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Turntables are one of the least portable parts of a hi-fi system, and many of them require lots of cables and external phono stages and speakers to function.

Not so with the Victrola Revolution GO. The Revolution GO, the first fully portable turntable to hit the market, was just one of the new models Victrola showcased at CES 2022 – and its unique features, including a rechargeable battery, lightweight construction and Bluetooth connectivity, made him stand out from the competition in the crowd.

We’ve spent some time learning about the Revolution GO and so far have been extremely impressed with the entry-level turntable that lets you take your vinyl with you wherever you go

Victrola Revolution Go price and release date

The Victrola Revolution GO was unveiled at CES 2022 but was actually launched in October 2021. It’s available now for $ 199.99, which is roughly £ 150 / AUD 280 – global pricing has yet to be confirmed.

Turntable prices typically start around $ 100 / £ 100 / AU $ 150 and go in the thousands and beyond. The Revolution GO is on the lower end of the price bracket – and when you consider that it is the world’s first fully portable turntable that can be used as a bluetooth speaker for your mobile device, it feels like excellent value for money on.

Design and installation

At first glance the Victrola Revolution GO looks like a normal turntable; a bowl on a base with a plastic dust cover to keep everything clean and tidy when not in use.

However, there are a few additional design features that make the Revolution GO suitable for use on the go. To get started, a large grille is built into the base – this is where the bluetooth speaker sits, so you can listen to your records without connecting the turntable to an external speaker, as well as listening to music streamed from your phone.

There are two pegs on either side of this grid – to which you can attach the supplied guitar strap, which you can use to hang the Revolution GO over your shoulder like a bag and take it on an adventure. There’s also a folding handle if you’d rather carry the turntable like a suitcase.

The plastic construction of the Revolution Go makes it feel quite light, which is great to take with you. The downside is that this isn’t the toughest turntable we’ve tested, and the components feel a bit fragile. A heavier, more stable baseboard would slightly reduce the unwanted resonance when playing your music, but it makes sense to forego the highest quality sound to make this turntable as portable as possible.

On top of the grille is a large rotary knob that lights up in different colors depending on the mode of the turntable. To switch it on and off you have to hold it down, then you can press the rotary button to switch through the different modes: Vinyl, Vinyl Stream and Bluetooth. To adjust the volume, simply turn this knob clockwise / counterclockwise.

On the back of the turntable you will find an RCA line output for connection to wired stereo speakers, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a DC input for charging and an LED that shows the battery status of the turntable.

Now we come to the turntable itself. A silicone slipmat lies on top of the record to protect your vinyl from scratches and general wear and tear; To the left of this is the tonearm, which ends in an Audio-Technica AT-3600LA cartridge.

There is a lever to safely move the tonearm up and down (you don’t have to calibrate it yourself) and a speed selector to select the speed of your record (33, 45 and 78 RPM). There is also a switch to toggle between automatic and manual stop; When enabled, the record will start spinning when the tonearm moves across the record and stop when playback is complete. With manual stop, the record starts rotating when the turntable is in ‘Vinyl’ mode and continues to rotate even after playback has ended.

The dust cover is conveniently completely removable and also serves as a holder for your record, with slots for double and single LPs. Originally launched in black and blue, the Revolution Go is now also available with a dust cover in red, orange, yellow and green.

The Revolution Go up is very easy to set up; All you have to do is plug it in and hold the button to turn it on. There’s no need to adjust the tonearm, adjust the tracking weight, or do anything else – just lay your vinyl on the deck, lower the tonearm, and you’re good to go.

You can also press the Jog Dial until you are in bluetooth mode and open your phone’s bluetooth settings. You should see Victrola Revolution GO in the list of available devices – select it and you will be able to stream music from your phone to the turntable speaker.

Audio performance

We took the opportunity to inaugurate our 50th anniversary edition of the Beatles’ Abbey Road vinyl and are happy to say that the Revolution GO sounds loud, warm and full of energy. It’s not the best sounding turntable out there, but it definitely does the job.

When listening to Come Together the basslines sounded fairly controlled, although we did notice a bit of mud at higher volumes. The vocals sounded clear, with beautifully blended tight harmonies that came through clearly.

There is a certain left-right separation, but the different channels are not as pronounced as with dedicated stereo speakers. This can make the stage sound a bit cramped, but that’s to be expected from a turntable with a relatively small built-in speaker. For our full test, we will definitely be testing the Revolution Go with external speakers – both wired and via Bluetooth.

By going to Something, and the Revolution Go, he shows how well he can convey vocal lines. However, the percussion lacks a bit of attack and detail, and the narrow stage doesn’t leave enough room for the instruments to really shine – a shame on a track with such a rich composition.

Still, we hesitate to be too critical of the Revolution Go’s audio performance. It works, is easy to set up and use, and is a good entry-level turntable for someone looking to get into the world of vinyl.

Victrola says you get 12 hours of playback on a single charge – we’ll definitely test this out fully in our full review, but that seems about right after our initial testing.

early pronunciation

While we need to do a full review before we can make a final judgment, so far we’ve been impressed with the Victrola Revolution GO.

It’s one of the easiest turntables to set up we’ve ever used, and its portability and battery life make it a real highlight in the turntable world. As far as we know, no other record player can do that.

Decent design features add to that sense of mobility, and the new colors for 2022 make the Revolution GO a fun prospect for anyone looking to add a little vibrancy to their music setup.

No, it’s not the best sounding turntable out there, but it’s the first fully portable model to hit the market – and we think Victrola did well in that regard.