The 4 Best Record Players to Buy in 2024

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A few weeks ago, I was at a club in Brooklyn, and the DJ was mixing real records. Last weekend I was at a cocktail bar, and the same thing was happening—no USB stick in sight. Over the past 12 months, I've found myself in record stores from South Korea to Italy to Georgia (the state), and they're all packed. Over the holidays, I went to Urban Outfitters with my nephew to buy him a new record. All this is to say what you and I already know: Vinyl is back, big time.

In the Esquire offices, our long bet is on DVDs and MP3s to make a similar comeback, but right now it's all about record players. There's a good reason for this, of course. There truly is something special about dropping that needle at the start of the record, hearing just a bit of static, and then greeting your favorite album of all time. Whether you're wiring it to a pair of Hi-Fi wired headphones or streaming to your living room's surround system, vinyl just gives you that extra something. It's tactile and there's a ton of weird music to be found. It's a pushback against our ephemeral and culturally flattened streaming age.

But! You're worried about finding a turntable that's affordable and up to the task of producing gorgeous sound that isn't going to break on you in a year's time? No worries. We already did all the testing for you and found these four best record players.

RT85N

We featured this turntable in our Home Design Awards, and since then nothing has really changed for us. For anything that's not vintage or exorbitantly expensive, this is the best on the market.

It looks good, with a sturdy solid wood plinth that has a couple different color options. It's high quality, with a dense acrylic platter, a lovely Nagoka MP-110 phono cartridge, and a convenient auto-stop function. It's a great option for beginners and serious audio freaks alike.

Sound Burger

I mean does anything look cooler than this? The original idea—which was a flop—was that this would be your away from home turntable. Like, it was made to be folded up and brought around with you. Does anything better encapsulate the forward-thinking joy and optimism of 80s design?

Today, it's a lot cooler to use as a stay at home record player. You get stable sound, and wired or wireless connection to your speakers. It's not going to win any awards for how it sounds, but it's about how it looks, how easy it is to use.

T1 Phono SB

If you just want a turntable that looks good and plays nice with your bluetooth speakers, Pro-Ject makes the best version of it. That's why it's the one that Sonos sells direct on its website.

If you're new to the vinyl world, the thing is that you typically need some other hardware (like a bluetooth preamp) to translate sound over to your new-age speakers. The T1 has all that stuff already built into it, so it plays nice with whatever device you want to stream your sound to.

The only downside with this model is that it cost a lot, but it doesn't give you the super premium sound you'd get from that Fluance RT85N. This turntable just leans a little too digital for some purists, but for most people, you'll love it.

Turntable with Built-in Speakers

External speakers might be a bit much for your setup. Whether it's for space reasons, or if it's just real lack of interest in all the nerdy vinyl-head stuff, this is a great little no-fuss turntable.

The built in speakers are surprisingly high quality, and they'll be more than adequate for a small apartment. Though if you eventually outgrow them, the built in preamp means you can once again connect straight to your stereo via the RCA output.

What to Consider When Buying a Record Player

Built-In vs. External Speakers - While most record players still have outputs for wired speakers at the ready, some give you a Bluetooth option to connect your turntable to your high-end smart speakers. For convenience, you could also opt for a turntable with speakers built right into it, versus an external speaker system, but know that you might be losing out on richer, clearer sound.

Built-In vs. External Preamps - A preamp will greatly affect your sound. If you don't have one, you won't have any music that's worth listening to, as it boosts the signal from the vinyl so your speakers can read it. Many turntables have a preamp built in, but if you choose a turntable without a preamp, you'll likely need to buy it separately.

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