The numbers are in, and the data speakers for themselves; vinyl has made its comeback, and if you aren’t up to speed, you’re already years late to the game. Because vinyl saw massive popularity over the last decade, it still shows no signs of slowing down.
So much so that, wherein even five years ago, there was a massive deluge of entry-level record players on the market, there is now an ever-increasing amount of mid-range offerings as if the industry sees that the people who got into vinyl years ago have stayed with the hobby and are now looking to upgrade their setup.
House of Marley is a company that has always had its foot in the game on consumer audio gear. Seeing as we’ve had the opportunity to look at a number of their products before and have always been impressed by what we’ve found, we jumped at the chance to check out their new, more-premium turntable as to share our thoughts and experiences about the new Stir It Up Lux.
So, let’s dive in…
Learn More About This Turntable and Snag One For Yourself Here
What Is The Stir It Up Lux
The Stir it Up Lux is a new turntable model introduced by House of Marley. It is designed with an elliptical stylus, aluminum headshell, bamboo plinth, and a glass platter to enhance sound quality and tracking ability. The turntable also incorporates Bluetooth connectivity, an anti-skate mechanism, an adjustable counterbalance, and a built-in pre-amp. The materials used in its construction, including bamboo, aluminum, glass, and cork, are sustainably sourced, with bamboo being a particularly renewable resource and aluminum and glass being recyclable. Each purchase of this product supports House of Marley’s global reforestation initiative, Project Marley, in partnership with One Tree Planted.
Additionally, the turntable features Bluetooth v5.3 for wireless pairing, options for 45 and 33 RPM speeds, auto start/stop with a belt drive, a built-in switchable pre-amp, and various output options, including 3.5mm aux out and RCA (phono/line) out. It also has a replaceable Audio-Technica elliptical stylus (AT-95E) and an adjustable counterweight.
The House of Marley Stir it Up Lux retails for US$400 and includes accessories such as a cork slipmat, a primary adapter with multiple plug options (UK, AU, U.S., and EU), an RCA to Aux cable, a stylus pressure gauge, and a quick start guide. But with all those technical parts out of the way, let’s dive into the fun details about what we liked and didn’t in this mid-range record player.
What We Liked Most About The Stir It Up Lux
It’s Easy To Get Going
A common issue in many mid-tier vinyl-playing products like this is that they’re disappointingly confusing to set up out of the box. These companies spend time and money developing and releasing a quality product aimed at people who love vinyl but are far from audiophiles or aficionados and impassioned but often amateur vinyl-lovers excitedly open the box only to have to read the manual five times, go to YouTube for a setup tutorial, double check their work on Reddit, and so on. We’ve reviewed a couple of record players on this site that suffer from this exact problem, which made us all the more excited to discover just how easy the Stir It Up Lux was to unbox and get going.
The instructions were shockingly clear and easy to understand, and with its help, we got the record player plugged in and playing in just a few minutes.
What helped immensely here is the inclusion of a small built-in preamp, essentially making it super easy to use alongside any speaker. And while these types of preamps are common in cheaper and more affordable record players, once you start breaching the $300+ range, it’s all too common that developers assume the customer also has an amplifier and completely omits one’s inclusion into the device, which makes for some disappointing moments. But not with the Stir It Up Lux, which was easy to use on passive speakers and power without any road bumps, hiccups, or friction.
It’s Great For Sampling
Having an option for Bluetooth playing is far from unique with this record player alone, but it’s still a powerful feature that bears its one focus point in this review. Being able to instantly connect the audio from the record player to your computer, and thus your DAW, makes sampling vinyl from this record player for music production and beat-making a powerful feature.
There used to be so many hurdles to jump through to get the music on vinyl that you just snagged from the record shop into your DAW to start mangling and chopping. But the added feature of Bluetooth with this record player makes for high-quality audio replications, makes sampling incredibly efficient, and helps seamlessly fit into your workflow without complex routing or setup times.
To Looks Slick
House Of Marley consistently makes some of the coolest-looking products in the game, and the quality and sonics of said products are far more than just table dressings. Made with lightweight bamboo and durable aluminum, the Stir It Up Lux has a naturalistic look that is timelessly modern.
The level of detail on this latest record player is second to none, with smaller Marley branding and decals in choice locations across the record player that help add just a dash of color that elevates the entire look of the player.
We know that many people buy record players as much for listening to vinyl as they do for decoration and room aesthetics, and it’s safe to say that the Stir It Up delivers on both in spades.
It’s A Great Company
In an era where sustainability is a massive talking point for companies, House of Marley walks and talks the talk. In contrast, many other brands across all industries only greenwash their products with flash marketing and no real positive action. House of Marley’s commitment to a greener future is palpable through all that they do and in all the products they release, and it makes supporting such a company an easy choice.
The endeavors and lengths they’ve gone to would take way too long to break down in full and are beyond the scope of this article. Still, if you’re interested to see how they put their money where their mouth is, they put together a fantastic mini-video explaining it in detail.
What We Weren’t Crazy About
There’s No Built-In Speaker
If there was a gripe to mention about this record player, there is no built-in speaker option, making it necessary to have additional gear on hand before you can get this record player up and running. This isn’t necessarily a deal breaker by any means; it’s just more of a word of advice for those looking to snag this record player.
This is far from uncommon in many mid-range record players like the Stir It Up Lux, as the assumption is that if you invest $400 into a record player, you will likely go the extra mile to pair it with a comparable sound system. That being said, if you’re used to more entry-level record players, which often do have smaller built-in speakers, and looking to upgrade to something far more official, know what you’re getting into and be prepared to have to snag a set of speakers or monitors.
Final Thoughts & Summary
House of Marley’s Stir It Up Lux is a breath of fresh air in the vinyl world. With its user-friendly setup and the inclusion of Bluetooth for seamless sampling, it seamlessly bridges the gap between tech and tradition. The blend of bamboo and aluminum ensures it looks as good as it sounds, and the brand’s commitment to sustainability makes it a purchase you can feel good about.
However, potential buyers should note that while the Lux delivers in many areas, the lack of built-in speakers means you’ll need an external sound system to experience its capabilities truly. This minor caveat aside, the Stir It Up Lux stands strong as a must-have for vinyl enthusiasts.
