Sony PS-LX3BT Review

Design

• Lightweight chassis
• Fully automatic operation
• Fixed RCA cable

Anyone expecting a premium look and feel to the PS-LX3BT may be slightly disappointed. It’s not unattractive but it does look rather plain. The dark grey finish of the deck lacks colour unless you decide to put the blue slip-mat on top to add a splash of colour.

It feels light to the point of almost feeling insubstantial, which makes it feel slightly cheaper than it looks. Set-up is simple enough, a case of slotting the platter in and stretching the belt so it fits before attaching the dust cover (if you like). There’s no need to alter the weight of the tonearm or apply a tracking force – everything has been done so you don’t have to think about it, great if you’re new to the vinyl game.

It’s also an automatic turntable – press play and the tonearm will move, settle the needle on the record and once the vinyl is played, it’ll lift up and return on its own. You can stop the record in full motion if you need to dash, and there’s an up/down button if you want to manually place the tonearm on the record. There’s no repeat button as there is on the Sharp TT100 which I think is a slight disappointment but not a massive miss.

There’s a button for Bluetooth pairing, as well as buttons for setting the record size and speed. None of the buttons are particularly premium, and have the feel of a cassette player from the 1980s (maybe that’s deliberate). Like with the overall build quality, I’d like the turntable to feel more robust.

Out the back are your connections. These are hardwired in, so all you have to do is connect the RCA cable to your amplifier, and you’re almost there.

Features

• aptX Bluetooth
• 7- and 12-inch vinyl support
• 45RPM adapter included

The PS-LX3BT is armed with a built-in phono stage, so if you are connecting the turntable to wired set-up but have a stereo amplifier that doesn’t have its own phono stage, the PS-LX3BT can take care of that duty.

Obviously, if you’re connecting to a device that does have a phono stage, you’ll need to switch to line output to bypass the phono amp. The labelling (like seemingly every turntable) is a bit confusing at first, as clicking to phono means bypassing it, and switching to line means engaging the phono amp.

Wireless support of the Bluetooth variety means you can output the sound from the record to a pair of headphones or a Bluetooth speaker, and pairing is simple enough – you just need to put your device into pairing mode at the same as the Bluetooth button is pressed and they’ll sync with each other.

Curiously, the PS-LX3BT supports aptX Adaptive, but none of Sony’s own 1000X models have supported this since the WH-1000XM3. Even the PS-LX5BT supports aptX Adaptive, which means if you’ve got a pair of Sony headphones, you’re stuck with SBC and not even AAC.

You can adjust the ‘Gain’ setting depending on the volume of the record from low, mid and high (I’ve left it on high). As mentioned before the PS-LX3BT supports 7- and 12-inch records, a 45RPM adapter is included if you’ve got records in that format, the cartridge included is MM (no mention of the actual brand) with the tracking force is automatically set to 3.5g. And that’s your lot for the features side of things. Quite simple but also accessible.

Performance

• Detailed, natural sound
• Good bass weight

I tried the Sony PS-LX3BT with a few different set-ups. First up is the excellent Ruark MR1 MK3 desktop speakers which have their own built-in phono stage.

The sound is filtered through Ruark’s lens, so it’s clear with warmth and smoothness that erupts in a big sound for a pair of speakers in the Ruark’s size. It’s not the most detailed, but the Ruark offers a rabid sense of dynamism and energy, strong bass response and a lovely tone with instruments and vocals. The Ruark and the Sony make for a fantastic match.

With Ten Gallon Shuffle, a record I bought in a Kyoto store, there’s verve, energy and engaging rhythm. The liveliness of the record shines through with lots of pomp and flare, producing a musical and lush performance. It shows the benefit of finding a partner that works well with the turntable to bring the best out of it.

Switching to a Cambridge Audio CXA61 amplifier with a pair of Q Acoustic 3030c speakers making use of the built-in phono stage and the amplification proves to be very good. With Phoebe Bridger’s Punisher the soundstage is described in big and broad terms, with bass that’s rich, weighty but balanced. Bridgers’ distinctive vocals come across with clarity, nuance and detail in the middle of the soundstage.

Trying the Ten Gallon Shuffle with this combination, the performance loses some energy but remains engaging with a performance that remains musical, and natural. It’s not necessarily the clearest or most neutral in tone, favouring that warm vinyl approach, but bass is weighty and consistently strikes a natural-sounding tone with vocals and instruments.

A switch to Sony’s WH-1000XM6 headphones and there’s a clear, dynamic and detailed performance. The turntable’s ‘sound’ shifts to the tone of the WH-1000XM6, which means it’s more balanced from top to bottom of the frequency range, losing some of the warmth and richness of vinyl in the process but it entertains and the Bluetooth connections holds up, despite me going on a wonder around the house as the record plays. On the audio front, it’s hard to fault the Sony PS-LX3BT. It’s a talented record spinner.

Should you buy it?