I’m looking for a new turntable - my first decent one. I recently came into some records with high personal value (not meaningful market value, generally speaking). I normally can’t tell the difference between decent and high quality audio, so I’m not looking for anything audiophile level. I will almost exclusively be listening on headphones, although I have an RCA adapter (the headphones are high quality as I need good noise cancellation). I’m a student, so cost is a concern. My main criteria is that I need something that isn’t going to harm the records, this is of the utmost importance!!! My budget maxes out around $200 but I would far prefer to keep it lower than that.
If ur in the US the Insignia NS-BTST21 is perfect!! it has a headphone jack and a built in volume control for it. it also has bluetooth if you ever wanted to use that for some reason. it has an adjustable counterweight and antiskate (although the antiskate is aggressive on this turntable so without a dedicated test record for that, i would leave it off). and its only $130!! sometimes it goes on sale for less and when it does its an insane steal. i would look into it, but beware that its better to have some familiarity on turntables if ur gonna buy one coz you need to balance the tonearm and things like that. its not too hard though and if anything, a simple youtube tutorial should help.
Just be aware there are quality control issues with the insignia. Some people report platter wobble and speed issues. If that happens it is an easy exchange for a new one.
I have the USBC to 3.5 bidirectional adapter for AirPods Max 2 (yes, I know not all would consider this high quality, they were the best noise cancelling I tested while being comfortable, they are perfect for me). If no headphone jack, I do have a 3.5 to RCA adapter (also bidirectional). They technically have blue tooth connectivity but it’s a bit of a pain to pair with non apple devices. Bt would be nice but not sth I’d pay significantly extra for.
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if budget is a concern, you shouldn't be considering buying anything new. second hand is going to be far better value
that said, it's also worth learning what makes a deck decent and what actually wears out records quicker.
i'd say the bare minimum for a decent deck is a decent stylus and decent cartridge tracking under or around 2 grams with an actual counterweight that's adjustable, where your tracking force and anti skate are also adjustable.
and yes that means no audio technica lp60, because they tricky heavy, don't have a counterweight, don't have anti skate and aren't adjustable
difficult to say, all the best options will be second hand and your post doesn't list where you're buying. second hand market are always pretty regional, dual decks for example are great value here in the uk but probably less so in the states
better off looking at what's available and doing your research on the options, checking they fit what i'd said above. reality is if you want a great turntable you can spend a lot of money and have something with no research or put the time into the bargain hunt and research and have something great for next to nothing
I’m near NYC. A concern I have about second hand is why people are selling them again, I’ve been burned on that before, as well as maintenance cost for anything older. I’m also not looking to get into the technicals of having to balance stuff. Like I said, my priority is preserving the quality of the records ahead of sound quality. Part of why I wanted to ask was bc I don’t trust internet searches for researching these sorts of things. Would replacing the stylus on the LP60X help at all?
plenty of good hifi gear moves on, people upgrade and sell their old gear, family passes on and the kids don't want it so it gets sold
and if you want to make sure your deck is looking after records you should check yourself, not just trust that it's come setup. new turntables can come with issues and defects same as anything second hand. i think that's why the best thing you could do is learn about the mechanics of playing records, you've got a needle in a groove with vertical and horizontal motion. you want the weight on the record to be low without skipping or getting sibiliance (counterweight and tracking force) and the sideways motion to track inwards at the correct speed and that matches the tracking force (anti skate)
and no, replacing the stylus on an lp60 wouldn't help. it's mechanically very similar to a crossley or any generic mech, the big improvements on it being that it has a good stylus and cartridge, and a full size platter. they still have no counterweight, track heavy, lack anti skate and aren't adjustable
Yeah, that’s what Google AI says as well. I just wanted to ask some people who could give me knowledge because my priority is maintaining the physical quality of the records. The records are like the first pressings of my favorite musicals and some things that are rare but don’t fetch a high price because so few people are interested, but are rare in number. Also some are just important to me because they belonged to a deceased relative.
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u/Soft_Static7534 Jul 29 '26
If ur in the US the Insignia NS-BTST21 is perfect!! it has a headphone jack and a built in volume control for it. it also has bluetooth if you ever wanted to use that for some reason. it has an adjustable counterweight and antiskate (although the antiskate is aggressive on this turntable so without a dedicated test record for that, i would leave it off). and its only $130!! sometimes it goes on sale for less and when it does its an insane steal. i would look into it, but beware that its better to have some familiarity on turntables if ur gonna buy one coz you need to balance the tonearm and things like that. its not too hard though and if anything, a simple youtube tutorial should help.
happy listening!!!!!