Music lovers listen up, Amazon Prime Day is stacked with offers on some of our favorite audio brands, and I've just spotted a deal on our best budget turntable, making it even more affordable — what more could you ask for?

I started my vinyl record collection in my teens, but my first mistake was not doing my research beforehand, and I purchased one of those Crosley-style players that do nothing but wreck your albums. If I were to speak to my 17-year-old self again, I'd tell him to look into the Sony PS-LX5BT turntable instead.

• Browse the full Amazon Prime Day sale

When we gave the Sony PS-LX5BT a first spin, it was an immediate 4.5 stars from us and we even described it as 'one of the best pound-for-pound Bluetooth turntables around'. Now Amazon has knocked it down to $398 from $499.99, while Amazon in the UK has a similar deal for £307 (was £399).

Selecting the right vinyl player for your needs takes time. At the end of the day, they're an investment piece, so you don't want to regret your choice, but the Sony PS-LX5BT is a solid entry-level option. Our audio editor Becky Scarrott has also pieced together a collection of some of our favorite turntables — which would make great graduation gifts .

Today's best Sony PS-LX310BT deal

My JAM Audio Bluetooth turntable gave out on me a while back, and now I've become that annoying friend that's constantly begging to use other people's vinyl player to spin my favorite LPs. Well, thank goodness for Prime Day is all I can say.

As far as entry-level turntables go, the Sony PS-LX5BT turntable is simple and uncomplicated, yet doesn't compromise sound quality. If anything, its sonic characteristics are quite upfront.

It also doesn't fall flat on the features front. You're going to get plenty of connectivity options including stereo RCA connections for hooking the turntable up to speakers or an amplifier, as well as Bluetooth if you refer to opt for wireless connection. The only small setback is that it doesn't come with an adjustable counterweight, so you get what what you're given, but that's expected for a beginner-friendly record player.

Features aside, there's no denying that it's incredibly sleek in its design, right? And the dust shield is an added bonus, adding an extra layer of protection to your vinyl records as you spin them. I'd buy it on the design front alone.

More Prime Day deals in the US

• Amazon Devices: Fire Sticks & Echo from $18
• Amazon Haul: viral gadgets, tech & appliances from $1.99
• Apple: MacBooks, AirPods & AirTags from $29
• Beauty: 50% off toothbrushes & hair tools
• Cheap TVs: smart TVs from $69.99
• Garden: tools, mowers, planters from $24.99
• Headphones: 50% off Beats, Bose & Samsung
• Laptops: Apple, HP & Dell from $199
• Mattresses: Sealy, Serta & more from $186
• Patio: outdoor furniture, rugs & decor from $19.99
• Sports: 50% off fitness gear, treadmills & clothing
• Vacuums: Dyson, Shark & Bissell from $34

More Prime Day deals in the UK

• Amazon Prime: get a 30-day free trial
• Amazon Devices: Fire, Ring & Blink from £13.99
• Amazon Haul: up to 30% off
• Apple: up to 33% off AirPods & Apple Watch
• Appliances: up to 45% off Ninja & Tefal
• Beauty: up to 60% off Philips & Oral-B
• Essentials: household goods from £5
• Fans: from £20
• Fashion: up to 50% off
• Gaming: £90 off PlayStation 5
• Headphones: up to 50% off Beats & Sony
• Laptops: from £149
• Tablets: Samsung & Lenovo from £79.99
• Toys: up to 25% off Lego and Tonies
• TVs: from £129.99
• Vacuums: up to 40% off Shark & Roborock
• Wearables: up to 30% off Garmin & Oura

• Technics x Fritz Hansen: every content creator's dream collab
• From Technics: its premium-class SL-40CBT turntable in oxblood red
• From Fritz Hansen: its iconic Kaizer idell 6631-T lamp, also in oxblood red

Fritz Hansen, the Danish furniture company, and Technics, the Japanese audio specialist, have teamed up to unveil a brand new... nothing, strictly speaking (and when we get down to brass tacks).

And yet the new partnership is every content creator's dream, because it has seen them both re-release old products, but in a juicy oxblood red. It's perfect for the influencer staple 'I just bought a 60ft Parisian apartment with no plan; now what?!' series. Arrange next to a well-thumbed hardback book with macrame bookmark, a French press with ceramic blue-glaze espresso cup and an old armchair bought on a lazy Sunday at the Marche aux Puces — you're away.

Anyway. Since we're a tech site, let's start with the audio option. The Technics SL-40CBT direct-drive turntable was released towards the end of 2025 and we noted its refreshingly different 'terracotta' color option as one of the biggest highlights of the deck.

Well, that's terra-gotta go, because Technics' new model is a burgundy or oxblood red version — a colorway that's definitely having a moment — of that same turntable. It offers the same specs as the original build (no word on pricing just yet), but in the new hue and with Fritz Hansen branding on the felt mat. Oh, and it's limited edition! Only 300 models are going on sale.

Coming from Fritz Hansen is, you guessed it, another older device recolored to oxblood-slash-burgundy. It's the Kaiser idell lamp which is, I'm told, an iconic 1930s table lamp. I'm no lamp journalist, but Fritz Hansen's lights straddle the $1,000 price point, so I don't doubt its credentials.

Only 200 of these red lights are going on sale (well spotted, the lamp is even more limited edition than the deck), and only in Europe or Asia — unlike the turntable, which will be on sale in the US. Both products will see the light of day in October, with pricing yet to be announced — but I imagine they won't be affordable to the majority of flea market shoppers, Parisian or otherwise…

But... why?

Companies re-releasing older successful models in new colors is nothing new. What's confounding to me about Technics and Fritz Harmon's collaboration is just how much spin has been invested, to make these devices sound truly exciting.

"Music is an art of time. Time flows without form, quietly imprinting itself on our emotions through sound" says a noted representative of Technics. "Sound and light both change how a space feels without touching its structure" reads another quote.

If you've been re-reading those press release quotes to try and understand what they mean (and wondering whether I've introduced a typo to ruin their meaning), you're not alone. But I've carefully re-read it several times and consulted with experts (other people on TechRadar's team) and we've come to the conclusion that at least we know it wasn't written by AI.

"Two objects with distinct origins that, together, form a setting that is considered and deeply human" puts me in mind of The Bard's "Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene". But I think really, it's two companies with very good legacy products, tying themselves in knots, trying to wax lyrical on the interplay of light and sound (because they are light and sound companies).

Or maybe there's a lot more going on, and I'm just too confused (or dim) to understand what they're trying to say. Look, the burgundy turntable actually looks really nice. Yes, I wish I could enjoy it without requiring a PhD in philosophy to understand the announcement, but in the end, it would look great in my listening room…

• New CoolGeek TS-01 launched on Kickstarter
• Automatic turntable with glowing lights within the platter
• A retail price of $299, and it's already fully funded

Like any good tech writer, RGB-tinged gadgetry has infiltrated my home, but there's one piece of kit that still doesn't glow — or didn't glow, but a new Kickstarter project looks set to fix that.

I'm talking about the new CoolGeek TS-01 turntable, which you can take a look at on the crowdfunding site here. It seems to be the first project from the CoolGeek brand, but it's already blown past its HK$100,000 (about $12,000, £9,000, AU$18,000) goal by at least 10 times.

The CoolGeek TS-01 has a retail price of $299, so it's cheaper than some of our favorite affordable spinners, such as the Sony PS-LX5BT, and in classic Kickstarter fashion it's even cheaper if you pledge sooner.

The 'gimmick' of this turntable — according to me, rather than CoolGeek — is that it comes with some lighting effects, which emanate from the platter. The Kickstarter doesn't say if these are automatic, or customizable in an app, but the latter seems possible.

That's because the speaker supports Bluetooth 5.3 output as well as RCA, so it could theoretically connect to an app.

It's all about ease of use

Judging by the Kickstarer page, CoolGeek has a different idea about the turntable's selling points.

The page points to the turntable's automatic status as a draw, with an included remote ensuring you can control the record player without having to get up and control the arm (other than, presumably, switching records every 20 minutes in time-honored tradition).

It's also a thin creation, with a 28mm profile for the body, not including the dust cover or platter.

The tone-arm is made with carbon fiber but there's no word on the cartridge, even though it seems to have an Audio-Technica logo on it in photos. The Kickstarter page's focus on ease of use, and the price, suggests to me this is designed as an entry-level turntable rather than one for audiophiles.

But given that some of the best turntables are the ones that are easiest to use, that's only a good thing. Their complex set-up can put potential record player owners off, and so a build like this could overcome some hurdles. The RGB is just a nice extra touch.

The Kickstarter campaign is running until May 10, and CoolGeek states that shipping will begin in early July, with units taking up to a month to arrive depending on where you live.

• Victrola and Third Man Records are teaming for an exclusive collaboration
• It features a redesigned Victrola Wave deck in Third Man's flagship colors
• The collection drops on Record Store Day 2026 (April 18)

Leading audio brand Victrola makes some of the best turntables on the market, and its latest collaboration with Third Man Records is about to shake up Record Store Day 2026.

Combining Victrola's analog expertise with record label and music store Third Man Records (co-founded by Jack White), the two music moguls are launching an exclusive collection that features a revamped version of the Victrola Wave turntable finished in Third Man’s flagship black and yellow colors. In addition to the turntable, the duo are also giving Victrola's Tempo bookshelf speakers the Third Man treatment, so make a complete system.

The collection launches on Record Store Day itself (April 18) retailing at $499.99/ £455 for the Victrola Wave turntable and $249.99/ £225 for the Tempo speakers, or you can save $100 and opt for the $649.99 limited-time bundle. It will be available to purchase online from Third Man Records and Victrola’s web store, or you can snag it in-store at Third Man’s Detroit, Nashville and London sites.

“What Jack and his team have built is something truly magical,” says CEO of Victrola, Scott Hagen. “They aren’t just painting things yellow and black — it’s as if they’re bringing inanimate objects to life, each one with its own character and soul. Maybe that’s why vinyl and vinyl culture fit so naturally within the Third Man world”.

Speaking on behalf of Third Man Records, co-founder Ben Blackwell is equally as thrilled for the collaboration, sharing “Third Man is stoked to be making these yellow-as-hell-o turntables and speakers with the cool cats over at Victrola”.

Victrola unveiled the original Wave turntable at CES 2025, and it caught the attention of analog enthusiasts for one particular reason. As well as offering aptX Adaptive support for higher quality listening, Victrola’s Wave turntable comes with Auracast, a Bluetooth setting that allows for multi-device connectivity, thus taking it a step beyond one-to-one device pairing. Just think about how neat it would be to spin your new RSD pressings and listen to them throughout your place? Absolute bliss.

But Victrola’s funky Wave revamp is just the beginning of the company’s partnered RSD celebrations, there's also a carefully compiled a collection of Third Man Records pressings including Jack White’s Blunderbuss and The White Stripes essential listening Elephant. There’s also a live album by Brooklyn-based band Geese thrown in there which, as a huge fan, I am now suddenly craving. The launch is also set to be followed by an RSD event at Third Man’s Detroit store — any chance you can squeeze us onto the guestlist?

If you're as excited for Record Store Day as we are, don't forget to check out our pick of the 13 of the best Record Store Day 2026 releases to get your hands on.

The thing about Record Store Day is that you can buy all the vinyl in the world but it won't be much use without a turntable to play it on. Oh, sure, you could just arrange it artfully on the walls to show off your impeccable taste, but wouldn't you rather just listen to it?

But what to buy? Or, if you already have a turntable, what to upgrade to? Below, I've picked out six of the best turntables we've tested, together with a few extras you might need to complete your setup.

The first thing I'll say is that every turntable in my list has built-in Bluetooth, so you can stream to a speaker or headphones with ease. All have a phono stage built-in too, so there's no need for a standalone amp unless you don't have powered speakers.

The House of Marley Revolution is the cheapest in my selection, but also one of the best for value and a great starter option. Stepping up, there's the excellent Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT, which offers better sound for a slightly higher price and the Sony PS-LX5BT, which costs a fair whack more but you get what you pay for, right?

If sound quality really, really matters to you then the excellent Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 sits at the top of this audiophile tree, while the Mixx Analog Plus 2-In-1 and Victrola Stream Carbon both offer something a little different: the Mixx also has a built-in CD player, the Victrola can stream direct to a Sonos setup.

If you want more than just Bluetooth streaming then you'll need some speakers. The superb Kanto Ren speakers are powered, so there's no need for an amp there, while the Dail Kupid are some of the best passive speakers we've tested at this price. The WiiM Amp Ultra is a little pricey — you can get an amp for much less if you want to — but as a proud owner I can confirm that it is excellent as both an amp and a streamer, and your tunes deserve the best, right? And I've thrown in a couple of essential extras, too.

Sorted. Now you just need the vinyl — so head to our list of the 13 best LPs we've seen in the RSD List this year and our getting started with vinyl feature.

Turntables

Speakers

Extras

Every audiophile and avid vinyl collector’s favorite day is approaching, and soon Record Store Day 2026 will hit us like a meteor on Saturday April 18 — and I for one am thrilled to embrace the chaos for another year.

I’ve been busy scouring the official RSD list for the best new presses (I’m hoping to snag a Jeff Buckley live album if I can), but it’s also a perfect time to consider upgrading to one of the best turntables. Speaking of, I’ve suddenly been distracted from curating my pre-RSD shopping list after spotting what’s probably the most funky looking vinyl player I’ve ever seen, and I need it to house my growing collection immediately.

Feast your eyes on this bad boy!

The Fisher-Price Music Box comes back to life

Blending the maximalism of the 1980s Memphis aesthetic with the nostalgia of the Fisher-Price Music Box (our Audio Editor Becky Scarrott remembers it well — and you can see what she means, because Disney re-released that with it's own twist, last year), this is the Play Pro turntable from Japanese audio company Tinyl which, thanks to the magic of the TikTok algorithm, landed on my ‘For You’ page. It’s as if we were destined to meet.

It's not the first time we've been reminded of the retro musical toys of our youth when new kit arrives, just check out Teenage Engineering's Record Factory, a device that launched a few years ago and that actually lets you record and cut your own records — limited to singles of up to four minutes in mono per side, but still…

Back to the new Play Pro, and it is the latest turntable to join Tinyl’s range of audio products, having launched in late 2025/ early 2026. So you can bet it’s gone straight into my tech wish-list. Its bold design and viral hype add to its grandeur, but don’t be fooled, it’s actually not as pricey as you’d think — how’s $199 / £165/ AU$342 for a turntable this groovy?

With its relatively humble asking fee, the Play Pro makes for a solid user-friendly vinyl player, so while it won’t be as punchy and agile as something like the Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo (which is also more than double the price), it likely represents the kind of quality more than acceptable for first-timers and vinyl novices. And Sony's new affordable offering, the Sony PS-LX5BT is also quite a bit pricier, talented though it is.

The next best entry-level turntable?

For starters, the setup isn’t overly complicated and intricate. Its plug-and-play system means it’s simple for beginners to navigate, and the turntable is already fitted with speakers — ideal if the complete audio experience isn’t a huge matter for you. That said, users online haven’t raved about its native audio quality, but pairing it with bookshelf speakers has significantly improved the listening experience. And you don’t need to spend mega bucks on these either — allow me to point to you our roundup of the best stereo speakers.

Speaking of connectivity, you can pair the Play Pro with speakers, and even headphones, via Bluetooth, or use the AUX and RCA imports for wired connectivity. It also gives you the option to stream playlists right from your device when connected by Bluetooth, though this isn’t a huge appeal to me.

But what surprised me is that its tonearm is fitted with the Audio-Technica MM AT3600L cartridge, a trusted and reliable stylus, accompanied by an adjustable weight to not only protect the cartridge but to allow you to hear crisp detail no matter the genre. Before now, I’d been heavily eyeing up the Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT turntable, and though it’s not totally off the table as far as options go, you can’t deny those come-buy-me primary colors. It’ll be the centerpiece of all your dinner party antics — and that’s enough to sway me.

The act of choosing the best turntable — and the best stereo speakers, and amplifiers, and cables, and so on — is all part of the pursuit of the perfect analog sound. But you might be barking up the wrong tree in the pursuit of perfection.

As part of Record Store Day 2026 on April 18, audiophiles are going to be supporting their local music store, gushing over the new exclusive releases, and likely comparing all the new Hi-Fi kit upon which to listen to their new records.

And most of the time, spending more money gets you a better sound. I liked the Sony LX310BT, but it's not going to do for your records what the Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 can.

But sometimes, making your turntable sound great isn't about the cartridge or tonearm, nor is it about the extra kit you buy to eke out the audio. Take it from me: sometimes it's a whole lot simpler and cheaper.

• Just bought a new deck? Here's our how to set up a turntable explainer

Dishing the dirt

I've written before about how my entire record collection was inherited: a fat stack of vinyl that fell into my hands when my childhood home was being sold. The records are all decades old (and some feel like they haven't been used in that time).

Some of these are early pressings from major artists, others are recordings of music a parent contributed to. It's a really big range, and when I acquired the collection, I found plenty of the records missing or unplayable. Time takes its toll with the physical music product.

When I started listening to them, their age was evident. There was so much snapping, crackling and popping that it sounded like I was eating a bowl of Rice Crispies. Many of the records would skip like they were frolicking in a spring meadow. In short, they didn't sound great.

I know sometimes the natural solution to such a problem is to spend more. Maybe a fancier record player, amplification solution or top-end speakers would do away with such a problem? Or maybe I need to elevate my cables from nasty reverb with those little stands?

Back then I may have been a vinyl novice, unaware of just how much cleanliness affects a record's sound (or its lasting power). But it wasn't hard to put 1+1 together, and realize that a layer of dust probably wasn't helping a needle track through an ever-decreasing groove. So the natural solution to me soon presented itself: do a bit of spring cleaning.

Cleaning your records correctly

The music from a record comes from the grooves on the vinyl, and so doing anything to it might seem heinous: wiping a cloth over it, putting it on a machine, blowing it. I can understand why some people might be reticent to clean their records.

But it's actually incredibly easy. We've got a guide on how to clean your turntable and records, and it basically just comes down to using the right spray and cloth. There are options on Amazon for just $15 / £20 / AU$40 that are simple and easy.

If you've got loads of cash, you could buy a special machine for it — and the corresponding solution to feed it. I recently covered a vinyl cleaning machine with different companies offering their own versions all the time. But these options aren't as cheap as just buying your own kit.

I got a kit that has a spray and a cleaning brush. Two squirts on the brush, and it picks up all the visible fluff and dust. It takes less than a minute to clean both sides of a record. Easy.

Your $15 vs $1,500

I was surprised by just how effective cleaning my records was — the contrast possibly helped by just how dusty they were. Listening back to wiped vinyl, the amount of noise and crackling was audibly lower.

The nicest part, though, was that this process only cost me the price of three beers: spending $15 (around £11 or AU$21) on a cleaning kit instead of $1,500 on a top-end turntable will save you a lot of money for more vinyl. The only other expenditure is a minute per record of your precious time, to actually clean it.

The irony about the pricier option is that your fancy turntable still won't make vinyl sing if it's mucky, the cheaper option will have a more audible effect.

According to experts, record maintenance doesn't just make it sound better, but keeps it lasting longer, and stops your stylus wearing out as fast. So I'm keeping this collection lasting longer too, which is the real savings.

• Record Store Day is a day away — vinyl becomes available on April 18
• Many US and UK stores take part (and are bound by official RSD rules)
• The best drops? Depends on your taste, but it'll be first come, first served
• …and available in-store on the day only — until the Monday night after RSD

Dyed-in-the-wool vinyl collectors already know the date: Record Store Day (RSD) got circled in their diaries early doors. But you're not too late at all — the (arguable) beauty of RSD is that it's an in-person, in-store thing. Think of it as what Black Friday used to be, but purely for limited-edition vinyl.

So what exactly happens on Record Store Day, what's being released, and how do you get your hands on all those juicy new limited-edition records? You read this missive and above all, you clear your schedule for tomorrow (Saturday, April 18, 2026).

Well then, my fellow plate spinners, let's go.

What is Record Store Day?

Record Store Day is a day for crate rummagers and those who work to fill said crates — the artists, the labels, the store staff, and of course, the customers.

The key to it all is The List. To explain, on Record Store Day, over 365 exclusive and limited-edition releases will line the shelves of your local record store. This year, the list includes notable releases from Wolf Alice, Olivia Dean, Elton John, Black Sabbath, Bruce Springsteen, and more.

Record Store Day was conceived in 2007, when a collection of record store owners came together in the US to celebrate and publicize the unique culture of local independent vinyl shops.

The first official event took place on April 19th, 2008, and today it's marked and celebrated by thousands of record stores all over the globe. RSD's official website calls it "the biggest new music event of the past decade", and given the hundreds of limited-edition vinyl offerings that launch (and may well sell out) on the day, it's easy to see why.

In the UK and Ireland, over 300 indie record shops participate. In the US, it's, well… a lot more than that, with up to 1,500 bricks-and-mortar stores on board.

To be a Record Store Day retail store, the stores are required to sign a pledge. This means stores are bound by the Record Store Day code of conduct, which prohibits them from reserving a product for customers or allowing customers to pre-order any products — yes, it really is about being there on the day and getting in line early for the LPs you want.

When is Record Store Day?

Short answer: Saturday, April 18th, 2026. Yes, that's tomorrow.

There's only one Record Store Day a year. What if you can't make it on the day? That's a tricky one, because Record Store Day releases are only available in-store, through Record Store Day-affiliated shops on the day of Record Store Day.

That said, remaining stock can become available online after 8pm on the Monday following RSD. Only Record Store Day shops may purchase Record Store Day products legitimately, and stores are bound by the Record Store Day code of conduct, which prohibits selling online until 8pm on the Monday following RSD. So if you see the LP of your dreams listed on eBay for a very high price before the big day, that particular seller isn't an official RSD vendor but is likely planning to buy it on the day to resell on the auction site after the fact — and RSD does not support this.

You can search for participating stores near you on the official Record Store Day site but you're advised to contact the store in advance to confirm whether they will be carrying the release you're looking for. Stores are not permitted to reserve a product for customers, so you will need to visit the store early on Record Store Day to secure the release you're after!

What are the best limited-edition offerings this year?

I'm going to level with you: for me, it's always going to be The Boss. This five-LP (yes, five!) release is a live recording of Bruce Springsteen's 2024 homecoming performance in Asbury Park at the 2024 Sea.Hear.Now festival.

This release is the first time it's being made available on vinyl, and it spans more than three hours of Bruce and the E Street Band's absolute best work in front of 35,000 people. It includes hits such as Thunder Road and Dancing in the Dark, plus tracks that Springsteen wrote just down the road from this stage, including Blinded By The Light and Growin' Up.

