They play music, they don't damage records, and actually have a hint of vinyl magic. But they're on the lifeless side of dynamics and have reduced soundstage and imaging with a veiled presentation of detail. It's kinda hard to determine if it's the cheap cartridge or the table that's lacking, but the same Grado Gold on a Pro-ject Debut that sounded rather ordinary came to life on a VPI HW19 Jr with Rega RB300. So it depends on application, they're fine for the lake house or dorm room, not so much in your main rig.