Victrola Revolution GO review – A Player You’ll Love?

If you’re new to the world of vinyl records and are looking for a good portable record player, then I think you’ll find tremendous value in my Victrola Revolution GO review.  In this article, I’m going to unbox and review this $200 player and help you see all of the pros and cons it offers so you can make a well informed buying decision.  

Let’s jump right into it.

Victrola Revolution GO review (TLDR)

Before I dive into the meat and potatoes of this review, I wanted to cut right to the chase for those looking for the verdict.  After having some time with the Revolution GO, I find that this is a great record player for a very specific kind of vinyl fan.

If you’re someone that’s seeking versatility in your vinyl experience, the Revolution GO is ideal for you.  If you want a record player that can be charged up and doesn’t require an AC adaptor or batteries to operate, then this is the turntable for you.  

And, perhaps most importantly, if you’re looking for a record player that you can take with you to parties or family reunions or simply a friends house (and even sling it over your shoulder like a purse or sling bag—yes, it comes with a guitar shoulder strap), then you’ll strongly want to consider the Revolution GO.

Lastly, it should be noted that I was sent the Victrola Revolution GO for a review by Victrola.  However, the opinions in this review are solely my own.

Is the Victrola Revolution GO an Automatic Turntable?

Yes, the Victrola Revolution GO is an automatic turntable—but only a semi-automatic turntable.  With the Auto-Stop feature turned on, the tonearm of the Revolution GO will lift off the record (when the record completes its final track) and automatically turn off the record player’s motor.  You can also turn this feature off entirely if you’d like to have complete manual control of the GO.

With that said, do not confuse the Auto-Stop feature to mean that this is a fully automatic turntable—it’s not.  You will still need to place the tonearm onto the first track of the record and use the cueing lever to lower the stylus into the groove.  

Does the Victrola Revolution Go Have Built In Speakers?

Yes, it sure does.  In fact, one of the things I appreciate about the Revolution GO is its visual aesthetic.  I really like how the GO’s long horizontal speaker on the front of the record player looks. 

The speaker is very sleek, somehow managing to be striking without appearing garish.  And with a power and volume button that sits on top of the speaker grill area (a button that illuminates, by the way), I think it lends a nice air of sophistication to an otherwise very affordable record player.

Does the Revolution GO play 45 RPM records?

Yes, the Revolution GO actually plays at three speeds: 33 RPM (most 12” records you’ll purchase), 45 RPM (7” records and some 12” records) and 78 RPM (a speed that’s typically reserved for old shellac records of yesteryear).  

Is the Revolution GO a Bluetooth Record Player?

Yes, it is.  In fact, the GO allows you to interact with it in three ways:

Vinyl Mode—playing your records normally, with the sound coming out of the built in speakers.

Vinyl Stream Mode—this mode allows you to pair a wireless speaker to your Revolution GO so you can hear your records coming out of your personal speaker.

Bluetooth Mode—allows you to connect your smartphone or tablet to the Revolution GO, thus giving you the ability to hear music on your personal device coming out of the GO’s built in speakers.  This is a great option for anyone that doesn’t have a wireless speaker in their home.

Can I use headphones with the Revolution GO?

Yes, there is a headphone jack on the back of the player.  There is also a RCA Line Out, as well.

How long does it take to charge the GO?

It takes approximately four hours to charge the Revolution GO.

How long does the charge last on the Revolution GO?

It depends on what playing mode you’re in and what volume you choose to listen to the music at.  For example, if you’re in Bluetooth mode, and you play your music at maximum volume, the Revolution GO will last 9 hours.  If you listen to music in the same mode, but at just 50% volume level, the player will last about 13 hours on a single charge.

Conversely, if you’re in Vinyl mode, and you’re listening at maximum volume, the GO will last 8 hours.  However, if you drop the volume by 50%, the GO will last about 12 hours.

How Does the Revolution GO Sound?

I was impressed with the sound on the GO.  For a turntable that’s going to primarily be used with its built in speakers, I thought it has a nice even sound.

I think it would be a bit of stretch to say that the Revolution GO offered “warm” sound or had a “nice mid-range” (again, this is an all-in-one record player), but the music did indeed sound good to my ears for what it was.  I threw on both a Joan Armatrading record, as well as a Carole King record, and both sound clean and relatively strong.

In fact, I think what impressed me most were two things:

1) Turning up the volume didn’t illicit an onslaught of horrendous distortion.  I felt you could turn the volume knob up and still hear the music (and in particular, the singer’s voice) without feeling like the vocals were becoming too incomprehensible.

2) I felt that the Revolution GO did a good job of filling an entire room with sound.  The speaker inside of the Revolution GO isn’t overly mighty, but you can rest assured that if you take this record player with you to a house party, every guest in the room will be able to hear the music clearly without a problem.  I think this is the GO’s most valuable contribution, so it’s fantastic to see this feature successfully achieve its goal.

Victrola Re-Spin vs Victrola Revolution GO

Recently I reviewed the Victrola Re-Spin (which is linked below if you’d like to read it), and it’s a record player that’s billed as having “big bass.”  So I thought it was only right to compare the Re-Spin and Revolution GO to see which one comes out on top.  