Two of my all-time favorite Springsteen songs are For You and Spirit in the Night, from the 1973 banger Greetings from Asbury Park (considered a solo Springsteen studio album, although musicians who'd later become members of the E Street Band do feature on it), so forgive me for prioritizing this record. But that's the beauty of RSD, isn't it? You get in line for the LPs you like the look of, and no one should judge you.

Another that caught my eye are archival 1956 live sets from Miles Davis, the only recordings in history to feature both Miles Davis and Lester Young. They took place across several concerts on their European 'Birdland All Stars' tour, 70 years ago now.

And okay, there's a really glorious 7" 'Cry My Eyes Violet Glitter' sparkly purple press of Tay-Tay's Elizabeth Taylor (including the So Glamorous Cabaret version) if you're into it.

Honestly, I could go on. My genuine advice is to check it out. Search for your favorite artists (the official list has a handy search feature) because the chances are someone you like is launching a limited-edition press for RSD. Oh, and I asked the rest of the TechRadar team to pull together their favorite Record Store Day 2026 releases, so that might also provide inspiration.

Other things to note about Record Store Day

It's not just vinyl! Over the years, I've seen limited-edition versions of some of the best turntables launch ahead of RSD, turntable-shaped watches, and even RSD official beers to sip while you wait in line. Already this year, Majority has launched a special colorway turntable-and-speakers package if you need something affordable ahead of the event.

My top tip there? A Sony deck. Yes, the new Sony PS-LX5BT is in, and we like it very much, but the 2019-issue Sony PS-LX310BT is still a very viable deck — and if you see a deal ahead of the big day, it'll play very nicely with your Bluetooth speakers and headphones…

I've been looking out for turntables all week, and can point you towards Victrola’s exclusive Jack White collab, the viral record player that looks like it was made by Fisher-Price and the ridiculously expensive TechDas Air Force IV, among others.

We've also got a guide to 6 superb turntables we'd buy this RSD (and the speakers and accessories to go with them) and the 4 best wireless turntable setups. In short, something for everyone.

• Pro-Ject unveils the VC-E Mini
• It's a vacuum-based automatic vinyl record cleaner
• Designed to use few moving parts

My record collection isn't mine, but an inheritance I try to take good care of. Or I thought I took great care of, but Pro-Ject's new release has me thinking I could be doing a better at keeping them pristine.

The company behind the five-star Pro-Ject Debut Carbon and numerous more of the best turntables, has unveiled its latest vinyl cleaning device.

This is the Pro-Ject VC-E Mini, which is going on sale in April. It's set to cost £249 (about $350, AU$500), so it's not cheap — but it's more affordable than the existing VC-E2 and VC-E3.

Since dirt on a vinyl can really hurt its sound quality, machines like this make sense, but to me the VC-E Mini solves a few problems that make this kind of machine out-of-reach for most people.

A smaller cleaning machine

The Pro-Ject VC-E Mini is, as the name suggests, a more compact record cleaner, and it's designed to minimize moving parts (and cupboard space too).

It saves space by not having a suction arm to clean the vinyl. Instead it uses a brushless vacuum motor to help cleaning fluid trickle across the vinyl and off the machine.

The box also includes a cleaning brush, magnetic clamp, adhesive arm strip and said cleaning fluid, so the cleaning process sounds pretty hands-on.

This fluid is Pro-Ject's Wash it 2, which is already readily available to buy since other VC-E models use it. It doesn't use alcohol, and instead is made from "demineralised water and cleaning concentrate".

As someone who's always just cleaned their records with a microfiber cloth, I've always been put off by the size and price of bespoke upkeep machines like this.

While the VC-E doesn't fully solve the latter problem, I'll concede that it's small enough to be tempting as someone who really does want to preserve these items. Maybe I need it more than I thought…

• Majority unveils D50X bookshelf speakers...
• ... and Auto turntable
• Both affordable, colorful, and here in time for Record Store Day

If the high cost of a vinyl-ready Hi-Fi puts you off the hobby, then Majority's new release could change your mind (as can our audio editor's four-strong roundup of two-product wireless vinyl setups), and it's here right in time for Record Store Day on April 18.

The brand has unveiled two new offerings, which are on sale right now from various UK retailers (US and AU availability TBC, but unlikely).

First up, there's the Majority D50X, a pair of bookshelf speakers which come in red, green, white or black. They output at 60W with a range of connection options, and go for £69.95 (about $100 / AU$140).

Then there's the Majority Auto, an automatic Bluetooth turntable which is priced at £129.95. It has a built-in phono pre-amp, automatic tonearm and belt drive, and outputs in aux and line-out as well as Bluetooth. Sounds like perfect RSD prep to me…

As you can tell from the price, neither of these devices are aimed at the highly fussy audiophile for whom money is no obstacle, especially since Bluetooth is the name of the game. But they're an affordable way for the average buyer to get an easy-to-use vinyl set-up.

Record Store Day inbound

Record Store Day is an institution in the UK, when indie record stores around the UK and Ireland team up to offer promotions to celebrate the vinyl format.

This year, it falls on April 18, and the organizers have already shared a list of the exclusive releases being sold on the day.

Naturally, people who don't own a turntable are left out of the celebrations, and with many of the best record players costing a pretty penny (not to mention decent speakers costing more), people who don't have high budgets might feel left out.

Luckily, there are some budget turntables available, and this new Majority bundle will be a perfect way to get in on the Record Store Day fun without breaking the bank.

Seen a turntable system and want it, to play all the stacks of wax you're set to buy this Record Store Day? I applaud you; records are beautiful things — just see the joy within TechRadar's pick of the 13 best LPs we've seen in the RSD List this year — and sales of them help remunerate the bands we love much more effectively than meagre streaming royalties.

But perhaps you looked at my getting started with vinyl feature, with its explanation on the four components of any system (turntable, pre-amp, power amp and speakers) and thought 'Uh-oh, sounds a bit tricky Scarrott… I'll come back when I have more time/more cash to splash'.

And as we all know, we may never have an abundance of these things. Don't fret though, you can still get on board with vinyl. How? You simplify.

These four systems all have three things in common: they contain one of the best turntables we've tested, they do it wirelessly (either over Bluetooth or using a Sonos system, over your home's Wi-Fi network) and they only contain two products. No fiddling with RCA cables and buying hi-fi racks for your pre- and power-amp stack or receiver. Amplification here is squirrelled away into the casework of the speakers and thus, there are no wires to trip over.

I'm not dissing a passive analog hi-fi system, you'll get greater resolution that way, and you can adapt these setups over time if you want to build on them. However, in the first instance I think it's absolutely fine to simply get things up and spinning — because enjoying an entire album on vinyl is a rare joy.

Here are the products. Skip past the clicky links here for a brief summary of what I've partnered with what, and why. Don't worry, we got this. Oh, and enjoy Record Store Day!

System 1

System 2

System 3

System 4

System 1 — simple but talented plug 'n' play listening

Sony PS-LX5BT and Bose SoundLink Max: want punchy, fun-sounding vinyl with a speaker you can take outdoors if you fancy it? What you're getting here is a fuss-free 2026-issue Bluetooth turntable and big Bose speaker, for roughly the same money — and both gained a highly-commended 4.5 stars under intense review.

This system is all about plug-and-play simplicity. The deck is automatic; there's a Bose app if you wanted to stereo pair two SoundLink Max speakers to the vinyl spinner. But to be clear: if you want something you can unbox and get up and running within 10 minutes, this is the setup for you.

System 2 — the step-up system with a CD player to boot

Philips Fidelio FT1 and KEF LSX II LT: did I mention that this deck also has a CD player squirrelled into its base? Cool in a kind of retro, throw-it-all-in-one-box way, no? But make no mistake, this is an all-new early 2026-release turntable, and it wowed us for its energetic and communicative sound and wealth of partnering opportunities under our in-depth review process.

So I've gone straight to the top with the wireless speakers I'd pick to go with it. Yes, the KEFs are a little pricier than other options in this roundup, but if you've got the extra to spend, they'll reward you handsomely — as our five-star review shows.

System 3 — the Sonos option

Victrola Stream Carbon and Sonos Five: you don't have to buy a Sonos Five here; this handsome turntable will work with any existing Sonos setup you may have already — including soundbars. I've put the Five with it in this list because it's my hi-fi choice where Sonos is concerned.
I'm often asked about turntables that might work with the Sonos Arc under the TV so you needn't start buying more and more speaker boxes. Well, this is that deck. Victrola does make a cheaper Sonos-compatible spinner called the Stream Onyx, but for me the smart money stays here; if you want to get into vinyl but don't have the necessary passive speakers, cartridge knowledge, pre-amp and power amp plus all of the cabling ready to go at home — but do have a Sonos speaker, even a legacy one based on the S1 system — you just found your turntable.

System 4 — the slightly more niche, fresh buys

Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT and Kanto Ren: honestly, this is my favorite ready-to-roll system of the lot. This Audio-Technica deck is great for fledgling owners (thanks to a serviceable preamp and lovely tactile automatic operation) but it's still the real deal; the build quality is exceptional for the remarkably humble outlay.
And just look at these bijou-but-beautiful tangerine speakers! As we said in our glowing five-star review, they're tasteful-lookin’ but with an incredible breadth of connectivity — including Bluetooth, which is important here — and huge, robust sound for their diminutive proportions. Oh, and if you wanted to hard-wire them to your TV they’d beat any and every TV soundbar into a pulp at £599 (and it’s barely even a competition).

When I moved into my new apartment, I wanted my TV setup to feel a bit more deliberate than the usual rented home arrangement of a screen on a TV bench, a soundbar, and a mess of cables doing their best.

So, with help from family, I built a custom small-scale Tv, soundbar and hi-fi setup designed to fit the space properly, hiding cables and looking cleaner day-to-day.

I've always been happy with how it turned out, but living with it taught me something that product pages and showroom photos do not: the best setup is not always the one that looks the neatest on day one.

In a smaller home like mine, the choices that matter most are usually the practical ones: how easy it is to reach a cable, how many remotes you need to juggle, and so on.

Some of those lessons came from getting things right, and some came from learning the hard way. Either way, they are useful if you are trying to build a cleaner, smarter TV setup without turning your living room into a full-time AV project.

What's my setup?

My custom TV setup was not a full from-scratch build so much as an adaptation of what was already there.

We used a buyable record shelf as the base, then added a long wooden top and a new support leg to create one continuous unit for the TV, turntable, storage, and desk space.

The whole thing was shaped around the built-in white shelving already in the flat, which meant the room itself dictated a lot of the design.

All of this was accomplished on the day I moved in and the day after, so it was a tight — and very stressful — timeframe, which is an element of the project that I definitely don't recommend unless absolutely necessary.

1. Leave some cable slack and strain relief

One of the least glamorous lessons was also one of the most useful: do not make your cable runs so neat that they become a pain to live with.

In my setup, once everything was tucked away and routed through the furniture properly, even small changes became more annoying than I’d expected, albeit with the advantage of being nicer to look at.

In a smaller flat, where the TV stand is likely to sit close to the wall and every inch matters, leaving a bit of slack behind the screen and around your devices makes a real difference.

2. eARC is brilliant until it isn’t

For me, HDMI ARC was one of the best parts of the whole setup. Running a soundbar through my Samsung TV’s eARC port helped cut down the clutter straight away, because it meant simpler audio, fewer visible connections, and less dependence on a pile of remotes.

The catch is that eARC still relies on everything in the chain behaving itself. HDMI handshakes, quirks with HDMI-CEC control system it uses, and the occasional audio oddity can turn a tidy one-cable solution into something that feels strangely temperamental.

I still think it is well worth prioritizing, especially with one of the best soundbars, but it is smarter to treat it as part of the system that you might need to play with sometimes, not a magic solution you can set and forget.

3. Don’t chase 'flush to the wall'

One thing I would be more relaxed about next time is how close the TV sits to the wall, or to whatever is supporting it.

In my experience, it's easy to fixate on that super-slim, ultra-neat look – especially if you're wall-mounting — but in real life it can create more problems than it solves.

In a smaller space, a bit of extra space behind the screen makes it much easier to reach ports, route cables neatly, and make changes without turning a simple job into a frustrating one.

And if you're wall-mounting, remember that a fancy mount that keeps the TV flush to the wall will look amazing, but a thicker mount (especially that moves) will make fixing problems way easier.

4. Kill the remote pile

A home theater setup can look clean and still feel annoying to use, and remotes are a big part of that.

One thing I appreciated with my own system was how much better it felt once I was not constantly juggling controls just to switch inputs or adjust the volume.

It is worth thinking about this when you're planning what you're going to include in your setup.

A soundbar with solid eARC support, a streaming device with a good remote, or a universal remote can make a bigger difference than another spec upgrade you only notice occasionally.

5. Plan for the day you move out

The final lesson only really clicked afterwards: a setup does not just need to work while you live with it, it needs to be removable without becoming a nightmare.

In a rented flat, it is very easy to make something feel brilliantly custom in the moment, then discover later that it only really works in that one exact room.

Removable cable management rather than built-in, furniture that can be reused in a different layout, and mounts or accessories that do not leave you with loads to undo all make far more sense in the long run.

A good setup should suit your space now, but it should not punish you for eventually leaving it. I'm glad I'm staying put for the foreseeable future.

• Android 14 with expandable storage. Wi-Fi 6 and Dolby Vision/Atmos
• Faster processor than Google's TV Streamer 4K
• $119 / £89 / about AU$169

Mecool has added a new Google TV box to its range of streaming accessories, offering excellent specifications and features, including expandable storage, at a low price.

The MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box is $119.99 / £88.67 / about AU$169 and delivers content at up to 4K HDR with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It can upscale HD content to "near-4K quality" and comes with 32GB of on-board storage. There's even a microSD slot supporting cards up to 128GB for easy expandable storage, and there are also dual USB 2.0 ports.

MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box: key features

The MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box has both Wi-Fi 6 and Ethernet networking and Bluetooth 5.2. It comes out of the box running Android 14 and is Netflix 4K-certified. As it's a Google TV box, it supports Google Assistant, Google Cast, and thousands of third-party apps.

The device supports HDR10, HDR10+, and Dolby Vision, and the supported video codecs are AV1, VP9, H.264, and H.265 (HEVC), which should cover all bases.

The processor inside the MEon1 is a quad-core Amlogic S905X5M, paired with a Mali G310 V2 GPU, and there's 2GB of RAM for apps. The ARM Cortex-A55-based processor is clocked at 2.5GHz, faster than the 1.8GHz of rival devices such as the Google TV Streamer 4K.

The HDMI output supports HDMI 2.1 and VRR and ALLM for gaming.

It's a decent specification for the money, but it's up against a very significant rival: the Google TV Streamer 4K. That has a list price of $99 / £99 / AU$159, but I'm often seeing it discounted for less.

Google's product has twice the on-board RAM, so it's likely to run more smoothly, but while it has both Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, it's running an older Wi-Fi version: 802.11ac. That won't be a deal-breaker for everyone, however, and I don't think it's unfair to say the Google brand is a bit better known than Mecool's.

Google's product is also designed to interact with your smart home products, so that's something to consider if you have a smart home already, or think you might want one in the near future.

The Mecool MEon1 4K GTV Streaming Box is available now.

• Analog Relax's new moving-coil turntable cartridge is called the EX700
• Made from Tyrolean spruce, boron and, of course, diamonds
• Sells for £7,288 (around $9,400, AU$13,300) – and this is 'mid-tier'

Own one of the best turntables and want to make it sound even better? Spending a small fortune on a premium cartridge might not be the cheapest option, but if money's no object, it might be fun.

Japanese audio brand Analog Relax has just lifted the lid on the EX700, possibly named after how many £10 notes you'll have to fork out to own it — it sells for £7,288 in the UK via Absolute Sounds (that coverts to about £9,400 or AU$13,300).

That price actually makes this one of Analog Relax's mid-range options, but for the rest of us, it's an outrageously premium pick. And I'll be honest, it's not a figure that makes me feel particularly relaxed.

The sound though? That's likely to be a different story. The EX700 is a moving-coil cartridge (often seen as superior to more budget-friendly moving-magnet rivals) which uses a multi-neodymium magnet system and line-contact stylus, all promising unrivalled control and clarity, and minimal distortion.

Rare materials

The high price of the Analog Relax EX700 may be justified by the build and materials. The cartridge was hand-made by Japanese artisans, using a boron cantilever and diamond stylus. Yes, diamond is the industry standard for tracking through your vinyl's delicate grooves, but this particular proposition has all the whistles and bells around it.

The wood itself was carved from spruce harvested in South Tyrol in Italy, which is one of the woods favored by famed string-instrument craftsman Stradivari.

The maker's creations often sell for millions, being famed for a sound which modern scientists and musicians haven't been able to replicate even 350 years later — although most believe it's due to the finish on the wood, not the type of wood or how it's used. Spruce was used for the top of the instruments, but willow and maple were also used too.

Because of the legacy, the Stradivarius name remains one invoked by audio makers to add gravitas to their releases. Several years ago, for example, Sonus Faber released some speakers which took inspiration from the name. It's a grand comparison to make, but if you're paying the price of a small car on a turntable stylus, you'd want that kind of assurance.

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but the ‘vinyl revival’ is showing no signs of slowing down. The continued interest in the retro music format has sparked an influx of new turntables from a variety of brands – some of which you’ll find in our guide to the best turntables – while major bands and artists release their albums on vinyl, with exclusive coloured versions now becoming par for the course.

I'm based in Sydney, Australia and alongside my role as the home-entertainment expert for TechRadar AU, I’m also the editor of Australian Hi-Fi magazine, which means I live and breathe hi-fi and all things audio. Naturally, then, my hi-fi system at home includes a turntable, and the JBL Spinner BT is what currently sits atop my hi-fi rack. And with its price currently slashed at Amazon in the US, UK and Australia, I can comfortably recommend you consider placing it on yours, too.

I bought JBL’s fun and funky deck for a number of reasons. Call me vain but I was immediately drawn to its looks. The vast majority of (affordable) turntables are basic black plinths with the record platter on top. With the Spinner BT, JBL has injected some colour, and it’s available in either black and orange, or black and gold. Orange is my favourite colour, so no prizes for guessing which version I have at home.

Secondly, even at its regular RRP it can comfortably be called affordable. And now it’s received a huge discount at Amazon around the world, it can be snapped up for a lot less

And then of course there’s how it sounds. Once you have it set up – it’s a simple process with a detailed, easy-to-follow set of instructions – it delivers a performance that surpasses what you might expect for the price. It’s a surprisingly revealing turntable, capable of extracting plenty of detail from a record’s grooves.

To get sound from the JBL turntable, you have a number of options. The easiest is to stream wirelessly to a Bluetooth speaker or pair of headphones. The ‘BT’ in the record player’s name indicates its Bluetooth credentials. But it’s also perfectly at home when connected directly to an amplifier and a pair of passive speakers – it has a built-in phono pre-amplifier, meaning you can connect it to virtually any amp you wish (as opposed to a model that has a dedicated phono input).

It’s an accomplished performer, then, and will easily outdo those cheap and cheerful briefcase-style turntables you see in major electronics retailers. If you want to jump onboard the vinyl revival bandwagon, then take it from me – this JBL deck is one of the best (and wallet-friendly) purchases you can make to get up and running.

For more details about this JBL turntable, be sure to check out the full What Hi-Fi? review.

Setting up a new turntable and getting it spinning is one of life's great pleasures. Maybe you found an old stash of vinyl in the attic over the festive period, which feels roughly 229 days ago. Or maybe you just want to embrace the analog revival after swathes of bands (such as Massive Attack and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard) left Spotify in protest last year – either over continued low streaming rates (even as Spotify hikes its prices), or the prevalence of AI-generated songs vying for recommendations in the space.

Then again, maybe you just always wanted a turntable, and I love that for you. I personally think embracing the physical music format in a 2026 digital detox is a great way to enjoy music and support the bands we love.

And the good news keeps on coming, because I'm here to tell you that it's really not as tricky as you might think to set a turntable up. Whether you've just treated yourself to one of the best turntables your budget can stretch to in the January sales, or you want to breathe some life into an older plate-spinner that needs a little love, you got this. Just stick with me.

Some new turntables (and here I might mention the all-new Sony Bluetooth decks) come with Bluetooth connectivity for listening using the best noise-cancelling headphones and best Bluetooth speakers. And some also come with USB outs for ripping your vinyl to your laptop – because those records are precious, hard-to-replace physical presses, and a backup plan is good.

Yes, turntables do feature a few intricate, moving parts – and I get that it can be a little daunting if you're new to them. Don't worry though – luckily, you came here!

Some budget-friendly turntables come with much of what I'm about to run through pre-fitted and pre-assembled (or calibrated), so it'll become clear depending on the deck you have whether or not you even need to run through all these steps. That said, the further up the food chain you go, the more likely it is that you'll be setting a lot of things up to your own specific tastes. And this, friend, is peak hi-fi… you're gonna love it.

The main thing is: don't stress. It's easier than it looks at first, promise. Okay, let's get stuck in!

Turntable terminology – what's that bit?

Whether you need to assemble your turntable or not (and whether or not it's an automatic deck – which simply means the tonearm lifts and places itself before a record, rather than you doing it), it’s a good idea to become familiar with the components of your deck.

Belt drive / direct drive

Turntables typically fall into two categories: belt-driven and direct-driven. Belt-drive decks, as the name suggests, involve an independent motor offset from the platter, connected by a belt to spin your records. This thin belt is almost always made from rubber.

Direct-drive turntables simply have the motor located directly beneath the platter, rotating it, well, directly. So no belt. Make sense?

Which is best? Oh, that's a whole different piece, but direct-drive decks are often favored by scratch DJs (although the pricey Technics SL-1300G sits very much in the audiophile camp), while most budget decks I've tested are belt-driven.

Cartridge

The cartridge is that bit that lowers onto a record. It attaches to the end of the tonearm and houses the stylus (or needle), which tracks delicately through the physical grooves in your record.

There are two types of cartridge: moving magnet (MM) or moving coil (MC), but both are electro-mechanical devices that use magnets and coils of wire to generate a signal as the platter spins the record. The most obvious difference between the two types of cartridges is that moving magnets usually have a higher electrical output. This is because MM cartridges have a magnet on a cantilever moving within fixed coils, producing a strong signal (higher voltage) suitable for standard phono stages, while MC cartridges flip this, with lighter coils moving around a fixed magnet, resulting in lower output but often superior detail, dynamics, and frequency response.

What you need to know is this: more wallet-friendly decks usually come pre-fitted with a cheaper MM cartridge – and this is just fine. If your deck comes with a pre-amplifier inbuilt (more on this later) said pre-amp will be able to amplify the signal created by MM cartridges, but often not those low-output MC options, so you'll need a separate pre-amp for those.

Either way, the stylus is usually made from a tiny piece of diamond attached to a flexible metal strip, although materials like ruby, sapphire, boron, and even cotton fiber can be used as well.

