I wasn't interested in one of these but after listening to his annoying, patronising voice I'm almost tempted to buy one just to **** him off!

Having bought it unlike you, my valid opinion is that my records are fine and it is a handy little player. Feel free to continue moaning about something you have not even used :smiley:

Nowadays it is difficult to buy a good record deck. The days when you could go into almost any electrical shop (or even Boots or Woolworths) and just try Thorens or Linn kit are long, long gone. The people who buy Crosley or Bush have probably never heard what vinyl on a decent system is capable of so they cannot be criticised for what they have bought or might want to buy. My first record player WAS a Bush but that was back in the 60's.

Acid comes out of the stylus apparently, and then a hammer comes out of the lid and bashes what is left :wink:

Buy one if you don't mind that your records will be ruined within a few plays.

Cant go wrong with a portable Bush....

If you value your vinyl collection listen, this means for any cheap and nasty record player!
https://youtu.be/_WzrK6CIZrY

Having bought it unlike you, my valid opinion is that my records are fine and it is a handy little player. Feel free to continue moaning about something you have not even used :smiley:

Ignorance is bliss!! I'm just giving friendly warning , I'm not moaning. You won't notice the gradual deterioration of your records until it's too late, that's if you value your vinyl collection, if not then no worries!

I have had this exact model for over a year. It has a light tonearm and I checked the stylus when I purchased it with an eye glass and it was well formed. A year later I looked again and it was in perfect condition. If you have old or new records I cannot for the life of me understand how this can damage them. If you're comparing this with high end equipment then obviously sound quality is a lot different!

Buy one use it for a while then preach away :wink:

What would you advise for £30?

A pack of dust jackets for his records :wink:

I wasn't interested in one of these but after listening to his annoying, patronising voice I'm almost tempted to buy one just to **** him off!

I have had in the past years ago! Hence the helpful information!

The Which? review...


Bush Classic Turntable (PHK-M41)
Which? score: 30%

DON'T BUY
Price: £40

Which? verdict:A total disaster 30%

TESTED 31 AUGUST 2016

The Bush Classic Turntable is a retro-looking record player that looks very similar to the popular 'suitcase' models from Crosley and GPO. You can either connect it up to your hi-fi system or play music through the built-in speakers, but what does it actually sound like? Read on to find out how it scores compared with other record players.

PROS Not much

CONS Poor build quality, awful sound

The Bush Classic Turntable is a pretty dire record player. It may look fashionable, but sound quality is dreadful and it's a bit awkward to use, too. There aren't many plus points for this player, so we have no choice but to make it a Don't Buy.

What is it?
An entry-level record player designed with fashion in mind. The folding wooden suitcase design includes built-in speakers and will play records at 78rpm as well as the more common 33rpm and 45 rpm speeds. It also has a built-in preamp, so you'll be able to plug it straight into any hi-fi amp.

What's the sound like?
Terrible.
Our experts described the sound as 'utterly useless', with a complete lack of low bass frequencies, unstable pitch that gives music a warbling quality, and a worrying background hum. There's also a lack of treble, so it's hard to make out details in the sound. What's left is a messy, harsh and screechy sound that's just unpleasant to listen to.


What's it like to use?
The instruction manual isn't hard to understand, and playing records is pretty straightforward. However, the plastic tone arm is wobbly and hard to place onto the record gently.

There's a semi-automatic operation - the record automatically starts spinning when you lift the tone arm away from its rest, and stops again when you replace the tone arm. This makes things simple, but controls such as the speed selector switch are small and awkwardly placed.


Is there anything I should watch out for?
With its folding design, this player claims to be portable, but watch out - there's no way to use it without plugging it into the mains. Having said that, the sound quality on this player is so bad you might be better off using it unplugged.

You can't remove the cartridge or adjust its alignment, but you can replace the stylus if it wears out. We'd be impressed if anyone could listen for that long, though.


Is there anything else I should know?
There's a headphone socket for those late-night listening sessions, or when the people around you can't take any more of this player's racket.


Should I buy it?
No way. This is a terrible record player that'll make your favourite albums sound like a flock of angry ducks.

You still at it? post an alternative for that price that is better and be of some use blah blah blah :smiley:

Nowadays it is difficult to buy a good record deck. The days when you could go into almost any electrical shop (or even Boots or Woolworths) and just try Thorens or Linn kit are long, long gone. The people who buy Crosley or Bush have probably never heard what vinyl on a decent system is capable of so they cannot be criticised for what they have bought or might want to buy. My first record player WAS a Bush but that was back in the 60's.

:smiley: might help out someone who has records just gathering dust in the loft like me who just want to listen to them once in a while, who can't afford 100's of £ on a top player

The whole point is that there is, in my opinion, no way to get a player for £30 that can do justice to your or anyone elses record collection. I posted the Which? review for the benefit of those who might be interested in a review where the reviewers actually compared the sound from multiple decks and reached a consensus on what was good what was bad and all points between.

I totally agree.

​You made it sound like it's going to destroy all your vinyl.

Acid comes out of the stylus apparently, and then a hammer comes out of the lid and bashes what is left :wink:

Its OK, let him learn the hard way.

And besides, the cheap and nasty needles on these turds are so blunt, they only damage the top section of the groove, so when donated them to a charity shop because they are "worn out", you can buy them and find pristine, undamaged vinyl using a decent needle.
Sadly, I cannot afford to get my Ortophon MC20 Super re-tipped right now (unemployed for a year), but Charity shops are great for vinyl.

With a year free from work, you really should take a look at some grammar courses!

