Active Speakers - An Affordable Way To Start Enjoying Records

Having decided that you want to start enjoying the rich and atmospheric sound of playing LP records,the next step is how do you play music if you have not got a music system.Only very cheap and nasty turntables come with an inbuilt amp and speakers,but destroy the musical quality of vinyl and even destroy the records themselves by tracking the the stylus at very high tracking weight which damages the record grooves.

The traditional way of setting up a record playing system is to buy a turntable,an amplifier,and a pair of speakers.Traditional amplifiers have up to 5 inputs for music sources and the ability to run 2 pairs of speakers.But,of course all this adds to the price and if you are only looking to hook up a turntable you could be paying more than you need to.

A very affordable alternative is by playing your turntable through a pair of active (inbuilt amplifier) speakers.With a number of quality speaker brands now with offerings in this category,quality and value can be achieved.most come with Bluetooth facility so you can play your music from your phone and an extra auxiliary input so another music source can be added.

An excellent example is the Focal XS Book 2.0 active speakers.Focal is a French speaker company that makes speakers that sell for up to $250,000!However,even their entry level models stand out for their sound quality in their price bracket.The XS Book 2.0 not only sound rich and detailed but also come in high gloss lacquer finish which is aesthetically pleasing.They have Bluetooth capability and an extra auxiliary input.And........here's the best bit!Stereophonic sells them for $499/pair.

Add the Focals to the ProJect Essential Phono USB turntable (a quality turntable with inbuilt phono pre-amplifier and lid) which sells for $495 and you have a hifi quality record playing system for under $1,000 - very affordable value!