RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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One of the biggest hangups of getting into vinyl for new collectors is actually figuring out how to listen to your records, which is why all-in-one record players became so popular. The trouble is that most of them don't sound very good.
Thankfully, more brands are coming up with convenient solutions that sound better, with the benefits of being more space-saving and easier to set up than traditional hi-fi. Victrola's take is the Soundstage, a new speaker that's designed to sit directly under your turntable .
Pros : Solid sound quality; versatile inputs including Bluetooth, optical, RCA, and USB-C; comes with a handy remote Cons : Lack of phono preamp; somewhat pricey
At $330, it's still pricier than all-in-one speakers, but it offers features like Bluetooth connectivity, plus USB-C and optical audio connections. First announced in January at CES , we got our hands on the new speaker to put it to the test.
Available in black or walnut brown, the Soundstage has an understated look, save for the lights on the power/multifunction button (which can be turned off). The speaker has a grille on the front that houses the drivers, while the bottom of the speaker features a down-firing woofer, pushing the low-end frequencies away from the turntable to reduce vibrations.
The front of the grille also has a built-in LED display that shows the input, and the speaker comes with a basic remote for controlling volume and changing inputs.
Setting it up is as easy as you'd expect; I used it with Victrola's Wave turntable, which the brand suggests as the best companion for the Soundstage. After assembling the turntable, all I needed to do was plug in the RCA inputs and power cable and get spinning.
So, how does it sound? Pretty good. You can't get the stereo separation you'd get out of a pair of bookshelf speakers , but it is leagues better than the average all-in-one record player. When I spun the Springsteen classic Born in the USA , I was most impressed by how room-filling the speaker sounded. How a bookshelf speaker performs often depends on proper placement, but the synth-rock riffs of "Dancing in the Dark" confidently filled the room coming out of this speaker.
The speaker also features Auracast; you can stream to and from other speakers over Bluetooth, although I did not test this feature.
The biggest catch with Victrola's new speaker is the lack of a built-in preamp. The similarly designed and priced Spinbase from Andover has one, and the omission here limits the kind of turntable you can use with this speaker, unless you're willing to buy a separate preamp (which sort of defeats the purpose of an all-in-one system).
Ultimately, Victrola's new Soundstage speaker is a great, simple solution for anyone who has a turntable but nothing to hook it up to, particularly if space is a concern. The design successfully dissipates vibrations, preventing distortion from affecting playback. And the additional connections, including Bluetooth, optical, and USB-C, make it more versatile beyond just vinyl.
There are some drawbacks — at $330, it's still pricier than many powered speakers, and the lack of a built-in preamp limits its compatibility with certain turntables . But if you're looking for a versatile, easy-to-use speaker for vinyl, streaming, and beyond, the Soundstage is worth considering.
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