Platter

You probably guessed this one, but the platter is the circular part of the turntable that spins. It's where where you place your record – and there's a spindle at the center, to match the hole in your vinyl. Most platters come with a mat made of rubber or felt to reduce vibration and protect your record.

Plinth

The plinth or ‘support’ is the base of the turntable. As well as providing something relatively weighty for everything to sit on (and sometimes housing amps and speakers, if it's a plug-and-play record player), the plinth is designed to dampen or absorb vibrations that might negatively affect sound quality.

Some turntables come with adjustable feet, which can help you set it up level (again, more on this later).

Tonearm

The tonearm is the part of the turntable that wakes up and gracefully glides across the grooves on the vinyl, either when handled by you, or like magic when you push a button. It needs to be carefully balanced with correct 'tracking weight' to ensure the stylus sits correctly in the groove without veering towards either side (or pressing too hard), but often with budget or beginner decks this is already taken care of.

Stay on the level

Lingo lesson over, let's get to it. First things first: work out where you're setting up your turntable. You want a flat, stable, low-resonance surface – a decent piece of furniture is ideal. For extra marks, use a spirit level to make sure your turntable's future home is perfectly level. Sometimes, turntables come with adjustable feet – because life isn't perfect and sometimes the floors upon which our hi-fi systems must live and operate are a tad uneven.

A key mistake I see a lot of people make (because manufacturers often photograph their turntable-and-speakers propositions thus) is putting your speakers right next to the turntable. You'll hear people talk about decoupling or 'not coupling up', but all they're really saying is 'isolate your hi-fi separates'. If you place your speakers away from your deck, on a different surface, you've done your best to avoid vibrations and feedback.

While I'm on the subject of bad vibrations: traffic – try to avoid it. Putting your turntable close to a window that looks out onto a busy road means adding ambient vibrations to the mix, which can negatively alter your turntable's performance. Also, if your other half regularly practices kick-boxing in the spare room, maybe avoid putting your turntable up against that particular wall.

Setting things up

Okay, relax. We don't need to rush this. Most decks come with a comprehensive manual, and while I don't know which turntable you have, almost all of them will need to be set up in this way. That said, when I set up the Sony PS-LX310BT it took me all of three minutes before I was listening to Prince on my Bluetooth cans – it just depends on how much has been done by the manufacturer before you get there.

Attaching the belt

Belt-driven turntable? You'll probably need to attach the belt to the platter and the motor pulley. To do this, lift up the dust cover (if there is one), take off the protective mat and remove the platter; turn it upside down and slip the belt around its underside.

Then place the platter back onto the spindle (the bit that sticks through the hole in your vinyl), and pull the belt through the little square opening in the platter.

You will need to hook the belt around the motor pulley. This can be a bit fiddly, because it's important that the belt is as level as possible, and definitely doesn't have any twists in it. But most belts will come with a small piece of ribbon attached, to help you pull it through the hole and attach it securely. It sounds daunting I know, but with the Sony deck I mentioned above I did it in around 60 seconds, Scout's honor.

Balancing the tonearm

Some turntables require you to do this, some don't. If you've already plugged your deck into power to make sure it fires up okay, make sure you unplug it before doing this step, so that your platter doesn't start spinning unexpectedly.

You'll need to use that small numbered wheel next to the tonearm for this. First, gently lift the tonearm from its rest, taking care not to drop it, because that could cause damage to the stylus. Once it's somewhere between the tonearm rest and the platter, lower it – there might be a lever to do this. Notice it lowers all the way down – because it's not yet balanced!

Now, the tonearm's 'level' height needs to be set in such a way that it's parallel to the surface of your vinyl when the stylus sits in the groove. You can do this by moving the counterweight at the back of the tonearm backwards and forwards until the tonearm sits level without your support. It'll look like it's floating – hurrah! Now, set the indicator at the front of this counterweight to '0', keeping the weight where it is and just moving the numeric dial part.

Setting the tracking weight and anti-skate

Your tracking weight (the amount of downward force the stylus places on the record) is now at 0g. So let's adjust the tracking weight so you can play records. The manual that comes with your turntable will list a recommended tracking force (usually this is between between 1.5g and 2.5g).

It's important to get this bit right; you might think that lighter tracking is better, but actually the opposite is true. You want the stylus or needle to stay in the record groove, because if it bounces around too much, it can a) wear out and b) damage your lovely LPs.

So, now you move both parts of this counterweight down the tonearm – the whole thing – so that the tracking weight gauge at the front and the counterweight itself sit at the recommended tracking force. On most tonearms you rotate the whole unit to set this, and line up the required number with the indicator line on the tonearm. Now, you'll see the tonearm lower gently; that's what it's going to do with your vinyl, because you care.

Once you're happy, place the tonearm back on its rest and set the anti-skate control dial – usually a little numbered knob on the outside of the tonearm, but it varies – to the same number you've just set the tracking weight to. This will stop the tonearm pulling slightly towards the center of the platter as it does its job. Further down the line, you might finesse this dial just slightly (some audiophiles say that simply setting the anti-skate to the same figure as the tracking force isn't always successful), but on most decks, I find it works just fine.

Balancing the tonearm is perhaps the most difficult part of this whole process to get right, so if you're in any way unsure, I'd also recommend watching this quick video, from Analog for Life.

Making connections ('Do I need a pre-amp?')

At this point, you're going to need to plug things in. Your analog turntable system essentially has four components. So far, we've been dealing with the first piece of the jigsaw and emphatically the star – your turntable. The second component is your pre-amplifier.

Got a new turntable? Chances are it'll have a pre-amp built in (often called a phono stage; look for a USB port or a switch labelled 'Phono/Line' – if you set the switch to 'Line' the audio signal from the deck will be amplified in-house to 'line level', aka 'ready for an amp'; set it to 'Phono' and you can use your own dedicated pre-amplification hi-fi separate). So, if you don't have an onboard preamplifier and you don't just want a Bluetooth turntable to listen via your Bluetooth speaker (or a works-with-Sonos deck for your Sonos speakers – yes, the Victrola Stream Carbon works with Sonos) you'll need to get one.

Third part of the puzzle? An amplifier (often called a power-amp or receiver). This powers your speakers and sends the audio over to them. And lastly, your stereo speakers. These babies use drive units to take the audio signal and push it out – into the air and into your ears.

Now, a lot of hi-fi products will bundle one, two, three or even all four of these components together to save you the hassle of acquiring them. Active and powered speakers – let me guide you happily to the excellent KEF LSX II LT here – already contain power amplification, so if your deck has a phono stage, you can wire it to your speakers using RCA to RCA (connect the red/white cables from the turntable output to the RCA input on the powered speaker) or RCA to 3.5mm (connect the RCA end to the turntable, and the 3.5mm jack to the AUX or 'Line In' port on the speaker). Both the turntable and the powered speakers need to be plugged into the wall for this system to work, and many new turntables come with bundled RCA cables.

Some power amps also have a built-in preamp. The easiest way to find it is to look for a dedicated 'Phono' input on the back. If you see that, your amp's got an inbuilt phono stage – hurrah!

And of course, record players are so called because they're a one-stop shop, with all amplification and speakers built in – one very decent example is the Majority Folio. Simply plug it into the mains, fire it up and get to spinning!

Just know this: you do need all four components in some guise for your analog turntable system to work, and for you to listen to vinyl. Got it? You're doing great.

Get to steppin'

You're ready to do this! Simply switch the turntable on, place a record on the platter and select the correct speed setting. There should be a button or switch on the plinth that allows you to do this – if you're playing a standard 12-inch you should select 33 RPM (revolutions per minute). For a seven-inch single, select 45 RPM.

Automatic deck? You may not need to do any of these steps other than press 'play'. The rest of us may need to raise the tonearm's cueing lever – the tonearm should now lift up. Then, align the tonearm with the outside edge of your record's grooves and lower the cueing lever until the tonearm gently drops and the stylus settles into the microgrooves of your vinyl.

And that's it – you should now be able to sit back and enjoy. Well done you!

Building your vinyl collection

My favorite part! This is why you got into this: you love music.

My advice here is always the same: while thrift stores are a great place to crate-rummage for hard-to-find and rare presses, our beloved bands usually aren't making a cent on the re-sale of that physical music product. So, I strongly encourage you to head out to your local record store. Yes, they still exist – they're like online stores but made of bricks, and you can take your purchases with you when you leave.

Another thing to get involved with? Record Store Day, an annual event that started in 2007 and now sees a range of special-edition record pressings go on sale at record stores on multiple formats, not just vinyl.

Oh, and why not consider a vinyl subscription service while we're at it? I used to help update this list of the best vinyl subscription services for our sister publication, What Hi-Fi?, but you can also buy new vinyl on Bandcamp.

The simple fact is that vinyl sales help the acts we love to keep making music. Why? The significantly higher profit margins per unit. Vinyl sales (especially when bought directly at gigs or through platforms such as Bandcamp), offer a sustainable income source that streaming, which pays fractions of a penny, cannot match.

Keeping things neat and pretty

I've written a dedicated separate guide to cleaning your turntable, stylus and vinyl that's got a lot of information on keeping things neat and pretty, but I wanted to use this section to make a big admission: I hate turntable dust covers.

You're meant to use them to keep pesky dust away from your turntable's delicate components, but for me this extra bulk – involving hinges and a big chunk of clear plastic – can also create vibrations and other nasty interferences. So I keep a microfiber cloth near my turntable at all times. Yes, but that is how I choose to live.

Also a word on your vinyl: try not to touch your records too much (always handle them by the very edges if you can), and do not stack them one on top of the other – always vertically, like books in a bookcase. Also, consider buying some decent inner sleeves to preserve them for the longest time possible.

And that's it, I'm done. I'm off to sit in my comfy chair with my cans on. I'm going to listen to Prince. Then, I might listen to Harry Styles. Whatever you're doing tonight, enjoy the music.

When Victrola announced its space-saving new Soundstage speaker for turntables, I had obvious concerns. It's effectively a soundbase, for people who remember when those were popular for TVs – a slab of a speaker that sits underneath something else, and uses the good internal volume you get from a low-profile but large footprint to deliver deep and impactful sound.

The obvious problem with this plan is: speakers vibrate, and turntables need to be kept steady. Putting the latter on top of the former seems like asking for trouble.

So at CES 2026, I tracked down Victrola to get not only a first listen to the Soundstage, but also to get my hands on it and feel whether the vibrations are a concern.

As you'll have seen, it's a nice-looking bit of gear, available in walnut or black finishes. The styling, size, and finishes are an exact match for Victrola's Wave turntable, though you can use it with anything that fits on its 42.95 x 38.37 x 8.95cm frame.

There's an RCA connection for your turntable, plus a 3.5mm jack, USB-C audio, and Bluetooth – making it a nice modern music center as well as a vinyl addition.

Let's start with the bass rumble. The Soundstage has a system Victrola calls the 'Symmetric Drive Woofer' to deliver bass, and it's a force-opposed dual-diaphragm bass system, firing up and down simultaneously from a single driver.

It's very much like the Sonos Sound Motion bass driver used in the Sonos Arc Ultra soundbar (you can read all about the development of that speaker here), in that it's designed to provide big bass in a small space, but with a force-opposing configuration to avoid vibrations.

Force-opposing speaker systems mean that you have two identical diaphragms facing opposite directions. When speakers play, they push air forward, which means there's an equal force pushed the other way, into the speaker enclosure, in the form of vibrations. But in a force-opposed system, those vibrations then meet the exact same vibrations coming the other way from the other diaphragm, so they cancel each other out, and you end up with no major shaking at all (or close to it, and the rest can be absorbed by a well-built enclosure).

The double bass driver has the effect of giving this speaker a surprising amount of thump for something not very tall, but placing my hand on the sides, back, and top of the unit, I could barely feel any vibration in it. There is some, but nothing different from what you'd expect if you had your turntable on top of a piece of furniture with two speakers on either side of it.

You can feel a lot more vibration on the front of the unit, where the forward drivers are, but since I couldn't feel the effect of this heavily on the sides and back, it seems like the bracing and build of the speaker can absorb this well enough without it passing it through to the turntable (which will have some protection against vibration of its own, of course).

Victrola says of the front speakers that a "Balanced Mode Radiator (BMR) technology delivers exceptionally wide, even dispersion, creating a spacious, natural stereo image that stays clear and detailed anywhere in the room" and my experience with this is that there's very little stereo on offer here, despite these promises – if that's your priority, you've got to go with separate speakers.

But Victrola told me that even dispersion around the room was a big focus for the speaker system, and it absolutely nails this – I moved around to really off-center positions to see if the sound balance would alter drastically and weaken, and actually, it barely changed compared to being right in front of it.

That's impressive, and makes it super-flexible for listening positions, which again, makes sense for something designed for people with little spare space.

As for the overall sound itself, I would say that it's quite warm – leaning into vinyl's tendency that way, perhaps – and trends somewhat bass-ward. Mid-range and treble seemed present and correct enough, but I didn't get the sense of there being a ton of fine detail and expression from my demo.

Naturally, we'll reserve judgment until we can test in a proper environment, but my initial impression is that you may get finer hi-fi results from a pair of active stereo speakers matching the $349 price of the Soundstage, but probably less deep bass. It may be a question of choosing the fullness and impact of the sound versus the resolution and imaging.

But in some ways, that dilemma also misses the point: this compactness. This speaker sits under the turntable, with no extra space and no extra components needed. In that way alone, it might be exactly what you've been looking for.

Goldring GR3 turntable: two-minute review

Just two decades or so since it last had a turntable in its product line-up, Goldring is back. The GR3 has been developed in collaboration with acknowledged experts and it really looks the part in a ‘black high-gloss lacquer’ sort of way.

It’s got plenty going for it where specification is concerned, too. This is a belt-drive turntable with manual speed-change, and it arrives with a very capable Goldring E3 pre-fitted and pre-adjusted moving magnet cartridge at the end of the aluminium tube tonearm. It’s supplied with a couple of pairs of QED cables to make plugging it into a system as painless as can be. And it’s fitted with an internal phono stage to ensure it is compatible with as wide a range of systems as possible – if the phono stage had an ‘off’ switch it could be fair to say the GR3 has everything you could possibly expect or require.

Connected to an appropriate system, the Goldring GR3 is an articulate, informative and confident listen with just enough drive and attack to stop it sounding leisurely. Dynamic headroom, soundstaging and timing all impress, and the amount of detail the GR3 can extract from the groove is also noteworthy.

In a slightly less appropriate system, though, the latent high-frequency stridency the Goldring hints at becomes a little more evident – a minor lack of treble substance can become apparent. When weighed against all the things that are enjoyable about the GR3 sound, though, ‘minor’ is the word to bear in mind and it bears serious consideration to sit among the best turntables available.

Goldring GR3 turntable review: price and release date

• $1,299 / £699 / AU$1,599 (approx.)
• Launched in October 2025

The Goldring GR3 launched towards the end of October 2025, and in the United States it's priced at $1,299. In the United Kingdom it goes for £699, while in Australia it will set you back around AU$1,599.

Goldring GR3 turntable review: features

• Low-vibration belt drive motor
• Integrated phono stage
• Pre-fitted Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge

The plain fact is that the Goldring GR3 has a few more features than is the norm where a record player costing this sort of money is concerned. So where has that half-a-star gone from the ‘features’ score below? I’ll get to that, but for now let’s establish what’s what.

The motor that moves the belt that spins the platter is a low-noise, low-vibration design. The tonearm is a 237mm one-piece aluminum tube with a three-point arm mounting system - and it’s pre-fitted with an extremely well-regarded Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge, a design that’s well on the way to becoming a classic.

The GR3 is also supplied with two pairs of relatively high-quality interconnects, manufactured by Goldring’s sister company QED. One is a 1.5mm stereo RCA design, the other a 3.5mm / stereo RCA alternative, so connecting the GR3 to a full-size system or a pair of powered speakers should be no problem.

The Goldring’s stereo RCA outputs are fed by an integrated phono stage, and it’s here that the GR3’s final half-a-star goes astray. I’m absolutely in favor of record players with integrated phono stages, don’t get me wrong; it makes for ultimate flexibility, and it means the deck can slot into pretty much any system you care to mention. But the phono stage here is always on and cannot be switched off, so if you own a system with a phono stage of its own (and surely any number of people ready to spend $1,299 on a record player must do), you must avoid your own phono stage for the one fitted here. You don’t even get to compare and contrast.

Just a simple ‘on/off’ switch is all that’s required, Goldring. Is it too much to ask?

• Features score: 4.5/5

Goldring GR3 turntable review: Sound quality

• Tremendous rhythmic positivity
• Extracts plenty of fine detail
• Lacks a little top-end substance

There are some aspects of audio reproduction at which well-sorted turntables seem to excel. And the Goldring GR3 is almost a caricature of a record player in this respect; the areas where it’s at its most convincing and most enjoyable are all textbook turntable strengths.

Take rhythmic expression, for instance. The GR3 manages the low frequencies during a listen to Patti Smith’s Horses with absolute confidence, closely observing the attack and decay of individual bass sounds so that rhythms and tempos are described in the most naturalistic, fluent and convincing manner. There’s plenty of variation in the low end here, ample detail regarding tone and texture is available, but it’s the effortlessness with which the Goldring describes even quite tricky, off-kilter rhythms that lets you know you’re in safe hands.

The unity and togetherness with which the GR3 presents the whole recording is another one from the Big Book of Turntable Cliches. Detail levels are high throughout the frequency range, and (with the slight exception of the very top end) tonality is very consistent too – and there’s a real sense of singularity and performance about the way the Goldring handles the entirety of the music. As with rhythmic expression, there’s a complete lack of stress or apparent effort in the way this turntable handles the timing of a recording.

There’s decent dynamic headroom available for when the going gets especially hectic or intense. The GR3 is able to create a large and quite persuasive soundstage and there’s more than enough room available for each strand of a recording to make itself heard. The Goldring communicates eloquently through the midrange, and has just enough positivity to its overall presentation to prevent the words ‘laid back’ seeming like something that might come in useful at some point.

It’s only at the top of the frequency range that the GR3 seems anything less than nicely balanced and assured. Unlike the rest of the frequency range, which is described with quite carefully neutral tonality and a fair amount of substance, the very high end sounds a little thin and malnourished. It stops well short of hardness or edginess, don’t get me wrong, but its relative lack of body puts it at odds with pretty much everything that’s going on beneath it.

In a sympathetically matched system it will hardly be an issue but with carelessly chosen or similarly inclined partners the GR3 could conceivably bare its teeth a little more readily than is ideal.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Goldring GR3 turntable review: Design

• Belt drive with manual speed change
• Phenolic resin platter
• High-gloss black plinth

Goldring, up to a point, is being quite open about the fact the GR3 was developed in collaboration with a third party. This is the Goldring’s first turntable in over two decades, after all, so the idea of getting some outside help is probably sensible. “A renowned British hi-fi manufacturer” is how Goldring rather coyly describes its associate.

If you’re in any way au fait with the work of any renowned British turntable brands, the design of the GR3 is going to look pretty familiar – heck, if you’re in a similar line of work to me you’re probably likely to recognize the arrangement of the packaging the GR3 arrives in. But if you’re going to collaborate, then why not collaborate with the best around?

Anyhow, the GR3 is a belt-drive design, and is fitted with a phenolic resin platter. The platter is designed to increase inertia and maximize the flywheel effect (thus maintaining consistent rotational speed) by having the bulk of its considerable mass at the outside.

The plinth is built of anti-resonant composite fiber, and is finished in the sort of high-gloss black that collects fingerprints like a particularly zealous scene-of-crime investigator. It stands on three pliant, resonance-suppressing feet, and can be fitted with a supplied clear Perpsex dust cover. With the lid closed, the GR3 is 120 x 450 x 360mm (HxWxD), and weighs around 5.5kg.

• Design score: 5/5

Goldring GR3 turntable review: usability and set-up

• Cartridge is pre-adjusted for all but downforce
• Can easily be connected to many types of system
• Manual speed change

The Goldring E3 moving magnet cartridge is fitted to the tonearm before the GR3 leaves the factory, and it’s pre-adjusted for all but downforce. Dial in the recommended 2g and you’re ready to play.

Connecting to a system is very simple, too. Use one of the supplied cables to take line-level left-and-right channel information away from the turntable and into an ‘aux’ or other line-level input on your set-up – anything from a powered speaker to a full-on hi-fi system is fair game.

After that, make sure the belt is around the correct part of the pulley in order to get the rpm you need. The power switch is on the underside of the plinth, almost directly beneath the legend ‘Goldring - established 1906’ on the surface. Take the guard off the cartridge and lower the needle onto the vinyl… then sit back and enjoy.

• Usability and setup score: 5/5

Goldring GR3 review: Value

• Great build and finish
• Articulate sound
• Very acceptable cartridge

A good standard of build and finish, a very acceptable cartridge thrown in, and specification that makes system-matching the work of a moment all go towards suggesting there’s value for money available here. Add in the confident, articulate way the Goldring GR3 sounds and its case is approaching ‘watertight’.

• Value score: 5/5

Should I buy the Goldring GR3?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Goldring GR3 review: also consider

How I tested the Goldring GR3

• Tested over the course of two weeks
• Connected to a Naim Uniti Star network streamer/amplifier and Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature speakers
• Listening to various types of music

I connected the Goldring GR3 to the line-level analog input of my Naim Uniti Star network streamer/amplifier using the supplied QED RCA/RCA cables.

The Naim was connected to a pair of Bowers & Wilkins 705 S3 Signature speakers on FS-700 S3 stands using QED XT50 speaker cable.

And then I listened to a lot of records for quite a long time, which was not the hardship it sounds like, I have to admit. I used a Rega Planar 2 with Carbon MM cartridge and a Technics SL-1300G with Goldring 1042 cartridge as reference devices.

• First reviewed: January 2026
• Read more about how we test

CES 2026 is well underway now, and the TechRadar team has been on the show floor – and in the many private briefing rooms dotted all over Las Vegas – to see what the most important, most innovative, and most fun gadgets coming your way in 2026 will be.

We've had our experts all over the big launches as well as the smaller stuff tucked away at the back of the halls, and we've chosen our 25 favorite products of the show. We're covering a wide gamut of consumer tech here, so make yourself a coffee and dig into what we loved, and why it stood out to us.

Want to watch along and see more of the tech we loved at CES? Check out the video below!

Best phone

Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold

• A phone that really turns into a tablet
• Impressive camera system, too
• Read more: I finally tried the Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold and couldn't believe my eyes

We finally got to try Samsung's first double-folding phone (it may be called the TriFold, but there are two hinges…), and we called it a "remarkable feat of engineering that offers the potential of truly pocketable big-screen tablet productivity". When folded, it isn’t meaningfully thicker than regular phones, and it has a 6.5-inch screen… but then it becomes 10-inch tablet – so truly tablet-sized – in an instant when you fold its two sides out.

