Lenco LBT-188WA Review: Belt-Driven Bluetooth Turntable Delivers Complete Package
Lenco LBT-188WA
The Lenco LBT-188WA turntable and its Bluetooth connection make this an excellent turntable option for anyone looking to get into vinyl without spending a fortune on new speakers. The LBT-188WA will always sound better when hooked up to a proper pair of speakers, but knowing that you can listen to vinyl in a pinch using your headphones, earbuds, or a Bluetooth speaker is really useful. Furthermore, the LBT-188WA looks good, with the dark walnut offset against the metal dials and tonearm making it an attractive option to keep out on your sideboard, shelves, or otherwise.
Getting into vinyl and starting a record collection can feel like a daunting task. There’s the initial outlay for a turntable, perhaps an amp, definitely some speakers, and not forgetting, you’ll need some vinyl to slap on the ones and twos.
Understandably, many people are put off at the first hurdle.
This is where Lenco’s LBT-188WA turntable with Bluetooth comes into play, loaded with handy features that make starting a new vinyl collection and actually listening to it much easier than before.
Featuring integrated Bluetooth, a built-in phono pre-amp, and the option to record your vinyl via USB, the Lenco’s LBT-188WA sounds like a dream turntable for beginners.
Lenco LBT-188WA Style and Features
Out of the box, you’ll first note the LBT-188WA’s deep, dark brown, walnut-styled veneer. It’s extremely shiny and attracts dust like nothing else—so the official Lenco 75th anniversary cloth is a welcome addition.
The turntable unit arrives disassembled, weighing around 10lbs (4.7kg). You’ll have to install the turntable platter itself, but this is very simple, and we’ll cover this in a moment. In terms of dimensions, the LBT-188WA is 16" 14.1" x 4.9" (42cm x 36cm x 12.6cm), fairly standard for a turntable of this type. It should fit comfortably on most shelves or units. Given the speaker options you get with the LBT-188WA—more on this in a moment—you might not need as much room as expected or as a “traditional” configuration would demand.
Contrasting the walnut color are the aluminum controls, dials, and tonearm. The shiny metal offsets the dark base unit and adds a nice style flourish to the unit. It’s not the outright best-looking turntable you’lleverlay eyes on, but it’s fine enough that you’ll likely keep it out on your sideboard or shelves, ready for use. Or will you?
I say “will you” because the LBT-188WA’s Bluetooth feature means that you don’t need to keep it constantly plugged into a specific set of speakers. At least, not if you don’t want to. If you’re more of an occasional dabbler in vinyl or haven’t quite got the space to lend to a turntable and pair of speakers full-time, the option to put the LBT-188WA away for a period is welcome. You can do so safe in the knowledge that whipping it out and connecting a handy Bluetooth speaker will only take a moment or two, and while I’m not about to start waxing lyrical about the quality of playing vinyl over Bluetooth, it makes it an accessible option for anyone.
While Bluetooth is a handy option, it isn’t the LBT-188WA’s only audio output. The LBT-188WA also features RCA output and also includes a useful if lightweight preamp. You also have the option of recording your vinyl over USB, which in my experience, varies tremendously in quality depending on your vinyl. You can read more about the Bluetooth and phono output further down this review.
The LBT-188WA comes with two speeds, which is what you’d expect for a deck of this nature, and you can adjust the speeds using a dial on the turntable. There’s also a manual start and stop dial, which is a decent touch you don’t actually always see on more budget-focused turntables (many opt for an autoplay mechanism once you lift the tonearm). All of the controls work well.
Now, one of the LBT-188WA’s best features is the inclusion of an Audio Technica AT3600L cartridge. The inclusion of a proper moving magnet cartridge makes an enormous difference to the overall sound quality of the LBT-188WA, and the difference this makes over a cheap ceramic cartridge cannot be overstated. Even though this is a budget Audio Technica cartridge, it’s streets ahead of cheap ceramic alternatives.
Lenco LBT-188WA Setup and Configuration
Overall, the Lenco LBT-188WA is relatively easy to put together, though there are some surprisingly fiddly bits to contend with, notably attaching the weight-on-thread anti-skate mechanism.
The LBT-188WA arrives in several pieces. First up, you’ll want to attach the platter to the belt-drive motor, which is easy enough. You’ll find a handy tool in the box to help you with this task, but all you have to do is lift the rubber band over the protruding motor wheel, and you’re good to go. Obviously, do be careful with the band because your turntable will lack its most important quality—movement—without it. It certainly wouldn’t be very belt-driven if broken.
