Unfortunately this is a side effect of the current vinyl boom. As the format has regained popularity, many vendors have popped up making low quality turntables (those suitcase-style ones and others) for sale at the likes of Target/Walmart/Amazon. These products are great for getting more new people into the hobby, but they are pretty bad for user experience as well as harmful to the records themselves. Most use a heavy ceramic stylus instead of diamond, and almost all of them have issues with speed consistency as well as problems with tracking force. You'll notice that on most models you are not able to adjust the tracking force at all, while on a nicer table this adjustment is crucial to setting up a balance of good tracking and good tone. A lot of these players have trouble with even the most pristine brand new records. Wow, flutter, and speed inconsistency are all generated by problems with the turntable, and never the record itself. Like all other pressing plants, we will not accept any defective vinyl claims due to being played on low quality turntables.
