With the sales of vinyl booming, music fans will tell you there’s nothing that compares to the rich sound of a record player. There’s an intrinsic joy to picking out one of your favorite records, pulling it out of its sleeve and placing it on a turntable. As the needle drops on the vinyl, you’re transported elsewhere. Not only is it a completely different experience, but some folks insist that it makes you feel closer to the artists who made the music.
That’s why CNET has tested and rounded up some of the very best record players on the market right now. If you’re on the lookout for a new system, you have a lot of options. Not only can you find affordable speakers, but there are also plenty of high-quality turntables, including models with Bluetooth connectivity. Superior analog sound often requires spending more money, but it’s not necessary. If you’re a vinyl enthusiast, you could start with something like the $149 Audio-Technica AT-LP60X workhorse — it’s simple and it’s good.
Based on my hours of testing and comparisons between models at every level, the best turntable for most people is the Fluance RT82 ($299). It offers excellent design, killer old-school looks and great sound quality for the money. But, if you’re looking to spend a lot more than that, the best turntable I’ve tested is the U-Turn Orbit Theory. It offers killer sound quality and looks every bit the premium model it is. Need more information? This guide will fill you in on the models CNET has tested and the features you should be looking out for, from $45 and up. If you’re a music lover, dust off your vinyl collection and keep reading.
The best record players compared
| Product | Fluance RT82 | Audio Technica AT-LP60X | Crosley C10A | Pro-Ject T1 | Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO | Pro-Ject Debut Pro | U-Turn Orbit Theory | Rega Planar 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $300 | $149 | $290 | $399 | $499 | $999 | $999 | $1,399 |
| Cartridge | Ortofon OM10 | Audio Technica AT3600L | Ortofon OM5E | Ortofon OM5E | Sumiko Rainier | Sumiko Rainier | Ortofon 2M Blue | Ortofon 2M Blue |
| 33/45 speed switch | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Onboard preamp | ✘ | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | Optional | ✘ |
| Adjustable feet | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✘ |
| Platter | Metal | Metal | Metal | Glass | Metal | Metal | Acrylic | Glass |
| Removable headshell | ✔ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ | ✘ |
| Weight (lbs) | 14.1 | 5.7 | 12.1 | 11 | 12.4 | 13.2 | 13.23 |
Other products we’ve tested
Most of the turntable models I’ve tested for this buyer’s guide have at least something to recommend them — whether it be design, sound quality or both. The following are ranked in order of commendability.
- Music Hall MMF-1.3 ($347): The Music Hall MMF-1.3 is a good turntable at a decent price. It has an even-handed response with all types of music but it wasn’t as engaging as the Fluance RT82. If you’re looking to plug a turntable straight into any receiver without a phono preamp this is the model we’d opt for.
- Fluance RT85 ($500): Unless you have a mellow-sounding system, the Fluance RT85’s combination of an Ortofon 2M Blue and acrylic platter seems like one upgrade too far. The RT85 will be too much for already-bright systems and the Pro-Ject T1 and Debut EVO are a better value at this level.
- Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN ($379): With its carbon-fiber tonearm and natural wood veneer plinth, the Audio-Technica features excellent design, but it’s a mixed bag in terms of sound quality. The table sounded boomy when plugged into a phono preamplifier, and while it was more neutral with the onboard preamp, it was still a little ho-hum.
- Victrola Stream Carbon ($699): The first turntable to work wirelessly with Sonos, the Victrola Stream Carbon is easy to set up and play on any compatible speaker. The turntable’s a lot of fun and the sound quality was fine enough, but sadly the ergonomics were a little off. Specifically, the two components you use every time — the power-speed switch and the tonearm lift — are almost comically tiny. Read Victrola Stream Carbon first take.
- U-Turn Orbit Plus ($329): While it’s better-sounding than I remember the original being, the U-Turn couldn’t compete with the performance of other players around $300. The turntable sounded truncated with a lack of extended high frequencies, and on the hardware side, the lack of a cue lever felt like a glaring omission.
- Crosley Cruiser Deluxe ($45): The “suitcase-style” turntable is hyper-popular due to its combination of eye-catching design and cheap pricing. The Deluxe has a plethora of features including Bluetooth in/out plus RCA out, but some compromises appear to have been made including a cheaper stylus. It’s a fun toy, but in the end it’s the Crosley’s poor sound quality which disappoints. The Victrola Eastwood (below) sounds better, but it has its own issues.
- Victrola Eastwood ($85): Unlike the competitive Crosley Cruiser Deluxe, the Victrola offers a proper cartridge (no plastic moving parts here) and compact styling. While it also sounds better than its competitor, the Eastwood’s main problem is that the lid gets in the way when you try to change records, which could lead to damaging your vinyl.
Record player FAQs
How I tested
All of these turntables offer a phono-level output — an unamplified signal that needs RIAA equalization. I used a combination of gear including a Rotel RA1592 amplifier, Onkyo TX-NR696, Q Acoustics 3050i tower speakers. and the Cambridge Audio Due preamp.
For receivers and amps that lack phono input, you’ll need a phono preamplifier. CNET contributor Steve Guttenberg recommends the $100 Schiit Mani phono preamp as a quality budget option.
Two of the models offered a switchable line-level output — the Music Hall MMF-1.3 and the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN — and this is handy if you don’t have or don’t want an external preamp. You can plug these models into anything that accepts RCA cables. I also plugged these two directly into the amplifier and compared them against each other.
It’s worth noting that some of the models are unavailable outside North America, such as the Crosley C10A, Music Hall MMF-1.3, Fluance RT82 and the U-Turn Orbit Plus. If you’re looking for the best alternative to the Fluance RT82, I would recommend the Pro-Ject T1.
As part of the tests listened to a number of different albums including these four artists: Bob Marley, Slint, LCD Soundsystem and Miles Davis. On each turntable, I listened for bass response (was it boomy or clean?), midrange detail (low-level instruments and echo effects) and high frequencies (were they recessed or too loud?). The best turntables performed well across all genres.
