Vinyl Asylum: REVIEW: Fisher Price Music Box Turntables by Richard 'Funk' Huxley

Model:	Music Box
Category:	Turntables
Suggested Retail Price:	$30
Description:	Giant Killer Turntable.....
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available
Manufacturer URL:	Not Available

Review by Richard 'Funk' Huxley ( A ) on December 13, 2004 at 09:06:41
IP Address: 81.174.245.227

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for the Music Box

After selling my beloved Lp12 to fund a Gyrodec I was on the lookout for an 'inbetween' turntable to satisfy my day to day music lust.
After some time digging around for the right 'sound' i took home a Fisher Price Music Box. The unit itself came in rather nice packaging with a beatiful livery, quite colourful really.
Foaming slightly at the mouth i knew music lust was upon me so i shredded the poor box in my attempt to release the turntable and get some serious music on the go. Easy work..and the turntable was offered pride and place on my imported spider rack (incidently reinforced with Boron sheeting reclaimed from my local nuclear power station where it was used in the main reactor to control fission).
To be honest it made my other hifi equipment look simple and cheap in comparison. The quality of finish is exemplary, even my anti-hifi 'medusa' girlfriend (she destroys anything hifi just by looking at it) was slightly impressed..saying, 'Darling..if only Fisher Price made balanced output seperates and high efficiency ribbon loudspeakers...maybe i would change my point of view.'
Setup was easy and the unit seemed to be a perfect match for my Accuphase AC-2 moving coil cartridge and an Ortofon Jubilee.
Down to business..the first recording i put on was a very rare MFSL recording of The Planets. This is one of the rarer Mobile Fidelity recordings and is mastered at half speed. Wow..the sonic characteristics of this turntable blew me away. Even right out of the (shredded) box it sounded open, detailed and had such musicality that even my gran would have got up and boogied.
Just to make sure i wasn't dreaming i put on another fine recording...Telarc's 1812 Overture...the one with the massive cannons at the end. Taking liberty i just went straight to the cannon passage (does that sounds rude?). The bass slam was highly pleasing and damaged my ears suitably enough to warrant a 5 star approval.
On the following recordings I began to notice the smaller things...noise floor was very low even with my ear pressed right against the floor (reinforced with gold and diamond laminate imported from China). Humpty Dumpty, Twinkle Twinkle, and Hickory Dickory Dock were brought out to play and they just showed what this table could do. These are all records from Fisher Price's growing record label...one that draws parallel's to Sheffield Labs and Mobile Fidelity in quality.
Now slightly alcohol fuelled after finishing the last of my homebrew i eagerly began digging into my electronica collection. First up was Fourtet and the Rounds album, second was Soulsavers and Tough Guys Don't Dance, the third was a spot of Plaid. I heartily recommend these albums for anyone interested.
To compare against my old Linn, a nice Loricraft Garrard, and my friends Michell Orbe the Fisher Price was always one step ahead...Humpty Dumpty had more bounce, the bass more slam and the detail was just on another level..i could virtually feel and see the stars twinkling in Twinkle Twinkle.
I was so shocked and impressed by the quality of this unit that i cancelled my Gyrodec turntable the morning after..even after being offered a free upgrade to a Morch DP6 Gold Precision tonearm!
I hope this review has been a neutral and balanced one. I thoroughly recommend this highend unit..perhaps the best turntable i've ever heard. The only problem is that all my friends and their kids want to come round and listen to the unit...which has left me massively grumpy with no time to listen by myself.

Product Weakness: Had to recue Humpty Dumpty a few times to get the best sonic feedback.
Makes many other highend seperates look really cheap and bad quality.
Product Strengths: Sound is an orgy of rythmn, detail and sheer musicality.
Easy to setup.
Won't Break the Bank.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	Rotel RHB-10
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Audiolab 8000Q
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	Eastsound CD-E5 cd player, Fisher Price Music Box, Garrard 301 with Loricraft plinth, Michell Orbe
Speakers:	Infinity Renaissance 80 and Von Schweikert VR3's.
Cables/Interconnects:	Silver Twisted Pair wire...used on the Eurofighter..i am serious about this one :)
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Classical, Electronica
Room Size (LxWxH):	20 x 13 x 9
Room Comments/Treatments:	Floors reinforced with gold and diamond laminate and ceiling reinforced with the power of god.
Time Period/Length of Audition:	Now until forever
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner