Victrola - Premiere V1 Turntable Music System - Espresso

It’s been about 15 years since my previous turntable broke, so I was extremely excited to get this setup. It was packed very well, but almost made me second guess what I was doing. I really like how compact this unit is. My previous setup took up an entire corner of the room. This can be placed anywhere. It’s super light weight and does the job. I was able to set this up downstairs and impress the wife. After, I made the call to keep it in my office (upstairs) next to my cigar box. I can sense there’ll be quite a bit of opportunities to throw a record on, sit back and have a stogie. My wife and I loved listening to our old record player. After testing this out, I’d say this is good for those that are experienced audiophiles, but not seasoned. Catch my drift? Don’t make this your entry purchase and don’t make this your top tier I’m going to run to the store and buy. Back to the review. Honestly, I’m a bit disappointed with the sound quality at this price. It’s not super impressive and I’ve had worse, but still. It should perform a lot crisper for $500. I’ll put it through another test after cleaning some records, but I keep my collection in pristine condition. For those that want more than just vinyl, you have it! It’s an all-in-one turntable so it has extra features like: blue tooth, remote controlled and a sub… but still. For $500 it should be near flawless. I know the needle needs to go for a little before I pass final judgement and I don’t have the luxury of listening to vinyl all day. I wish, but I just don’t. I’d say after a few uses I’ll really see if the 33 rpm is true. At times the vocals seemed funky compared to the instruments. I’m chalking that up to user error, but time will tell. To those that don’t want to Google what 33 rpm or 45 rpm mean, just think record size. Large vs. small. The instructions were fine, but can be tweaked a little for those that are first time vinyl users. Btw – The first song I played was Carry on Wayward Son by Kansas. Felt it was a great one and worthy of the new turntable. At times the volume randomly increased, so again I’ll give this a few more tries before passing final judgment. I will state that Queen sounded stellar on it. Overall: It’s a toss-up. I’m right at the 50/50 of recommending this or not. For now, I’d say no. But maybe it’ll change the more I get use to this. There are certainly cheaper options out there that might perform better. I suggest explore and really see what you want out of a turntable. Read the reviews, check the pricing and go from there.

I have not owned a record player in years, but always loved the sound of vinyl. I recently acquired some classic rock records and purchased a new record to test this unit. Since Victrola already paired the wireless subwoofer, the setup was straight forward. However, I failed to notice Victrola also already balanced the arm, so I had to readjust the weight using the included instructions. I liked how many ways you can use this unit. You can use the speakers as a sound system for your television wirelessly or by various cords (included rca/optical cable), you can stream music from your phone, you can connect the unit to Bluetooth headphones, or connect a pair of headphones directly to the unit. Sound I felt the bass was great thanks to the subwoofer. Both the lows and mids were clean and clear, but I noticed the highs were not. I also noticed that the records would skip easily if you did not tip-toe around the unit while it was playing. I was disappointed that there was not some kind of damper to prevent these types of events. Connectivity I had no issues with the subwoofer or connecting the unit to my phone or other Bluetooth devices. However, I had a difficult time connecting a pair of Audio-Technica ATH-DSR7BT headphones. It took a few frustrating attempts, but I was able to get it to pair. Pros Easy to set-up Great sounding subwoofer Many options for connectivity Cons Not good sounding highs Skips easily Needle cannot be replaced (replace whole cartridge) Victrola has placed a lot of thought on how to keep vinyl in style despite the advancement in technology. I think this is a great midlevel unit, but there are better units out there for the money. I would have a hard time recommending the unit as a whole without fixing the issues I had with the turntable. However, I would highly recommend the sound system as the speakers sounded great.

First off, this is a product I really wanted to give 5 stars going in. The reality is, I just can't do that. I'll go into the reasons why and why this may not be the best option for some people. Here we go. To start with, the cheap-o dust cover. It's a piece of plastic that covers the platter and the play arm, but not completely. This means that dust will still collect even with the cover on. It's not a traditional cover that covers the entire top of the unit, playing or off. While playing the V1 is completely exposed to dust. A really bad decision to go this route and I don't even bother using the included plastic cover. I lay a large micro-fiber cloth over the top of the unit when not in use. This unit isn't really aimed at the true phonograph lover. It's basically a jack of all trades, master or none unit. It will play records, but also can double as a TV soundbar with the optical connection (cable included) and Bluetooth audio player. You can even stream the phonograph audio to a Bluetooth device. The Bluetooth works pretty well and the overall sound, including the mini subwoofer, works better via Bluetooth than it does using the record player. One gripe I have with the phonograph is it seems to play just a tad bit slow. Not sure why, but it is noticeable with albums I have listened to on other phonographs. Some other negatives on this unit I will list now. Fit and finish is a bit cheap, with the fake woodgrain. Included remote is very limited. No way to tell what level the volume knob is at until you hear a beep at max volume. Volume via Bluetooth doesn't sync with the source (phone, tablet etc.), When cycling through modes, a female voice announces the mode in a loud volume. The entire cartridge has to be replaced since you cannot just replace the stylus. 45 adapter is a cheap piece of plastic, sound without the mini sub is every thin and boxy. I know this V1 is sold by itself w/o the mini sub, but I can't imagine listening to this w/o the sub. Although the sub lacks output and extension, it still greatly enhances the sound quality. In the end, this is a system that just doesn't hit the mark. It's obviously not aimed at the phonograph enthusiast, but more so at the causal listener. I think most people would benefit more from a stand alone phonograph player you can connect to a A/V receiver in a home system. This V1 might be a viable option for a small room where the V1 is doubling as a sound bar with casual phonograph use.

