Sound Advice: Multiport charger and turntable tip
Published in Entertainment News
Q. I purchased a Wolfbox 3000A jump starter/air compressor and it charges via USB-C. I am not familiar with USB-C and would appreciate your clarification. Is there a charger I can buy for it? Wolfbox offers a charger for $20, but I wasn't sure if I needed it so I did not include it with my order.
—G.B., Milwaukee
A. USB-C is a type of USB connection that is becoming the industry standard for data transfer and charging. It is used on new iPhones and almost all Android phones, as well as laptops, earphones and Bluetooth speakers. Many devices do not include chargers now because they assume you already have one, and not including a USB-C charger reduces the manufacturer's costs quite a bit.
If need a charger you may as well buy something flexible, not a one-port, one-trick pony. Wolfbox recommends a 65W USB-C connection, and I am partial to multiport charger blocks. Most of these chargers sell for between $30 and $55, but there is one selling under the Caxdon brand that looks to be a clone of many of the others. It is only $23 (regular selling price on Amazon). I would get the Caxdon eight-port charger for $23 and use the 65W connection when charging your Wolfbox. You can use the other connections to charge up to seven other devices simultaneously, which is nice for laptops, phones, earbuds, speakers or multiple phones. For only $3 more than the Wolfbox single-port charger you will be much better off.
Q. Can you recommend a good automatic turntable that does not cost a lot of money? I don't want to have to do anything when the record is done playing.
—T.B., Beaver, Pennsylvania
A. Though they are more complicated than a manual turntable, automatic turntables tend to serve the entry-level market given audiophiles tend to buy manual turntables. So though there are affordable automatic turntables available, the trick is finding a good one. I have received complaints about inexpensive automatic turntables that do not last long or sound very good.
Andover Audio is well-known for great-sounding, attainable vinyl gear, and their new $329 SpinDeck 2 would serve you well. It is a semi-automatic design, which means you lower the needle on the record manually and it returns and turns off at the end of play. It should be enough since you have to put the record on the platter anyway, and lowering the needle is a natural second step.
The SpinDeck 2 works with any audio system, but it really shines when used with an Andover SpinBase. These critically acclaimed self-contained audio systems, now in their second generation, serve as a vibration-free platform for your turntable and have a built-in phono preamp, a digital input for a CD or DVD player, and Bluetooth that transmits to headphones as well as receives from portable devices. SpinBases don't take up a lot of space, look good and sound good, delivering an easy and satisfying way to enjoy music, especially from vinyl. Some audio fans use them as a secondary system to play records in an office or bedroom.
Until July 4 Andover has an offer with the code SAVE100. The $369 SpinBase 2 is reduced $100 to $269, and for $548 after code you get a complete white SpinDuo system composed of a white SpinDeck 2 turntable and a white SpinBase 2. It's a great way to put an old turntable into service, or start fresh. Think of it as a compact, 21st-century version of the all-in-one console stereos of years past, including the turntable automation, and you have the right idea. andoveraudio.com
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