Guest blog by Lauren.
I review the LPR500 from TEAC, as Hi-Fi is not my specific discipline I can hope to give an unbiased opinion. Plus, I could find out if a novice like me could use it.
To start, I thought I would take on the task of actually finding out about the LPR500. Looking at it, it doesn’t look too overwhelming and actually looks very sleek, neat and wouldn’t take up that much space. For something that has so many functions I initially presumed it would look completely out of proportion, so the appearance won the first tick in the box. It looked pretty straightforward to use so – in theory – I couldn’t really go wrong. Everything was nicely displayed with this unique model and is a 3-speed turntable (33, 45 and 78rpm), a cassette playback deck, an AM/FM radio and a CD recorder/player all in one classic, wooden console.
I decided to listen to the radio first and, whilst the sound doesn’t blow you away, it’s actually as good as built-in speakers can be. It still had bass, didn’t sound tinny and it was definitely as loud as I would ever need it to be. I love the added touch of the cassette player as you don’t see many of these around anymore and people definitely have old tapes in a shoe box yearning to be listened to again.
PC gurus have been recording their analogue audio music in digital formats and “burning” CDs for years. But for all those who don’t want to have to become a PC wizard but still get the task accomplished, TEAC has manufactured the LPR500. You don’t need a computer as everything you need to copy all your old records and tapes can be achieved with this one box. The main advantage of copying your old vinyl and tapes to CD is that the audio quality won’t diminish with time. Unfortunately, vinyl and tape don’t last as well as CD, as CD is designed to last for up to 100,000 uses.
The LPR500 is the ideal piece of audio equipment for anyone who would like to preserve all their old vinyl records by recording them using modern digital technology and transferring the music to a CD which can be played in any CD player, anywhere, at any time. Just put on a record or insert a cassette, cue it to where playback should start, insert a blank, recordable CD into the CD recorder and press the record button… that’s all there is to it.
Replacement “needles” for the turntable are available as optional extras. Stereo line outputs are mounted on the rear panel which allows using any of the built-in sources as an external signal source which can be connected to the line inputs of almost any additional external amplifier. A remote control unit is provided as a standard accessory.
So overall, I didn’t find the LPR500 difficult to set up or use. It’s easy to use for all generations and music lovers and would look fantastic in your home. Definitely the perfect gift – and definitely better than a mix tape!
You can buy the Teac LPR500 online, collect in store in as little as one hour* (just choose “Click & Collect”) or ask your local store about a demo.
* – selected locations; terms apply.
