Record player for Christmas - how to choose?

[Anonymous]

My DD wants a record player for Christmas. I’ve never owned one, and don’t even know what to look for! There are a lot of inexpensive ones on Amazon - will they do the job? Any specific brands or features you recommend? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Does she have a stereo system to hook it up to? Does she have a pre-amp with a phono input?

[Anonymous]

Do _not_ buy a "suitcase" portable turntable. Those things are trash and will destroy records. At a minimum, you want something not made of plastic and with adjustable tracking force and a proper cartridge (needle). Look at the Music Hall and Pro-Ject turntables, for example. Also U-Turn Audio and Audio-Technica. Expect to pay about $250-ish at a bare minimum for something decent with a cartridge.

In addition to this, you need some sort of phono preamp, amplifier, and loudspeakers. Older home stereo receivers usually have a phono preamp and amplifier in the box. Newer ones may or may not have the phono preamp. With an external preamp, you can connect to a boom box or anything else with a "line input." You can go cheap on this stuff to get a working system, since none of this will destroy records and it is all easy to upgrade later.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do _not_ buy a "suitcase" portable turntable. Those things are trash and will destroy records. At a minimum, you want something not made of plastic and with adjustable tracking force and a proper cartridge (needle). Look at the Music Hall and Pro-Ject turntables, for example. Also U-Turn Audio and Audio-Technica. Expect to pay about $250-ish at a bare minimum for something decent with a cartridge.

In addition to this, you need some sort of phono preamp, amplifier, and loudspeakers. Older home stereo receivers usually have a phono preamp and amplifier in the box. Newer ones may or may not have the phono preamp. With an external preamp, you can connect to a boom box or anything else with a "line input." You can go cheap on this stuff to get a working system, since none of this will destroy records and it is all easy to upgrade later.

Assuming OP has a teen, this is way over the top.

Buy one of the Victrola multi functions like a 4-in-1. Already has speakers, Bluetooth, radio, CD.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do _not_ buy a "suitcase" portable turntable. Those things are trash and will destroy records. At a minimum, you want something not made of plastic and with adjustable tracking force and a proper cartridge (needle). Look at the Music Hall and Pro-Ject turntables, for example. Also U-Turn Audio and Audio-Technica. Expect to pay about $250-ish at a bare minimum for something decent with a cartridge.

In addition to this, you need some sort of phono preamp, amplifier, and loudspeakers. Older home stereo receivers usually have a phono preamp and amplifier in the box. Newer ones may or may not have the phono preamp. With an external preamp, you can connect to a boom box or anything else with a "line input." You can go cheap on this stuff to get a working system, since none of this will destroy records and it is all easy to upgrade later.

Assuming OP has a teen, this is way over the top.

Buy one of the Victrola multi functions like a 4-in-1. Already has speakers, Bluetooth, radio, CD.

Thank you, that’s probably what I’ll do. I do very much appreciate the detailed advice above, though.

[Anonymous]

Buy one of the Victrola multi functions like a 4-in-1. Already has speakers, Bluetooth, radio, CD.

No!

These things have ridiculously high tracking force. They will destroy records. They also don't sound good, but that is secondary. You don't want to turn a valuable record collection into trash because you played it on a junk turntable. If you're on a budget, get a good, used hi-fi model instead from a reputable dealer who will support it.

[Anonymous]

PP here.

See this diagram:

https://hub.yamaha.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/ultra-hifi-1-parts-of-a-tonearm.jpg

You want a turntable with a tonearm that has an adjustable counterweight. This lets you set the proper amount of tracking force (weight on the needle). This is critical for both good sound and avoiding record wear. Better quality turntables usually also have an anti-skate adjustment knob near the counterweight (but not on the arm itself). You also need to make sure that the cartridge uses the standard mounting system so you can replace it in the future. Some of the cheap models have non-replaceable cartridges and will become useless paperweights over time as the stylus wears out.

[Anonymous]

I have to agree with the PP with the detailed advice. The thing with those Victrolas or the suitcase style turn tables is that they are really designed just for looks and they are not that functional. They break a lot or, as PP said, will damage your records. I'm assuming if your kid wants a record player it's because they are really interested in listening to records. Even if they just put together a small collection of 20-30 records, you should get them something reliable that will sound good and be a "real" record player, not something designed to look cute in an Instagram photo.

We bought a low end Audio-Technica a few years ago after quite a bit of research. I can't remember exactly what I spent, something between $150-200. It was more than I was expecting but it was totally worth it. You can get a receiver cheap. We literally found ours in a friends garage -- it's not complicated technology and that's not where your sound quality comes from so it doesn't matter as much (and if you want something that "looks cool" that's a good place to do that). And then, yes, speakers, but for a kid I wouldn't not stress about getting something really high end here -- if they fall in love with it that something they can invest in as an adult. What you're looking for is something entry level for them.

I know it seems like a lot of money, but you can use a good turn-table for decades. Or you can spend $100 on something trendy and crappy at Urban Outfitters or something, and it will get thrown out and never used in a year. Up to you.

[Anonymous]

^ This

As an example, look at something like the Audio Technica AT-LPW40WN . I've not used this, personally, but it checks all the right boxes: reputable manufacturer, not plastic, standard cartridge mount (so cartridge can be replaced or upgraded later), adjustable tracking force and anti-skate. This one also has a built-in preamp, so you can use it with an amplifer without a phono input (or even powered speakers, like cheap computer speakers). You can defeat the built-in preamp if you upgrade to a better preamp in the future. For $329 including a cartridge, it's a good deal.

This is about the lowest that I would go on turntables. Can you do better? Sure. But something like this model (again, I haven't used it...just going by specs here) should last for years, won't damage records if set up properly, and offers upgrade potential in the future.

I should add that setting up a turntable requires some knowledge as well. There should be some basic instructins in the box, but it would be great to find someone who could help with the setup. Ideally, you want a test disc and an oscilloscope to do it correctly.