It's not just a one-trick pony, though – the TriFold has five cameras in total, to make sure it can deliver all the flexibility you want from a modern phone. There's Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy customized powerful processor, and a generous 5,600mAh battery. It's the clear stand-out among CES's phones this year.

Best earbuds

Shokz OpenFit Pro

• Shokz' first open earbuds with active 'noise reduction'
• Great fit and sound quality
• Read more: I’ve worn the all-new Shokz open earbuds for 4 days and the ‘noise reduction’ is so good, I forget they’re open-ear

The best open earbuds have become incredibly popular, but Shokz has making them for longer than most, and the new OpenFit Pro proves that it's good to be the veteran. Crucially, these are the company's first with active noise cancellation – even though Shokz doesn't want to call it that, because not having an in-ear seal means it's not quite as effective as what people think of for ANC. No, this is 'noise reduction'.

Well, we've tested them, and actually the noise reduction is as good as a lot of ANC earbuds. It's really effective, and paired with impressive sound and high levels of comfort, these are really impressive.

Best stereo speakers

Cambridge L/R Series

• 3 sizes of wireless stereo bookshelf speakers with huge power
• Dedicated bass drivers with passive radiators
• Read more: Cambridge has unveiled three active bookshelf speakers at CES and it’s not hard to see the KEF resemblance

British hi-fi company Cambridge launched its first wireless stereo speakers, and despite being modest in size, they are huge in sound. There are three sizes – the L/R X is the biggest, the L/R M is the medium, and the L/R S is the small – and it's amazing how much oomph they provide.

We heard the L/R X going hard, and the bass is enough to shake the room, despite not being that big. A big down-firing woofer and dual passive bass radiators get it to this point, delivering an amazingly full sound, with tons of detail and finesse to it as well. And they're great-looking, too.

Best Bluetooth speaker

Fender Audio Elie 6

• 3-way speaker system in a small body produces great sound
• Connections for guitars and mics, and great wireless options
• Read more: Fender just released new wireless headphones and Bluetooth speakers

Fender Audio launched two speakers and a pair of headphones at CES, and all are interesting in various ways, but during our ears-on time it was the Elie 6 that really impressed us. It's a pretty small unit, but it packs in a tweeter, full-range speaker and down-firing bass driver, meaning the sound is amazingly full and impactful – especially in stereo mode, with two units connected wirelessly.

They have interesting features, too – a combined XLR and 1/4-inch port for connecting a mic or guitar directly, and even two wireless buttons for a specific connectivity feature Fender is planning to work with wireless mics. We like the design too, with a solid carry handle.

Best headphones

TDM Neo

• Headphones that 'twist' to become a portable speaker
• 200-hour battery life in headphones mode

We love seeing something totally new at CES. The TDM Neo work like a regular pair of on-ear wireless headphones. You put them on, you enjoy some nice bassy music. But when you take them off, you can twist the flexible headband and connect the earcups together magnetically, to form a small round device. As soon as you do this, they start playing music out loud, as a Bluetooth speaker.

They have two sets of audio drivers to make this happen: one for headphones mode, and a more powerful set for speaker mode. And they're really thoughtfully designed – the headband hinges attach to each other when you twist, so you know you've done it correctly, but then they become a flat surface you can stand the speaker on.

If you prefer, you can also change the behavior so that when you twist, they pause instead of auto-switching to speaker mode. And because the speaker mode requires more power, they have huge batteries, and can deliver a colossal 200 hours of life in headphones mode.

Best toy

Lego Smart Play

• A classic Lego brick, now with sound and light magic
• All the tech is under the hood – no screens required

At first glance, Lego’s Smart Brick looks like a regular 2x4 Lego brick. Aside from a transparent top, you’d never know it’s any different. But bring a Smart Minifigure close, and that's where the magic starts to happen. If Darth Vader approaches, the Imperial March starts up. Move R2-D2 nearby and you’re greeted with frantic boops and flashes of blue light. Same goes for a Smart Tag to identify what the Lego build is – say, an X-Wing or Tie Fighter.

All of this is powered by a custom chip hidden inside the brick, along with sensors, a gyroscope, non-invasive microphones, and a sound synthesizer. Together, they let the Smart Brick understand what’s around it and respond with the right sounds and lighting effects, without adding a screen or changing the core Lego experience. For now, it’s limited to a handful of Star Wars sets, but it’s a smart, confident foundation – one that enhances play rather than distracting from it.

Best OLED TV

LG W6 Wallpaper TV

• LG's best OLED panel, in a super-thin 9.9mm body
• Uses a wireless connections box to keep it aesthetically pure
• Read more: LG announces new OLED TVs at CES

The LG W6 is a stunner in more ways than one. It uses LG's most advanced OLED panel – the new Primary RGB Tandem 2.0 also used in the LG G6 – but in a design that's just 9.9mm thick. It's also totally uniform, meaning it can be as invisible on the wall as pretty much any TV can be these days. In the image above, you can see how well it blends in using a photo of the wall behind it. To help this minimalism, it uses a wireless connections box that's capable of full-quality 4K HDR pictures, but without the tangle of cables running to the TV.

It looks like it'll be a fantastic TV, thanks to the panel and LG's latest-gen image processing, and should only cost a little more than the G6 does. That means you'll be getting something super-impressive and premium at a still-realistic price.

Best RGB TV

Samsung R95H

• Stunningly rich color and fantastic contrast
• Available in realistic sizes, and shown in an amazing 130-inch model
• Read more: Samsung's enormous micro-RGB TV is coming to smaller screen sizes, and it borrows one great feature from Samsung OLED TVs

CES has been dominated by RGB TVs this year. These are basically mini-LED TVs with a new more colorful backlight behind the pixels, meaning they offer a greater range of colors, and can be even brighter. Having seen them in action, our pick of the bunch is the Samsung R95H. It looks so lush and colorful, with impressively inky black tones, and Samsung's anti-reflective screen ensuring you can see everything, without distractions.

More than that, this is a TV available in realistic sizes – Samsung showed off 75-inch and 85-inch versions, but overall its RGB TVs will come in sizes starting from 55 inches – while still feeling cutting edge. However, for good measure, Samsung also showed an amazing 130-inch version of this TV.

Best Mini-LED TV

TCL X11L SQD MiniLED

• A twist on traditional QLED mini-LED TV tech
• Astoundingly bright, with 20,000 dimming zones
• Read more: TCL launches next-gen SQD mini-LED TV at CES – the ‘best TV in the market’ for 2026

TCL has put a fascinating twist on its flagship TV here. It uses more traditional mini-LED tech rather than RGB mini-LED – but only sort of. TCL is employing a single-color mini-LED backlight, but has applied a layer of 'Super Quantum Dots' (the SQD part) directly over the top, which filter the color before – rather than after – it reaches the LCD layer.

This means it kind of works like an RGB TV, but TCL says this approach means it can pack in way more LEDs. It can produce 10,000 nits of brightness and 20,000 dimming zones for probably the best contrast we've ever seen from a mini-LED TV. Based on early impressions, this is the closest we've seen to mini-LED beating the blooming problem completely.

Best projector

Hisense PX4-Pro

• Ultra short throw laser 4K projector with amazing brightness and color
• Up to 200 inches projected with the device just inches from the wall
• Read more: Hisense unveils two 4K laser projectors — a 300-inch beast with huge brightness, plus the sequel to the best ultra short throw projector

The PX4-Pro is the follow-up to the projector we rate as the best ultra short throw projector overall right now, so we were excited to take a look, and it lived up to our expectations. Its picture looks beautifully bright with a good light-rejecting screen – closer than ever to TV brightness – and eye-grabbingly rich color.

But it can now project up to 200 inches in size still from right near the wall, while maintaining immersive brightness and color depth, and all still in the same size of projector package. CES is full of projectors this year, but this one popped for us.

Best soundbar

LG Sound Suite H7

• The world's first Dolby Atmos FlexConnect soundbar
• A powerful all-in-one, and you can add more speakers in any position
• Read more: LG’s 2026 TVs and soundbars get the Dolby Atmos FlexConnect treatment

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is a really interesting technology that means you can place home theater speakers wherever is convenient for your room, and the system will configure their sound to create immersive spatial audio, even if they're not in the 'ideal' spot.

LG's Sound Suite H7 is the first soundbar to include the tech, delivering 9.1.6 channels of Dolby Atmos sound on its own. However, you can add a sub and satellite speakers that are positioned anywhere in the room, and the soundbar will automatically optimize them and create the ideal immersive system. It sounds amazing, and the freedom of placement is a game-changer.

Best smartwatch

Pebble Round 2

• The original smartwatch returns!
• E-paper screen means a week of battery life
• Read more: Pebble unveils Pebble Round 2 — and fixes all the original's major pitfalls

Pebble holds a strong place in the heart of tech lovers – it was the first smartwatch that really took, and now it's back with its coolest model yet. Pebble Round 2 is a sleeker, rounder watch, and using a color e-paper helps it deliver a week of battery life per charge.

Naturally, it does some fitness and sleep tracking, and there's a big range of apps and watch faces, thanks to the ongoing commitment to having open source software on the Pebble range.

Best fitness tracker

Noise Luna Band

• A screenless health-tracking band
• No subscription needed – a rarity these days

We've enjoyed the Luna Ring models, and now the brand has the Luna Band. It's a Whoop-like fitness tracker, meaning there's no distracting screen. It doesn't really feel like tech, and that's a good thing – you just live your life, and the Luna Band will offer helpful updates on your diet, workouts, sleep, mood and more. You can use your voice to tell it what meal you ate, to log your workouts, or how you're feeling – and then you can review them later on the app. The one downside is that this function uses Apple's Siri, which means it's iPhone-only for now.

Perhaps the best part is that it doesn't require a subscription on top of the device cost to do all this – people are tired of being nickel-and-dimed, and so the Luna Band looks like it'll help you stay zen in more ways than one.

Best exercise tech

Merach W60 Walking Pad

• "Treadmill-grade engineering" for a low price
• Auto-incline or manual incline options

Walking pads are getting more and more popular, especially for people who work from home and want to get some exercise in during the work day. Merach's new model promises to help you do this more easily and reliably than ever. We love the promise of "treadmill-grade engineering" for a super-sturdy feel, and Merach says it will have a 2,000km warranty.

It's available in two options: one with an auto-incline feature, and one where you'll have to manually set an incline. There's also RGB lighting and Bluetooth speakers built in, if you want to set a mood. Starting from just $299 for the manual version and $329 for the auto-incline version, this really looks like it could be the new standout walking pad on the market.

Best wellness innovation

Nuralogix Longevity Mirror

• A smart mirror that can detect blood flow in your face to give health insights
• Everything from physiological age to mental health

This smart mirror has cameras built in that combine with an AI algorithm to work out a surprising amount of health data just from your face. It's not looking at your features – it's detecting blood-flow patterns, which it can make a variety of sophisticated estimations from.

These include your heart-rate, your physiological age (as in, is your body working as well as it should for your 'real' age?) and your mental health. It appears to be pretty accurate based on early testing – it seems like an incredibly clever system.

Best laptop

Dell XPS 14

• Smart new design with usability improvements
• Intel's new Core Ultra 3 chips inside
• Read more: Hands on: Dell XPS 14 2026 and XPS 16 2026

Without question, the most exciting laptop of CES 2026 was the Dell XPS 14. While many a reviewer and tech journalist is praising the return of the XPS brand itself, what matters most – in our opinion – is the redesign of the laptop. The last Dell XPS 14 and 2025's Dell 14 Premium (the short-lived successor to the XPS 14) were both fantastic laptops that were hamstrung by some major design flaws; namely, the virtual function keys and ‘invisible’ trackpad that turned out to be an accessibility nightmare.

Those have now been fixed with a new design that is also thinner and more modern-looking than its predecessors. And with the new Intel Core Ultra series 3 chips, it’s even more powerful and better equipped to take on the Apple MacBook Air for the 'thin and light' laptop crown.

Best gaming laptop

Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable

• A 16-inch display that expands to a 24-inch display
• The flexible OLED screen literally rolls out like a scroll
• Read more: Lenovo officially unveils the rumored Legion Pro Rollable gaming laptop with expanding screen

The Lenovo Legion Pro Rollable, previously rumored but officially unveiled at CES 2026, is easily one of the most intriguing gaming laptops we’ve ever seen. Its screen expands horizontally from a 16-inch display to 21.5 inches, then once more to a 23.8-inch panel at max extension – all from a quick keyboard shortcut.

The Legion Pro Rollable is an exciting prospect for PC gamers who travel often and want desk-like levels of screen space without attempting to cram a massive laptop into their bag. Gaming aside, it also brings benefits to everyday browsing and productivity, giving you more space to organize windows at the click of a button. It’s only a proof of concept at the moment, but we'll be following it closely to see if the Legion Pro Rollable hits mainstream production.

Best computing innovation

Core Ultra series 3

• Excellent performance in thin-and-light laptops
• Particularly impressive GPU means great gaming on ultrabooks
• Read more: The Intel Core Ultra series 3 processors look impressive enough, but the Arc B390 iGPU is the real game-changer here

We’ve been waiting for the Intel Core Ultra series 3 for several months now, having seen pre-launch builds of Intel Panther Lake last year. Now the Core Ultra series 3 has launched, every laptop we’ve tried with the new chips just reinforces how well Intel has stuck the landing on this release.

This is especially true when it comes to the graphics performance of the higher-end 12 Xe core Arc B390 iGPU, which delivers high-quality 1080p PC gaming on an ultrabook – no other chipmaker even comes close in 2026. If you’re looking to upgrade to a premium thin and light Windows laptop, there’s little reason to buy anything other than a laptop with an Intel Core Ultra series 3.

Best action camera

Dreame Leaptic Cube

• Tiny modular 8K action camera
• Clip to a screen module, or just a battery

Dreame is best known for its vacuum and cleaning tech, but it used CES 2026 to announce its entry into a ton of other product categories. And one of the coolest things we saw at the show was this tiny action camera. The core here is a really small action cam with up to 8K recording, or 4K in HDR if you prefer.

But the clever part is its modular design. It has a little docking system, and Dreame showed it running into two modes: one with a clip-on battery, keeping the whole thing at a small size; and one with a touchscreen module that's larger. You can imagine all the possibilities for accessories from here, all enabling smart extra functions, not just attaching dumbly.

Best gaming accessory

Razer Project Madison

• The ultimate immersive gaming chair
• Surround speakers, haptic feedback and RGB lights all react to games

Razer has decided to throw every kind of immersive gaming chair tech into one product here. This chair uses sight, sound and touch to create something totally enveloping, taking features from Razer's products including the Freyja haptic gaming cushion and Clio headrest speakers.

This chair has speakers behind your head, which combine with front speakers to create a true 5.1 or 7.1 surround system. It has lights that react to compatible games, creating the feeling that events are happening around you, not just on the screen. And the built-in haptics deliver sensations and impacts during play. It looks like the best way to get truly lost in a game.

Best gaming innovation

Neurable / HyperX headset concept and priming software

• A brain-reading gaming headset to improve your performance
• Helps you lower reaction times and improve accuracy
• Read more: I tried a prototype brain-scanning headset designed to make you better at Valorant — and it actually works

Brain-scanning company Neurable has worked on headphones that can scan your brain activity using EEGs to help you focus and prevent burnout in the past. Now it's bringing these ideas to gaming headsets, in a collaboration with HyperX – but the focus is on improving your focus and performance in games.

We tried it out, and it really makes a difference. Using a 'priming' exercise before playing, where you have to focus your mind to shrink a cloud of dots down to nothing, we improved accuracy by a few percentage points, and the company's research has shown it can reduce reaction time by around 40 milliseconds. For esports players, this is a big deal, and the software can track your focus and cognitive load levels while playing, to potentially help with coaching and to prevent tilting.

Best robot mower

Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD

• Offers ±1 cm positioning precision via an upgraded LiDAR, RTK and Vision navigation system
• Can make decisions almost instantly with a 10 TOPS AI chip
• Read more: I just watched Mammotion's new flagship lawnbot scale an astroturf mountain, and it was mesmerizing

There were a lot of incredible robot lawn mowers on show at CES this year, but the one that really stood out to us was the Mammotion LUBA 3 AWD. It builds on the success of the excellent LUBA 2 AWD that precedes it, and is one of the most all-round capable lawnbots we've seen.

At the heart of the design is an upgraded 'Tri-Fusion' navigation system, where the bot will switch between LiDAR, RTK GPS and AI Vision depending on what's most appropriate for the situation. That means it's unlikely ever to get itself lost – the brand promises positioning accuracy to ±1 cm. Mammotion has also upgraded the processing system with a powerful AI chip that can handle 10 trillion operations per second, meaning it can make smart mowing decisions almost instantly.

Best robot vacuum

Roborock Saros Rover

• It's a robovac with actual, proper legs
• It can climb stairs, duck and dive, and even hop
• Read more: I saw Roborock's new robot vacuum with legs, and it promises to make no-go zones a thing of the past

This one is still in the middle of development, but is so cool already – and, admittedly, a little weird. This robot vacuum uses two extended legs that make it look like a Star Wars droid to get around your house more easily. Having articulated legs means it can climb stairs – including spiral staircases – cleaning them as it goes.

In fact, stairs are just the start. Roborock says the Rover is designed to be able to tackle any kind of terrain or home layout, no matter how awkward. Think of it like a 4x4 for cleaning.

It has some fancy object avoidance tech that means it can duck and dive, weave and jump, remaining completely stable throughout. We're not sure exactly what this is for, but it sure is impressive to watch. This maybe the most that a robovac has looked like a pet – it's got personality, it's useful, and we love it.

Best haircare tech

L'Oréal Light Straight +

• A straightener that uses infrared light tech to straighten effectively at lower temperatures
• Avoids the high temperatures that damage hair
• Read more: L'Oréal exec on why its new glass, infrared-powered hair straightener is so exciting

This innovative hair straightener promises to be three times faster at straightening hair, and yet will leave hair twice as smooth as regular plate straighteners do. And at the same time, it can do this at a lower temperature – always under 320°F / 160°C, compared to 365°F / 185°C for typical models. High temperatures break down hair, so reduction is a long-term good for your hair's health.

We got to try them out on – and this has been the first time we've ever used this phrase – human demo hair, and they certainly seemed to work incredibly well. This could be a huge change for a long-running industry, and that's what CES is all about.

Best smart light

IKEA Varmblixt LED Lamp

• It's a glowing, color-changing donut
• Works with IKEA's smart hub, or a Matter home system
• Read more: IKEA just revealed a new donut-shaped smart light – and it'll look sweet on your tables or walls

Sometimes, you've just got acknowledge when something is charming as hell, and that's what we're talking about with the new IKEA Varmblixt. It's a revamp of an ultra-popular lamp IKEA launched in 2022, but this new version is all about the color options, using an array of LEDs to create a beautiful soft toroidal glow.

It can be controlled with a remote, or you can connect it to IKEA's Dirigea home hub, but it also works with any Matter-ready smart home control option.

• Fully manual belt drive with heavy plinth and acrylic platter
• Built-in phono preamp and wide cartridge compatibility
• £679 / €799 (about $920)

Audio-Technica's 2019 AT-LP7 turntable is very highly rated: our sister title What Hi-Fi? said that it was "very likely the best turntable any manufacturer has ever built that sells at the price Audio-Technica is currently asking for it", and it's often recommended on audio forums.

And now, there's a new version, the AT-LP7X.

The new turntable looks very like the existing AT-LP7, and that's no bad thing: it's a gorgeous thing in matte black with a minimalist design. It's a fully manual belt-driven model that promises to focus on the fundamentals without unnecessary fuss or features you won't use.

Audio-Technica AT-LP7X: key features and pricing

The AT-LP7X comes with a J-shaped aluminium tonearm that Audio-Technica says is inspired by classic AT models from the sixties and seventies. It has a dual-axis gimbal and precision bearings for low-friction tracking and stability, and it comes with an AT-VM95E cartridge on an AT-LT10 headshell that promises excellent channel separation with low distortion. The stylus can be replaced with any VM95 series model.

The turntable contains a built-in switchable phono preamplifier for both MM and MC cartridges, and the vertical tracking angle adjustment, anti-skate and sub-counterweight enable the turntable to work with a wide range of cartridges and headshells. The supplied sub-counterweight is 16g but a 32g one is available to support cartridge/headshell combinations of up to 28.5g.

The AT-LP7X plays 33 and 45 but not 78, and its optical speed sensor and vibration-dampening motor mount promise "unwavering" accuracy. There are also spring-based isolation feet and an external power supply to reduce unwanted noise. The plinth is a heavy 40mm MDF and the resonance-reducing acrylic platter is 20mm.

The Audio-Technica AT-LP7X is available from today, January 6, worldwide. The recommended retail price is £679 / €799 (about $920 / AU$1,369).

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

One of the scariest considerations for new vinyl listeners is that the best turntables are only the first of many expensive purchases you're probably going to have to make. Unless you buy a deck with a built-in speaker, you're going to have to shell out for a pretty costly and space-hogging hi-fi set-up, involving amps and speakers, to hear your tunes.

These are two problems which audio company Victrola has set its sights on fixing, with a new speaker, released at CES 2026. This is the Victrola Soundstage, a soundbase which is due to go on sale in summer 2026 for $349.99 (roughly £260, AU$500, regional availability TBC).

A soundbase is a speaker which you can place under your record player, and they're generally used by people who don't feel the need to buy a multi-piece hi-fi setup just to hear their vinyl, whether it's for space-saving, financial or technical reasons. Soundbases also remove the need to pick up an amplifier.

On the Victrola up high

If you're buying for that first reason, then pick up a tape measure. The Soundstage measures 42.95 x 38.37 x 8.95cm, and as the image at the top of the article shows, it's roughly the same size as a turntable. Perfect for elevating your vinyl player – or, ahem, putting the Victrola up hiiiigh (sorry).

As you can imagine, offering a single speaker instead of a complex set-up can potentially impact the audio quality, but Victrola has two technologies which go some way to offsetting this.

One of these is what it calls the Symmetric Drive Woofer, a downward-firing dual-diaphragm woofer which it says delivers well-tuned and hefty bass while avoiding any vibrations. As you can imagine, shaky bass on a turntable will have you scratching tracks faster than a DJ.

The other tech Victrola has added is a Balanced Mode Radiator, which is designed to disperse music evenly around a wide area while retaining the original sound profile of your music. This will hopefully counteract the lack of stereo speaker spacing and the breadth of sound it creates, something virtually impossible to achieve when you've only got one speaker.

The Soundstage was designed specifically to work alongside the Victrola Wave and Victrola Automatic, but the company says that it'll be compatible with plenty of other turntables too. It'll connect via Bluetooth, 3.5mm AUX, RCA or USB-C and, in a first for a soundbase, Auracast – and as that list suggests you'll also be able to use the Soundstage with other inputs as a wireless speaker. A soundbase is for life, not just for vinyl.