Next up is the fiddly thread-based anti-skate mechanism. You have to hook the thread through the loop, attach it properly to the grooves, and make sure it is tight enough that it won’t come loose, but not so much that you’re applying negative force to the tonearm and negating its point of existence. It’s a definite balance, and you might need to try a couple of times to get this working correctly.
However, after that point, you’re basically good to go once you add and adjust the counterweight and connect up some speakers.
How Does the Lenco LBT-188WA Sound?
Your audio experience with the Lenco LBT-188WA depends on a few different factors, not least the type of speakers and connection type you opt for.
Bluetooth connectivity is a handy option, especially for those who may wish to put the LBT-188WA away from time to time. However, listening to audio over a Bluetooth connection always comes with compromises, and a turntable using Bluetooth is no exception. Although the Audio Technica cartridge helps, if you’re using an old, worn vinyl, those imperfections can really tally up over the Bluetooth connection. Newer vinyl sounds decent, and for the most part, how it should, but there are always edges of distortion and imperfections creep in from time to time.
Again, caveat that with the ease of use you get from Bluetooth and the price of the unit, it’s something most people will work with.
Once you hook the LBT-188WA up to some proper speakers, you get an overall cleaner sound with a reduction in distortion and clipping. You’ll always get a better audio experience using a set of wired speakers, there are not really two ways about it. Using the onboard phono output provides decent sound quality, and you’ll enjoy whatever you throw on the LBT-188WA; just don’t expect audiophile quality. Indeed, even pairing the LBT-188WA with my desktop speaker configuration pushes the LBT-188WA towards a more balanced sound, where low-end and mids sound cleaner than possible with a Bluetooth speaker.
Connecting the Lenco LBT-188WA Turntable to Your Bluetooth Speaker
Connecting the LBT-188WA to a Bluetooth speaker works well… when it works. What this means is that sometimes, connecting to your Bluetooth speaker or headphones will work instantly, and sometimes the LBT-188WA’s Bluetooth connection will timeout and won’t connect at all.
You’ll find a small button at the rear of the turntable. Press it, and the Bluetooth connection will start automatically. Make sure the device you want to pair with is also attempting to pair, and all being well, the two shall become friends. Once paired, I found the connection stable, whether using headphones or speakers.
Recording Vinyl Using the Lenco LBT-188WA and Audacity
As with other Lenco turntables like theLS-50LED, you can use the LBT-188WA to record your vinyl using the integrated USB Type-B output. Lenco’s manual gives instructions for the free and open-source audio suite,Audacity, thoughother audio-recording softwarewill also do the job.
Lenco handily prints the instructions on how to digitize your vinyl using the Lecno LBT-188WA and Audacity in the manual, but the reality is that you’ll likely have to play around with Audacity settings to find the combination that matches your hardware. Below are the settings I used to connect the LBT-188WA to Audacity and take a proper recording. In short, you want to connect your internal soundcard with the USB recording device, from which you’ll capture the turntable output.
Once connected, you play your vinyl on the turntable, hit record in Audacity (or whatever audio software you’re using), and watch the recording unfold. The recording quality varies depending on the quality of your vinyl, but the analog-to-digital converter included in the LBT-188WA does a decent enough job to convert your audio on the go. Once recorded, you could use Audacity’s integrated tools to tidy up your recording and remove excess noise, distortion, and so on.
Is the Lenco LBT-188WA Worth the Money?
The Lenco LBT-188WA retails for around $250, which makes it slightly more expensive than other budget-focused turntables. Nonetheless, the LBT-188WA is still a good buy at that price, and even better if you can pick it up in a sale. The combination of features, such as the easy-to-use Bluetooth connection, means that picking up and using the LBT-188WA is easy, and I would recommend the LBT-188WA as a good option for anyone that wants to start listening to vinyl without breaking the bank.
It doesn’t deliver the absolute best sound quality, but for the price, it’s more than good enough, especially once you set the counterweight and anti-skating to the right levels. Pairing the LBT-188WA with a decent set of speakers, whether you opt to use the phono or line option will depend on your existing hardware options.
So, yes, overall, the Lenco LBT-188WA adds up to a tidy overall package and one that any newcomer to vinyl will enjoy.
Wondering how a vinyl record player works? Looking to buy a record player of your own? Here’s every question of yours, answered.
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