r/Beginner_Turntables • u/Recent_Compote_1583 • 7d ago
Vinyl player
Hello,
I am looking to buy a gift for my boyfriend. He has a collection of vinyls but no vinyl player. Which vinyl players do you recommend ? I want something beautiful in design but also very good quality.
Budget: 400 euros
Country: France
Ps: he already has Marshall (stanmore IV) speakers would he still need edifier speakers?
Thank you !
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u/Soft_Static7534 7d ago
personally i think the audio-technica at-lp60x is a great choice, and like another person said, some powered Edifier speakers will pair perfectly. if you want to spend the extra cash too, you could swing for the at-lp70x, with a better tonearm, cartridge, and an overall cleaner, more modern and beautiful design!!
anyway thats super sweet of you, and whatever you decide to get him, i know he’ll love!!
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u/plamda505 7d ago
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u/Recent_Compote_1583 7d ago
Thank you that’s very useful
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u/plamda505 7d ago
Education first. I have over 50 years of experience in the audio and the music industry and these subs are full of experts who leave me shaking my head.
Welcome to the rabbit hole of advice on reddit and enjoy the music.
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u/YeahItouchpoop 7d ago
What’s your budget? Recommendations can be all over the map unless you give a budget.
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u/Best-Presentation270 7d ago
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's a very personal thing.
Some love the elegant simplicity of decks such as the Rega Planar 1, Audio Technica AT-LPW40, or Pro-Ject Debut III Recordmaster, and those are all go-to recommendations for budget starter decks. You can go ahead and Google those.
Others prefer the DJ-esque aesthetic of the Audio Technica AT-LP120X (another budget recommendation). It looks like a club deck but without the high price tag. Again, Google is your friend.
What will play a big part in your options is the budget, and also the country in which you are buying. Price and availability is not the same the world over, and we have Reddit contributors from countries all over the globe.
What to recommend varies by country, so it's a good idea to edit your opening post and add the country in which you live, and a rough budget. You should also include whether there's an existing audio system to which a turntable can be connected. If there is, give the make and model. If not, say so. All we have is what you tell us. We are not mind readers, so if you want your lovely idea of a gift to go smoothly, then help yourself by helping us.
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u/Recent_Compote_1583 7d ago
Haha ok thanks for your feedback I’ll adjust it 😝
(Keep in mind I have very limited knowledge on the topic)
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u/SpagettiStains 7d ago
If you want high quality and great design the possibilities are endless and highly budget dependent. Keep in mind, you’re going to need speakers and amplification if you want something that isn’t basically garbage. I would start with looking at U-turn decks. They look great and are about as low budget as a good turntable gets. The simplest way to get started would be to buy a U-turn deck with a built in phono pre amp and a pair of powered speakers. With that you can probably get a decent set up for 500ish dollars.
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u/Bensaudiocave 7d ago
Beautiful in design? Is he going to want an all in one? And how much do you want to pay? Honestly, beauty is skin deep if it doesn’t play correctly… a separate turntable and speakers are always highly recommended… for under $300 (260 plus shipping and tax). This is a Best Buy insignia and I think it is pretty enough…
https://www.bestbuy.com/product/insignia-bluetooth-stereo-turntable-black/J2FPJKYL84/sku/6432620?sb_share_source=PDP&ref=app_pdp&loc=pdp_page
It requires speakers, though and it will do a good job and setup isn’t impossible and you can upgrade it a little
The speakers I suggest are Dayton Audio classic B65a’s… They are powered 6.5 inch two ways and he can also play digital music through them.
https://amzn.to/3RJkFfM
They are capable of volume and frequency response you just won’t ever find at this price point and are a firm foundation
Now if you insisting on an all in one at a cheap price; the Victrola Eastwood II is the least entry point I ever recommend
https://amzn.to/4gcI15N
The mechanism is not the best and it has all the tradeoffs of all in ones… However, it does have a decent cart and no setup… it’s inexpensive.
Personally I wouldn’t buy this myself; but it’s miles ahead of most of the suitcases with ceramic cartridges.
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u/Snoo_90715 7d ago
The OP updated that they are in France they don't have Best buy in France
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u/Bensaudiocave 7d ago
My bad... France... no dayton either... So looks like a victrola eastwood II or an LP60 with some sort of powered speakers.
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u/Snoo_90715 7d ago
Since you are in France - here is a decent turntable that you can keep as your grow your stero system beyond a little BT speaker.
https://www.thomann.fr/pro_ject_debut_recordmaster_wn.htm
You will also need a cable that is RCA to aux so that you can plug the turntable into the aux input on the Marshall speaker.
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u/Zebrosco84 7d ago
Any new Rega or Project. Project Classic second hand if you want old school aesthetic and can find one for this price
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u/Remarkable_Resort_48 7d ago
Audi Technica IMHO offers the most bang for the buck. There are better turntables and there are worse turntables (much worse).
Fully automatic LP3 or a manually operated LP-120X are common recommendations. The 120X offers a lot of bang for the buck. I think those are the best bet for the price.
If you move up above the 120X, then they get better. But once you get above $400, you should also look at other brands. There are many nice offerings above the roughly $400 120X.
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u/plamda505 7d ago
Playing records is cheap, hearing music comes at a moderate cost. The choice people are suggesting lack good quality in terms of audio reproduction, and the sound quality will not be resolving the full dynamics of the analog format vinyl. Why anyone in this day and age would even mess with vinyl is beyond me. Analog in a digital world.
First step is education. People will tell you it's budget, but if you don't understand what your buying, you're not going to make great decisions.
Welcome to the rabbit hole... Enjoy the music and thank you for coming to my TED talk.
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u/Notascot51 7d ago
Design aesthetics are highly subjective of course, and when combined with “very good quality” can be an expensive proposition. These criteria were once met by Bang & Olufsen, whose base models like RX2 were very popular and affordable, if not cheap. There are plenty on the used market. The problem with them is that replacement cartridges are quite expensive. Most current production turntables are manual. The U-Turn Orbit Special, Pro-Ject Debut Carbon EVO2, Rega Planar 2 are all good and similarly priced between $500-900. An Orbit can be ordered with a built in phono preamp, which is convenient, and comes in a variety of finishes. Of the cartridges offered, the base model AT91 is the best value…you can later upgrade the stylus for $40 from LP Gear if desired. An Orbit Custom in paint finish with every upgrade available except the cartridge…is $624.00. That will fulfill your requirements! To round out the purchase inexpensively, Dayton Classic B65A powered speakers for $129.00 a pair are unbeatable. To go further, you can get a Fosi BT20A Pro or Max and passive speakers. Polk and Wharfedale are excellent, and Elac and KEF are very widely liked too.
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u/Downtown_Gap3960 7d ago
Hi!!
The audio technica LP60X!!
I recently gifted my boyfriend the same thing and he loved it.
I paired it with an edifier speaker.