Comparison Lenco LBT-120 vs Lenco LS-40

The type of pickup (cartridge) supplied with the turntable.

- MM(with moving magnet). The most common type of cartridges nowadays. The electrical signal in such devices is created by the oscillation of a moving magnet connected to the pickup stylus between special coils. These cartridges give a good output level, making them compatible with the simplest phono stages, they are easy to set up, and the needles in many models can be replaced by the user himself.

- MC(moving coil). Pickups in which the magnets are made stationary, and the signal is created by a moving coil that vibrates from the vibrations of the needle. This design allows you to reduce the mass of moving parts (compared to MM), which has a positive effect on the accuracy and reliability of sound transmission: MC cartridges are capable of transmitting almost all the nuances of sound. On the other hand, their output signal level is low, which puts forward increased demands on the quality of phono stages and significantly affects the cost. So pickups of this type are typical mainly for high-end equipment.

- MI (with a movable iron element). Quite an exotic type of pickups: the coils and magnets in them are made stationary, and the vibration of the needle sets in motion a miniature piece of magnetic material (for example, iron), which moves between the coils and changes their inductance. Theoretically, such cartrid...ges can compete with MCs in terms of overall sound quality and detail, while MI technology allows you to achieve a high level of signal output, which does not require expensive phono stages. However, in fact, such pickups are rare for a number of reasons.

Anyway, for the normal operation of the player, a phono stage is required for the corresponding type of pickup; A phono stage may also be built-in (see “Characteristics”), however, if external equipment is used, it is necessary to know the type of pickup to select it.

Shape of the complete tonearm (viewed from on top). Modern players can have both straight and S-shaped or J-shaped tonearms. It is impossible to say unequivocally which one is better: the advantage of the first option is considered to be light weight, the second and third are long length and low resonant frequency, which reduces the likelihood of interference. Therefore, in practice, the choice depends on the specific situation and personal preferences.

The main material used in the construction of a complete tonearm.

— Metal. Usually, in this case we are talking about an aluminium alloy. This is a fairly light and durable material with average characteristics in terms of sound quality: it does not dampen extraneous vibrations as well as carbon fibre, but for entry-level and mid-level turntables this is quite enough, in expensive models you can use other methods of eliminating interference, aluminium is much cheaper.

— Carbon. A high quality material that is lighter in weight and has more advanced anti-resonance properties than the metal described above. The main disadvantage of carbon fibre is its rather high cost.

— Plastic. Plastic has a low cost, but this is perhaps its only key advantage: the performance of this material is quite modest. That is why it is used extremely rarely — mainly in retro-style turntables, where a plastic tonearm is a necessary part in terms of design.

— Tempo adjustment. The presence in the player of an electronic module that allows you to change the tone of the sound being played, in other words, to make it higher or lower by a certain interval, in other words, change the playback speed. This feature is also known as a "pitch controller". It is relevant primarily for DJ "turntables", as it allows you to mix tracks recorded in different keys. Some home players also have a tempo control, but its capabilities are much more modest, and a real need for such a function rarely arises.

— Adjustable counterweight. The ability to adjust the position of the counterweight mounted on the opposite end of the tonearm from the cartridge. This allows you to change the balance of the tonearm by adjusting the downforce (see above); the presence of an adjustable counterweight is highly desirable if you plan to use "non-native" pickups with the player.

— Anti -skating. The presence of an anti-skating system in the design of the tonearm. The peculiarities of the work of the vinyl player are such that during playback there is an additional force that presses the needle against the inside of the groove. This results in an imbalance in the sound of the stereo channels and uneven groove wear. To compensate for this phenomenon, anti-skating is used — a system that “pulls” the tonearm in the opposite direction, towards the ou...ter edge of the record. Anti-skating may be based on counterweights, springs, magnets, or other devices, but anyway, this function is considered highly desirable for modern turntables. However, it is not available everywhere: for example, in low-cost models, anti-skating may not be provided to reduce the cost, and in top-end devices it may be present, but not indicated in the specifications.

— Reverse playback. The reverse function allows you to play the record in reverse, playing the sound backwards. This feature is unlikely to be needed by audiophiles, but it is very much appreciated by DJs, as it expands the arsenal of available sound effects. Usually, direct drive is required for reverse (see above), although there are exceptions.

— Hitchhiking. A system that automatically stops the disc and raises the arm when the record has finished playing. Due to this, additional wear of the needle due to movement along the plate "idle" is prevented. However, in some situations (for example, when playing several records in a row), hitchhiking is inconvenient, so it can be turned off.

— Autoplay. The presence in the player of automatic playback. In such models, the user does not need to manually move the tonearm. In fact, it is enough to install the record, press the button — and the disc will start to rotate, the tonearm will lower itself to the desired position, and after the end of playback, the record will stop, the tonearm will rise (due to hitchhiking, see above) and return to its original position. Such systems make the player as convenient as possible, but they significantly affect its cost, and also (like any additional electronics) are a potential source of interference.

— Built-in acoustics. The presence in the player of its own speaker system, consisting of speakers and a power amplifier. This equipment allows you to listen to records without the use of external equipment; in fact, models with acoustics are stand-alone music centers, except that they work not on cassettes / discs / flash drives, but on vinyl discs. At the same time, the characteristics of the built-in amplifiers and loudspeakers are generally noticeably more modest than those of external ones, and additional electronics in the player's case can distort the signal. Therefore, it makes sense to purchase models with built-in acoustics if purity and high sound quality are not critical — for example, for listening to old records.

— Speed 78 rpm. The ability to operate the player at a speed of 78 revolutions per minute. To date, such records are almost never produced, but they were very popular until the 60s of the XX century. Therefore, to listen to vintage audio recordings, you will need a turntable with support for this speed. Note that 78 rpm operation may require additional equipment (such as a belt pulley or a special pickup).