I consider myself a hobbyist when it comes to vinyl. I am in no way an audiophile nor do I hold any barrier for entry on how someone else might want to enjoy records. There are different turntables for almost every kind of listener out there. Yet this particular turntable I found to be subpar in the areas and type of record player it's trying to be. As a sort of All-in-one type player this turntable leaves a lot to be desired. While the player itself looks amazing. It has sort of a retro-esque look with yet a modern type feel, it goes for more style than function. As you can see in the pictures the glossy finish will show fingerprints easily and the dust cover has an open design that will let in dust an either end of the tonearm. And you probably can't leave a record on the turntable with the dust cover on, lest you risk scratching your vinyl. It's surprisingly lighter than I thought. It feels just as light as a suitcase type record player. This makes it easier to move around but more prone to skips at the slightest of bumps. As far as audio quality it was very hit or miss, with more misses than hits. The front facing built in speakers and subwoofer want to be a replacement for and/or work as a soundbar for your theater and TV viewing but it's not up to the task. The speaker's ability to isolate ranges is almost nonexistent. Highs and lows are muddled and the subwoofer seems to not fire unless the audio is in the very low range. The subwoofer sounds almost like someone is driving in a car with a nice audio system and powerful subwoofer but you are on the sidewalk only able to hear the very low ends as they drive by. Unless the audio has a constant low driving sound. It's not an enjoyable experience. Tracks like Inhaler by Hooverphonic and other synthy-type music sound pretty good at high volumes. But once you change moods to Norah Jones or mellow music, or almost any other genre, that's when it runs into issues. I experimented with speaker placement to minimal results. Most vocals were sounding a bit low telling me it was spinning a bit slower than 33rpm. But being a belt driven system the band needs some time to properly break in. Considering the class or range this turntable is priced at, I was left disappointed. I don't see myself using this replacing my Audio Technica LP120 any time soon. And while you can synch other bluetooth speakers to it, that just defeats the purpose and lessens what this turntable is trying to be, which is a higher end but easy entry type record player.

This is a strange mix of a classic turntable trying to be a modern day all-in-one type entertainment device. With built in stereo speakers, a wireless subwoofer and the ability to input with optical, aux or Bluetooth. All it needs now is the ability to work directly with some assistants and it would fit right in with some of the other multipurpose devices. It already has a voice for menu selection. But, how does the saying go, something like jack of all trades, but master of none? This turntable system is neat if you don’t have any other sound system to use for audio. But, I feel it falls short in meeting expectations. If you don’t have the subwoofer up and tuned to your liking, audio from the built in speakers sounds really weak and hollow. They also start to give out at max volume. But, depending on your house, if you have the subwoofer up to high, expect nothing but skipping from the record. The slightest step past this turntable on our old wooden floors and you are jumping all around the track. But, their “anti-vibration” system does seem to keep the internal speakers from causing the skips. The features of this system have Vinyl, for playing the records through the system, Vinyl Stream which is supposed to allow you to play the record to a different wireless speaker, Bluetooth which allows you to use the speakers of this system from something like your phone, and “TV” optical or auxiliary port input. The only thing I could never get to work is the Vinyl Stream, no matter what brand speaker I tried to use. The troubleshooting they provide is simply power off/on and try again. Trying to use this as a TV soundbar is the only reason I can imagine they made this minimalistic dust cover that really isn’t much of a cover. More like a strange piece of plastic that you now have to sit somewhere else when in use. Another really strange design choice is the battery cover of the simplistic remote that is nearly impossible to open when there aren’t batteries already inside. There is some assembly required, but not as much as the directions show because some parts are already set and it has stickers in place to explain this. I guess all the other directions are in case they weren’t set? Overall, I feel like this system has good intentions to be more than just a record player in the modern world of technology. But, it just doesn’t quite fit in. If the vinyl stream feature worked, it might be a little better as I could use my actual sound bar away from the source to prevent any bass skip, but I gave up after 4 different brands.

