The Audio-Technica AT-VM95E delivered all the songs on ‘Harvest’ smoothly, fluidly and very musically, and you can’t really ask for much more than that. I don't buy vinyl records often, but when I do it's more akin to collector's items, like those gorgeous illustrated Folio Society editions of much-loved books. They're lovely things to own and cherish. You don't really get that same kind of feeling from a digital file or stream. As part of the next generation of turntables, Audio Technica has brought in an internal selectable phono stage (pre-amp) which allows you to plug the turntable into standard or turntable input on your amplifier. Connectivity is largely the same, with a selectable phono preamp and dual RCA output for wired connectivity, along with Bluetooth support. The belt for the Audio-Technica AT-LPW50BT-RW turntable attaches to the drive motor’s pulley underneath the cast-aluminum platter.

I spent some time comparing the audio between these two turntables and with two styli – the VMN95E elliptical and the VMN95ML microline. When listening casually, there are no obvious difference between the two when using identical styli. But when I compared closely, it is undeniable that different turntables using identical accessories will sound different. For my tests, I am using the external Audio-Technica AT-PEQ30 phono preamp. The Audio-Technica AT-LPW50PB comes with a clear Perspex dustcover and spring-loaded hinges. It’s nice that these are provided standard, rather than as an optional extra. The spring-loading of the hinges means that if you give the lid a slight push when you first lift it, it will rise automatically to the fully open position without further input from you. The turntable also has a built-in phono preamp. This means that you don’t need a separate phono preamp to connect it to any audio system with a line-level input. This is a useful feature for people who want to use the turntable with a home theatre system or powered speakers. Final Words A handful of Sonos devices can be used with a record player using a wired connection. These are the Sonos Era 300, Era 100 and Sonos Five speakers, and the Sonos Amp and Sonos Port (for these last two, you'll need to add speakers). The Sonos Connect, Connect:Amp and Play:5 can also be hooked up to a turntable, though all three are discontinued.I then tested how records would sound with the turntable's built-in preamp instead of going through my receiver. Audio-Technica's built-in preamp gives a crisper and cleaner sound than my receiver, but that is just barely noticeable unless you're searching for a difference between the two. Selected items are only available for delivery via the Royal Mail 48® service and other items are available for delivery using this service for a charge.

And it sounds good, too. Bluetooth may not be the best-sounding connection, but we live our daily life with Bluetooth earbuds and speakers offering great sound and value for money, so why can't Bluetooth turntables sound good, too? The quality of the vinyl stream also depends on the quality of the speaker you choose, which gives you plenty of choice in just how good you can make the system sound. You can opt for a high-end Naim Mu-so Qb model or even an active stereo pair like the Triangle AIO Twin, but more affordable (and more convenient) options such as the Era 100 or Audio Pro C10 MkII would be perfect choices. We'd steer away from more budget speaker offerings from Ultimate Ears or JBL – they're decent, but your vinyl does deserve a better class of speaker quality. To test the wireless Bluetooth, I used a portable Bose speaker and Skullcandy Hesh ANC headphones. The portable speaker was decent enough, but, of course, speakers make up a lot of the vinyl listening experience and portable ones just don't compare to bigger setups. However, if you have a smaller space or a tight budget, the fact that you can connect this quality turntable to any Bluetooth speaker is a plus. Once you've connected your Sonos device to your turntable, it's time to get listening. If you're connected via a cable, you'll need to switch the audio source to line-in – you do this through the Sonos app. In the Browse tab, select Line-in, and then choose the relevant source. You can also set up AutoPlay so your Sonos system switches to vinyl mode as soon as your wheels of steel start spinning. It’s also a piece that’s played by almost every amateur pianist on the planet because of all the most well-known piano pieces, it seems to be the easiest to play because if you look at the score, you’ll see it’s almost blank, with some spaced-out chords that don’t require much of a finger-stretch and then only crotchets everywhere else — there’s not a quaver to be seen, much less a hemidemisemiquaver. But when you try to play it… wow! It’s so difficult to make it flow.The AT-LPW50BT-RW turntable made the album sound even better when it had a wired connection to a component system. I tested it with both the built-in phono preamp and through my own NAD phono stage. The dedicated NAD unit sounded better with slightly more detail, but not by as much of a margin as I expected. Should you buy the Audio-Technica AT-LPW50BT-RW turntable? On this album van Veen stretches the concept of slowness to the extreme. One critic wrote of it that: “he creates an hallucinatory effect, a kind of minimal music avant la lettre.” The older members of team What Hi-Fi? are sometimes puzzled why the younger generations are so taken with vinyl, but it makes sense to me. When streaming from Spotify or Netflix from your smartphone or laptop has been the norm, vinyl records – and turntables – offer a wonderfully tactile, physical sense of ownership and connection to music that a digital stream simply doesn't. Being able to disconnect from the shiny screen of doom and instead interact with physical products also does wonders for your mental health. The belt motor has a built-in speed sensor that aims to maintain perfectly accurate rotation speeds, and there’s adjustable anti-skate control on board too. You can play your vinyl through every Sonos speaker connected to your network, so you can fill your home with the sound of your favourite records. Just group said speakers together using the Rooms tab in the Sonos app, and it'll play just like any music source. Can you wirelessly connect a turntable to Sonos?

Switch to Tom Waits’ Foggy Night live set and the atmosphere changes to a more intimate one, his wry vocals soaked in whiskey and smoke coming through clearly as he chats in between songs. Audio Technica has also announced the AT-LPW50BTRW, the latest addition to the brand’s line of fully manual, belt-driven wooden turntables for those vinyl enthusiasts who want to spend a little more. This new turntable also offers a Bluetooth connection for streaming to speakers or headphones. Users can enjoy optimal high-fidelity audio reproduction from vinyl using a wired or wireless connection. We do run into issues with Bluetooth pairing though, which can be hit-and-miss when we try to connect the turntable with a wide variety of headphones. We found that if you have multiple Bluetooth devices in the same room as the AT-LPW50BT (which is increasingly commonplace for most people), it will try to connect to those devices instead of the one you want it to. After a lot of trialling and turning off every Bluetooth kit in our listening room (including our reference music streamer), the AT-LPW50BT did finally connect to the Mark Levinson No. 5909 headphones (but not the Apple AirPods Max) and the Sonos Era 100 speaker.

Released: 6th September 2022. The AT-LPW50BTRW is the newest edition to Audio-Technica’s line of fully manual, belt-drive wood turntables, providing all the benefits of vinyl with the freedom to connect to the latest Bluetooth® speakers or headphones. Enjoy optimal high-fidelity audio reproduction from vinyl with your choice of wired or wireless connectivity. The recent new Audio-Technica turntable I reviewed, the AT-LP3XBT, is a really convenient automated record player that I would highly recommend to casual record collectors who want to enjoy analogue music without the fuss and hassle of handling the tonearm. Plus, it auto stops at the end of the record, which even discerning audio lovers like myself appreciate. However, if you are looking for a more professional-styled turntable that still caters to the digital generation, the AT-LPW50BT is probably the one to get. This fully automatic belt-driven turntable also features a built-in switchable phono/line pre-amplifier, with speeds of 33.3 and 45 RPM supported, and a balanced straight tonearm with hydraulically damped lift control and rest.

Detacable RCA output cables allow you to plug into the system you choose or if you prefer the clean look of no wires, then you can harness the Bluetooth option on this turntable to join any active speaker of your choice. Beautiful Finish

The built-in selectable phono preamp and detachable dual RCA output cable enable direct-wired connection to components with or without a dedicated phono input.