Sony PS-LX5BT review: the turntable with big shoes to fill, that fills them beautifully
Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.
Sony PS-LX5BT: Two-minute review
The idea of a turntable that connects wirelessly via Bluetooth is not a new one — Sony itself has had a lot of success with products like this.
The company has fitted a defeatable phono stage, too, so the turntable can hard-wire in to pretty much any system you care to mention — and if you’re using its phono stage, there are a trio of gain settings available. It’s pre-fitted and pre-adjusted a moving magnet cartridge. And then Sony’s made the whole thing automatic where playback is concerned.
In practice, it all works splendidly. The PS-LX5BT is a flyweight (just 3.6kg with its dust cover in place), which doesn’t bode especially well, but as well as a stable wireless connection, the Sony delivers robust, energetic and thoroughly entertaining sound. It manages to do so without losing sight of detail or flattening dynamics either, and it has a proper facility with rhythmic expression.
It’s not the most robust at the top of the frequency range, and is slightly-but-noticeably tilted towards the low end when it comes to frequency response, but on the whole it’s reasonably well balanced and most certainly gives a good account of itself where low-frequency control and variation in particular are concerned. Which means the PS-LX5BT picks up where the PS-LX310BT left off — as one of the very best pound-for-pound turntables around with Bluetooth to boot.
Sony PS-LX5BT review: Price & release date
- Unveiled January 22, 2026
- Priced $499 / £399 / AU$599
The Sony PS-LX5BT is on sale now, and in the United Kingdom it costs £399. In the United States it’s priced at $499, and in Australia it sells for AU$599.
And not only will the PS-LX5BT have to justify that premium fee over its more affordable (but equally new) PS-LX3BT sibling, it will also have to see off the challenge from brands like Audio Technica and TEAC (to name just a couple) too.
To clarify, the excellent older Sony PS-LX310BT regularly sells for $199 / £179 / AU$395 and while Sony has listed various gains over that 2019 model in this more expensive deck (of the two new models listed), cash-strapped vinyl fans might question how much better it can possibly be, to warrant the extra spend. So let’s see, shall we…
Sony PS-LX5BT review: Features
- Bluetooth wireless connectivity with aptX Adaptive compatibility
- Integrated phono stage with three-stage gain control
- Pre-fitted, pre-adjusted moving magnet cartridge
There’s just no arguing with the way Sony has specified the PS-LX5BT. By prevailing turntable standards, it’s about as thoroughly tricked out as these things ever get.
For instance, you get plenty of connectivity options. There are stereo RCA connections at the rear of the plinth for connecting the player to an amplifier — and next to them there’s a switch to turn the integrated phono stage on or off.
So as well as an amplifier with or without a phono stage of its own, the Sony can also connect to a powered speaker or what-have-you — anything at all, in fact, that has a line-level analogue input. The appearance of a three-stage gain control means you’ll always get a decent level of volume when connected with the player’s phono stage switched on. Or you may prefer to connect wirelessly using the PS-LX5BT’s abilities as a Bluetooth transmitter — it’s compatible with SBC, aptX and aptX Adaptive codecs, so as long as the receiver is also compatible it’s possible to stream wirelessly at a lossy 48kHz resolution.
This is a belt-drive design that can operate at either 33.3 or 45rpm, and its straight aluminium tonearm is pre-fitted with an unbranded moving magnet cartridge. It’s also pre-adjusted, although while Sony suggests it has been calibrated to provide a tracking weight of 2.0g (+/- 0.5g) my review sample tracks at a hefty-but-not-fatal 3.13g. Sony is adamant that my sample is an outlier in this respect, and is very keen to get its hands back on it to find out what’s going on — but given that there’s no counterweight for the end user to adjust, you very much get what you’re given in this respect.
Sony PS-LX5BT review: Sound quality
- Energy and drive to spare
- Great facility with rhythmic and dynamic expression
- Slightly tilted where tonality and frequency response are concerned
It’s nice to be able to report that the Sony PS-LX5BT doesn’t alter its fundamental sonic characteristics no matter if you’re connecting wirelessly or using its integrated phono stage. In either circumstance, this turntable is a vibrant, energetic and determinedly front-foot listen, one that puts ‘entertainment’ at the centre of everything it does.
Streaming a copy of Fusa Riot by Bobby Hughes Experience via aptX Adaptive-enabled Bluetooth, the vigorous and attacking nature of the Sony’s sound is obvious. Its low-frequency response is, ultimately, slightly overstated — but it’s neither musclebound nor unsubtle at the bottom of the frequency range. Bass sounds are nicely shaped, carefully controlled (so rhythmic expression is very decent) and carry plenty of detail regarding texture and timbre — so there’s plenty of variation to go along with the overt punch.
The transition into the midrange is smooth, and here too there’s plenty of information available — you’ll never be in any doubt as to what motivates a voice, nor be unaware of its character or technique. As with the lower frequencies, the tonal balance is quite carefully natural neutral, and it makes for a convincing listen.At the top end, the Sony changes its tune just a little. There’s a slight lack of substance to treble sounds, a mild skinniness that can make the top of the frequency range sound just fractionally splashy. There’s still plenty of detail and variation made apparent, you understand — it just lacks some of the robustness the PS-LX5BT is so capable of generating elsewhere.