Alongside announcing the Soundstage, Victrola also revealed a new color model for the Wave record player and Tempo bookshelf speakers. You can now get them in a walnut hue, which the Soundstage also comes in if you don't want its black option.

TechRadar will be extensively covering this year's CES, and will bring you all of the big announcements as they happen. Head over to our CES 2026 news page for the latest stories and our hands-on verdicts on everything from wireless TVs and foldable displays to new phones, laptops, smart home gadgets, and the latest in AI.

And don’t forget to follow us on TikTok and WhatsApp for the latest from the CES show floor!

• The Pro-Ject's Debut Reference 10 costs €1,199 (about $1,410 / £1,047)
• Newly developed hybrid aluminium/carbon tonearm
• New bearing block design and clean power

Pro-Ject's Debut line of turntables launched in 1999 with the goal of bringing high-quality vinyl playback to a wider audience, and since then the Debut line has been a constant presence in our best turntables rankings: the Debut Carbon Evo is our current number one. And now there's a more advanced, more premium model: the Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10.

It's a typically gorgeous and minimalist design with some important new features, including Pro-Ject's first hybrid carbon/aluminum tonearm. That's matched with a Pick it PRO Balanced cartridge, a revised version of the original Pick it PRO that promises a "true balanced" signal transmission.

Pro-Ject Debut Reference 10: key features and pricing

The Debut Reference 10 features a resonance-free acrylic platter, a diamond-cut aluminum sub-platter and a power generator that Pro-Ject says delivers a "completely new clean sine wave" for the motor, which in turn delivers enhanced speed stability. There's a new bearing block design too, with a TPE damped aluminium counterweight and adaptive anti-skating mechanism at the rear.

The tonearm is fully adjustable for both azimuth and vertical tracking angle, and height adjustment for different cartridges or turntable mat heights is just a matter of loosening two grub screws. The three feet are height adjustable too; there are three rather than four feet because the former configuration is less likely to wobble on an imperfectly flat surface.

The turntable is manual, but there is a switch here to change between 33 and 45rpm without having to do it manually. And the package includes the familiar Connect it Phono RCA phono-optimized cable for its gold-plated RCA outs.

The chassis is MDF underneath eight layers of hand-applied lacquer, with MDF chosen for its ability to reduce vibration, and all the visible metal bits are diamond-cut.

Price-wise, the Debut Reference 10 is positioned between the affordable Debut EVO 2 and the premium high-end turntables that Pro-Ject also makes: it's €1,199 (about £1,047 / $1,410).

Four figures might seem a bit much for something in Pro-Ject's beginner-friendly line-up, but just look at this thing – it's a beautiful bit of gear, so who am I to nitpick?

• It's music disc Inception
• Vinyl, CD, CD-R and CD-RW playback
• £299 (about $400 / AU$605)

If you're feeling fancy this Christmas you could treat your guests to a turducken, a Cajun creation where a chicken is stuffed into a duck and the duck is then stuffed into a turkey*. Mixx Audio appears to have created the audio equivalent: its new Analog+ all-in-one music system features an integrated CD player built into a turntable, in the center of the platter so they're concentric circles.

"We wanted to create something truly distinctive," Mixx Audio CEO Prash Vadgama says, and I would say it's mission accomplished. It's very weird, but it makes sense for people who are short of space and want a single do-everything device.

MIXX Analog+: Key features and specifications

Inspired by the look of 1980s hi-fi components and available in black or white finishes, the Analog+ is a fully automatic record player with an Audio-Technica AT3600L cartridge and the ability to play both 7-inch and 12-inch records at 33 or 45rpm.

There's both Bluetooth 5.3 and aux output. Everything is controllable via the included remote.

It's a simple design with little visual clutter; all the controls are mounted on the front where there's also a small display to show you track progress and mode selection. But while it's simple, it's also very unusual, due to that top-loading CD mechanism in the center of the turntable.

The CD player works with normal CDs, of course, but it also plays audio and data CD-R and CD-RW discs. It'll play WAV, MP3 and WMA files at up to 16-bit/44.1kHz, as well as 48kHz for WAV files.

It's very odd, and to the best of my knowledge it's the first of its kind (Mixx certainly claims as much): there have been plenty of combined LP/CD players from all kinds of firms, but they have the CD transport as a more obviously separate mechanism to the turntable.

Whether this is inspired or insanity will emerge when the reviews come in, but you can't deny Mixx's ability to think differently here.

The Analog+ is available now for £299 (about $400 / AU$605).

* I do wonder: what combinations were tried before they ended up with that one?

OK, so the big day(s) came and went, and as you'd expect, a fair few Cyber Monday deals have now been lost to the sands of time.

But vinyl is often a little slower to change (and I love it for this very reason) so certain deals on turntables do last into the day I'm now calling 'Hangover Tuesday'. And that's why we're here, so let's get to it.

Excellent deals still live in the US? I'd go with the budget Victrola Journey+ for just $75.99 at Best Buy (was $119) to the impressive, entry-level Bluetooth-enabled Sony PS-LX310BT for $249 at Best Buy (was $449). If you're an owner of Sonos speakers, you might want to also check out the Sonos-compatible Victrola Stream Carbon for $799 at Amazon (was $999).

House of Marley deals still abound in the UK, with the House of Marley Revolution for £99 at Amazon (was £149) for starters. And for step-up vinyl fans there's the Sony PS-LX310BT for £178 at Amazon (was £249).

• Shop Amazon's full post-Cyber Monday sales

Turntables don't easily become obsolete, so you can count on these vinyl spinners to provide years of musical joy. Many of the turntables here feature Bluetooth for wireless headphones and speaker hookups too. If you're looking for a no-fuss first system, you'll find models with integrated speakers or bundled wireless speakers among the deals here.

Today's best post-Cyber Monday turntable deals in the US

Today's best post-Cyber Monday turntable deals in the UK

You can read about more of our picks of the best turntables in our complete buying guide.

More post-Cyber Monday deals in the US

• Amazon: 45% off TVs, AirPods, air fryers & vacuums
• Apple: iPads, AirPods & MacBooks from $119
• Best Buy: $1,000 off TVs, laptops & headphones
• Dell: laptop deals from $249.99
• Home Depot: 40% off appliances, furniture, grills & tools
• Lenovo: 45% off laptops & tablets
• Lowe's: up to 30% off appliances, holiday decor & tools
• Samsung: up to $2,000 off appliances, TVs & phones
• Target: 40% off Christmas decor, clothing & furniture
• T-Mobile: up to $1,100 off latest iPhone 17
• Walmart: furniture, cheap TVs & vacs from $69
• Wayfair: 54% off Christmas, furniture & decor

More post-Cyber Monday deals in the UK

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

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

I didn't just take advantage of one Black Friday deal to improve my audio. I bought from two Black Friday deals simultaneously, and picked up a very nice set of Bowers & Wilkins 607 S2 speakers to go with my existing Onkyo amp.

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.

(Not in the UK? See today's best deals in your region below)

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

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.

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

Sony PS-LX310BT: Two-minute review

I'd heard of the Sony PS-LX310BT by reputation, before I'd heard it with my own ears: TechRadar’s own esteemed audio editor, consider it one of the best turntables for entry-level vinyl fans. And that’s how it ended up in the living room currently being lived in by me, a person who thought a ‘B-Side’ was just a track designed for insects.

Let's get something abundantly clear: the big selling point of the Sony PS-LX310BT is chiefly its price; this is an affordable turntable that may not offer the same sonic dexterity as pricier options, but also doesn’t cost you the same as a mid-level car to purchase it. And it's got a great rep – not just at TechRadar but among those who know about these things.

For me, the price isn’t the only factor that makes this a great entry-level position. Once you’ve set the thing up – which may take one or two missteps compared to the easiest options I’ve tested, but is still fairly simple – it’s a dream to use.

Press button to play. Press button to stop. If you love vinyl audio for its hands-on approach, you might feel redundant when it comes to this Sony deck, but turntable newbies will find it a lot less scary to operate because you'll never actually need to touch the tonearm, or lower a headshell and needle onto a delicate sliver of vinyl and potentially hear it scratch.

It’s easy to like the look of the PS-LX310BT too. Sure, it’s understated in the exact same way that almost every other turntable is, but a design like that screams ‘sonic excellence’ irrespective of price.

It goes without saying that deep-pocketed audiophiles should skip over this option; it doesn’t offer the audio nuance (or the five-figure price point) that top-end vinyl aficionados will be looking for. And some novice buyers will find that it doesn’t offer the connectivity options required for them, with Bluetooth and RCA but no simple 3.5mm out. But for most newbies, it’s a dream.

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Price and release date

• Released in April 2019
• Typically sells for $449 / £179 / AU$399
• Now available for around $199 / £179 / AU$395

The Sony PS-LX310BT was released in April 2019, so it’s not exactly one of the newest turntables on the market – although six years in analog audio isn't a long time at all. And perhaps because of this, it’s still officially ranged by Sony, as one of only two turntables on its store.

The recommended retail price of the deck is $449 / £179 / AU$399 – that’s not a typo, it’s a lot pricier in the US – although at the time of writing, it’s hard to find it for full price. Instead, I’ve found the PX-LX310BT going for roughly $199 / £179 / AU$395 in sales, which seem to happen very frequently.

It goes without saying that you should try to pick this turntable up in said sales if you can. But either way, the price marks this as a fairly entry-level turntable; it’s not the cheapest I’ve ever seen, but it’s still a more affordable option for people who don’t need audiophile-grade kit, and it still looks the business.

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Specs

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Features

• Not the easiest set-up (but also not the hardest)
• Simple and easy to operate, though a tiny bit slow
• Some connection options, but not 3.5mm

Newbies setting up the Sony PS-LX310BT might find it a little fiddly during the set-up process; you only have to attach the platter and mat and set the pulley belt, but I somehow managed to unknowingly twist the belt during placement which took a tiny amount of deconstruction to fix. I also religiously forget to remove the stylus cover every time I want to listen, but I can’t mark Sony down for that.

At least Sony doesn’t require you to do anything to the cartridge or counterweight or anything like that, and the entire set-up process took me under 15 minutes. And once you’ve done the initial set-up, it’s really easy to listen thanks to Sony's use of an automatic system in the PS-LX310BT. Press ‘play’ to play, or ‘stop’ to stop, and the tone arm will move all on its own.

I do find the turntable a little slow to react to these button presses, and if I wanted music on quickly I’d place the arm myself – because I'm experienced in such things. Thankfully this is a valid option too, with the platter spinning automatically if the tonearm is raised.

Connections wise, there are wired or wireless options. Wirelessly, you can connect devices such as headphones via Bluetooth, and I found it a quick and reliable connection. You can connect up to eight devices this way, but I don’t know anyone who isn’t a tech journalist who owns this many wireless gadgets. Wired, you can use the built-in RCA cable which plugs into the left and right jacks of an amplifier or stereo speaker. There’s no 3.5mm jack in the turntable for you to plug in your wired headphones. In this way, it slightly limits who can use the wired connection – you need compatible tech, or at least an adaptor.

• Features score: 4/5

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Sound quality

• Energetic audio
• Some detail missing
• Avoid Bluetooth if you can

Not wanting to upset audiophiles (and being indecisive), I tested the Sony PS-LX310BT alongside multiple devices, including wired and Bluetooth.

There’s a lot of energy in music played through the turntable; evidently the understated design contrasts the music played out. The Police’s Zenyatta Mondatta felt playful and fun, and Al Stevens’ ode to the feline annum reveals the singer’s vocal range and zest well, with glissandos and harmonies far more audible than if you just listened on Spotify.

You’re sadly not getting quite the level of clarity that you would on a… well, a non entry-level setup, with some detail lost, especially in the mids. But it’s still decent for the money, and there’s a reason that cut-price music-lovers have been turning to the PS-LX310BT for over half a decade.

Note to Bluetooth users: I did find that the speaker peaked Bluetooth-connected devices on occasion, which isn’t something I’ve found as much from other Bluetooth turntables I’ve tested.

• Sound quality score: 4/5

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Design

• Minimal, understated look
• Buttons hidden on front edge
• Dust cover could open further

The Sony PS-LX310BT has a minimalist look, going for the black on black (on silver) look, small unadorned dials and buttons and a businesslike tonearm. I like ornamentation as much as the next guy, but this product hits that ‘audio equipment’ serious aesthetic pretty square-on.

The turntable measures 43 x 36.7 x 10.8cm, and weighs 3.5kg; it wasn’t too heavy to stop me toting it around my apartment when I wanted to connect it to various speakers and devices dotted in different rooms. That height includes the dust cover, which you don’t have to use (TechRadar's audio editor never fits them, and removes them if they're pre-fitted), but I’d recommend. My ‘tiniest-violin-in-the-world’ opinion is that it would have been nice if the dust cover would open a little wider, to make getting vinyl records onto the mat a little easier.

The almost-straight, no-nonsense tonearm was light and easy to manipulate, though some audio purists might take chagrin at the lack of a counterweight.

Sony has hidden most of the PS-LX310BT’s buttons on the front edge. This is where you’ll find the buttons to play, to stop and to move the tone arm up and down. On the top there’s only the Bluetooth pairing button,, a dial to set the vinyl speed and the speed rotary knob. There is also a little hidey-hole on the right edge for the 45RPM adaptor, something I only noticed after 10 days of the adaptor being plonked awkwardly on the turntable’s body.

• Design score: 4.5/5

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Value

While the Sony PS-LX310BT is priced as an entry-level device, and has a feature set to match, there are a few areas in which it stands out from the budget crowd.

The ease of use and svelte design are two such departments, but these are hardly small perks, with the aluminum platter, bespoke (though un-removable) cartridge and lightweight tonearm keeping better care of your records than some super-cheap options might.

My only small value concern is this: you either need to connect it to a Bluetooth device, or something which accepts RCA-in, so your wired headphones will need an adaptor to work. But that's hardly a deal-breaker.

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Sony PS-LX310BT?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Sony PS-LX310BT review: Also consider

How I tested the Sony PS-LX310BT

• Tested for ten days
• Inputs included a series of vinyl records
• Outputs include headphones and a speaker via Bluetooth, and speakers via cable

The Sony PS-LX310BT review process covered ten days, not including the time it took to write the review itself. I have a decent-sized collection of vinyl which I used for this testing.

As mentioned, after running it in for 48 hours, I listened on multiple devices including a pair of speakers via the RCA connection, a smaller speaker via Bluetooth and a pair of headphones, also via Bluetooth.

I've been tested tech for TechRadar for nearly seven years, which has included many audio players and another turntable; I've also used turntables and other Hi-Fi kit outside of reviewing.

• First reviewed November 2025

If you're looking to join the vinyl revival on a budget, you don't need to wait for Black Friday to arrive – the turntable we rate as the best super-cheap spinner for beginners has a great deal already, and you can get it with or without stereo speakers bundled. Right now, the House of Marley Revolution is £99 (was £149) at Amazon UK – or the House of Marley Revolution bundle with speakers is £189 (was £249) at Amazon.

• Shop Amazon's full early Black Friday deals

Those aren't the only juicy turntable deals right now, though! If you'd like a budget player with built-in speakers to save space, the House of Marley Rise Up turntable is £139 (was £179) at Amazon. Or if you want something more classic from a Japanese hi-fi great, the Denon DP29FE2 is now £109 (was £179) at Amazon.

(Not in the UK? See today's best deals in your region below)

Today's best turntable Black Friday deals

In our full House of Marley Revolution review, we said that it's "one of the best-value turntables we’ve tested", so getting an extra 33% discount just compounds that.

We liked the ease of use and the convincing analogue sound quality. It's not fully automatic, but it does help you out – "Lift the tonearm over a record and the platter will start spinning automatically. Lower it and you’ll be rewarded with audio that’s surprisingly rich for a budget deck," we said in the review. It's nice that it's not just a button to start playing – you have to take part in the ritual.

We said that it's "the definition of a plug-and-play turntable" – and Bluetooth was seamless to use as well, so it's easy to connect to headphones or a Bluetooth speaker if you don't use House of Marley's own from its bundle.

We also said that it doesn't feel cheap – and House of Marley uses materials from sustainable sources, which we're always happy to see. All of this combines to mean we include it in our list of the best turntables of all kinds, as the top option for a really cheap beginner-friendly deck, so we're heartily recommending it for this price if you're looking to buy in this budget range!

Shop more of today's best Black Friday sales

• Amazon: up to 66% off tech & essentials
• AO: up to £500 off Dyson, Bosch & Hisense
• Argos: up to 50% off appliances, tech & toys
• Boots: save on 1,000s of beauty products
• Currys: deals on Ninja, Shark & Lenovo
• Dell: laptops from £279
• Dyson: up to £550 off vacuums
• EE: Switch 2 bundles from £20/month
• John Lewis: up to 50% off tech & fashion
• Lego: sets & accessories from £2.99
• Samsung: deals on appliances & phones
• Very: up to 40% off tech, toys & fashion

Technics SL-1300G turntable: two-minute review

Technics has a new direct-drive turntable, and because it’s part of the company’s upmarket ‘Grand Class’, it’s engineered to within an inch of its life and has a price-tag that will make you swallow hard.

Mind you, it’s not as if the company doesn’t feel like it’s offering value for money with the Technics SL-1300G. Between the twin-rotor ‘cogless’ motor, transformerless power supply, elaborate tonearm arrangement and overall sensation of bank-vault build quality (the platter alone weighs almost 4kg), the SL-1300G is a substantial proposition in every respect. Apart from the small matter of a cartridge, that is – Technics doesn’t provide one and you should probably budget another $500 or so on one of the many reputable brands who will sell you something appropriate.

Once you’ve swallowed this particular pill, there’s a great deal to enjoy about the SL-1300G. It sounds an absolute treat in the right system – its ability to analyze, contextualize and generally peer deep into the grooves of your records in a hunt for information is remarkable. And it balances this attitude with a sort of thrillingly musical, thoroughly absorbing and effortless naturalistic stance that makes every listen as entertaining and engrossing as can be.

In fact, as long as you take a moment to ensure your system isn’t going to goad the Technics into overdoing the high frequencies – it’s right on the edge where treble sounds are concerned, and won’t take much of a push to tip it over – there’s really nothing of any significance to complain about.

One of the best turntables on the market? It's definitely in the conversation.

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: price and release date

• $3,299 / £2,799 / AU$4,999
• Launched in September 2024

The Technics SL-1300G direct-drive turntable is on sale now, and in the United States it's priced at $3,299. In the United Kingdom it’s more like £2,799, while in Australia it costs AU$4,999.

Not cheap, is it? And it’s not the end of your spending, either – Technics doesn’t supply a cartridge. So what is it offering for what is quite a lot of money (with the need to spend a fair bit more)?

After all, it’s not as if you’re short of high-quality alternatives…

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: features

• 230mm S-shaped aluminum tonearm
• Twin-rotor ‘coreless’ direct drive motor
• Low-noise, high-speed switching power supply

For the feature-set of the SL-1300G, Technics has allowed itself to be influenced by a couple of the more widely acclaimed turntables of the last couple of years: its own SL-1200G and SL-1200GR2. After all, if it ain’t broke etc and so on…

The motor that turns the SL-1300G’s platter is a variation on the one fitted to the SL-1200G, a model that launched in 2018 with a $4,000-plus price-tag attached. It’s based on the ‘coreless’ direct drive principles Technics first introduced in 2016: by removing the motor’s iron core, rotational instability (‘cogging’, as it’s colloquially known) can be reduced to vanishing point. In this implementation, a twin-rotor design reduces rotational vibration and minimizes the load on the bearings too.

The SL-1300G uses the Delta Sigma (ΔΣ) motor control software and drive system from last year’s SL-1200GR2, finessed and optimized for this application. The company’s prowess where PWM (pulse width modulation) is brought to bear in an effort to minimize even minor rotational inaccuracies along with errors in the drive signal. Because if you can deliver smooth, consistent rotation, argues Technics, you deliver smooth, consistent sound.

Further measures have been taken to ensure mechanical and, by extension, sonic accuracy. The SL-1300G uses a low-noise switching circuit that makes the more common transformer power supply redundant, which in turns makes the requirement for vibration-suppressing technologies that transformers tend to require redundant, too. Any residual noise in this transformerless power supply is identified by ‘current injection’ technology that applies inverse phase current to eliminate it. This, suggests Technics, is more effective than the common or garden ‘regulator’ alternative.

On the outside, the SL-1300G uses a rigid and lightweight aluminum pipe tonearm – it’s your classic static-balance S-shape and is 230mm long before the headshell is fitted. Technics supplies a headshell, of course, but what is conspicuous by its absence is a cartridge. The company is prepared to go on, at length, about how this omission allows you to select your preferred cartridge free from its interference, but it seems to me that a sum of money like this spent on a turntable ought to buy you the cartridge the manufacturer thinks is most appropriate. And, what’s more, to find it pre-fitted to the headshell.

The tonearm is connected to the surface of the turntable via gimbal suspension with a high-precision bearing. There’s anti-skate adjustment, a multi-part counterweight, tonearm lock and tonearm lift all incorporated. Getting the signal from the tonearm and out to an amplifier occurs via a pair of gold-plated stereo RCA outputs recessed deep beneath the main body of the SL-1300G. Technics supplies a pair of absolutely bog-standard RCA cables more commonly associated with turntables costing about 10 per cent of the price of this one.

• Features score: 5/5

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: Sound quality

• Notable clarity, detail and low-frequency presence
• Energetic and dynamic attitude
• As confident at the top end as it dares to be

Some record players have a very specific character or attitude, or a comfort zone out of which they are unwilling to tread. The Technics SL-1300G, it’s safe to say, is not one of those record players. There isn’t a style of music it sounds uncomfortable with – as far as attitude is concerned, “it’s all good” seems to cover it.

During the course of this review I listen to everything from a heavyweight reissue of Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating in Space by Spiritualized to a ‘pre-loved’ (for which read ‘second-hand’) copy of The Strip Goes On by Orchester Werner Müller and many points in between, and at every turn the Technics covers every base. It’s a vibrant, energetic and engrossing performer, but it’s capable of forensic levels of analysis and insight at the same time.

Its frequency response, from the top of the range to the bottom, is smooth and even. Its overall tonality (with the mild exception of the top of the frequency range, which I’ll come to shortly) is neutral and natural. And its ability to allow music to just flow in the most confident and convincing manner is, even by the vaunted standards of the vinyl format, impressive in the extreme.

It digs deep and hits hard at the bottom of the frequency range, but both where control and insight are concerned it’s a spectacular performer. Bass sounds are solid and varied, with ample detail regarding tone and texture made available, while the SL-1300G controls the attack or decay of individual notes or hits with such purpose that rhythms are expressed in compelling fashion. It’s similarly accomplished in the midrange; there’s no fleeting detail that evades it, no secret of a singer’s technique or emotional state to which it’s not party. It communicates in absolute torrents, and in the most unforced and vivid manner – the balance it strikes between ‘analysis’ and ‘entertainment’ is outstanding.

