Stanton STR8 80 Turntable for DJ's
Written: May 23 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Professional straight tone arm turntables, great for mixing.
Cons: No major complaints. (see review)
The Bottom Line: In a year that's seen an unusual abundance of high quality dance LP releases; the Stanton STR8-80 Turntable allows DJ's to keep up.
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| cntaur5's Full Review: Stanton STR8-80 Turntable |
DJ’s who still like the feel of vinyl on their fingertips quickly recognize the name Stanton as a leading manufacturer of quality turntables and professional sound equipment. The Stanton STR8 80 (STR8 80) is the affordable moderate answer to their superior line of direct turntables. For example, the STR8 80 offers more than the low end Stanton STR8 20 and offers a little less than the top-notch high end STR 150 turntable.
The overall appearance of this turntable is stunning. The first impressive feature you’ll notice with the STR8 80 is its straight tone arm, which offers better control and tracking when spinning. Regardless of which type of turntable you have, it has been proven that a straight arm offers better skip resistance when compared to the standard S-shaped tone arm. The second notable thing is that the STR8 80 also has 3 platter speeds; 33, 45, and 78 rpm, as well as a selectable pitch adjustment of +/- 8%, 12% with the simple touch of a button.
The STR8 80 is a workhorse, with solid construction and durable casing. Once you plant it on the table it’s there to stay, plus the adjustable feet are nice if you are changing surfaces. Securely tucked inside the turntable is the pot of gold, the powerful Stanton brushless DC motor. The turntable feels nice and sturdy weighing in at 19 lbs. The STR8 80 is a standard sized turntable with the following dimensions: 17 3/4" W x 5" H x 13 3/4" D. There is also a 3.4 mm line input that is built in for CD or MD players making the system great for almost any type of multi system audio mixing. The reverse on and off motor function is a plus when mixing precision is needed.
Once the vinyl record leaves my fingers and is placed on the unit’s aluminum platter the systems direct drive motor takes over with decent torque. The pitch slider is smooth and accurate with decent precision when adjusting the tone. This is a good turntable for mixing and scratching; it did not pick any unnecessary noise, or humming while spinning my LP’s. I did not incur any problems when beat matching with the STR8 80. My only complaint is that the turntable does not play older records as good as the new ones, but this is not an issue I can blame on Stanton. Bedroom DJ and Professional will enjoy viewing the blue LED 45 button. The location of the button is efficient, the blue strobe indicator offers a decent amount illumination when the lights are low, I would not recommend relying on it if you were spinning in a dark setting. Fortunately all of the turntables major control bottoms are out of the way, at the bottom of the unit.
Fortunately, with Stanton, you get everything you need with this turntable including the dust cover, slipmat, and the signature Stanton 520 Sk cartridge. The cartridge is easily installed by lining it up with the imprinted dots on the top of the headshell. The only real con is that this turntable is not geared towards beginners. Although the instruction pamphlet provides the basic information on how to hook up a turntable it does not go into a lot of details. For example novices probably won’t get a lot of help on to setting the counter weight, which is no big deal once you figure it out. In general the manual provides all the basics for assembly, which takes less than 10 minutes.
If you are ready to move up in the business, or perhaps you are looking for a turntable to play some of those records you’ve stored in the basement, this could possibly be the system for you. Overall, the STR8 80 is good intermediate turntable that built for indoor and outdoor performances. This is an affordable turntable that provides some good quality features for the price. I’ve used this off and on for several years and while it’s not my preferred turntable, it’s a solid performer that has never let me down allowing me to scratch my itch for vinyl whenever the need arises.
Additional STR8 80 specs not listed above:
· Remote Start
· S P/DIF digital output
· AC cord
· Digital output terminal can connect to computer
· On/Off Quartz lock
Recommended:
Yes
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