Little Bear 50/60Hz Stroboscopic Strobe Light with Turntable Tachometer Disc Review

The Little Bear stroboscopic speed strobe light is a turntable maintenance tool priced at $36.99. It generates a flash source at the 50/60Hz frequency of your household power supply, and combined with the tachometer disc in the box it lets you check and adjust a record player's rotational speed.

Because it keys off mains frequency, the maker says it suits almost every country. The light uses a 15VAC power supply, and the low voltage is deliberate: it protects the user from electric shock during use. The LED output is rated at 3W and is bright enough to be used in any environment, day or night, indoors or out. The unit is small and easy to store with the rest of your turntable accessories.

The procedure is straightforward: place the tachometer disc on the turntable and start it spinning, switch on the strobe and hold it 5-10cm from the disc, then watch the stripes for the 33.3 or 45 speed. If the stripes are stable and not moving, the speed is correct. Slow clockwise drift means the turntable is running fast, and slow anticlockwise drift means it is running slow. If the deck has speed adjustment, tune it until the stripe stops; if it has none, the maker suggests trying a new drive belt first, since belts stretch over time, before treating large variations as a mechanical fault. Once the speed is set, the disc comes off and the record goes on.

The package contains the strobe light, the tachometer disc and a power supply. Douk Audio ships worldwide with free and expedited options at country-dependent prices: under 2kg by airmail (10-25 days), over 2kg by DHL, UPS or FedEx (5-8 days). Import duties and customs charges are the buyer's responsibility. All items come with a 30-day free return or full refund and a 1-year warranty, with exclusions for orders placed by mistake, man-made damage or misuse, a subjective change of mind, and anything else outside the warranty terms.