Rekkord Audio

F-110P Turntable

£449 RRP

Anyone of advancing years, whose formative times in hi-fi were the late nineteen seventies and early eighties, may well have owned a Dual CS504, CS505 or CS506 turntable. These three decks were practically ubiquitous back in the day, in the same way that not so long ago, everyone's first car was a Mini. The reason for this was the combination of quality, value and convenience – something hard to argue with, then and now.

Back to 2024, and a new turntable company has just launched – selling decks that borrow extensively from the aforementioned Dual lineup, and also manufactured in the same German factory that made the originals. The man behind the brand is one Mr Heinz Lichtenegger, whose day job is running Pro-Ject Audio Systems. This company is of course famous for turntables, but Heinz decided to create Rekkord to – in effect – fill in the gaps in Pro-Ject's model range. The latter has little in the way of automatic turntables such as the A1, instead preferring to specialise on manual designs. Rekkord, on the other hand, is resurrecting a fully automatic deck last seen in the early eighties – and it comes complete with a built-in Pro-Ject-designed phono stage. In other words, it's an easy-to-use, all-in-one vinyl spinner – a turntable without tears, if you will.

UP CLOSE

This relatively compact-looking deck measures 133x420x360mm [HxWxD] and weighs 4.8kg. It is way better built than the sort of junk you can buy from chain store record shops – there's far less of a plasticky feel. All the same, you wouldn't confuse it with the likes of a Rega Planar 3. Basically, the F-110P is a decently made deck for those in the 'beginner turntable' market. It even has a sprung subchassis, which will be a boon for some, as it makes the turntable less susceptible to footfall or acoustic feedback.

The tonearm is a slightly cost-cut evolution of Dual's 'Ultra Low Mass' design first fitted to the CS506 in 1980 – it's okay, but no Rega-beater. Its 8.3-inch, small-diameter aluminium armtube terminates with a headshell that's pre-fitted with an Audio-Technica AT3600L moving magnet cartridge. Although one of the Japanese company's cheapest pick-ups, it sounds quite good – offering a smooth and expansive performance. It has a conical (i.e., spherical) stylus that's a wee bit more robust than elliptical types, which is why DJs favoured this stylus design back in the day. It tracks at a solid 3g, and showed no signs of mistracking under test.

The F-110P feels fairly slick to use and is ergonomically very good. It has a good lift/lower device, and the arm has reasonably precise bearings. The light platter is aluminium and is topped off by a thin mat. As with all turntables, it's worth taking some time to position the deck on a level surface that's a long way from the loudspeakers; a wall-mounted turntable shelf is ideal.

THE LISTENING

The little Rekkord doesn't sound half bad. It's not as good as the harder-to-use, fully manual Rega Planar 1 Plus or Pro-Ject E1 BT rivals, which cost about a quarter less than the F-110P. Yet it's enjoyable by the standards of budget vinyl and exhibits the distinctively smooth character of Duals of yore. This means it's pleasantly open, with a fuss-free approach to music making. In absolute terms, its dynamics aren't as good as the aforementioned rivals, yet still this deck isn't boring to listen to.

The bundled Audio-Technica cartridge suits the Rekkord well – it is crisp and clean with a couth treble, easy midband and slightly soft bass. There's nothing offensive when spinning the classic disco of Donna Summer's Bad Girls – tracking is secure, and sibilance is kept to a minimum. Yet still, you're able to get into the groove and enjoy the propulsive backing. At the same time, the singer's distinctive vocal style is very well conveyed – vinyl often does exceptionally well on female voices, and such is proven here.

The pounding synthesisers of Jam and Spoon's Age of Love remix are carried well; they're a little soft around the edges but this early nineties trance track is lots of fun all the same. The F-110P lacks a little bite but makes up for this with its innate sophistication; some will be surprised by how polished it sounds. The built-in phono stage is impressively quiet and hum-free, by the way. In the great scheme of vinyl things, I'm struggling to think of a fully automatic turntable currently on sale that does better in the budget arena.

THE VERDICT

Thumbs up then, for this likeable little fully automatic turntable. Simple to use, decently made (in Germany), well presented and blessed with Dual DNA that guarantees a smooth yet enjoyable sound – it's a winning combination for vinyl starters and re-starters alike.

Visit Rekkord for more information