Buying Your First Turntable
Reviewed September 2026. You want to play records. You don't want to become a hobbyist who spends more time optimizing a turntable than listening to music.
Here's what to get.
What a turntable setup actually requires
A turntable is one component in a system. To get sound out of it, you also need:
- A phono preamp. A turntable puts out a very low-level signal that needs specialized amplification before it reaches speakers or headphones. Many starter turntables have one built in; belt-drive tables at higher prices generally do not. If you already have a receiver with a phono input, use that. Otherwise you need an external preamp or a turntable with one built in. Read What a Phono Preamp Actually Does if this is new territory.
- An amplifier and speakers, or headphones and a headphone amp. The turntable is just the source.
The simplest path: a turntable with a built-in preamp connected to powered speakers. Plug in, press play, done.
Under $250, start playing records tonight
Audio-Technica AT-LP60X: Fully automatic, built-in preamp, belt drive. Plug it in, drop the needle, it works. The upgrade path is limited, you can't swap the cartridge, the platter is basic, but for someone who wants to play records without learning a new hobby first, this does the job. Our pick under $250.
If you find yourself looking up cartridge upgrades six months from now, that's your signal to move up.
$400 to $800: taking vinyl seriously
At this price you get a proper tonearm, better isolation from motor vibration, and the ability to upgrade the cartridge over time.
Rega Planar 1, Rega's entry into serious tables. Simple, well-built, sounds better than its price suggests. No built-in preamp. You'll need an external one or a receiver with a phono input. The Rega design philosophy (minimalist, rigid) shows up even at this price.
U-Turn Orbit Plus: Built in Massachusetts, upgradeable over time, sounds meaningfully better than the AT-LP60X. Includes a built-in preamp, making it plug-and-play like the AT-LP60X while sounding considerably better. Belt drive, real tonearm. If you want to take vinyl seriously without spending Technics money, this is where we start. Our pick at $400 to $800.
Both are solid. The Rega has slightly better build rigidity; the U-Turn has the built-in preamp option and strong U.S.-based support. If you want the simplest path that includes a built-in preamp, go U-Turn. And if the Orbit's manual speed change bothers you, you move the belt by hand to play 45s, the Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 is the push-button alternative at the top of this range.
| Pick | Price | Preamp inside | Cartridge upgradeable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audio-Technica AT-LP60X | $179 | Yes | No. You cannot swap the cartridge |
| U-Turn Orbit Plus | $399 | Yes | Yes, over time |
| Rega Planar 1 | $595 | No | Yes |
| Pro-Ject Debut EVO 2 | $799 | No | Yes |
What you don't need yet
- Expensive cartridges, the stock cartridge on an Orbit Plus or Rega Planar 1 is fine. A $300 cartridge on a $400 turntable is rarely the right investment order.
- Exotic mats. The stock mat works. Cork and acrylic mats are a later upgrade if you get there at all.
- Record cleaning machines, useful eventually. A dry brush handles most records. Read How to Clean Records Without the Ritual.
Where to go from here
Ready to move past the first turntable? The U-Turn Orbit Plus is the one most people should buy, and the Technics SL-1200MK7 is the one you buy once and keep.
Sorting out the rest of the system? See Choosing a Headphone Amplifier if you're going the headphone route.
Third floor at 215 East Lewis Street in Livingston. Bring your own gear in if you like. Write to hello@sonictempleaudio.com and we will find an hour.
Liner Notes
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