Finished in warm wood veneer and carrying the quietly familiar Lenco badge, the LS100WD doesn’t demand attention, but it may just earn it.
There’s a calm, understated appeal to this all-in-one turntable that feels both considered and nostalgic. But is it worth the investment?
Lenco, a Swiss-founded, now Dutch brand dating back to the 1940s, has a long-standing relationship with vinyl, from its early days of precision engineering through to the recent resurgence of interest in records.
The LS-100WD blends that history with a very modern sense of convenience: a belt-driven turntable with Bluetooth output and built-in stereo speakers, all neatly contained in a compact, self-contained system. It’s designed for ease rather than expertise – you can be up and running within minutes, no amplifier or specialist kit required.
Turntables, once a mainstay of every living fashionable room, have circled back into favour in recent years. Part of the appeal lies in the ritual. There’s something satisfying about selecting a record, placing it on the platter, and lowering the tonearm with care. It’s a physical, intentional act that stands in contrast to the frictionless convenience of streaming.
In that spirit, the LS100WD is refreshingly simple.
The controls are minimal and the setup is straightforward. It doesn’t try to compete with high-end audiophile gear, nor does it need to. The built-in speakers offer a modest but serviceable sound, with enough warmth to make Sunday spins of Joni Mitchell or Fleetwood Mac feel well-placed. And if you prefer your own setup, Bluetooth and RCA outputs offer an easy way to connect to external systems.
In an era of smart tech and infinite choice, this turntable’s charm is its clarity. However, for this review, I consulted my dad’s expert opinion. Expert indeed – he was a DJ for 25 years, spinning vinyl in London clubs throughout the 80s. His taste in music accessories is rather expensive, and he’s also become quite the modern man. “Why play vinyl when Sonos makes it feel like Fleetwood Mac are playing in my back garden?” he asks.
The LS100WD isn’t about chasing perfection. It’s about making it easier to enjoy the music you love in a format that asks you to slow down and pay attention. Read on for my in-depth review.
LENCO LS-100WD key specs
User-friendliness
There’s something wonderfully unpretentious about a piece of tech that simply works. No QR-code-laden setup journey, no blinking lights requiring decoding. The LS100WD was up and running in under ten minutes, including the moment that I spent wondering whether I’d accidentally missed a step (I hadn’t). It’s all intuitive: plug it in, select your speed, drop the stylus, and let the music play. Done. In a market increasingly filled with overly clever gear, this sort of straightforward usability feels almost rebellious.
Design
Aesthetically, Lenco has clearly made an effort – and it shows.
The wood-effect finish gives it a mid-century nod without tipping into pastiche, and it looks comfortable on anything from a bedroom shelf to a shared living room sideboard. It’s compact but not cramped, with a clear dust cover that does a perfectly adequate job of keeping things neat.
Is it luxurious? Hmm, not quite. But it doesn’t look cheap either. It’s aiming for a kind of understated, just-polished-enough mid-century modern appeal, and more or less lands it.
Functionality
Sound is where things get a little more subjective. “It sounds like what we had when I was a kid,” said my dad, who DJ’d professionally for the best part of 25 years. For clarity, he meant this as both a fond memory and a gentle critique.
He compared it to his Sonos system and concluded, “the band sounds like they’re playing in the back garden with the Sonos. I know the sound is compressed, but it’s better.” A fair observation if you’re chasing pristine clarity, but missing the point. The Lenco, on the other hand, sounded exactly like the record player he used as a tween, which, he also recalls being “the best thing that ever happened” to him. I tried not to take offence, as his only daughter.
Personally, I don’t mind the warmth, the slightly boxed-in quality. I’d even say I like it. It’s imperfect in the same way film grain is imperfect: textured, familiar, human.
My dad, ever the realist, prefers the precision of streaming. I, ever the romantic, find that a little lazy. This is never going to be a high-end audiophile experience. Instead, it’s trying to recreate that moment when you were 13, spent what money you had on your first record player, and nothing else in the world mattered. So in that respect, it does its job rather well.
Verdict
Lenco LS-100WD Belt-Drive Turntable with Bluetooth
The Lenco LS100WD is a simple, charming all-in-one turntable that does exactly what it says on the box. It’s not for audiophiles chasing crisp separation or studio-level clarity, but for casual listeners, it offers an easy, enjoyable way to revisit records without fuss.
Setup is effortless, the design is thoughtful, and while the built-in speakers won’t wow purists, they’re warm enough for everyday listening. It’s not premium, but it doesn’t pretend to be - and that’s part of its appeal.
Ideal for newcomers or those rediscovering vinyl, this is an entry-level deck with just the right amount of nostalgia.
Buy now £149.99, Argos