[url=http://thevinylfactory.com/features/the-8-best-budget-turntables-that-wont-ruin-your-records/]budget-turntables-that-wont-ruin-your-records/url]

This is brilliant!! Gave me a giggle anyway haha

good find op, heat added

My wife bought one of these for my son for Christmas as he's been wanting to 'try out vinyl' but he's young and I suspect it may be yet another fleeting teenage interest. If however, he gets into it, we'll look at something that is, let's say, better quality. So, for what we've purchased it for, it will do the job (it won't be seeing or playing ANY quality vinyl). However thomasleep, banjomike may or may not have time to waste but he's certainly provided a link to the thread of a substantial review by a respected reviewer. Further, all opinions are valid to the holder and all are free to air them here, it's what makes this site tick, provides members with an informed decision before buying. That said, simply making a comment of: "be useful and give a suitable alternative for >£30" doesn't really help if there is no alternative. If the price of a decent spanner is £20, someone posting a 'deal' here for a cheap £5 spanner doesn't make it a good deal, it's simply a 'cheap' spanner. Will it do a job? Possibly. Will it loose its tolerance after a few uses? Yes. Will it then become useless/dangerous for its intended purpose? Yes. Will you then have to buy again? Yes. So whilst I agree with you in terms of this being a 'cheap' turntable, you can't disagree with 1. An unbiased, professional opinion (What?). And 2. That there may not be a suitable alternative at £30, they may all be 'cheap' at that level. Just my tuppence worth.

well it gives me something to use my flamedeer voucher on ey! damn just wish I hadn't upcycled my records into bowls!!

In short this model usually goes around £40 and is that much elsewhere. So £29.99 is a good price for this item, therefore a good deal for the item. Pretty much perfect for what you are talking about, an entry level item. People slating it and not offering a valid alternative is just petty in my opinion.

The 271 reviews resulting in over 4 stars on the site should put some people at ease.
Regardless of what's been said above, seems a good deal to me. Have some heat.

I showed this thread to a friend who has a music system that has cost him thousands over the last 30+ years. A bit like mine. It turned out that he has bought a "suitcase record deck" for one of his junior relatives (girl, aged 7). His arguments are similar to several in this thread that these machines are OK for a kid who might just be going through a phase of wanting vinyl because it is "new" as my friends wife said. New? Anyway, he suggested buying records at charity shops because they only cost pennies and will be more than good enough for these decks. Just check the surface of the record for visible scratches (don't buy it) or loose dust (really don't buy it.

I bought one of these before I bought my decent set up and I could hardly hear the music. My reason for buying was so I could listen to my music with clarity and depth so this this was an absolute nightmare. It "plays" the vinyl but you're better off getting a CD player if you actually want to listen to the music.

This thread really shows that we live in a 'post-fact' world. Experts such as Which giving advice?!? We don't want that! Anecdotes and pettiness is the order of the day.

I wouldn't play any of my LP's on this, would be ok for 45's . It's a cheap buy, but don't expect anything decent from the crappy speakers. Old Dansette, Bush,Fidelity etc would be better,but the likes of eBay have made them far to expensive.

Purchased one of these from Argos for 39.99 in September. The first was completely broken and was stuck on high pitched. Returned and swapped and second one played records far too slow after about 10 minutes of being switched on. Terrible machine terrible quality!

I couldn't care less what facts say about what *should* sound better. I've put my digital library through my speaker system and I've put my vinyl collection through it and vinyl is a clear win. It's all about that sounds good to you, no price or review should ever change that. My dads system is one of the nicest sounding I've ever heard, It's always crazy to hear a song different to how you've know it all your life.

Lol, your vinyl expert friend says "really don't buy" dusty records? Why wouldn't you buy dusty records exactly?

Look folks it's really simple, it's a cheap record player use it with cheap records. If you decide you like vinyl invest in some decent kit to get the best out of your records. It doesn't have to cost a fortune, amps can be had for around £20-30 used, turntables can be found for roughly the same price and speakers too. I recently missed out on a full Kenwood seperates system for the princely sum of £40 .

Not difficult to find with a quick google of the first two lines of the quote:
"Bush Classic Turntable (PHK-M41) Which? score: 30%"
Will point you toward THIS. You'll need an account to view Which? reviews.

So without an account we simply have your word for it that this was published by Which? hmmm

My word? I didn't post the review.

Then please do not quote from something you have not verified, very irresponsible :wink: and it just keeps getting votes, must be terrible infuriating :wink:

Indeed, she was great. Dusty In Memphis is brilliant.

Here is the Which? link
http://www.which.co.uk/reviews/record-players/bush-classic-turntable-phkm41

I see what you did there, very good.

I don't need to verify the quote, it's from Which?. As to the votes, as I've stated previously, I've bought this product, why would I give a monkey's about the votes either way? May I suggest you be less defensive about the deals you post and more accepting of input from both sides of the fence? It is more beneficial for the HUKDs community as a whole to have holistic feedback.

1) how would someone who has just bought a suitcase-type record player be expected to know how to safely clean a dirty record? A quick spray of Stardrops perhaps?

2) An inferior player will ruin the record groove and this can cause the record to be gritty/dusty etc. If the records in the charity shop came from a Crosley owner then they will be wrecked.

Perhaps he should have said "Don't buy dusty records unless you have some sensible way of cleaning them".

For the benefit of the paranoid amongst us I have posted a screencap of the start of the Which? review. Hope it works.

Tinypic

I have no need to clean my Dusty records, but I know how.