would bet that the reason is becuase they didn’t have the correct line level amplifer. This product has RCA outs but you can’t simply plug them into your receiver and expect it to sound good. Phonographs need to have line level outs and this one does not have them. You can get this amplifier on amazon anywhere from -. I hooked this up to my receiver and speakers with the amp and it sounds good enough to the point where I am satisfied with the sound.

CONCLUSION:
I would say that this is a good but not great value at the price I paid. (about ). But depending on your needs, it can be a great value, or not so great. But at least now you have some details that will help you decide for yourself whether it is or not. I can’t recommend this to audiophiles which high sound expectations but can definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a cool vintage looking player with average sound.

Let’s be honest, finding a decent record player can be difficult. Chances are when you purchase an older one, there are many things that need to be fixed. When looking for sound quality, there needs to be leniency with a record player… ITS A RECORD PLAYER, not a top of the line sound system, that your paying 0+ for. This product is everything I imagined and more. The sound quality is decent, sounds great loud, or soft and is perfect for a bedroom or living room. What is the coolest feature is the ability to transfer music from your records to your computer! Records can be found for 50 cents at local Goodwill’s. The exterior box is beautiful. The size makes it easy to move anywhere. For a 3.00 this is an amazing purchase. Yes there are websites to get this item less expensive, but the shipping costs end up matching up with amazon’s price. I’m excited to begin this new hobby of mine, and I couldn’t have started better product.

I have researched for months and waited and waited and waited on buying this thing because I felt unsure of my options and my understanding of record players in general. I finally decided to just go for it. I’m glad I finally have a working record player. It’s a great looking wooden box. Sound is okay. Not really any depth, but that’s to be expected at this price range. My main concern is the tiny bit of wobble that it has. It’s not just terrible, but it is noticeable. It’s not worth returning in my opinion, so I’m just going to deal with it for now and hopefully get a really nice record player someday. If you’ve got the extra cash, invest in a nicer player. If you just want to play records, this will do the job just fine.

UPDATE: After a couple of weeks of use, I’ve noticed that the platter is not level. This causes records to have a wobbly sound (you can watch the turntable wave up and down as it spins). I’ve tried to ignore that. But recently, the speed of the turntable has slowed for some reason, and it actually changes the tempo and key of the songs. This is very frustrating to me. I plan on returning this and getting something better. The only problem is, I don’t know what. I really loved the looks of this piece, but the playback quality is very sub par.