Although the Numark PT-01 isn’t designed to perfectly mimic the old vintage record players, it certainly has that familiar classic look with all the modern technology. If you’re looking for the best turntables to get started with, the Numark PT-01 is an excellent choice.
In this detailed look at the Numark PT-01 record player, we’ll dive into all the features that make this touring record player a great choice for anyone. It’s affordable, portable, and has great audio output.
A Quick Summary
The Numark PT 01 Touring record player has a stylish and sleek black design. It’s capable of playing both full-sized records and 7” records, and is even DVS compatible for listeners that rely heavily on DVS.
For the price, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a record player with more or better features. There are ports for ¼” and ⅛” headphone outputs and two RCA outputs. As for input options, you have a USBport, an ⅛” input jack, and a gain knob for aux input.
The built in stereo speakers mean you can listen conveniently without having to connect external speakers. However, the built in stereo speakers on this record player aren’t great. In fact, we highly recommend you either listen with headphones or invest in a pair of external speakers for the best sound.
To add to its portability, the Numark PT-01 comes with a rechargeable battery. The charging cord is included, and the player can run for up to 4 hours before it needs to be recharged. The one downside? It doesn’t take AC power, so it can only be operated with batteries.
At an affordable price and with a variety of features, the Numark PT-01 is a great option for amateur DJs, those looking for something portable, or music lovers that want something to play their vinyls on.
The Design
The record player itself is very sleek with a full black design, except for the lock and handle on the cover. The player and case are all black and textured to resemble vintage leather from afar. When it comes to branding, the only thing you’ll find is the large logo inside the cover of the carrying case.
This record player is designed to be lightweight for travel with its plastic build. While this may typically be a problem, it’s actually a huge advantage in this case. The Numark PT-01 is much more durable than it may initially seem.
A carrying handle makes this record player easy to carry, and a dust cover protects the player during your travels. The lock has a strong lock, too, so you won’t have to worry about it opening up by itself.
The set-up of the Numark PT-01 is focused on portability. The controls are to the bottom right of the platter and grouped rather close together for ease of use. The straight arm sits to the left. The 7” platter can play both compact and full-sized vinyls, so you can play any of your records easily.
Weighing just under 6 pounds, this record player is incredibly portable. It measures 12” x 12” x 3.9” and fits into most record boxes.
Features
The Numark PT-01 comes impressively well equipped for such a budget record player.
Even if you prefer listening to your records on the player, you’ll appreciate the phono preamp that the Numark PT-01 is equipped with. You can convert any of your records into MP3s easily to be listened to on a computer.
Equipped with the Numark Scratch Switch onboard, the Numark PT-01 has an on/off crossfader. If you prefer traditional faders, you can adjust it rather easily with different mods.
You have three different spin speeds with this player: 33rpm, 45rpm, or 78rpm. There’s also an included 45s adapter. As for controls, you’ll find volume, RPM, and a +/- 10 percent alter pitch.
The sound quality isn’t astounding, but for its budget price point, it’s pretty decent.
In the back of the record player, you’ll find both a ¼” and a ⅛” headphone jack output as well as two RCA output jacks so you can connect easily to other home audio equipment. In the front, you have a place to connect your laptop or other device via a USB cable, an ⅛” input jack, and a gain knob for aux input.
Since the Numark PT-01 is built for portability, you’ll find that it’s conveniently battery powered. You’ll need six D batteries, but you won’t have to replace them every time they run out of power. This record player comes with an included USB cable cord that can be used to keep your records playing all night long. While the batteries make the player a bit heavier, they make sure it stays 100% portable.
You should be able to get around 4 hours of listening per each battery charge. This should last you quite a while and when the player does eventually die, just plug it in to charge.
Performance
It’s important to keep in mind that this record player is designed to be affordable. Even with the impressive features it has, you won’t have a perfect performance. Some users will feel like this player sounds perfectly fine, but others might feel like the sound and overall performance is less than ideal.
As mentioned above, the sound from the speakers isn’t amazing. The sound is much better when listening with headphones or when you plug in external speakers. Listening with the built-in speakers will not do your records any favors, though.
That being said, you certainly can listen with the built-in speakers. They do the job when it comes to casual listening. Unless you really want to feel wowed by the music, they’ll do just fine.
Scratching
If you like scratching, then you’re probably curious as to how this record player holds up. Luckily for you, the player does pretty well! Despite the plastic build and the smaller size, it’s fairly stable even when scratching.
The sound won’t lag or feel muddled and the needle tracks well. Unfortunately, the speakers won’t be your friend. The best sound will be through headphones or an external speaker, but if you’re not performing for anyone and just scratching for yourself, then you probably won’t mind how the built-in speakers sound.
USB Ripping
The Numark PT-01 does include a USB port and cable for ripping your favorite records onto your computer. You’ll get a download link with your purchase to make the conversion quick and easy.
For those who enjoy records as a side hobby, this feature is great. If you’re looking for amazing sound transfer though, there are better systems available out there.
DVS
Vinyls are now regularly offered in both full size and compact. More and more record companies began providing 7” records years ago when portability started growing in popularity. At this point, there are even collectable 7” vinyls for those who like the DVS route.
Fortunately, the Numark PT-01 is able to play both types of records. The player is completely compatible with DVS so you have the option available to you which is more than most budget record players can say.
Final Verdict
This budget touring record player has a variety of features and a unique vintage design that will delight any vintage lover. Naturally, it does have its shortcomings but its price point, design, and portability makes up for them.