Despite the significant levels of drive and attack it can summon, it never sounds stressed or uncontrolled. Though it can create a large and spacious soundstage, it presents music as a tightly unified whole, a singular event – the impression of performers operating in symphony, as opposed to a collection of individuals, is palpable.

Really, it’s only at the top of the frequency range that there are any noteworthy issues, and they can be mitigated without too much difficulty. The SL-1300G is a forthright and assertive performer where treble response is concerned, demonstrating as much confidence as is practical. Unlike the rest of the frequency range, though, the top end here is provokable – inserted into a system that’s similarly uninhibited where treble sounds are concerned, it’s possible that high frequencies could become a little edgy or strident.

So, a degree of system-matching is in order. The Technics won’t thank you for pairing it with speakers and/or amplification that share its high-end enthusiasm. Once you get over that particular hurdle, though, there’s nothing much else you need to do except sit back and revel in the sound this turntable produces.

• Sound quality score: 4.5/5

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: Design

• Black or silver finish
• 173 x 453 x 372mm (HxWxD)
• 13kg

Broadly speaking, the SL-1300G looks like a record player. More specifically, it looks like a Technics turntable. Whether or not you think that’s a good thing is a matter of taste, but there’s no denying that the company’s turntables have a reasonably strong visual identity.

From top to bottom, there’s no mistaking the SL-1300G as the product of any other company. Its 173 x 453 x 372mm (HxWxD) includes a sturdy Perspex dust cover, and its two-part chassis stands on four equally sturdy, extremely pliant and frankly over-engineered silicone rubber insulators – because Technics deals in nothing as straightforward as ‘feet’, of course.

The chassis itself is a rigid and profoundly vibration-resistant construction. The base is made of bulk molding compound and is topped by a die-cast aluminum plate, and further vibration damping is achieved by reinforcing ribs deployed between the tonearm assembly and the motor.

As is usual with Technics turntables, the SL-1300G features a ‘power on/off’ button above a ‘start/stop’ button on the bottom left of the top plate. There are also a pair of speed-selection buttons for ‘33.3’ or ‘45’ – press them at the same time and your turntable will be able to turn at 78rpm.

All in, the SL-1300G weighs a chunky 13kg - and a full 3.6kg of this is accounted for by the platter. It’s a three-layer item, with an aluminum main body, a 2mm layer of brass across the top and a hefty quantity of deadening rubber covering the whole of the rear surface. It offers considerable vibration damping, impressive resonance rejection, smooth rotational stability and significant inertial mass. In essence, it’s the same as the platter fitted to the (appreciably more expensive) SL-1200G.

Every SL-1300G is balanced after it’s assembled – because if the weight distribution of the turntable is uneven, the rotation of the platter can cause noise and vibration. How do you know your SL-1300G has been balanced in the Technics factory before it’s packaged up? By the little ‘BALANCED’ sticker on the underside of the platter.

• Design score: 5/5

Technics SL-1300G turntable review: usability and set-up

• Source and fit a cartridge
• Bin the supplied RCA cables in favor of something more appropriate
• Do the usual stuff regarding counterweight, anti-skate and so on

Unusually for the ‘usability and setup’ section, I’m going to have to talk about the need for you to spend yet more money. Because if you don’t, the SL-1300G is nothing more than an elaborate (and good-looking) doorstop.

If you want to get a sound out of your SL-1300G, you’ll need to research, source, purchase and fit an appropriate cartridge. I’d suggest something in the region of $500 will buy you something that will do this record player some justice. Cartridge fitting and setup are among the most fiddly things you can do (in life, let alone in the context of your audio system), so try to be patient. And then when you’ve done that, you really should consider binning the freebie RCA interconnects Technics so graciously supplies in favor of something that’s actually up to the job.

Once that’s done, though, usability is a doddle. The direct drive motor gets the platter up to speed in well under a second, and the tonearm lift operates with precision. ‘Putting a record on’ has never been any less painful than it is here.

• Usability and setup score: 4/5

Technics SL-1300G review: Value

• Superb build quality and materials
• Real longevity
• But you have to spend even more money to get it working

It depends how you look at it, I suppose. In terms of engineering prowess, the quality of materials and the way they’re put together, in terms of longevity and simple pride of ownership, the Technics SL-1300G represents very good value indeed. And that’s before you factor in the many admirable aspects of the way it sounds.

But given that this record player doesn’t actually function until you’ve spent quite a lot more money on a cartridge, plus a fair few bucks upgrading the cables connecting it to your amplifier, it’s perhaps not the cast-iron value for money it at first appears…

• Value score: 4/5

Should I buy the Technics SL-1300G?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Technics SL-1300G review: also consider

How I tested the Technics SL-1300G

• Tested over the course of one week
• Listening to various types of music

I connected the Technics SL-1300G up to my home system using the supplied RGA cables. Then, I spent well over a working week listening to as many different types of music as I could, of many different genres, and varying qualities of pressing to give the SL-1300G as much of a workout as I could. And, to be honest, I enjoyed doing it.

• First reviewed: November 2025
• Read more about how we test

Majority Folio: Two-minute review

Given that vinyl records often feel like they belong in the Smithsonian, actually using them for music can seem like a scary proposition, and what doesn't help is how fiddly and delicate some of the best turntables can seem. Newbies to the vinyl game can find many reasons to stay away, but I'm here to offer one good reason to come over: the Majority Folio.

This record player – for amplification and speaker are both onboard, squirrelled away into the base – is here to downplay those reasons, and make listening to your collection (relatively) simple.

This is the joint-third turntable from British audio company Majority, following the Majority Moto 2.0 and releasing simultaneously with the pricier Stylo.

Like its predecessor, the Folio is an inexpensive turntable, and it also totes a built-in speaker, which means you don't need to buy a separate one (or indeed any phono stage or pre/power amplifiers) to hear your music. These facts alone make the device really easy to buy for people scared to take the plunge.

But beyond that it's easy to set up and use, and won't be scary for new users to experiment with. And once you decide to flesh out your hi-fi setup, the Majority Folio's support for many outputs and inputs means that unlike many cheap vinyl players, it actually can remain a central part of your kit and won't need to be replaced any time soon.

You may want to upgrade things though, because the Folio's speaker doesn't actually sound that great; it's fine as a starting-off point, or for people who aren't already too used to the fantastic audio that high-end kit can put out, but it retains all the issues of its predecessor in that it lacks a solid, weighty and impactful low-end and doesn't provide quality audio overall.

Another gripe I have with the Folio is that a few design choices show a lack of precision. The dust cover doesn't fit perfectly, and the turntable's wooden surface showed up bumps and scratches really easy. These didn't affect playback, but it's still not ideal.

One novel feature I need to bring up in the introduction is that you can plug a USB stick into the Folio and rip/record your vinyl record onto it. This can be great for digitizing your record collection, but you could also use it to create your own mix-tapes (you can split the recording and break it up by track, changing vinyl while you do) or re-record your favorites at a shifted pitch... for some reason. It's a feature with admittedly limited appeal, but I can see it being a game-changer for some music creators.

Majority Folio review: Price and release date

• Announced on April 12, 2025
• Sells for £169.95 (roughly $220, AU$340)
• No US or AUS availability

The Majority Folio was announced on Record Store Day, which was April 12, 2025. It went on sale shortly afterward.

You can buy the turntable for £169.95 (roughly $220 / AU$340), although it’s only available in certain regions, including the UK. Majority’s turntables don’t tend to go on sale in the US, and while they do in Australia, the Folio isn’t currently offered in the region.

That price puts the Folio as one of the more affordable turntables on the market, a great budget buy for people who don’t have the big bucks to invest in a fancy home hi-fi system but want something solid to play vinyl.

Majority Folio review: Specs

Majority Folio review: Features

• Easy to set-up and use
• Range of connection options
• USB recording feature

The Majority Folio seems designed as a plug-and-play dream; thanks to having its own speaker you don’t need to fuss over connecting other devices or extras, and simply plugging it into a power point is your first and last act to get it running. Well, you’ve got to add the record too, and it’s not an automatic turntable so you'll need to place the needle yourself; the record begins to spin as soon as you lift the arm.

Despite having its own speaker, and therefore being less reliant on external speakers to work, the Majority Folio offers quite a few connection options. You can pair to nearby Bluetooth speakers or wireless headphones with Bluetooth 5.3 (to transmit your vinyl wirelessly for playback, thus bypassing the Folio's inbuilt speaker), play via an AUX cord, output music from a USB stick or plug in other devices with RCA, and so the Folio can stand alone or be the nexus of a hi-fi set-up. Most of these options let you output the vinyl music, but also use the device’s speaker for other inputs.

In somewhat of a novelty, you can plug a USB stick into the Folio and record your vinyl recording onto it. It’s a neat way of digitizing your music, especially with the ability to split a recording (ie, break it up by song), although the quality isn’t exactly stellar. If you change the playback speed of a record, this is reflected in your recording, but tweaking the volume isn't.

• Features score: 4/5

Majority Folio review: Sound quality

• AT3600L cartridge in play
• Build-in speaker lacks quality
• Output sounds a lot better

At the end of the arm is an AT3600L Moving Magnetic Cartridge, a piece of kit Majority has used before. And there’s no shame in that, especially not when the first two letters stand for Audio-Technica; this is a fine-tuned piece of kit. We've seen it grace plenty of other budget options and it provides fun audio, if lacking some high-fidelity flair of higher-end options.

One of the unique selling points of the Majority Folio is that it comes with its own speaker as part of the package; if you’re at the first step of your home audio journey and don’t have a hi-fi set-up, you can use the Folio out of the box…

… although I’d recommend against it, if you can avoid it. Music from the built-in speaker sounds a bit tinny, lacking deep bass or crisp treble, and that's not just true of phono playback but for Bluetooth playing too. I couldn’t help but feel that lots of the depth, detail and nuance that the vinyl format provided, was lost when played through the main speaker. As I write this, I’m listening to Bowie’s Space Oddity, and it’s hard to make out much of the song besides the vocals, strings and cymbals.

Thankfully, as I’ve mentioned, the Folio has a range of connectivity options, and I’m pleased to report that music sounds better from headphones or other speakers. The low end has a lot more weight (even accounting for the toning of other devices), high-end is crisper and there’s a full-bodied midrange which adds to the sense of detail on a song. It’s not going to wow audiophiles who’ve tested top-end equipment, but I’d question how many such buyers have made it this far into the review anyway!

There’s nothing strictly wrong with the built-in speaker if you’re at the beginning of your home hi-fi journey, but it’s not something I’d rely on in the long run.

It’s worth noting that, according to the website and user manual, the Folio doesn’t support high-quality or low latency Bluetooth codecs. So I’d recommend buying wired speakers (see TechRadar's guide to the best stereo speakers here) if you want to appreciate your music to the best standards.

• Sound quality score: 3.5/5

Majority Folio review: Design

• Chunky, thanks to built-in speaker
• Lots of dials, ports, switches
• Easily gains knicks

As you can probably expect from a turntable with a speaker built in, the Majority Folio is a little bit bigger than some rivals on the market, and it adds this heft in the height department. It’s 14.2cm tall, 41.2cm wide and 32.3cm length-wise. And if we’re going through dimensions, it weighs 3.7kg.

The device has a classy look, with a nice wooden finish, although this material quickly showed some marks and splintering on my review unit. An S-shaped tonearm is light and nimble, though looks a little too much like a Mechano set towards the needle, which blocked my sight of the needle from certain angles (and I'm bad at placing it at the best of times). The party is at the back though with an easily-manipulated counterweight and RPM toggle hidden away from the plate.

The table begins to spin automatically, as soon as you lift the needle, but the arm cradle wasn’t totally reliable at holding the limb in place; a few times I accidentally bumped the arm and the record began to spin of its own accord. A cradle with a slight edge would fix this problem.

Elsewhere on the body you’re getting an RPM adapter plonked to the side, and then on the right edge a headphone jack as well as dials for the volume, pitch and input method. It’s a little more cluttered than some other turntables I’ve seen, but I prefer ease of use with your many functions, toggles and switches in plain view.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the Majority Folio’s buttons and dials. On the right edge there’s a USB slot as well as buttons for recording, splitting and Bluetooth pairing, while on the back there’s the range of connection inputs we’ve already discussed. Perhaps one of the benefits of a big body, is lots of room for ports and buttons.

Like most (but not all) alternatives, the Folio has a dust cover. It does its job but it’s a little wobbly, often not sitting straight on the turntable, and it quickly got quite scuffed up during my testing.

• Design score: 4/5

Majority Folio review: Value

Based on the price, specs and feature set, the Majority is a great entry-level turntable for people at the beginning of their hi-fi journey.

It’s a purchase comparable to those guitar starter-packs you can buy, which get you a budget amp, carry case and cables alongside a cheapie six-string; none of the kit is stellar, but you’re getting a nice easy package to get you started. The further you get into your hi-fi journey, the more you can augment your setup with extra speakers.

There are a few turntables on the market that are cheaper than the Majority, but most don’t have the speaker built in, giving this an easy value win.

• Value score: 4.5/5

Should I buy the Majority Folio?

Buy it if…

Don’t buy it if…

Majority Folio review: Also consider

How I tested the Majority Folio

• Tested for three weeks
• Inputs include vinyl records, Bluetooth and USB
• Outputs include built-in speaker and wired headphones and speakers

I used the Majority Folio for three weeks in order to write this review, and through the whole process it was set up in my living room (which is also my dining room and kitchen; it's not a big apartment).

I primarily listened to music from my large vinyl record library, though also used the speaker's Bluetooth playback function and also listened to recordings I'd made with the USB recording function.

For most of the testing period, I listened through the build-in speaker, but for additional listening I plugged in some over-ear headphones and some wireless speakers to get a sense for the sound.

• First reviewed November 2025

• Audio-Technica's Bluetooth turntables are solid buys
• Pro-Ject's Juke Box costs more but does everything
• House of Marley bundles may be worth seeking out

It's that time of year: the weather's changing, there's finally good stuff on TV, and my email inbox is already full of firms talking about Black Friday deals.

The event is still a few weeks away (although these days Black Friday isn't limited to the Friday after Thanksgiving; it's now Super Mega Black Friday Deals Month And A Bit) but if you're thinking of investing in new audio or entertainment gear, this is a good time to be making plans and looking at spec sheets, because you don't want to get caught up in sales madness.

If you know what you want, what it normally costs and what you want to spend, you can massively increase your chances of bagging a genuine Black Friday bargain rather than just paying the same price you'd have paid three or four weeks previously.

Turntables are frequently discounted during Black Friday and similar events, but not all turntables are equal – and if you're new to vinyl it can be hard to identify which Black Friday turntable deal is actually worth getting. I've reviewed a lot of turntables, and I'm a working musician, so I have some strong opinions on what makes a beginner turntable that really does your music justice. Here are three quite different buys for first-timers that I think you should look out for.

The all-in-wonder: Pro-Ject Juke Box E1

This is a lot more expensive than the other turntables I'm recommending here, but if you want an excellent all-in-one where all you need to add is a pair of passive speakers, then the Pro-Ject E1 is a great option. As I said in my Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 review, "This isn't a cheap-o system, and it doesn't look, feel or sound like one either."

The benefit of an all-in-one is that you don't also need to invest in a pre-amplifier or even an amplifier. And in addition to the built-in amplification, the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 has a good Bluetooth module that enables you to stream from your phone or laptop as well as streaming out to Bluetooth headphones. It's exceptionally simple to set up and delivers an impressive performance.

The launch price of this all-in-one was £599 / $799 / AU$999. But I think we'll see it for less during Black Friday – and if you don't need the integrated amplification the standard Pro-Ject E1 is a great turntable in its own right, and less than half the price of the Juke Box – here are the latest prices for that.

A great budget buy: Audio-Technica AT-LP70XBT

This excellent Audio-Technica is the baby sibling of the turntable I use at home, and it's excellent value for money. As we said in our AT-LP70XBT review, it's a plug-and-play device that's ideal for anyone getting started with vinyl, designed for both wired and wireless listening thanks to its built-in Bluetooth.

This is the successor to a long-term favorite of ours, the AT-LP60XBT, which is still available from retailers and which is also likely to feature in the Black Friday deals: at the time of writing it's going for about 10% to 20% less than its newer sibling, and that means it could be one of the best sub-$200 / £200 turntables to pick up this year – again, the best prices on that model are just below.

The one for students / small spaces: House of Marley Revolution

With an official price of just $169.99 / £149.99 / A$199 the Revolution is already aggressively priced, and I'd particularly keep an eye out for Black Friday deals that bundle it with House of Marley's wired Uplift bookshelf speakers or if you're in the UK, the Together Duo wireless speakers. Adding the wired speakers roughly doubles the price and the wireless ones cost a bit more on top, but bundles are often favored by retailers doing discounts during big sales events.

This is a super-cheap system so don't expect to impress your local audiophile. But as we said in our House of Marley Revolution review, "If you’re looking for a straightforward turntable at a palatable price, we think the House of Marley Revolution gets close to the value sweet spot. There are some cheaper Bluetooth turntables out there, but none with the same style and build quality as the Revolution." It's a particularly good option for smaller spaces such as student accommodation.

Here are the latest prices for the bundle with speakers:

• Technics SL-1200G/1210G upgraded with Delta Sigma Drive
• Gold-colored elements including the tonearm
• 1,200 + 1,210 units worldwide, from February 2026

Technics' SL-1200 turntable is quite probably the world's most famous record deck, especially if you're into dance music and hip-hop: it's been filling floors and entertaining audiophiles since 1972, and (r)evolving all the time. And now it's evolved again, with an impressive upgrade in a strictly limited edition.

The good news is that there are new Master Editions of both the SL-1200G and the SL-1210G turntables. But there's a little bit of bad news too. This edition will be the final version of the SL-1200G, although other SL-1200 models such as the GR2 and MK7 will continue to be produced.

The new Master Edition turntables will be limited to just 2,410 units worldwide: 1,200 of the silver SL-1200GME, and 1,210 of the black SL-1210GME.

What's new in the SL-1200 Master Editions?

The big upgrade here is in the drive system. Technics has brought its ΔΣ-Drive (Delta Sigma Drive) motor control system to both turntables, and according to Technics it delivers "exceptional" rotational stability and smoothness.

The drive system has previously appeared in models such as the SL-1200GR2 and SL-1300G, but this is its first time in the SL-1200G and SL-1210G.

As Technics explains, "The ΔΣ-Drive motor control technology is capable of delivering the perfect driving sine wave signal for the iron-coreless direct drive motor. By using PWM signal generation with ΔΣ (Delta Sigma) Modulation, as employed in Technics’ full-digital amplifiers, motor vibrations are reduced to the minimum, resulting in a super smooth rotational accuracy."

The motor delivers very high torque and has been completely reworked for the Master Edition to reduce minute variations and smoothen the tracking process. And its hybrid encoder features a Hall sensor, which constantly monitors and adjusts the rotational speed. This compensates for issues such as vinyl warping. And there's a new multi-stage silent power supply, similar to the one in the reference SL-1000R.

In order to make the Master Editions look distinct, Technics has incorporated gold-coloured elements including the tonearm, the headshell logo, the top panel logo, the logo badge, the dust cover logo sheet and the strobe off control.

The new Master Edition turntables will be available from authorized North American retailers from February 2026. Pricing will be announced nearer the time.

• Soul Rebel is a compact record player with under-plinth lighting and an Audio-Technica cartridge
• Rise Up is a cheaper all-in-one with less premium components
• Both models have Bluetooth in and out, and built-in speakers

House of Marley makes some impressive and affordable turntables, such as the Revolution: as we said in our review of that turntable, you get a pretty good turntable for a pretty low price: "There are some cheaper Bluetooth turntables out there, but none with the same style and build quality as the Revolution." And now the company has two new models to tempt you: the Soul Rebel and the Rise Up.

The Rise Up is an affordably priced all-in-one with built-in speakers, while the Soul Rebel is a more premium version with under-plinth lighting and a better cartridge. And while neither is going to trouble the big names in audiophile equipment, they could be among the best turntables for budget buyers.

House of Marley Soul Rebel and Rise Up turntables: key features and pricing

The two turntables have a staggered launch, with the Soul Rebel launching on 25 October and the Rise Up launching on 1 November.

The Soul Rebel has a list price of $379.99 (about £280 / AU$580) and is designed for small spaces, with a clean and compact design featuring under-plinth lighting to help set the mood. It has an Audio-Technica AT3600L stylus, which is a familiar sight in this price bracket, and it features Bluetooth in and out, so you can play to it from your phone, or send sound to some of the best Bluetooth headphones. It has a metal platter, and those built-in speakers.

The Rise Up is $199.99 (about £150 / AU$300) and comes with a ruby ceramic stylus, a plastic platter, and Bluetooth in and out again, plus speakers. It's clearly targeted at the vinyl beginner.

Both models are made from natural bamboo and blended recycled plastics, and come in 100% plastic-free recyclable packaging.

UK pricing and availability hasn't been confirmed for these two models yet but House of Marley tends to have dollar/pound parity – for example, the aforementioned Revolution turntable is currently $149 in the US and £149 in the UK – so while I've provided converted currency amounts above, expect the eventual UK prices to differ.

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• How Great Thou Art: it is 90 years since the birth of Elvis Aaron Presley
• Pro-Ject's Elvis-inspired T2 turntable features dimmable LED lighting
• We Are Rewind's cassette player proves there's Elvis for Everyone

An American Trilogy? Not quite, but it is a lovely duo from two respected names in analog audio – and I could have Such a Night with either of these products in honor of what would be Elvis Presley's 90th birthday, I'd probably end up singing my own rendition of Viva Las Vegas to my long-suffering neighbors.

Pledging My Love straight from the off, Audio-Technica's limited-edition design is one I Can't Help Falling in Love with. It's based on the turntable specialist's acclaimed T2 turntable, but features a CNC-machined plinth with integrated, dimmable LED lighting to create the iconic ‘ELVIS’ logo, a sign made of light bulbs featured in the live performance of If I Can Dream during the '68 Comeback Special.

Beneath its glowing exterior lies a precision 9-inch aluminium tonearm, adjustable spring-based anti-skating system, and a factory-fitted Sumiko Rainier cartridge. There's also a 10mm, 1.7kg glass platter and if you've got some older presses, That's All Right now mama, any way you do – because A-T's electronically regulated motor should mean simple switching between 33 and 45 RPM.

Pricing? Of course: it's available now, priced £1,199 / €1,399, which would make it around $1,590 or AU$2,465, where sold.

I can't afford it right now, but until I can it'll be Always on My Mind…

A little less conversation? You need an Elvis cassette player Walkman

I've spent a lot of time with FiiO's modern answer to the Sony Walkman and I have to say, Don't Be Cruel before you try We Are Rewind's version – I got no Trouble whatsoever with the warm magnetic hiss of cassette tape to get me All Shook Up in the music.

