Sound Advice: Bluetooth turntable is a great record player

Q: Who makes that $349 Bluetooth turntable you mentioned in the article about the Q Acoustics M40 wireless speakers? Where can I buy it?

A: One of last year’s most popular holiday recommendations was a $499 Bluetooth turntable, and this year’s recommendation might become even more popular. The $349 TEAC TN-280BT-A3 Bluetooth Wireless Turntable is one of the nicest turntables under $500. From storied Japanese manufacturer TEAC, it has a built-in phono preamp and Bluetooth. It is well-made and pleasant to work with, and this applies especially to the tonearm, which has a removable headshell, feels substantial and has very smooth cuing action.

The TN-280BT-A3 makes a great record player for a traditional stereo with an amplifier and wired speakers, as well as a good match to high-end wireless speakers like the Q Acoustics M40. It also will work well with headphones, earphones and Bluetooth speakers in a bedroom, dorm or office. It can be used wired with your main stereo and also play on a Bluetooth speaker in another room.

The secret sauce to my recommendation is a dramatic, no-charge upgrade offered by LP Gear. The Audio-Technica AT3600L that comes premounted on the TEAC turntable is the world’s most popular phono cartridge, but the sound rates as average. The stylus has a huge impact on the way a cartridge sounds and sometimes the only difference between an entry-level and expensive cartridge is the stylus. Upgrading the AT3600L with the LP Gear CFN3600LE carbon fiber stylus transforms the cartridge from average to a superstar.

The CFN3600LE gets much more music out of the grooves, and the sound is satisfying, detailed and engaging, producing very agreeable sound that makes you want to listen more. I cannot overstate how dramatic of an improvement the stylus makes, and if you have an AT3600L on your turntable now, upgrading with a $39.98 CFN3600LE stylus is a great investment.

LP Gear now offers the TEAC TN-280BT-A3 in a “Carbon Upgrade” version with a preinstalled CFN3600LE stylus for the $349 list price, with free shipping. Providing this transformative stylus upgrade at no additional cost makes it of the best turntable values I have seen. It provides quality, high performance, and the flexibility of Bluetooth and wired operation all at a bargain price. Learn more at lpgear.com and teacusa.com.

Q: Do you know if the Oclean toothbrush package will sell for $59.99 again? I purchased one for myself last summer, and want to give a few as gifts.

A: That toothbrush received more positive reader feedback than anything else I wrote about this year. The micro-vibration action and high-tech brush head bristles are comfortable and clean exceptionally well, and when you are finished, the built-in display shows a pictogram of your teeth with places you missed, along with a score rating your brushing performance. There is an optional phone app you can pair with the toothbrush, but it I do not use it.

I checked, and the old code is still active. Using the code SAVE50 on oclean.com reduces the price of the Oclean X Pro Elite Premium Set from $109.99 to $59.99 with free shipping.

Send questions to Don Lindich at donlindich@gmail.com. Get recommendations and read past columns at soundadvicenews.com.