The 10 Best Record Players For Any Budget: Our Picks And Recommendations
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We are currently experiencing a vinyl renaissance, and this is a welcome phenomenon for audiophiles everywhere. For a time, it felt like music as a physical product was soon to be obsolete, replaced by streaming services and digital media. However, the public voted with their wallets, and vinyl sales started to creep up. Now, record companies consider pressing records as a matter of course to accompany digital releases.
The modern record player is often a thing of beauty. The plasticky trims, protruding buttons, and bulky, monolithic housings of yesteryear have been replaced by svelte, minimalistic plinths that belie their superior technology. As a result, they often earn a place as the focal point of a home audio setup and can incorporate new technologies, such as USB inputs for ripping audio or Bluetooth connectivity, to align their analog systems with the demands of the digital age.
While most CD players may have been consigned to history, it is becoming more common to see a record player occupying living spaces, and the industry is booming. As a result, a wide selection of record players is available to suit all budgets and applications, but which are the best within their specific segments?
How we selected our products
We have identified the most common record player categories and buyer budgets before whittling down the vast selection currently available to land our top picks. Several criteria were considered, including aesthetics, features, components, and, crucially, their build quality and sound performance.
An exceptionally high level of build quality is critical when making the finest record players, as they rely on mechanical and electrical engineering in equal measure to achieve the best sound reproduction. This performance ultimately separates the wheat from the chaff among different models, and each of our chosen units demonstrates a depth of tone across a broad frequency spectrum. We also consolidated information from industry press, reviewers, and aggregating websites to help inform our choices.
Whether you are making your first tentative steps into the world of analog hi-fi or are a card-carrying veteran of the vinyl scene, there will be something here to inspire your next purchase or add to your shortlist of coveted record players.
Best Overall: Fluance RT85N
Canadian company Fluance is relatively young and mostly known within s circles, but this will likely change. Products like the RT85N have placed Fluance front and center as a brand to be reckoned with.
It boasts highly accurate sound reproduction and premium features, including a solid acrylic platter, heavy solid wooden plinth, spiked rubber vibration isolating feet, and a high-quality Nagaoka MP-110 cartridge. It lacks a 78-RPM speed setting, but this is a niche format that most listeners won't miss.
Buy the Fluance RT85N on Amazon for $499.
Best Bluetooth: Audio-Technica AT-LPW50BT
As a well-built, stylish record player, the Audio-Technica AT-LPW50BT deserves a more memorable name. Beyond its rosewood veneer finish and minimalist features, it is an advanced unit with quality components, including a carbon fiber tonearm and hydraulic damping on the lift control.
Optional Bluetooth functionality gives you the benefit of listening via wireless speakers or headphones, and you can lose the unsightly phono cables and place the AT-LPW50BT anywhere in your living space. While Bluetooth pairing can be somewhat erratic, it does deliver detailed sound reproduction and represents good value for money.
Buy the Audio-Technica AT-LPW50BT on Amazon for $499.
Best USB: Audio Technica AT-LP5X
While it is not nearly as attractive as its Bluetooth-ready sibling, the Audio Technica AT-LP5X is a top choice among critics as a fuss-free USB record player that is handy for ripping audio.
Vinyl purists might turn their nose up at converting an analog signal to a digital format, even more so as it delivers WAV files at a maximum 48kHz resolution. With that said, the AT-LP5x is sturdily built and includes an integral preamp, making it easy to use right out of the box.
Buy the Audio Technica AT-LP5x on Amazon for $449.
Best Budget: Pro-Ject Primary E
Pro-Ject seemingly came out of nowhere to dominate the entry-level-to mid-range markets with its Austrian hand-built record players. As its budget offering, the Pro-Ject Primary E offers surprisingly good sound quality and a premium-looking, minimalist design that would look good in any living space.
You won't find any frills on the Primary E, such as Bluetooth connectivity or automatic operation, but it covers the basics, and it covers them well. Stand-out features include its high-quality cartridge, and it is available in three vibrant colors.
Buy the Pro-Ject Primary E on Amazon for $349.
Best Budget with Preamp: Audio-Technica AT-LP60X
If you are shopping on a budget, there may be no better value record player than the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X. It is certainly not as pretty as the Pro-Ject Primary E, but it is less than half the price and ships with a good-quality cartridge. It also has a built-in preamp for convenience while saving the extra expense of an external unit.
As an entry-level solution, it surprisingly boasts automatic operation, a choice of four colors, and decent sound quality, making this an excellent option for first-time buyers and occasional listeners.
Buy the Audio-Technica AT-LP60X on Amazon for $149.
Best Mid-Range: Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo
Pro-Ject's mid-range Debut Carbon Evo gives many high-end units a run for their money by combining cutting-edge features with audiophile-grade components for exceptional performance. From its handmade shell and chassis, updated anti-vibration motor suspension, and 1.7-kilogram thermoplastic-coated platter to the carbon tonearm that gives it its name, everything about the unit spells quality.
Sound performance is bolstered by its Ortofon 2M Red cartridge and gold-plated connectors, and they even throw in a quality phono cable. It is hard to find any negative aspects of this unit.
Buy the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo on Amazon for $599.
Best Mid-Range with Preamp: Rega Planar 1 Plus
Rega is a dedicated turntable manufacturer established in the U.K. in 1973. This considerable experience is apparent in its extensive range of quality products, which includes the Rega Planar 1 Plus.
Immediately striking is the 23-millimeter high platter that gives the Planar 1 Plus improved stability. Beneath this is an attractive plinth available in three colors — including a cool retro walnut effect — which is mounted on special vibration-damping feet. This unit offers exceptional sound performance, build quality, and value within the mid-range segment.
Buy the Rega Planar 1 Plus at The Sound Organisation for $725.
Best Premium: Technics SL-1500C
Technics has been making some of the best direct-drive turntables for decades, and the SL-1500C is a worthy relative of the DJ's favorite, the legendary SL-1200 series.
The Technics SL-1500C direct-drive turntable is known for its precision and audio clarity. It has similar physical features to previous "SL" models, including the large start/stop button, dual speed buttons, and a prominent on/off switch. Hidden upgrades include an updated direct drive motor and a new automatic tonearm lift within its considerable 21 lb frame.
Buy the Technics SL-1500C at Best Buy for $1,299.
Best Premium with Preamp: Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2
The Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 eschews the standard plinth design, instead going for a MacBook-style graphite sandwich. This is another British brand known for its exquisite, heavy-duty craftsmanship and high-fidelity sound reproduction, and the Alva TT V2 lives up to its reputation.
Notable features include switchable Bluetooth streaming using the high-resolution aptX HD codec, a built-in phono preamp, a premium high-output cartridge, and direct-drive functionality. This heavy hitter among record players exemplifies Cambridge Audio's remarkable build quality and sound quality in equal measure.
Buy the Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 at Cambridge Audio for $1,999.
Best High-End: Vertere DG-1 S/Magneto
Once you lay eyes on the Vertere DG-1 S/Magneto's asymmetrical design, you won't forget it in a hurry. As spectacular sounding as it looks, this audiophile's dream combines the best build quality and specifications and demands a worthy system to pair it with.
Its five-ply, fully adjustable tonearm, and upgraded motor software ensure the best sound reproduction is met with the least noise, resulting in a crystal-clear signal. Meanwhile, every other feature is of the highest quality to ensure that the DG-1 S/Magneto remains head and shoulders above the competition.
Buy the Vertere DG-1 S/Magneto at Brookers Berdan for $4,099.