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Vinyl records are doing incredible numbers.
And it’s possible for you to’t show off a Spotify subscription by placing it prominently on a shelf.
Audio-Technica re-released its iconic Sound Burger turntable at CES 2023.
What do you want to spend?
you could spend a lot of money on a turntable.
Don’t forget that the records you’ll be playing can be expensive too.
There’s lots of choice here, and lots of well-loved brands as well as interesting new manufacturers.
What do you already have?
Do you already have an amplifier and thebest wireless speakers, or are you starting from scratch?
What do you want to play?
Twelve-inch singles play at 45rpm.
A good turntable requires a lot of careful engineering, especially around the tonearm.
That’s the longarmthat holds the stylus cartridge, and which moves towards the centre as the record plays.
A poor quality or badly designed tonearm or stylus can risk damaging your records.
Another protective feature that tends to be missing from really cheap turntables is anti-skate.
Without anti-skate it can be harder for the turntable to minimise distortion, wear and deliver good stereo sound.
Some turntables' anti-skate system is adjustable via a small knob; others are pre-set.
Do you want an all-in-one?
Do you need a phono stage?
Not sure whether your amplifier has a phono stage?
Are you confident about buying second hand?
Second hand turntables can save you a lot of money, and can make previously unaffordable models affordable.
There are lots of good ones out there at good prices from people who’ve upgraded their existing systems.
But equally, there are lots of bad ones too.
Do you want a belt drive or direct drive?
Many but not all high-end turntables are direct drive.
Direct drive effectively lasts forever, but the downside is that it can produce more vibration.
Do you want your turntable to do everything?
The next choice is whether you want a manual turntable or an automatic one.
An automatic turntable does both of those things for you.
It’s like the difference between a manual (stick) car and an automatic one.
9. Who you gonna call?
There is an impressive amount of turntable advice out there, much of it very good.
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