I own Audio-Technica's affordable audiophile turntable, it's back to a Black Friday price I'd recommend

Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT with sign saying Black Friday deals

(Image credit: Audio-Technica / Future)

Hello! I'm going to recommend you take advantage of a Black Friday Audio-Technica turntable deal, because I did exactly that two years ago to get exactly the same turntable. The Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB is a great buy when it's discounted, and if you're not bothered about Bluetooth you can get yours for even less. The Bluetooth version is currently £299 at John Lewis (was £329), and the non-Bluetooth version is £239 at John Lewis (was £249) in silver.

• Check out the full John Lewis Black Friday sale

Sadly I haven't seen any good Black Friday deals on my speakers' successors, the five-star Bowers & Wilkins 607 S3 speakers, but I can attest that speakers of similar quality will make an incredible difference to your home audio – so I'd definitely recommend scouring some of the retailers below to see if you can get a good deal on a premium pair.

Today's best Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT Black Friday deal

There are two versions of this turntable, both with very similar specs: this is the Bluetooth-enabled version, which you can use with wireless speakers and headphones. The non-Bluetooth model is even cheaper, down to £236 if you don't mind getting the silver model. Whichever model you buy, you're getting a very good turntable for a very good price including an integrated, switchable phono stage, USB output and really nice audio. As we said in our Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT review, "the sound of a hard-wired 120 is almost entirely gratifying... low frequencies are warm and weighty".

To BT or not to BT, that is the question

Is the Bluetooth version worth spending extra money on? That very much depends on how you're going to be listening to your vinyl.

For me, vinyl is a me-time medium for luxury listening: a vinyl album is not something I have on in the background when I'm doing something else, but something I put on when I want to put my feet up and really get lost in music.

So during that me-time I want to be listening through my wired Bowers & Wilkins speakers because the soundstage they create is wider and more immersive than anything even my best headphones can deliver. And to my ears the difference between lossless wired audio and lossy Bluetooth is quite apparent.

But, and it's a but so big Sir Mix-A-Lot could write a song about it, Bluetooth is incredibly convenient – and it means you don't necessarily need an amp to enjoy your vinyl on headphones or powered speakers. Is it marginally less sparkly? Absolutely. Will that matter to most people? Probably not.

If you've already got an amp I'd say go for the non-Bluetooth option and put the extra saving towards a nice set of speakers. Otherwise, go for the full-fat version. That way you're covered for headphones and wireless speakers now, with the option to go wired later. Here's our list of the best noise cancelling headphones if you want to be able to close out the world to listen to your wax.