— Write to media. The ability to connect an external media to the player and record the reproduced sound on it in digital form. Usually, we are talking about USB-drives (such as flash drives); accordingly, a USB Type A port is provided for their connection. However, other types of media, such as memory cards, may be supported. Recording directly to media is faster than digitizing via a computer (see "USB port (type B)" above), but the sound is recorded "as is" in this case, without the possibility of quality enhancement and noise filtering.

— Installation of the second tonearm. Possibility of installing an additional tonearm on the player, which can differ markedly from the main one both in its own features and in the characteristics of the pickup. This possibility is justified if the player is planned to be used in different modes that cannot be covered by a single pickup. For example, you can install an inexpensive pickup on the second tonearm, which is not a pity to “kill” on old worn records, or a 78 rpm cartridge for vintage recordings. Note that in some models there may be more than one additional tonearms.

— Pendulum alignment. Automatic turntable leveling system based on a pendulum (suspension). This feature is found exclusively in premium class models, designed for the highest mechanical precision. In such models, the player itself is installed on a special stand on the floor, and a massive (several tens of kilograms) pendulum is suspended from its lower part. While the pendulum hangs strictly vertically, the player's disc is in a strictly horizontal position; and due to the large mass, the suspension practically does not deviate from the vertical with small vibrations of the floor (for example, from people walking nearby). This feature is designed primarily for sophisticated audiophiles who want to get the most accurate and reliable sound.

— USB B port. A connector designed to connect the player to a computer as a peripheral device. This connection is mainly used for converting vinyl records to a digital audio format such as MP3. At the same time, computer processing allows you to "clean" the recording from clicks and other extraneous interference; the necessary software for this may even be supplied in the kit.

— Bluetooth. The presence of a built-in Bluetooth module in the design of the player. This technology is designed for direct wireless communication with other devices at a distance of up to 10 m. The capabilities of such communication may vary, depending on the supported Bluetooth protocols. The most popular use of this feature in players is to broadcast audio to wireless headphones or speakers. Such a connection may be somewhat inferior to a wired one in terms of sound quality, but it does not require fiddling with cables and selecting compatible connectors; and the difference in quality is most often unprincipled, especially considering the characteristics of the sound from vinyl. Other options for using Bluetooth are technically possible — for example, remote control from a smartphone or tablet — but they are extremely rare.

— Audio input. The presence of an audio input in the design of the player; usually in this case it means a linear analogue audio input. In different model...s, it can use different types of connectors — for example, 3.5 mm mini-Jack or RCA "tulips". However, regardless of the type of connector, the purpose of such an input is the same everywhere — it is designed to connect an external sound source and process this sound with the player's built-in tools. For example, you can connect a portable player to the audio input and output sound through the built-in turntable amplifier.

— Digital audio output. The presence of a digital audio output in the design of the player. Usually, this output is made in the form of an S / P-DIF connector — optical or electronic; the first option is less susceptible to interference, the second does not require special delicacy when handling the cable. This connector can be useful for connecting external audio devices with digital inputs to the player. In some cases, a digital connection is preferable to an analogue one — for example, if there are no line inputs in an external device or they are all occupied. At the same time, the digital interface requires an analogue-to-digital converter in the "turntable", and these are additional electronic circuits and a potential source of interference. Therefore, such outputs are not used in audiophile-class equipment.

— Headphone output. The presence of a separate headphone output in the design of the player. Typically, this output uses a 3.5 mm mini-Jack or 6.35 mm Jack. The first variety is found in most modern headphones, the second is more reliable and typical for professional models; both interfaces are compatible through a simple adapter. Anyway, connecting headphones can come in handy in two situations: when it is desirable to keep silence and not disturb others with music, or vice versa, when it is noisy around and the sound from the speakers would be hard to hear. Theoretically, the second use case is popular among DJs — in the overall sound, it is important to hear what exactly the turntable is playing at the moment. However, in fact, DJs prefer to connect their "ears" not to the player itself, but to external equipment. Therefore, its own headphone output is typical mainly for consumer-class models.

The ratio between the useful signal and extraneous noise at the output of the player. It is also colloquially called "electrical noise" (although this is not entirely true).

The higher this indicator, the quieter the noise (it is impossible to completely eliminate them), the clearer the signal will be. In the case of turntables, the signal-to-noise ratio is considered to be at least 50 dB; and in the most high-end devices it can exceed 90 dB.

Note that this paragraph may additionally indicate the value of mechanical noise. Despite the similarity in name, this is a completely different indicator — it describes the volume of extraneous sounds produced by the motor, drive and other moving parts of the "turntable". Accordingly, for mechanical noise, the lower the decibels, the better. You can estimate its approximate level using special comparative tables.

The maximum knock factor that the turntable is subject to under normal conditions.

Detonation in this case is called sound distortion associated with short-term periodic irregularities in the rotation of the disk. The lower the detonation coefficient, the lower the level of such distortions; it is believed that for audiophile-class equipment it should not exceed 0.2%, although in more modest models it may be higher.

Note that for different playback speeds, knock coefficients can also be different. Manufacturers in such cases may indicate the minimum value, despite the fact that it can be achieved not at the usual 33 rpm, but at 45 or even 78 rpm. Therefore, when choosing a high-end turntable, it's ok to clarify this point.

Rated power consumed by the player during normal operation.

Modern turntables are very economical: most models, even those equipped with built-in acoustics (see "Features"), the power consumption does not exceed 15 W, and there is no need to talk about any serious impact on congestion in the electrical networks (as well as electricity bills). The exception is some premium-class devices, in which the weight of the platter (see below) reaches several tens of kilograms, and the corresponding engine power is required to rotate such a mass.