The Best Turntables for Your Vinyl Collection

Streaming music giving you the blues? These record players will help you rock on to analog audio at home.

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A Lifelong Turntable for Most
Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB
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Best-Looking Upgrade
Fluance RT81+
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For Tight Budgets
Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT
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Best Sound for the Money
Pro-Ject Audio Debut Carbon Evo
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Vinyl Listening Accessories and Tips

Photograph: Art Pro Audio

Apart from a speaker setup, the main accessory you might need for your turntable is a phono preamp, if one doesn't come built in. Phono preamps take the quiet signal from the turntable and bring it up to line level—the level your stereo expects from CD players, tape decks, and digital devices. The phono signal is usually always passed to the amp through the red and white RCA inputs on the back. There are plenty of good, cheap options for phono preamps. I like the Art DJPreII ($65). I wouldn't spend less than $50 on one, but you don't need to spend crazy money either. You can skip the ones that cost hundreds of dollars until you have a nicer turntable, but if you want to upgrade I like the Cambridge Audio Alva Solo preamp ($199).

Other basics you'll need are tied to maintenance and setup. You'll want a record brush (often included with turntables), a way to clean your stylus, and a level to make sure your turntable is set up properly. Check out this video to see exactly what you need to do before you play your first record.

Lastly, if you need a place to store all those LPs and 45s you've been buying, try a Flipbin. The company makes handsome table-top bins for safely displaying and protecting your records. Check out our Best Vinyl Accessories guide for more.