Taking a turn on turntables, eh?

So you wanna watch your music spin round and round while you dance round and round but you don't know where to start? I promise you do not need that $2000 set up that that one guy on the internet told you to buy.

In fact, you can 100% get great sound for under $200, and impressive sound for under $400, without needing to understand everything about cartridges and preamps before you commit. I'm going to walk you through six turntables at different price points, explain all the things, and list some accessories you'll need.

Quick picks

Budget	Turntable	Price	Best for
Under $150	Audio-Technica AT-LP60X	~$150	No fuss bc you just want to play records
~$250	Fluance RT81	~$250	Better sound, room to upgrade later
~$300	Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB	~$300	Most versatile option at this price
~$350	Fluance RT85	~$350-400	Audiophile quality on a budget
~$350	U-Turn Orbit Plus	~$320-400	Clean design, made in the USA. USA USA!
~$500	Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO	~$500	Serious listening, award winning

The turntables

Audio-Technica AT-LP60X (~$150)

Plug it in, connect it to speakers, drop the needle, and you're off!

It's fully automatic (press play, the arm moves on its own), has a built in preamp so you can connect directly to powered speakers, and comes with a decent cartridge out of the box. Belt drive, anti resonance platter, plays 33 and 45 RPM. The downside is that you can't upgrade the cartridge or adjust the tracking force, so you're locked into what comes in the box. For the price, though, the sound is not bad.

If you want USB output for ripping vinyl to your computer, grab the AT-LP60XUSB version for about $30 more.

Fluance RT81 (~$250)

I personally own a Fluance (RT82) and think this is a great place to start for most beginners who want better sound and the ability to upgrade later.

The RT81 comes with an Audio-Technica AT95E cartridge (elliptical stylus, which reads grooves more accurately than the conical stylus on the LP60X). It has an adjustable counterweight, which means you can swap cartridges down the road instead of being stuck with what shipped. The built in preamp is switchable so you can bypass it when you get a better external one. The solid wood plinth looks great on a shelf, and it has auto stop so it won't spin forever after a side finishes.

Audio-Technica AT-LP120XUSB (~$300)

The LP120X is probably the most recommended turntable on the internet, and I get it. Direct drive motor (more consistent speed than belt drive), USB output, pitch control, 33/45/78 RPM, and the AT-VM95E cartridge in the box.

That cartridge is the key here. The VM95 line lets you swap just the stylus tip to upgrade your sound without buying a whole new cartridge. You can start with the VM95E and work your way up to the VM95ML or VM95SH for dramatically better sound, and each upgrade is just a $30-80 stylus swap.

The built in preamp is switchable. If you're trying to buy one turntable that will scale with you for the next five years, this is the one for ya.

Fluance RT85 (~$350-400)

This is the turntable that makes audiophiles do a double take at the price tag. It comes with an Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, which is a $150-200 cartridge on its own. That's half the value of the turntable!

The 2M Blue has a nude elliptical stylus that pulls more detail out of records than anything else at this price. Pair it with the acrylic platter (which reduces resonance, duh) and a solid wood plinth, and you've got a setup that rocks. No built in preamp on this one, so budget for an external one.

(Little pro tip: if you love the RT85 but not the all-at-once price, start with the RT82 and build up. It's the exact same table underneath, just with an Ortofon OM10 cartridge and a standard platter instead of the RT85's 2M Blue and acrylic platter. Down the line you swap the cartridge up to a 2M Blue and drop in Fluance's acrylic platter, and you've all but built yourself an RT85, spread out over the year. The foundation is there. Same preamp caveat though, you'll need an external one either way.)

U-Turn Orbit Plus (~$320-400)

The Orbit is built in Woburn, Massachusetts (USA USA USA! EAGLE SCREECH!) by a small team that cares about modular hardware and other nerd things. It's a stripped down turntable that does one thing superrrr well, which is play records cleanly.

It comes with an Ortofon OM5E cartridge, has an external belt path for easy belt changes, and offers an optional acrylic platter upgrade. No built in preamp, but U-Turn makes the Pluto 2 phono preamp ($100) that pairs perf with it. The design is the cleanest in this entire list. If aesthetics matter to you, this is your hott guy.

Please note: U-Turn sells direct from uturnaudio.com, so you won't find the Orbit itself on Amazon.

Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO (~$500)

If you want to buy once and not think about upgrading for years, this is it. Carbon fiber tonearm (which reduces resonance, duh), steel/TPE sandwich platter, electronic speed switching, and a Sumiko Rainier cartridge.

What Hi-Fi? (not a question but the name of a major audio review magazine) has given this table multiple awards. Stereophile recommends it. It's the entry point to serious hi-fi, and there's no built in preamp because this table assumes you're building a legit system around it.