The Victrola Premiere V1 Turntable is an interesting modern turntable system that includes a built-in speaker and a wireless powered subwoofer. You can even use it as a speaker system and connect to it wirelessly over bluetooth, or wired through optical or RCA cables. Unfortunately, while the Premiere V1 sounds good playing vinyl, it takes a nose dive in sound quality over bluetooth. Almost like getting poor FM reception. Which is a shame, because it’s a whole other animal playing vinyl. Listening to “Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City”, the bass lines on Backseat Freestyle thump with a strong presence. The highs are clean, but the vocals seem slightly repressed and gritty. Michael Jackson’s Thriller album was a similar experience. It’s not audiophile quality, but it sounds good and is a great fit for get-togethers and casual listening. It looks neat, gets loud, and genuinely thumps. I do wish there were an EQ or at least some way to tune the audio, but at least the subwoofer has an adjustable crossover and level control. On that note, I can’t imagine listening to this system without the sub. It really fills out the sound and gives it a party vibe. Thankfully, setup is a breeze as they’ve already calibrated and paired everything from the factory. All you have to do is mount the platter, set the belt, remove the cartridge cover, and you’re pretty much good to go. Playing vinyl is a simple matter of setting the needle on the LP yourself, no motorized arm or play/stop button. The turntable starts and stops automatically depending on where the arm is positioned. There isn’t much in the way of controls, just a dial for volume with a button in the center to turn it on/off and change input modes. The remote is the same deal with just 3 buttons: on/off/mode, volume up, volume down. There isn’t a display to tell you what mode you’re in, but a voice announces what you’re currently in when you cycle through them. Overall, I really like the Premiere V1 as a turntable for casual listening and get-togethers. I like how it thumps, but don’t expect audiophile quality. And while the optical and line-in inputs might sound alright, the bluetooth streaming was a big miss.

I started getting a collection of vinyls nearly two years ago and have an existing player, but was looking for something that I can place in another room at the opposite end of the house to play vinyls without needing to move the player or head over when the vinyl needs to be flipped or swapped. A Vinyl Player with a built in system was more ideal since it was a smaller space and didn't want to take up too much room. The Victola Premiere V1 is a beautiful Music System, with built in speakers and a subwoofer that attaches wirelessly, you simply need to plug both into power. Included with the player is a cover for the turntable and arm, when not in use, plus a remote and a few accessories. The player can be used for vinyls, bluetooth or you can attach an optical audio cable to passthrough audio that way. It's a great player with multi-purpose for those with limited space. Setting up the player itself is fairly straight forward and comes with a handy guide to assist you with adjusting the counter weight and anti-skating adjustments. Next to the inputs, on the back of the player itself, there is a switch for the record RPMs which supports 33 (33 1/3) or 45 RPM. The back side of the Sub has a couple inputs plus two knobs to adjust Volume and Crossover. When lifted the player automatically starts to spin the record, once set up there isn't much you need to toggle outside of the RPMs. Bluetooth is a nice feature, since you can use your record player for streaming any audio you may want while using a phone or tablet. My one gripe would just be the sound itself, the subwoofer is definitely solid and has a good boom, but the actual audio of the player feels lacking when I have it louder. It doesn't sound unclear, but it does leave you feeling the desire for more. I have this in a smaller room where I listen to music while working on projects so I typically keep it low. The elegance of this player and the functionality is great! If you are looking for a record player that can serve multiple functions, then this is a wonderful option that has a great presence. If you are solely looking for a record player, I'm not sure this would be the product I would suggest, it feels like it needs to tick a few boxes for me to suggest this to someone.

I received this player to test today. Setting this up was fairly easy, they had it all ready to attach the plate and belt over the motor, and the arm was set and appeared balanced. The footprint size of thus unit is very average, just taller than other units I have. It comes with a dust cover that slides over the pegs on the top, but I would have prefererd this to be tilt back, that way when playing you can cover the record and needle an minimize the sound I hear coming from the needle/record contact, but that is very minimal compared to my other players. Secondarily, I habe to always find a spot to set thus, always on the way. Also dust doesn't stay away when playing, keeping it covered would be nice. This is 2 speed, 33 ⅓ and 45rpm, nice rocker switch to change that. I read the bookelets that came with this before I started set up. Setting up the sub it says it was pre paired, plug in, turn on, and go, but I had to do some button pushing before I got sound, it was not as simple as turn on and go as they said. Annoying, but no issues since initial set up. This comes with options of optical cable TV input or digital input, and rca connection to sub or output, but wireless sub works fine. It does come with rca and optical cable and a 45 adapter, and simple 3 button remote with function button, volume uo and volume down. Thus accepts 3.5mm auxiliary input, did not come with that cable. I have used the Bluetooth to connect my phone, and it worked fair, paired quickly, and the used it record playing function, and the sound us really quite good. I have a Victoria 6 in one unit (cd, cassette, record, radio, blutooth, aux) unit from several years back, and this (as it should) blows the sound away, clarity is very good. Balanced treble and bass with the main speaker and the sub adds that punch and depth you expect from a system in this range of pricing. The volume can easily fill a room. I have it in a large family room and this gets ample loud, but not close to my 5.1 surround system that is also there. I would say it's has no problem making this room fill with sound (16x25 roughly). It's just odd since I'm used to multispeakers, this comes from one spot outward. That being said, clarity is excellent, little distortion when I push the volume to the upper limits. I have tested it with older vinyl from the 70's and 80's, and new vinyl from new releases from this year, and it works well with all of these. Mainly metal and hard rock, but I did some classic rock and classical also and all sounded very good. I do feel the price point is a bit high for this, the build quality is good, material feels good, but I'd be at about 200 under where this is, and the model without the sub 100 under this. I think the price will keep this from traction initially, but this is a very nice sounding all in one system. I would reccomed this system.