Vinyl record sales are up, and the “vintage” way to listen to music is back in style. It at least seems that way looking at the current market and trends. Best Buy doesn't sell CDs anymore, but they do have an aisle for vinyl records, secondhand shops have started carrying tons of records, and many big name artists are releasing their albums in the analog format again, instead of just opting for digital streaming releases.
So we're taking a look at Electrohome's Kingston 7-in-1 record player, which promises great sound and the ability to play just about anything you can throw at it.
Let's dig in and see if this beast of a media player is worth your cash.
Design
We'll forgive you if you're not particularly familiar with vinyl record players these days. Electrohome has produced something that I wouldn't necessarily call sleek, but it does have a lot of charm to it. It's all built inside an acoustically tuned wooden cabinet that looks great, especially if you can get it situated in a dedicated listening room or corner.
We played with the walnut finish that's accented with gold/bronze knobs and buttons on the face of the record player. All the design decisions complement each other very well.
On the front you'll get two knobs on the left and right of the face, with one for volume controls and one for source tuning. The CD tray (remember those?) is also on the faceplate alongside buttons for playback control, EQ settings, Bluetooth pairing, and and recording functions.
The back houses your power connector as well as audio outputs and an AUX input for connecting up different devices, and the top lifts up to reveal the actual record player part of the machine. Electrohome has used high quality parts here, including a 3-speed belt drive turntable and sapphire needle for accurate, reliable playback. There are also four high performance speakers behind the grill cloth on the front of the player.
Performance
The appeal of vinyl records is typically their “warm” sound, at least if you're talking to an enthusiast. Instead of the pristine digital sound from Spotify or even a CD, vinyl records tend to be a little more imperfect and analog sounding. A lot of people do prefer this kind of sound, which is why there's been a resurgence in records over the last few years, but it all comes down to preference.
You'll obviously get that with Electrohome's player, and they emphasize the warm, room-filling sound you'll get from the Kingston player. They're not wrong, either; there's a ton of volume here, and the record player has a sound that handles mids very well to create a very full tone. There's not a ton of low-end, and the top end seems pretty rolled out to complement vinyl playback, but it's solid overall.
It supports playback of 33, 45, or 78 RPM records and has some very light EQ controls to tune the sound a bit, making it very versatile. However, you can tell the sound profile wants you to play vinyl records, and when you're listening to CDs or streaming over Bluetooth it leaves something to be desired. Fortunately it's very easy to hook up external speakers to the unit, although you’ll need a real amplifier to get this properly run into a home theater setup.
Versatility
A major selling point of the Kingston player is its ability to play literally almost anything you can throw at it. It's got Bluetooth for your phone, an AUX input for most other devices, a record player for vinyls, and it can handle CDs and pick up AM/FM radio stations. Cassette tapes are just about the only things it can't deal with.
Radio stations sound as bad as ever, but being able to quickly switch between streaming from your phone to your CD and vinyl record collection should be an audiophile's dream. Interestingly, the player can also record your vinyl to a USB drive to digitize your collection, making this one of the easiest ways of turning your records into something that your computer or phone can play, assuming it's not already on YouTube Music.
The record player itself can also play back most vinyls and EPs you toss at it, including the aforementioned array of different RPMs plus records of different sizes. The Kingston will handle 7″, 10″, and 12″ records at those three speeds.
If you need something that's capable of handling your entire audio library no matter where it's at, this is your guy.
Worth it?
The Kingston is a very cool record player from Electrohome, and depending on your situation, might make perfect sense. Sometimes it seems like it falls in an awkward in-between market, though.
As a versatile record player, this thing's great. There's virtually no audio it can't play, and the ability to turn your vinyl records into digital files is extremely handy. It looks great, and I can just imagine this thing sitting between two shelves full of vinyl records and CDs making a cozy listening room.
But the actual sound quality here, especially for $199, is tough. It sounds fine, but I really wasn't in love with it, and it needs to be run into an actual sound system to fully appreciate it. The amplifier in this player is only 35W, which is more than adequate for most home listening, but a lot of audiophiles are going to want something that they can really push with some serious equipment.
But then again, most people aren't those high-end audiophiles, and they're going to be very happy with the versatility and sound quality from what Electrohome offers, And that's the point of the Kingston player, I suppose.
Kingston 7-in-1 record player | $199 | Electrohome, Amazon
