How to find the best turntable for your budget
The phono cartridge is key to the sound quality from your turntable
Sales of vinyl have continued to soar in recent years, with more than five million albums sold in 2021, an increase of eight per cent. Furthermore, vinyls made up 23 per cent of all physical albums bought last year.
For the uninitiated, choosing a record player isn’t always easy – even John Lewis offers multiple models. At the very top end, Naim Audio’s turntable, the Solstice, costs £16,000 and if you can afford it is worth every penny (naimaudio.com). But for most first-time enthusiasts, a budget of £150-£400 will be enough, with brands such as Pro-ject, Audio Technica and Rega overflowing with quality designs.
All modern turntables will play records at 33 ⁄ rpm and 45 rpm, but if you’ve collected or inherited any classical recordings on shellac you’ll need a 78 rpm setting. Some turntables with pitch-shift can manage, but will require a 78 rpm stylus. An exception is Rega’s Planar 78 (£400; rega.co.uk) which only plays the classics.
Assuming you already have speakers and an amplifier, the next consideration is whether your turntable has a preamp built in. This amplifies the signal to a level that can drive your speakers. There are plenty of separate preamps available from around £150, and while it does mean more clutter, such units can be upgraded.
There are alternatives, however. Bluetooth streaming turntables such as the Sony PSLX310BT (£249; Currys) can stream audio to as many as eight compatible speakers, while the Juke Box E (£499; project-audio.com) has preamp and power amp built in – so, you just add speakers.
The boom in vinyl sales has also seen a revival of the all-in-one record player, often boasting retro looks and built-in speakers. These are fun and affordable, but generally sound awful and can prematurely wear down your records, which is unforgivable. Some exceptions exist, however, including the new Victrola V1 (£399; victrola. com) which has better quality components, Bluetooth receiver and separate subwoofer.
Turntables come with a phono cartridge
(with stylus), which is key to the sound quality. Isolation, vibration and tracking all play key roles, but the better the cartridge, the better the sound. There are two main types: moving magnets (MM) and moving coil (MC), with MM cartridges the commoner and harder wearing, while MC offers a more detailed and accurate sound, at a price. Thankfully, if you choose a turntable from a reputable brand, you can easily upgrade the cartridge and stylus at a later date.