Also, we loved the look of We Are Rewind's WE-001 cassette player earlier in the year, and it is upon this model that the new limited-edition WE ARE REWIND x Elvis Presley Box Set is built.

Why am I calling it a 'box set'? Well, I Got Lucky and heard that only 1,957 units are being released worldwide (a tribute to the original release year of Elvis’ Christmas Album), and that your purchase includes the specially designed portable cassette player plus an exclusive reissue of Elvis' Christmas Album on cassette.

And just like Elvis knew that we can't go on together with Suspicious Minds, We Are Rewind's engineers knew they'd have to put some new tech in a Walkman to make it viable in 2025 – which is why you'll find a rechargeable battery good for up to 12 hours under the hood, as well as Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity for wireless listening via earbuds, headphones, speakers and soundbars.

Feeling like this lovely little player has kinda Stuck on You? Well, it's available exclusively online, with global pre-orders opening today (October 15, 2025) and it'll set you back $199 / €179 which is around £150 or AU$309, or thereabouts.

Again, only 1,957 are being made, so if you want yours It's Now or Never – and truly I doubt anyone who orders theirs will be writing Return to Sender on the box…

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• The Kanto Obi3 launches for $199 / £179 (about AU$300).
• Bluetooth 5.3 for speakers and headphones
• Stripped-back design with two-speed belt drive

Lots of musical things have come from Canada, including The Weeknd, Celine Dion, Avril Lavigne, Michael Bublé and Kanto Audio. And the latter has just announced the rather gorgeous new turntable you can see in the photo above. It's called the Obi3 and it's the first in a whole series of turntables the firm intends to design and manufacture.

We already know Kanto for its excellent wireless speakers such as the five-star Kanto Ren, and the Obi3 has been designed to complement them: it has Bluetooth 5.3 to stream to active speakers or Bluetooth headphones as well as the obligatory RCA outputs.

Kanto Obi3 turntable: key features and pricing

The Obi3 has a minimalist design and comes in three colors: black, white, and the sage green shown in the photo. That's the one I'd buy, because it shows off the stripped-back design rather well.

The belt drive turntable has a built-in switchable pre-amp, two speeds and – unusually for this price bracket – pitch control so you can make Justin Bieber sound like a chipmunk. The Bluetooth is 5.3 and the pre-installed cartridge is an Audio-Technica AT3600L; the J-shaped tonearm is aluminum and so is the weighted platter.

The Obi3 is priced very aggressively: $199 / £179 (about AU$300). That puts it up against some of the best entry-level turntables from the likes of Sony, Audio-Technica and Pro-ject. You'll be able to buy one from November 2025.

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If you're looking for an affordable turntable so you can play the new Taylor Swift LP and go "ooh, that's not very good, is it?" before swapping the record for some classic favorites, then today is your lucky day: Amazon has dropped the prices of tons of turntables today, including one of our regular recommendations: Sony's excellent PS-LX310BT Bluetooth turntable is down to just $198 in the US (from $499, officially) and the same Sony Bluetooth turntable is down to £179 in the UK.

• Shop Amazon's full Prime Day sale

There are plenty more deals where those ones came from (Amazon) including some big names: Audio-Technica and Denon feature prominently, with some deep discounting on both entry-level and more premium models. And of course there are tons more deals on all kinds of audio kit: check them out in our ever-expanding, constantly updated Amazon Prime Day hub.

Amazon Prime Day turntable deals in the US

Amazon Prime Day turntable deals in the UK

Amazon's Prime Day sale in the US – quick links

• Amazon Devices: 50% off TVs, Ring & Fire Sticks
• Apple: AirPods + iPads from $99
• Back to school: deals from $5.99
• Beauty: 80% off toothbrushes & skincare
• Headphones: $120 off Bose, Apple & Sony
• Health: electric toothbrushes from $24.99
• Kitchen: 54% off Ninja, Nespresso & Keurig
• Laptops: record-low prices from $175
• Tablets: iPads and Samsung from $54.99
• Toys: 40% off Lego, scooters & Toniebox
• TVs: cheap TVs from $59.99
• Vacuums: Shark, Bissell & Dyson from $49.99

Amazon's Prime Day sale in the UK – quick links

• Amazon Devices: up to 50% off Echo & Ring
• Appliances: Ninja & De'Longhi from £29.99
• Gaming: Nintendo Switch 2 – in stock now
• Headphones: Anker & Sony from £15.98
• Health: up to 68% off Philips, Remington & Oral-B
• Home: fans from £12.99
• Laptops: Lenovo, Asus and HP from £159.99
• Phones: up to 20% off Apple & Samsung
• Tablets: Lenovo & Samsung from £119
• Toys: up to 50% off Lego & Mattel
• TVs: cheap TVs from £109
• Vacuums: Shark and eufy from £99
• Wearables: up to 25% off Huawei & Samsung

• The Groov-e Vintage Turntable is an all-in-one with a retro design
• Bluetooth 5.4 and built-in stereo speakers
• Available for £59.99 or less

Groov-e has launched a "vintage-inspired" all-in-one belt-driven record player that could be handy for uni, and for anywhere else where living space (and budget) is at a premium.

The Retro Vintage Turntable looks like it's been beamed in from a Wallace & Gromit film. It's a classic suitcase design, the kind with a window in the cover to let part of the record protrude (if it's a 12-inch single or LP). There's a single control knob on the front.

Although the Vintage Turntable looks like something from around 1932, it features Bluetooth 5.4 to stream to wireless headphones or speakers. You can also use it as a Bluetooth receiver from your phone, computer or tablet.

Groov-e Vintage Turntable: key features and pricing

In terms of specifications, there aren't very many. The stereo speakers are 1W and there's a 3.5mm line out jack and a built-in alarm function. The turntable also has an automatic standby mode. And that's about it.

It seems that Groov-e is in a bit of disagreement with its retail partners: its press release says that the Vintage Turntable plays 33⅓, 45 and 78rpm records but the retailers and Groov-e's website don't mention 78s in either the marketing copy or the product specs, so I think it's safest to assume that your treasured copy of Chuck Berry's Too Pooped To Pop may have to remain unplayed.

That's unlikely to be a deal-breaker, as 78s went out of production around 1961, but there's a bit of confusion over the price as well: Groov-e tells us it's £59.99 but its own website has the turntable for £49.99 while Currys is listing it with an RRP of £54.99.

We can't speak to the quality of this player, but the list of feature sits well: it's adaptable (even if there's some debate over how adaptable), it's modern enough, and it's arrived just at the right time to impress friends in your uni housing with your unique vintage style.

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• Coreless direct drive motor and newly designed tonearm
• MDF plinth in terracotta, black or light grey
• $899

There's a new Technics turntable in town, and it comes in a striking color with built-in Bluetooth.

The Technics SL-40CBT is a direct-drive turntable featuring the same coreless motor technology as the celebrated SL-1300G, and it boasts a newly designed high-precision S-shaped aluminum tonearm.

The SL-40CBT is considerably more affordable than the SL-1300G, and while it's still a premium product, it's aimed at vinyl newcomers and people upgrading from entry-level turntables.

Technics SL-40CBT: key features and pricing

The Technics SL-40CBT has an integrated, switchable moving magnet phono stage and a factory-fitted Audio-Technica AT-VM95C cartridge with a conical stylus. And in addition to the usual hardware outputs, there's Bluetooth streaming to compatible headphones and speakers, although as yet the details of the Bluetooth version and codec(s) haven't been revealed.

The turntable has electronic speed control (33 1/3 and 45rpm) and the platter is die-cast aluminum with reinforcing ribs and a directly mounted motor magnet for reliable torque transmission and accurate speed.

The most obvious change, of course, is that new color – and the plinth made from MDF rather than the familiar die-cast aluminum we've come to expect from Technics turntables. Personally, I'd go for the terracotta one, but you can have charcoal black or light grey if you prefer something a little less eye-catching. The turntable has also been designed to match Technics' SC-CX700 wireless speakers, and it sits on vibration-resistant insulator feet.

The Technics SL-40CBT will be available from September 2025 with a recommended US retail price of $899 (about £679 / AU$1,379 before tax); pricing in other countries will be announced shortly.

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• The Luphonic H2 has no buttons or switches: controlled with a puck
• Three-layer chassis to eliminate vibration
• Unusual shape and even more unusual materials

Many turntables claim to have minimalist design, but how minimalist are they really if they have buttons and even switches? Luphonic's H2 turntable has no need for such fripperies, because it's powered by magic.

Well, not magic. But it looks a bit like magic, because to operate the turntable you simply place a small circular puck onto a subtle marker on the turntable.

If you place the puck on the marker with its dark side up, it'll start the turntable at 33 RPM. Place it dark side down and it'll play at 45. Take it off and the turntable stops.

Lose the puck under the couch and you'll become awfully familiar with The Sound of Silence until a replacement arrives.

Luphonic H2 turntable: key features and prcing

The H2 is made from a three-layer chassis shaped like a wide letter H, with a vibration-damping rubber layer sandwiched between two Corian layers – a material often used in kitchen work surfaces and made from a mix of natural materials and acrylic resin. Here it's used as part of the vibration damping setup and it's also used for the platter.

Speaking to HiFi Plus, creator Thomas Luh explained that he chose Corian because of its high density and low resonance, and for its highly polishable surface.

The H2 is belt driven by a microprocessor-controlled synchronous motor, and it drives a Corian platter atop an aluminum sub-platter and a steel spindle on a ceramic ball bearing. The chassis sits on four thermoplastic feet.

The H2 comes with Luphonic's own K2 tonearm, featuring a carbon-composite arm and a digitally printed headshell with straightforward height, azimuth and anti-skate adjustment.

The Luphonic H2 has a recommended retail price of £3,950 / $4,995 (about AU$8,205) and you can find out more at Luphonic.de.

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• The Miniot Wheel 3 has stunning sci-fi looks and genuinely clever design
• Optical stylus, hidden tonearm and integrated preamplifier
• €2,900 / $3,443 / £2,550 / AU$5,351

The new Miniot Wheel 3 is exactly what I expected the music hardware of 2025 to look like when I was growing up in the late 1970s and early 1980s: I knew that in 2025 my enormous, airy and affordable apartment on the moon would be filled with friendly robots, holographic televisions and vertical vinyl. So it's nice to be proved right about one of those things, at least.

As the name suggests, the Miniot Wheel 3 is the third generation of Miniot's vertical vinyl player. And there's some clever tech to match the retro-futuristic design.

A turntable that looks wheely good

This isn't the only vertical turntable around: we've seen various models since the 1980s, and among the current crop you'll find Pro-Ject with its VTE vertical turntable and last year's Fuse Audio Kickstarter, which looked impressive.

But this is a much more premium model, with a price tag to match: it's listed at €2,900 / $3,443 / £2,550 / AU$5,351.

Miniot says that the stylus is optical. It's not a laser – it's a diamond stylus – but instead of using of magnets or coils to convert the vibrations the stylus reads into an audio signal, it uses an optical sensor.

The stylus is teamed with an optical sensor-controlled direct drive motor and an integrated preamplifier. There's a hidden tonearm beneath the record that moves vertically from bottom to center, and the Wheel 3 can be laid flat, hung on a wall or stood on its stand.

Although pre-orders began in May, I haven't been able to find any reviews of the Wheel 3 – but there are some reviews of the previous model on YouTube from the likes of Techmoan, who wasn't particularly enthusiastic or damning: it was an impressive bit of design and unlike anything else on the market, but audiophiles would likely get more mileage from something more traditional and affordable.

But then, you don't buy a record player like this for its sound. You buy it to blend in with the rest of your apartment on the moon.

The Miniot Wheel 3 is available now from miniot.com. US, Australian and UK orders are expected to ship in around 10 weeks.

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• Pro-Ject launches new valve-based pre-amps: one compact, one full size
• Replaceable valves and wide support for MM and MC turntables
• £240 and £529 respectively

Pro-Ject has announced two new phono pre-amplifiers, the Tube Box E and the Tube Box S3 B. Both products bring the warmth of valves to your turntable setup, and the very affordable Tube Box E would be a particularly good upgrade for vinyl fans on a budget.

The Tube Box E is based on the well-received Tube Box S2, and it's been made with more affordable components in order to drive the price down: where the Tube Box S2 is currently retailing for around £339 in the UK, the Tube Box E is £240 (about $325 / AU$500).

If you've invested in an affordable option among the best turntables but are now thinking maybe you'd like to start playing around with the sound – and, in particular, adding the warmth of tube amps into your system – this looks really tempting to me.

The Tube Box S3 B is a higher-specification pre-amp, but it's still relatively affordable at £529 (about $715 / AU$1,100).

Pro-Ject Tube Box E and Tube Box S3 B: key features

The Pro-Ject Tube Box E crams a fully discrete, dual mono design into its very compact case and comes with replaceable valves, which means you can swap them out to change the sonic characteristics or just renew them when they eventually wear out.

The Tube Box E supports a wide range of moving magnet and moving coil cartridges, with adjustable gain settings on the front of the unit and both capacitance and impedance tuning via dip-switches on the underside of the pre-amp.

Pro-Ject says the Tube Box E delivers "high-end qualities at an entry-level price", and given the name, I assume it's a perfect for the Pro-Ject Juke Box E1 that I reviewed, or the newer Pro-Ject Juke Box E1.2 that was recently unveiled – both of which lack a built-in phono stage.

The more expensive, higher specification Tube Box S3 B is also valve-based, and once again the valves are replaceable. The Tube Box S3 B has a fully symmetrical and discrete gain stage, designed to be paired with a balanced-ready turntable via its 5-pin mini-XLR input.

It's larger than the Tube Box E, so all the adjustments are on the front panel, with gain adjustable from 40-65dB, multiple options for capacitance and impedance and the ability to connect two turntables at once: one unbalanced and one balanced, with the Tube Box S3 B remembering the settings for each and recalling them when you switch between them.

Both models are on sale in the UK from August 2025 – I'd expect a US launch to follow shortly after, based on Pro-Ject's recent history, with prices announced closer to the time (depending on current tariffs).

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• The Crosley C65 is a turntable and speakers for £289 / $299
• Switchable amp to use as a turntable with external components
• Bluetooth headphones support too

Crosley has unleashed a new record player package, which includes speakers right in the box so you have everything you need to get started – like a more affordable version of the Pro-Ject colorful packages I wrote about a little while back. Despite being cheaper, the new C65 is a stylish-looking package that seems like it could make a good great first system, or a system for smaller spaces.

The C65 is a belt-driven, retro-styled turntable that wouldn't look out of place in The Fantastic Four: First Steps thanks to its old-school design cues. It's teamed up with 50W speakers, which connect directly to its built-in amp, and can also stream to the best wireless headphones over Bluetooth.

Crosley C65 Record Player: key features and pricing

The Crosley C65 has a pre-mounted Audio-Technica ATN3600L moving magnet cartridge, an aluminum tonearm, and a full-size steel platter with adjustable pitch control. Its amp is switchable, enabling you to use it with external amplifiers if you want to upgrade later and just keep it as your record player, which is a nice touch of future-proofing.

The C65 is adjustable between 33⅓ RPM and 45RPM, and the package includes a 45-adaptor, slipmat, dust cover, cartridge alignment protractor and a spare NP5 stylus.

The price is £289 / $299 (at Amazon and a few other retailers), which puts it in the middle of the affordable audio market: that's about £100 / €100 more than the Lenco or House of Marley turntable and speaker bundle you're likely to see the C65 racked with at your local audio retailer, but a bit less than you'd expect to spend if you bought, say, an Audio-Technica or Sony Bluetooth turntable and something like Audio-Technica's new active speakers separately.

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• The Pro-Ject E.12 turntable costs £249.00 / €329.00
• No Bluetooth, no USB, no phono stage, no automatic operation
• The same core features as more expensive Pro-Ject turntables

Pro-Ject makes some of the best turntables around, and now there's a brand new affordable model designed for buyers on a budget. At just £249 / €329 (about $339) AU$515), it's a very low price for a serious turntable, although you'll need to provide your own phono stage (or an amp with a phono input), which might be a stumbling block for beginners, and perhaps one more cut than is ideal when it comes to features.

The claim is the Pro-Ject E1.2 gets rid of anything that isn't essential, whether that's Bluetooth, USB, any automatic operation, or the phono stage as I mentioned above. The focus is on taking the same core components as Pro-Ject's more expensive turntables and focusing just on the quality of sound-per-pound.

Pro-Ject E1.2 turntable: key features

As the name suggests, the E1.2 is an upgrade from the existing Pro-Ject E1 that I really liked in my Pro-Ject E1 review from last year. Its platter is now a 730g die-cast aluminium design with a built-in TPE damping ring, and according to Pro-Ject it delivers more stable rotation and better wow and flutter performance.

The sub-platter comes from the Pro-Ject Debut turntable and is made from glass-reinforced ABS for improved speed control and lower resonance.

The tonearm has a heavy-mass gimbal bearing for smooth movement, and it comes with a carbon-reinforced headshell and a Pick It MM E cartridge, which is a new, low-mass design with a conical diamond stylus and a miniature neodymium magnet. It's factory pre-aligned and apparently delivers precise tracking, smooth tonal balance and reduced distortion.

The E1.2 also has a single-button speed control for 33 and 45rpm, damping feet and OFC cables with gold-plated connectors.

The plinth is a solid, CNC-machined block of rigid composite fiber, and it's finished in a choice of high-gloss black, satin white or walnut.

The Pro-Ject E1.2 launches this month, July 2025. It's going to be a very tempting proposition when it comes to sound at this price, but there might be a bit of a disconnect between it being so affordable and it also not being especially beginner-friendly – we totally understand dropping the digital elements to keep the price down, but lacking a phono stage could trip up a lot of beginners.

Still, those getting back into vinyl might love this budget option, or maybe you're looking for a second turntable for another room – I'm sure it'll find its audience. And for those who do want something with a phono stage, Pro-Ject has a lot of options… in particular, the Pro-Ject E1 Phono might be what you need.

There's no word on a US or Australian launch yet, but it'll definitely be available in the UK this month.

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• The Gadhouse Retro Brad Mk II turntable is available now for $149 / £99 / AU$169
• Retro looks but modern tech including Bluetooth 5.3
• Built-in stereo speakers, and three rotation speeds

You never forget your first love, and that applies just as much to products as to people – and my first turntable love was the brightly colored Fisher-Price toy turntable of the late 1970s. So I'm delighted to see a new, non-toy record player that looks just like the plinky-plonk one I used to drive my folks round the bend with as I rocked out to my favourite deep cut, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.

The Brad Retro MKII is Gadhouse's best-selling Brad Retro turntable reimagined, so it has the same retro styling cues as before, but comes with an updated motor and belt-drive system to reduce resonance and vibration. It's also better isolated than before, which should mean less external noise.

Gadhouse Brad Retro MKII: key features and pricing

The Brad Retro MKII has RCA outputs so you can connect external speakers or hi-fi components, and there's Bluetooth 5.3 for streaming to wireless speakers or headphones. There are also twin 5W stereo speakers on board and an aux-in for external audio sources.

The turntable is switchable between 33 and 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm and there's automatic start-stop to keep things easy as well as pitch control to adjust the playback.

It's got big chunky control dials on the front, and I'm always happy to see those. What would hi-fi be without them?

I'm not sure this is going to push out the big names in our list of the best turntables, but for this price, with these features, it could definitely be a tempting option for people looking to start collecting vinyl without committing to a big setup.

The listed price is $149 / £99 / AU$169 – though I notice that in the UK, £99 is only for the Ivory colour option at the moment: Currys is listing the Green, Grey, Tangerine and Navy ones at £129. Either way, it's not a lot of money for a good range of options, and the ability to play whatever I want. Even Itsy-Bitsy Spider.

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John Lewis is currently offering a very good deal on the excellent Sony PS-LX310BT Bluetooth turntable: it's now just £198.99, down from the usual £239.

The last time we saw this turntable discounted was when it went down to £199. So technically this is cheaper still, because at £198.99 it's 1p cheaper than the previous deal. And whether it's £40 off the usual price or £40.01 off, it's a pleasing price on a terrific turntable – I doubt you'll see better than this in the upcoming Amazon Prime Day 2025 deals.

You know what you're getting with Sony: no fuss, no faff, just a sensible and well-engineered kit in a choice of black, black or black. And with this particular model you don't need to shell out for a separate phono stage either, because the Sony has one built-in. It also has automatic operation and Bluetooth, so it's a really good first turntable, as well as an excellent option for more experienced vinyl listeners.

Today's best Sony PS-LX310BT deal

My colleague, TechRadar's Audio Editor Becky Scarrott, has spent a lot of time listening to music on this turntable and she says that it's essentially the best you can get for the price. One of my best friends owns one too, so I've heard it through some pretty sweet speakers and I was very impressed.

Sound quality is excellent through wired speakers, the best Bluetooth speakers and through the best Bluetooth headphones. And because it's automatic there's none of that scratch-fear you get if you're new to vinyl or if like me, your kids have suddenly decided to get into vinyl and want to listen to your most prized possessions.

The big benefit of an automated, all-in-one turntable like this one is that there's no messing around: hook it up to your existing hi-fi kit, connect your Bluetooth speakers or grab your pair of the best Bluetooth speakers and you're good to go.

This Sony is a really good all-rounder, and its simplicity is its big strength: while many vinyl fans like nothing more than doing everything manually from setting it up to taking the needle off at the end of Side One, this turntable gets straight to the point.

If you'd like something more hands-on, we've got plenty of suggestions there too: check out our guide to the best turntables – with options from budget to "be nice to your bank manager", there's a great turntable to suit every music fan.

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play: two-minute review

The Avid Ingenium Plug&Play is a belt-driven unsuspended turntable and it’s the very smallest and simplest turntable that the company makes. This might sound surprising for a turntable with a price tag of £1,500 (about $2,500 / AU$2,500, where available) but it is a reflection of quite how far up the Avid range goes.

If you want to purchase the brand's flagship Acutus Reference Mono turntable, Nexus V2 arm and Ruby cartridge, you will need a not inconsequential £48,950 (or around $66,250 / AU$102,260, give or take) to do it. Judged by this metric, then, those aforementioned prices are indeed fairly entry level.

Most importantly, the Avid Ingenium Plug&Play is built around the same principles as the top-tier Acutus. Everything that Avid does is developed from the top down. The company begins by making the best example of something that they know how to make. When they want to make a more affordable version, they change the absolute minimum number of parts and design elements. Then, when a more affordable version still is required, this second level becomes the point from which development begins. By this process, the Acutus has become the Ingenium.

This process also means that the Ingenium is designed with different priorities to some of the best turntables at the price and it looks and feels different as well. Is the result exactly what you need in a turntable or do other approaches work better?

