Although I’m all-digital these days, I thought it might be fun to experiment with a more laid-back listening experience. With the resurgence of vinyl and inexpensive record players like this Kofoposo Audio Turntable (C210), it’s surprisingly easy to dabble in this very old school recording medium.
The Kofoposo is suitcase-style, which makes it relatively easy to move about, although you still need to carry around the separate plug-in AC adapter. It can handle playback at 33 1/3, 45, and 78 RPM speeds. Naturally, it requires an adapter for 45s.
The unit itself is self-contained, with built-in stereo speakers, but it does have RCA outputs (cables included) if you want to output to your own amplified setup. There is also a handy 3.5mm headphone jack, as well as 3.5mm audio input. Besides 3.5 audio in, you can also play from any Bluetooth-capable source, and even a USB stick. While none of those are particularly compelling use cases for this type of device in my opinion, it’s great to have the options.
Perhaps the most interesting modern convenience is being able to do vinyl-to-mp3 recording. Insert a FAT32-formatted USB stick into the USB port, play a record, then press the PREV/PAUSE/NEXT button until the status indicator blinks red. Pressing the PREV/PAUSE/NEXT button again stops recording. It’s not necessarily the most convenient process because of the timing of when the record plays and doing the button presses, but it does create a usable file without much effort. I don’t see much use for this feature with most albums, of course, but it’s definitely a boon for preserving rarer recordings.
Naturally, the biggest question is how is the sound quality when playing a new album using the built-in speakers? For my test, I used a brand new copy of Abbey Road Anniversary by The Beatles (you were expecting maybe…). Sound through the built-in stereo speakers was wonderfully clear, although there is a distinct lack of bass. Since I’m not a huge fan of too much bass, this is OK for me, but it’s something to keep in mind if you want that extra punch from your records.
Despite the power cord being frustratingly short at only about 3 feet long and the lack of bass from the built-in speakers, there are no other real flaws I can point out. This is a great transportable record player with some nice modern benefits.
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