And it’s actually a tougher competition than I initially thought.

For me, whenever it comes to playing records (no matter the record player’s cost), the biggest thing I care about is sound.  Sound is dependent on the condition of the record itself (as well as how well its mastered and manufactured).  Sound is also impacted by additional components and accessories—your phono pre-amp, phono cartridge and more.

However, the quality of the sound you hear is heavily impacted by the speakers you have.  And on the Victrola Re-Spin, I was impressed by the powerful sound of those built-in speakers.    For a semi-automatic record player that costs just $100, I’d argue it provided the best sound I’ve heard in an all-in-one turntable to date.

So if you want a portable record player where sound, and specifically big sound, is your #1 priority, I would recommend the Victrola Re-Spin.

However, the Victrola Revolution GO is no slouch here.  I think if you’re seeking a record player that offers you good, balanced sound (not huge bass, but good, even-keeled sound output), a pretty visual aesthetic, and the ability to use the turntable for hours on end on a single charge (like a cell phone), then the Revolution GO is for you.  Both record players come in a variety of colors as well, so I see that as a bit of a tie.

So ultimately, it really just depends on which record player most fits your interests and lifestyle.  Do you care most about big sound (if so, get the Re-Spin)?  Or are you someone that covets a turntable that can be worn as an accessory and can operate untethered from wires and wall adaptors (if so, get the Revolution GO)?

• You Might Also Like: Victrola Re-Spin review

Vinyl Stream and Bluetooth Features

Both the Bluetooth feature and the Vinyl Stream features worked perfectly for me.

Just like when I tested out the Vinyl Re-Spin, I connected the Revolution GO to my go-to wireless speaker: the JBL Charge.  To pair the turntable to the speaker, simply press the power button and a voice prompt alerts you that you are in Vinyl Stream mode.  Make sure you press the bluetooth button on your wireless speaker and within seconds, the GO is paired perfectly.

I found the output of my records sounded better and stronger coming out of the JBL Charge.  That’s a testament to JBL, but I think it’s great news for anyone that doesn’t want to feel hampered by any record player’s built in speakers.  If you buy a wireless-friendly record player with built in speakers like the Revolution GO, it’s nice to know that you always have the ability to listen to your music on bigger, better speakers.  

I then tested out Bluetooth mode, which allows you to stream music from your smartphone or tablet to the Revolution GO (with the music coming out of the GO’s built in speakers).  This also worked like a charm too.  

I pushed the power button once again, and this time initiated the “Bluetooth” mode voice prompt.  The LED light on the power button began flashing blue.  I then grabbed my iPad, went into the bluetooth settings, and selected “Revolution GO” from the list (see the photo below):

From here, I was able to stream music from my music service of choice (YouTube Music, for me).  It sounded quite nice.  Once again, not a lot of bass output, so if that’s what you need, the Vinyl Re-Spin is probably a better choice.  

But I really did enjoy the sound I was hearing coming out of the GO’s built in speakers.  It never sounds harsh to my ears, which is actually great if you have any degree of ear sensitivity (like tinnitus, for example, which can be aggravated by music that features a lot of bass).

What’s also great about the Bluetooth feature is that you can export anything else you normally listen to on your phone or tablet to your turntable.  So whether you want to hear a audiobook from Audible, or you want to have everyone in your room hear your favorite mystery podcast, the Revolution GO allows you to essentially transform your turntable into a portable bluetooth speaker.

Are Victrola Turntables Worth the Money?

At the end of the day, whether you go with the Victrola Re-Spin or the Victrola Revolution GO, it’s always important to know what purpose the record player will serve in your life—as well as the record player’s limitations.

Keep in mind that, for the Revolution GO, its main purpose is to be a Jack-of-All-Trades kind of record player.  It’s meant to be relatively lightweight because it has to be portable.  It’s meant to not require the need for external speakers because the speakers are built into the player itself.  And it’s meant to have an element of high convenience thanks to its Auto-Stop feature.

Sacrifices are forced to be made here, and one of them is that the materials in this record player are quite cheap.  I like the Revolution GO, but I do worry how well it will hold up over time for those carrying it around from location to location and using it at a variety of different venues. 

Some of the GO’s construction feel a bit flimsy, from the tonearm to the cueing lever, and I worry that heavy (and especially non-delicate) usage could lead to accidentally damaging the stylus, breaking the cueing lever, or even cracking the base the tonearm is housed within. 

The Revolution GO contains a lot of plastic (and very lightweight) parts, and I worry that the person that purchases the GO might think this record player is more durable than it really is given the product’s name, promotional efforts, and targeted demographic.

However, if you’re someone that tends to take care of their physical goods, and don’t anticipate other people using your record player (especially ones who have never touched a vinyl record or a tonearm before), I think the Revolution GO is a very nice entry-level record player that’s worth the money for those brand new to the hobby.

• Grade: B

If you enjoyed the article, be sure to subscribe to my Devoted to Vinyl YouTube channel and Facebook page.

This review was written by Michael, the owner of Devoted to Vinyl.