REVIEW — My husband has been wanting a record player for ages. I thought the idea was kind of silly (we have Spotify!), though I know that much of his interest is nostalgic. When I saw this set, it was a beautiful piece that fits the style of our home and includes speakers that easily pair to Bluetooth. I realized this could be an option that makes both of us happy.
⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $258.98
Where to buy: QlearSoul and Amazon (Save 30% with code: 30GADGETEER exires 3/23/2025)
What is it?
The QlearSoul SoulBox S1 vinyl record player with stereo speakers has a turntable, dustcover and option to connect to Bluetooth.
What’s in the box?
- Turntable unit
- Turntable lid
- Speakers (2) and audio cable for speakers (2)
- Cartridge alignment protractor
- Counterweight
- RPM adaptor
- Felt mat
- Turntable platter and sub-platter
- Drive belt
- AC power adaptor
- Instruction manual and quick-start guide
Tech specs
- Motor type: DC motor
- Power consumption: 70 watts; Bookshelf speaker: 18 watts
- Signal format: Analog
- Voltage: 18 volts
- Power source: Corded electric
- Signal-to-noise ratio: 75 dB
- Speed: 33 1/3, 45 RPM
Design and features
Setup
This record player requires a little bit of setup, but it shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes.
First, you place the sub-platter into the turntable spindle. Then you loop the drive belt and motor pulley.
Then you position the main platter onto the sub-platter and slowly rotate it a few times to make sure it’s smooth. Then you place the felt mat on top of the platter.
Next up: balance adjustment. Slide the counterweight onto the arm while finding the groove with the tip of the set screw and carefully adjust it until the tonearm is sitting in a neutral balance position. Then lock the tonearm clip into place, check that it’s still balanced, and then turn the anti-skate knob to the same number as the cartridge stylus pressure (3.5g ± 0.5 g, each mark represents 0.05g). This takes a little fiddling around and may take a few tries.
Then you attach the dustcover by sliding the two hinges into place.
Next, you connect the speaker cables, black to black, red to red.
And finally, connect the power cord.
Performance
To play a record, you click the on/off toggle in the back and select the correct mode (45, 33 or Bluetooth). Unlock the tonearm, position it where you want it on the record, and use the lever to raise/lower it.
If it doesn’t rotate, check that the belt is properly in place.
After 3 minutes of the music stopping, the turntable will go into sleep mode. After 20 minutes, the turntable will automatically switch off.
The sound quality is great, and we really like how easy it is to switch from playing a record to playing music from our phones with the turn of a knob. To pair it with Bluetooth, the indicator light will turn blue and flash quickly, and the turntable will make an activation sound and then a quick confirmation sound once paired.
Small touches like the S-shaped tonearm and tonearm lift lever are helpful and integrated right into the design.
I only have one very minor critical point: due to static, the felt cover often sticks to the record when I take it off the turntable. But this is just a minor design issue and wouldn’t prevent me from recommending it to a friend.
Overall, this gadget is nostalgic of the record players from our youth but with higher quality and consistency and a sleek design.
Now to buy some records!
What I like about the QlearSoul SoulBox S1 vinyl record player
- Attractive design
- Great sound
- Easy switch to Bluetooth
What I’d change
- Redesign the felt cover so it doesn’t stick to the records
Final thoughts
This is a very nice looking and highly functional record player, with the added bonus that you can also play music from your phone.
Price: $258.98
Where to buy: QlearSoul and Amazon (Save 30% with code: 30GADGETEER exires 3/23/2025)
Source: The sample of this product was provided by Qlear Soul. QlearSoul did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.
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