Soundstaging is confidently approached, and the Sony creates quite a large and well-laid-out stage that has plenty of space on it even if a recording is notably complex or involved. It also has a very respectable amount of dynamic headroom available, so if a recording really kicks off the turntable is able to make the upshift in intensity readily apparent.
Switch to the Sony’s integrated phono stage, and with the gain control in the ‘mid’ position the wired sound of the PS-LX5BT is closely related to the wireless equivalent. If anything, the lack of substance at the top of the frequency range is even more pronounced, and the low frequencies gain a little extra confidence (like they needed any) — but on the most basic levels the Sony doesn’t shift its characteristics in the slightest. Which can really only be a good thing.
- Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5
Sony PS-LX5BT review: Design
- 117 x 430 x 366mm (HxWxD)
- Diecast aluminium platter
- Supplied with a clear Perspex dust cover
For a turntable with a weighty specification, the Sony PS-LX5BT doesn’t weigh very much. With its clear Perspex dust cover fitted and diecast aluminium platter in place, it tips the scales at just 3.6kg — which, if you’re the one who lifts it from its packaging and positions it on its shelf, doesn’t inspire a huge amount of confidence. Especially where the rejection of resonance caused by its own operation is concerned.
Still, there’s no arguing with the standard of construction or finish here. It may be priced aggressively, but there have been no corners cut when it comes to the way Sony has put the PS-LX5BT together.
Sony PS-LX5BT review: Usability & setup
- Fully automatic operation
- Swift and stable wireless pairing
- Will play 7in or 12in discs at 33.3 or 45rpm
There’s really very little to it. If you want to connect wirelessly, press the ‘pairing’ button on the plinth — the Sony locates and connects to your waiting Bluetooth receiver quickly.
If you prefer a hard connection to your amp, speaker or what-have-you, plug in the supplied RCA cables and select output at either ‘line’ or ‘phono’ level — if it’s the latter, you’ll be able to decide which of the three gain settings is most appropriate as soon as you hear the turntable in action.
After that it’s just a question of using the dials on the plinth to tell the PS-LX5BT if you want to play a 7in or a 12in disc, and if it should turn at 33.3 or 45rpm. Some automatic turntables are dogmatic inasmuch as they insist ‘33.3rpm = 12in disc’ and ‘45rpm = 7in disc’, but the Sony has heard of 12-in singles and will happily play them without any intervention on your part. Then press ‘start’ and away you go — when it reaches the end of the side the PS-LX5BT will automatically return the tonearm to its rest and stop the platter turning, but there’s a ‘stop’ button if you want to take charge. A button marked ‘up/down’ lets you lift or lower the tonearm without causing the platter to stop turning.
- Usability & setup score: 5 / 5
Sony PS-LX5BT review: Value
- Doesn’t feel physically weighty enough to deliver huge value
- …but put that out of your mind, let the music play and there’s plenty
No, it doesn’t feel like the weightiest or most robust record player this sort of money will buy you — but in every other respect the Sony PS-LX5BT represents prodigious value for money.
Not only does it have a stack of features, but each and every one of them is beautifully realised and effective — and on top of that it has an energetic and upfront sound that doesn’t forgo detail or subtlety while it’s entertaining you.
Should I buy the Sony PS-LX5BT?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Score |
|
Features |
There’s no arguing with Sony’s specifications here |
5 / 5 |
|
Sound quality |
Energy, rhythmic drive and entertainment to spare, only ever-so-marginally (and occasionally) marred by a tendency towards over-egging the bass |
4.5 / 5 |
|
Design |
Doesn’t feel as robust as pricier players, but it’s all here |
4 / 5 |
|
Setup & usability |
There’s really very little to it — a top choice for those new to vinyl |
5 / 5 |
|
Value |
It ain’t heavy, but it’s still great value |
4.5 / 5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Sony PS-LX5BT review: Also consider
TechRadar is a big fan of the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT — it’s a bit of a bargain when you consider its specification and the plus-points of its sonic performance.
The PS-LX5BT has put its shortcomings into quite sharp relief, though, even if it is a fair chunk more expensive.
Spend a little more money though and the just-add-speakers Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 can be yours — it’s slightly different to the Sony in its approach, and it’s slightly different where its sound-quality priorities are concerned, too. But it could be just the ticket…
How I tested the Sony PS-LX5BT
I connected the PS-LX5BT to an Eversolo DAC-Z10 pre-amp using its aptX Adaptive Bluetooth functionality, and also using its integrated pre-amp via the RCA cables Sony supplies. This allowed me to check the speed, solidity and effectiveness of the wireless connection, as well as the quality of the phono stage and the usefulness of its three-stage gain control.
The preamp was connected to a Cambridge Edge W power amp using QED XLR cables, and the power amp was connected to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 Signature loudspeakers, using QED speaker cable.