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Price & release date

The original Ingenium has been around for over a decade but it has changed a little in that time. Originally, it could be ordered with different cutouts from the factory that allowed you to choose different arms. You could also have one that had a longer chassis that allowed it to work with 12 inch arms. Not only that, if you were feeling really keen, you could order one where the chassis extended in both directions and could mount two arms at once. As someone who is the very definition of keen when it comes to turntables, I have owned a twin-armed Ingenium for many years as it is a fantastic piece of test equipment.

The Plug & Play was released in 2018 and quickly became the sole version of the Ingenium. By simplifying the versions, Avid could keep the price down and ensure that installing one is as simple as possible. Though there is only one version for sale, the company makes a series of upgrades that can be added at a later date, which we will cover as well.

As of May 2025, an Ingenium Plug & Play is £1,500 in the UK. In the US, the current liveliness around imports makes the price a little volatile but it appears to be around $2,500. In Australia, it is yours for AU$2,500.

This price is inclusive of everything you need to get up and running out of the box, with the exception of a phono stage. Avid does make these if you need and, as the Ingenium Plug & Play is fitted with a moving magnet cartridge, many owners will have a phono stage built into their existing electronics that will allow them to connect directly.

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Features

• Metal chassis built around a custom bearing
• Motor acts on subplatter with MDF or optional metal platter
• Upgradable power supply
• Arm and cartridge fitted

Every Avid turntable from the Acutus down is designed around the same principle. It is intended to dissipate energy away from the playing surface via the bearing. The chassis of the Ingenium Plug&Play takes the form of a two-piece cruciform with the longer section housing the bearing and tonearm mount, and the shorter crossbeam adding stability. The motor is not attached to the chassis; instead it sits in free space behind the main chassis member. The feet are pliant rubber and add some useful isolation from the outside world.

The bearing is hugely important to how the Ingenium works and considerable attention has, rightly, been lavished on it. It is set forward from the center of the chassis which means that you can see the entire assembly from the front. The bearing comprises a shaft, with the actual bearing itself sat at the top. A subplatter sits on top of this and this is what the belt acts on. On top of this, the platter is then fitted.

This platter is cork topped and used on other Avid turntables. As standard, it is made of MDF and feels pretty substantial but you can also order the Plug&Play with a metal platter. This looks very similar to the standard one but is much heavier and more inert. The upgraded platter comes with bolts that screw into the underside. These drop into holes in the subplatter to tighten up the relationship between the two. Order the metal platter at the same time as the Ingenium and it will cost you £350 ($475, AU$730 where sold) or you can order it later on for £450 ($610 / AU$940, where sold).

The Ingenium makes use of another Avid design feature in the form of a clamp. This screws down via a threaded spindle to physically press the record against that energy-dissipating bearing. This is another feature present on all Avid turntables and is absolutely integral to how they work.

As supplied, the Ingenium's motor plugs directly into the wall and simply has an on/off switch most of the way up the wire. Depending on how you place the Avid, this can make it hard to reach and it means that changing between 33 and 45 RPM is a matter of lifting the platter off and moving the belt from one motor pulley to another.

Both of these can be corrected by upgrading to the Electronic PSU. This allows for electronic speed control via a motor with a different pulley that allows two belts to be run at the same time. This is not a cheap upgrade – at £1,500 ($1,355 / AU$2,085 approx.) it’s the same price as the turntable itself and there is no saving to be had ordering it at the same time.

The arm that comes pre-fitted is something Avid calls the TA1. It is designed with a view to working with the supplied cartridge but will accept others that are content working with its fixed anti-skate system. It outputs via a captive lead and Avid has ensured that the VTA is correct out of the box. This arm is not expensive; it appears with the same cartridge on a turntable that costs £330 ($445 / AU$690, where sold) but it reflects Avid’s design priorities. Their argument is that, unless the turntable itself is correctly engineered, nothing else will be right. For some people, this price balance will seem somewhat lopsided but is a ratio that Avid employs on many of their turntables.

Should you wish to change it in future, any arm using the same mount and geometry should fit but this does not include either of the arms that Avid makes. Something that can also be done, though, is to change the stylus on the cartridge. By origin, this is an Audio Technica design called the AT-91 and it has sold in huge quantities. Roll your sleeves up and get online and you’ll find a variety of upgraded stylus options for it that simply slide on in place of the existing one and can offer substantially better performance.

• Features score: 4 / 5

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: sound quality

• Exceptionally cohesive and controlled performance
• Excellent bass; made even better with the upgrades
• Some limitations to fine detail
• Can be very good fun

Turntables are fascinating and slightly maddening things. They perform one job that has very few variables – at the most basic level, support a record and rotate it at 33 or 45 RPM, and yet, the performance they offer varies hugely. Put simply, every single design and engineering decision makes a difference to how the turntable performs. Done well, this manifests itself in how the information on the record is presented. The more capable the turntable, the better it avoids information on the record becoming congested and confused.

It doesn’t take very long listening to the Ingenium Plug&Play to realize that, at its fundamental core, it is incredibly capable. I’ve been using The Cinematic Orchestra’s Man with a Movie Camera as a piece of test material for years. The version of Burn Out used here is bigger and has a larger overall sense of scale than the original and, as the track builds, it can start to sound a little muddled. On the Avid, this simply doesn’t occur; it has the bandwidth and ability to keep everything sounding as it should. The Ingenium hangs together, even when a number of similarly priced rivals are beginning to struggle.

It also possesses extremely good bass and when I say, ‘good bass’ I mean more than straightforward low-end thudding. From the moment that lower midrange starts to become bass, there is a heft to it that is perfectly judged – weighty without tipping over into being dominating or overblown. It does rather justify Avid’s belief in the turntable itself as the final decider of the quality of playback. I have never heard anything else using a remotely similar arm and cartridge achieve the same level of sheer low-end tone and texture as what the Ingenium extracts from it.

There is more to be had from it. Avid supplied an example of the upgrade platter with my review sample and fitting this improves the bass response even further. Not only does the absolute extension improve but the texture and control to low notes improves even further. Rogues Gospel by Duke Garwood is an exceptionally natural recording, underpinned by surprisingly deep bass notes. With the metal platter present, the percussion is better defined against the mix and it starts and stops with greater precision.

Adding the external power supply (I also used the motor from my own Ingenium for this as it has the correct pulley and connecting cable) yields more performance. It might sound odd that changing the power feed for the motor has any effect on the performance but it’s important to remember that this is the only part of the turntable where electrical power is added – everything else is entirely passive. The power supply allows me to more easily listen to a 45RPM version of Peter Gabriel’s eponymous third album. The already orderly and spacious presentation takes a further step forward. Without losing the building urgency of Family Snapshot, the Avid is astonishingly capable.

There are some limits, though, that would need attention before spending £1,500 (approx. $1,355 / AU$2,085) on the power supply. The Avid extracts more from its cost-effective arm than you would ever credit but it will show its limitations. Compared with the arm and cartridge combination used regularly on my resident Ingenium (which I am compelled to admit costs more than the Plug&Play and the optional power supply combined), there is a loss of fine detail and tonal realism that is the absolute limiting factor to the Avid’s performance. As noted, changing the stylus would be a cost-effective means of starting to correct this, and there is a decent choice of arms that will bolt straight on that I would probably look at ahead of the power supply.

Crucially, though, you won’t need to rush to do this. In the time the Avid has been in situ, it’s been sharing a rack with more expensive, and notionally more capable, decks but I’ve never rushed to switch over from listening to it. What it does so effectively is balance attributes I have long associated with Avid turntables – a confidence and realism that is unaffected by the scale and complexity of the material being played, with the ability to be plain and simple good fun when you want it to be.

Playing the belated vinyl release of Superabundance by the Young Knives on the Ingenium is a neat demonstration of this. Even after a remaster, it’s not a great recording but the Plug&Play takes in its stride and will have you yelling along to the utterly nonsensical chorus of Terra Firma in fine style.

• Sound quality score: 4.5 / 5

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Design

• Simple, but attractive with it
• Superbly made
• Easy to set up
• No dust protection or cover of any kind

Avid is first and foremost an engineering company. They don’t really go in for ‘styling’ as it might be defined in the usual sense. There is absolutely nothing on the Ingenium Plug&Play that doesn’t need to be there for it to work. Despite this (or, partly because of it), I love it. The Avid doesn’t set out to be pretty but thanks to the absolute lack of frippery and adornment, it looks fantastic. You don’t need to know anything about vinyl to know it’s a very special thing.

It is also superbly made. Extracting the Avid from its box allows you to get a handle of the sheer heft of the metalwork and the precision involved in the construction. I won’t insult your intelligence by calling it cheap but I don’t know of many turntables at the price that feel anything like as substantial. It very effectively gives a little taste of just how incredibly well assembled the company’s more premium offerings are.

It also delivers on the name as well. It can be momentarily intimidating to see all the parts sat in the box when you open it but, thanks to a genuinely good set of instructions, the Avid is a pleasure to put together and should not be beyond even a complete novice. The quality and care of the execution is evident from the moment you start slotting the parts together and the whole process inspires confidence in what you're doing. Pay attention, avoid distractions and you should be spinning a record within 10 to 15 minutes of opening the box.

Something to remember when choosing an Ingenium Plug&Play is that as a 'skeleton' deck, the Avid has no dust or child protection as standard. This means that it is rather more vulnerable than some rivals to the outside world. Avid offers some covers, and other options are available, but this of course will come at an extra cost. I have generally kept an old record on my Ingenium's platter to help keep dust off the playing surface.

• Design score: 4.5 / 5

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Value

There are two levels to judging the Plug&Play. Judged on what you get in the box for £1,500 (about $2,500 / AU$2,500, where available), it’s good but there are other turntables that can keep it honest, ones which also offer lids, electronic speed control and other niceties. The Ingenium is competitive and can hold its own but it doesn’t deliver a knockout blow.

The thing to consider, though, is that the Ingenium can be taken to places that almost nothing else for the price can. My twin-armed one has the upgrade platter and the power supply and uses arms that cost more than the Plug&Play does on its own. It’s still mechanically the same basic turntable as the review unit but it can deliver a level of performance far beyond what the basic unit is capable of.

If you know you are committing to vinyl for decades to come, this is a turntable that will grow with you. Viewed in this way, the Ingenium represents rather more impressive value.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Avid Ingenium Plug&Play?

Buy it if…

Don't buy it if…

Avid Ingenium Plug&Play review: Also consider

How I tested the Avid Ingenium Plug&Play

The Avid was parked on a Quadraspire rack and run both in out-of-the-box and upgraded forms, connected to a Cyrus Classic Phono phono stage, which outputted to a Cambridge Audio Edge A integrated amplifier and Kudos Titan 505 speakers. As the Cyrus has four inputs, it meant other turntables that live here all the time could be run alongside and everything played through my standard reference system.

All listening took place in a 3.5m x 4m lounge that I use as a listening space. As well as the listed recordings, I used a huge selection of records, ranging from very audiophile indeed to Boss Drum by The Shamen which, with the best will in the world, is not.

• First reviewed: June 2025
• Read TechRadar's reviews guarantee

• B&O has reclaimed and refurbished some of its 1985 Beogram turntables
• Only 100 are available, complete with matching Beolab 8 speakers
• It's the third Recreated Classics offering – but you'll need deep pockets

Want to invest in a new hi-fi system in a more eco-friendly way? Bang & Olufsen's got it covered. Meet the Beosystem 3000c, a music system that reintroduces the Beogram 3000 turntable from 1985. And for 2025, it has been recreated and paired with contemporary Beolab 8 stereo speakers in a coordinated 'Artisan Walnut' finish.

And it's far from B&O's first planet-conscious rodeo. This is the third release in Bang & Olufsen’s Recreated Classics series, an initiative dedicated to reviving the firm's most iconic products through reacquisition, restoration and reengineering.

It's something B&O has long been championing under its 'cradle to cradle' approach (read: everything that goes into a product should be both removable and reusable), as noted extensively in the company's modular Beosound Theater soundbar, and more recently with the launch of the Beosound A1 3rd Gen.

As with B&O's two previous Classic (re)releases – the 1996 vertical CD player I heard just over a year ago and the similarly reclaimed Beogram 4000c turntable initially made in the 1970s – this series is strictly limited; just 100 individually numbered sets are available. And they'll likely sell out just as quickly as the other offerings did. Oh, how I'd love one!

The name of the game is (and has always been) restoration, reengineering and aesthetic reinterpretation. With the Beosystem 3000c, the company explains that hand-crafted walnut and re-anodized aluminum are here to "unite past and present through original materials that have been preserved, cleaned, upgraded, and future-proofed" by Bang & Olufsen’s trusted team in Struer, Denmark.

B&O champions sustainability and I love it – but upcycled doesn't mean cheap

If you want to buy second-hand hi-fi for a song, check out the tips in our feature on how to buy quality pre-owned audio kit (written as part of Sustainability Week 2025, a mere month ago), because the Bang & Olufsen Beogram 3000c does not fall into the 'cheap and cheerful' category.

Make no mistake, on top of the solid walnut back cover and refreshed aluminum panels, there's a new dust lid – and all updated while retaining the floating silhouette and pioneering tangential tracking technology that made the 1985 model special.

Why so pricey? Well, it's hard to completely refurbish a turntable – arguably even harder than building one from scratch. Here for example, all the original aluminum components have been taken apart, pearl-blasted and brushed at Factory 5 in Struer, where each unit is meticulously refurbished by hand.

And completing the system here, you also get a set of Beolab 8 stereo speakers with matching walnut lamellas and pearl-blasted aluminum shells.

Ready for the delicate topic of coin then? Brace yourselves friends: the Beosystem 3000c is priced $30,000 / £22,100 / €26,000 (so around AU$4,640, before shipping and associated duties) and is available from today, May 27, 2025.

Nobody said sustainable living would be the cheaper option…

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• The Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 is high-density acrylic for reduced resonance
• Power housed in a breakout box to eliminate interference (and to stop it ruining the looks)
• $2,000 / £1,699 / €1,999 (about AU$3,488)

If you're looking for a great gift for The Invisible Man, Audio-Technica has just the thing: its new flagship turntable is (almost) completely transparent.

The new Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 is made from high-density transparent acrylic, and has a clear acrylic platter too. The internals such as the power supply unit are housed separately, and the result is a turntable that looks so good it's almost a shame to cover it up with a record.

The acrylic isn't just there to look good, though. Audio-Technica says it provides "exceptional" resonance control, leading to sound that's as clear as its plinth and platter.

Audio-Technica AT-LPA2: key features and pricing

The AT-LPA2 is a belt-drive turntable with an optical sensor immediately below the spindle to monitor and correct the platter rotation. Like most current turntables it's a two-speed model; you won't be able to play 78s on it if you're a collector of really old records.

The turntable has a newly designed carbon-fiber tonearm that features adjustable VTA, azimuth adjustment, a finely adjustable string-type anti-skate mechanism, and interchangeable counterweights (110g and 130g) for wide cartridge compatibility.

The cartridge is Audio-Technica's AT-OC9XEN dual moving coil, which features a nude elliptical stylus and high-purity PCOCC coils that Audio-Technica says delivers low distortion and excellent clarity.

The Audio-Technica AT-LPA2 is available now with an RRP of $2,000 / £1,699 / €1,999 (about AU$3,488).

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• I can't decide if Pro-Ject's new turntable with Charlie Brown's head on the platter is cute or creepy, but it's definitely a fun collector's edition

• Pro-Ject Peanuts turntable is based on the T1 BT
• Available from June 2025 for £579 (about $763 / AU$1,190)
• Built-in phono stage and Bluetooth transmission

This year marks the 75th anniversary of the very first Peanuts comic, and to mark it Pro-Ject has created a Peanuts-themed turntable with Charlie Brown on the acrylic record plate and music-inspired Peanuts panels on the turntable plinth. All you need to do is find an appropriate record to play on it, such as – ahem – Snoop-y Doggy Dogg.

Underneath the comic capers you'll find a belt-driven turntable based on Pro-Ject's excellent T1 BT turntables. That's the model with a built-in phono stage as well as Bluetooth transmission for transmitting to wireless speakers or headphones.

Pro-Ject Peanuts turntable: key features and price

The Pro-Ject Peanuts turntable is hand-made in Europe and features a precision CNC-machined chassis, and Pro-Ject's signature one-piece aluminum tonearm. It comes pre-fitted with an Ortofon OM 10 cartridge.

The Peanuts turntable is a limited-edition release and while it's based on the T1 BT there are a few changes – that acrylic record plate, for one, but there's also a newly designed sub-platter for the belt system. That's mounted into an ultra-precise 0.001mm main bearing with a hardened steel axle and brass bushing. The glass platter that sits beneath Charlie Brown's face is a heavy, zero-resonance design.

The turntable will be launched at High End Munich this week and will be available in June from Pro-Ject and authorized retailers. The official price is £579 / €599 (about $763 / AU$1,190)

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Some of the most-wanted vinyl releases aren't new records; they're remastered versions of old favorites. But those remasters might not sound as good as you hope even when played on the best turntables – and in some case they might actually sound worse than the originals.

Remastering – creating a new master copy of the record that's then copied to discs and/or digital – is commonplace because it's a great way for record companies to sell you a record all over again. And it's catnip for music fans, because it promises to take an album you already adore and make it even more magical.

With a lot of old music, remastering really does deliver a massive improvement, so for example it can give you the clarity and low-end thump that's often lacking from early rock records because not everyone making music or playback kit really knew what they were doing back then. But for some remasters, it might be wise to wait until others have taken the plunge before deciding if you want to sign up.

It's all about the loudness war. If you've heard of it, you've probably heard of it in the context of digital music: CD, and more recently digital files. It existed before digital, but it was more of a skirmish until digital formats entered the battlefield.

The loudness war is what you get when records are being made to sound as loud as possible on digital formats and low-quality speakers, even if that takes all the dynamics out of the performance. And while vinyl is an analog medium, not a digital one, that doesn't mean it can't be collateral damage.

1, 2, 3, 4, I declare a loudness war

In a fascinating post, Jeff from Magic of Analog, Vinyl, Digital and Spatial Sound sets out the issue: some vinyl releases have been made from master copies that were created for a digital release, and that can be a problem.

Making vinyl records is as much of an art as a science, and there are physical limits to what you can do – so for example, if the bass is boosted too much in the recording, when that translates into the etching on the record, the needle can move so much it bounces out of the groove on some turntables, particularly cheaper ones.

With digital, that's not a problem, so when the song's being mastered the bass can turned way up – and that's fine… unless you then use that digital master to make the vinyl version.

The key weapon in the loudness war is compression, which reduces the dynamic range of music. Dynamic range is the distance between the loudest bits and the quiet bits, and it's what makes music breathe; artists use dynamics to make their music more involving. To paraphrase Spinal Tap, if everything's turned up to 10, where do you go from there?

Compression can turn it up to eleven and keep it there.

Used judiciously, compression can make a song sound better, and more punchy. But too much of it can create a wall of volume, and that's something you hear every day: it's why ads on TV are so loud, because they're heavily compressed so they'll get your attention.

In music, if you overcook things too much you get Californication.

How to avoid catching Californication

When the Red Hot Chili Peppers released Californication in 1999, it sounded dreadful – and the band will almost admit that now. "When it comes on the radio you want it to be the loudest thing that comes on," drummer Chad Smith told SiriusXM about the "too hot" mastering.

Producer Rick Rubin got mastering expert Vlado Mello to achieve exactly that. The resulting album was indeed the loudest thing that came on the radio. But it also sounded distorted. "Audiophiles were getting upset about it," Smith admitted.

Audiophiles were right to be. What's mastered to sound massive on a cheap radio (or in a more modern sense, on tinny laptop or smartphone speakers) is not being mastered to sound good on a McIntosh system or even something as good as a pair of AirPods Pro 2, and when you listen to it on decent kit it can be positively painful, tedious and tiring.

There's a lot of music out there that's been given the loudness war treatment since its original release. Jeff uses Prince's Purple Rain as an example, comparing the waveforms of the CD master with the 2015 remaster. The former looks like a song with lots of dynamics, and sounds that way too: it ebbs and flows like rainfall. The latter is like being thrown off Niagara Falls.

Jeff says the same applies to some remastered records by Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour, Norah Jones and others – although some genres such as jazz, blues and classical are pretty safe for loudness pacifists.

What does this mean for vinyl buyers? The short answer is: it depends. There are some absolutely astonishing remasters out there – The Beatles' 2014 remasters are rightly regarded as masterpieces, pun fully intended – and remasters that are made specifically for vinyl are usually approached with respect rather than a desire to assault your eardrums unless, of course, that was the artists' intent.

The ones to watch out for aren't the audiophile editions, the reverent restorations. They're the cynical cash-ins made from masters that were only ever destined for digital. Know your enemy – and be careful out there.

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• Toshiba has unveiled a new portable turntable for vinyl records
• Similar to the iconic Audio-Technica Sound Burger, it has a 10-hour battery
• Despite its portable design, we'd think twice about taking it to the beach

Bluetooth speakers are pretty much a necessity when it comes to a beach day or a summer day at the park, but have you ever wanted to flaunt your vinyl record collection in public? Well, Toshiba’s new portable turntable aims to answer that question.

Toshiba, though not renowned for producing the best turntables, has announced the Aurex AX-RP10, a new wireless vinyl record player expected to be released later this month designed for analog music fans who want to take advantage of their collection outside of their usual home audio set up. Pricing hasn’t been unveiled yet, though we can’t imagine it'll be long before that's out in the open too.

Though the Aurex AX-RP10 isn’t quite as pocket-friendly as other music playback devices (it's a lot bigger than the best digital audio players), it still packs a compact size of 160mm x 300mm that can be transported around in its dedicated storage bag. But how does it run you may ask? It’s quite simple; a built-in chargeable battery with a 10-hour battery life.

Let's be honest: Toshiba’s new portable turntable is strikingly similar to the iconic and re-released Audio Technica Sound Burger, which is a minor red flag in itself, given the original 1983 Sound Burger’s reported tendency to gradually scratch vinyl records over time (possibly not the Sound Burger's fault because I mean, if they're coming on road-trips with you, it's going to happen at some point). If this is the case for the Aurex AX-RP10 though, I worry for its longevity, and its audio quality likely won’t be enough to sway audiophiles.

Since the Aurex-RP10 lacks its own inbuilt speakers, there's a stereo mini audio jack for plugging in the best wired headphones or your more traditional sound system, but if you're out and about, the turntable’s Bluetooth connectivity means you can also hook it up to Bluetooth speakers or headphones (and invite a bit of compression).

I’m not saying ‘never’ when it comes to Toshiba’s answer to portable tangible music – I still think it would look great as part of a minimal audio setup, especially if you’re limited for space. Or perhaps you want to replicate a Pinterest-perfect image in your living space, something I’d be guilty of and I'm not sorry. But as far as its portability goes, the beach is the last place I’d take it; my vinyl collection is far too precious for sand.

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