Some things you should know

Belt drive vs direct drive

Belt drive (used by the LP60X, Fluance, Pro-Ject, and U-Turn): the motor is isolated from the platter by a rubber belt, which keeps motor noise out of the signal but means the belt wears out and needs replacing every three to five years (feel like this stat is dramatic, we all know we aren't replacing that for a decade) (about $10-15 a belt).

Direct drive (the LP120X): the motor spins the platter directly, which gives more consistent speed and better torque, and the LP120X handles motor noise well enough that the trade off doesn't really matter in practice.

Either type works I think and I wouldn't pick a turntable based on drive type alone.

Built in preamp: why it matters

Turntables output a very quiet signal that needs amplification before your speakers can do anything with it- a phono preamp does this.

Tables with a built in preamp (LP60X, LP120X, RT81) can connect directly to powered speakers or any AUX input. Tables without one (RT85, Orbit, Pro-Ject) need an external phono preamp, or a receiver with a phono input. If you're just starting out, a built in preamp keeps things simple and affordable, and you can always bypass it later.

Cartridge upgrades

This is the single biggest sound improvement you can make without buying a new turntable. Tables with adjustable counterweights (everything in this list except the LP60X) let you swap cartridges. The LP120X's VM95 line is the easiest upgrade path I've seen on any turntable in this price range. You just pull the stylus tip off and snap a new one on.

The VM95ML stylus is the recommended upgrade for the LP120X (or any VM95-mount cartridge). Microline shape diamond, lots more detail than the stock VM95E, and the swap takes only a few seconds.

Accessories - a brief overview

Speakers (yes, you need these)

As mentioned previously, your turntable doesn't make sound on its own. You need powered speakers, or a receiver with passive speakers.

Not sure which? Grab the R1280T if you just want sound on a budget, or step up to the R1700BT if you also want Bluetooth. Go for the Kanto YU4 if you want the best sound and you're pairing it with a table that has no built in preamp (RT85, RT82, U-Turn, Pro-Ject), since its built in phono preamp means one less thing to buy.

• Edifier R1280T Powered Bookshelf Speakers (~$100): The budget pick. Powered, warm, two RCA inputs; no Bluetooth and no phono preamp, it's wired and simple.
• Edifier R1700BT Bluetooth Bookshelf Speakers (~$180): Same idea with more power and Bluetooth 5.1, so you can also stream wirelessly. Still no built in phono preamp.
• Kanto YU4 Powered Speakers (~$200): The step up pick: more power, Bluetooth, and a built in phono preamp, so for a table without one it doubles as your preamp and saves you a box.

Phono preamp (if your table doesn't have one built in)

Only needed if neither your turntable nor your speakers have a preamp already.

• ART DJ Pre II Phono Preamplifier (~$65): cheap, gets it done
• Schiit Mani 2 Phono Preamp (~$150): The budget audiophile favorite: adjustable gain, cleaner sound, made in the USA (EAGLE SCREECH!)

Record care (idk ya'll I'm lazy, but you're probably more responsible than me)

Dirty records sound bad and wear out your stylus faster :( Apparently if you aren't lazy there are cheap ways to stop this.

• AudioQuest Anti-Static Record Brush (~$18): Carbon fiber brush to sweep dust off before each play (dust means crackle and faster stylus wear).
• Boundless Audio Record Cleaning Solution Kit (~$15): Solution plus brush for a deeper clean on thrifted or grimy records.
• Mobile Fidelity Anti-Static Inner Sleeves (50 pack) (~$22): Swap out scratchy paper sleeves to stop micro scratches and static.

Storage

• Way Basics Stackable Record Storage Cube (~$40): Holds around 65 records upright (never stack them flat, that warps them) and stacks as your collection grows.

My recommendation

If you're unsure, get the Fluance RT81 and a pair of Edifier R1280T speakers. That's about $350 total and it sounds fantastic to my ears. You can upgrade the cartridge later, add an external preamp when you're ready, and you'll still be happy with the table itself years from now.

If budget is tight, the AT-LP60X plus the same Edifiers gets you started for about $250. There is no shame in starting cheap, and the LP60X has gotten more people into vinyl than any other turntable I'm pretty sure.

Want to know if vinyl is worth the cost? Our vinyl vs streaming cost breakdown does the math, and it's more interesting than you'd expect. Curious about the broader analog revival? Our piece on why people are ditching digital has the cultural context. Already got a turntable and want to talk shop? Come hang out in the forum.

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Sources

• Wirecutter (NYT), "The Best Turntable for Beginners" (updated regularly)
• What Hi-Fi?, turntable reviews and annual awards
• Stereophile, Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO review
• r/vinyl and r/turntables community recommendations
• Manufacturer specs from Audio-Technica, Fluance, Pro-Ject, and U-Turn

Photo credits

• Stylus close up: Unsplash
• Turntable on shelf: Jonas Leupe on Unsplash
• Turntable from above: Markus Spiske on Pexels
• Turntable with speakers: Andretti Brown on Pexels