So full disclosure, even we aren’t on the level of a lot of audiophiles. For that, you can go hit the forums, but you can trust us for an easy-to-buy roundup. Vinyl has become such a massive industry that we looked for record players that could be enjoyed by anyone—valuing ease of setup and looks over nerdy things like stylus options or wow and flutter.
Ease of use – Though being easy isn’t the “point” of vinyl, it makes things a lot more enjoyable. We love a turntable with a built in preamp because you can just connect straight to a stereo. And while we might personally draw the line at bluetooth connection, we can’t deny it’s a huge factor for a lot of consumers.
Looks – Exactly what it sounds like. We don’t want are stuff to be ugly. When we’re looking at entry-level turntables, this is actually a massive factor.
Sound quality – This is where we have to tamp down our personal audiophile status. Realistically, very few people are going to be able to catch subtle nuances in sound quality. (Lord knows we can’t!) What matters is that these turntables have a decent stylus and preamp to give you good sound. All the options here do that.
Analog vs digital – The OG Hipster vinyl resurgence was mainly a pushback against overly digital music… whatever, don’t really care. Though we will say, getting into the analog sound weeds can be fun. It’s fun to hook things up. It’s fun to learn about how sound is made. Beyond that, it’s honestly mostly novelty. We won’t hate on anyone that wants their turntable to have bluetooth capabilities.
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