Turntables are back in style, with the best record players of today sporting advanced features and classic looks. Here are our top picks, with expert insights.
Forbes writers and editors independently select all products and services. If you click through links we provide, we may earn a commission.Modern vinyl records may have become mainstream in the 1950s, but the best record players today still showcase the same fundamentals that made this format so popular: warm analog sound, simple controls and a stylish design that complements your home.
After research and testing, our tech team found theto be the best record player overall because it’s easy to set up and operate, produces high-quality sound and features an elegantly simple design.is a great choice. And if you prefer to upgrade to a turntable with a solid acrylic platter and a precision-engineered cartridge, take a look at the. All of these record players will play your favorite vinyl and look sleek in any space. Here are the best record players you can add to your home today.The Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT-BK record player features a reliable aluminum platter that reduces resonance, meaning it minimizes the vibrations that can distort sound or cause skipping. “I personally look out for a solid cartridge, and this cartridge is a good baseline,” says Inki Hong, founder of Recordbuilds, adding that a quality cartridge is “critical,” as this is the part actually making contact with your records. Thanks to the fully automatic operation of this turntable, that cartridge will be lifted onto and off of records without any need for a human hand. Jeff Ferguson, co-founder of Run Out Groove Records, told us, “Audio-Technica is our go to for most people and there’s a reason why they sell so well. They’ve got a great feature set without being over priced.” This includes twin-speed playback, a reliable belt-drive system and the aforementioned cartridge—which is the component on the end of that tonearm that holds the stylus and makes direct contact with the record itself and uses a replaceable diamond stylus. You will need external speakers or headphones to enjoy the music produced by the AT-LP60XBT-BK. The speakers can be connected via hardwire or Bluetooth.The Costoco Vinyl Record Player Turntable can play seven-, 10- and 12-inch records, each at its proper 33.3, 45 or 78 RPMs, respectively. The turntable can be connected to external speakers or headphones, or it can use its on-board speakers, which can play vinyl or can play audio from a Bluetooth-connected device. A cover can help prevent dust buildup, too. The built-in speakers are pretty weak, so plan to add external speakers if you want a more robust sound. And you’ll need to be ginger handling the tonearm, which is fully manual and not too durable. However, for most, this record player will suffice. It’s also ideal for beginners who may want to invest in their first record player, too.The Fluance RT85 Turntable is crafted from high-quality components and made with care. That starts with the Ortofon 2M Blue cartridge, which is considered a top-performing moving magnet cartridge and that produces rich, warm and accurate audio. The RT85 features a solid acrylic plate that is almost vibration-free, and the solid wooden body and wide-spaced rubber feet further reduce vibrations, enhancing quality playback. An optical servo motor keeps your record spinning precise, so whether you’re listening to a 33, 45 or 78, you’ll hear the music just as the artists and producers intended. You will need to use a hard-wired speaker with this turntable. It has no built-in speakers, and it doesn’t offer any Bluetooth capabilities.The U-Turn Audio Orbit Basic Turntable is a compact and minimalist record player and features a well-made cartridge and a stable, reliable tonearm. The Orbit Basic faithfully reproduces audio and with minimal interference or skipping thanks to its steady MDF platter. You can also opt to include a built-in preamp to help balance frequencies to bolster and enhance your music. The tonearm of this low-profile turntable is fully manual, which is common both in budget-friendly and in better-made record players. This one is the latter, but note that the speed control is also handled manually, so there is some finesse required when you switch between 33.3 and 45 RPM settings. It also comes in multiple colorways so you can choose one to best suit your space.The Victrola Quincy 6-In-1 is a retro-inspired record player that can play at 33.3, 45 or 78 RPM. Because it’s a 6-in-1 machine, it can also play AM/FM radio, cassettes and CDs. It can also be paired with digital Bluetooth devices—short of an 8-track, there’s almost no recorded format this device can’t handle. For those who prefer to use a pair of wired headphones, it also features a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can add external speakers via RCA line outputs with the included cable. It’s also easy to control the record player—all controls are front and center. That said, users report the cartridge and tonearm of the Quincy are of middling quality. There are also some reports that the stylus tends to skip, especially with new records that haven’t been played through many times. It comes in multiple different wood finishes, so you’ll be able to find one that looks good in your space.The Victrola Journey Suitcase Record Player can be snapped closed and carried along thanks to a convenient handle and lightweight, six-pound build. When it’s set up for playing records, its rubber feet reduce vibrations and help stabilize the record as it plays, isolating your tunes from interference. It can also play all three classic record sizes and it can output audio via on-board speakers or via wired or wireless connection. As portable as this record player is, it still requires an external power source, so it’s not as autonomous a piece of equipment as you might expect. Plan to plug it into the nearest socket in order to enjoy your music. Still, it’s rugged and reliable enough to be brought with you on travels, and that’s something not every turntable can manage.The JBL Spinner BT turntable can be connected to external speakers via cable, but this record player is at its best when connected to speakers or to headphones via Bluetooth. Even with a wireless connection, a record’s music showcases almost perfect fidelity, so you get the convenience of a wireless connection with the warmth of vinyl. This turntable has sound-stabilizing feet and a sturdy, steady aluminum platter, and its cartridge is easy to replace as needed thanks to a tonearm with an easily removable headshell. While on the pricey side, it’s a good buy for people who want great sound without wires required.We combined research, expert advice, customer reviews and the firsthand experience of members of the Forbes Vetted team when choosing the best turntables.We considered the quality of each record player’s components, from the cartridges to the platters to the feet to the materials used to make the plinths, which is the main body of a record player. We spoke to several experts in the audio hardware space, including Inki Hong, founder of Recordbuilds, Jeff Ferguson, co-founder of Run Out Groove Records and Shaun O’Brien, founder and managing director of Selby. The record players we chose come highly recommended by fellow staffers, by verified buyers, by audio industry experts or by a combination.Most records measure 12 inches across and play at 33.3 revolutions per minute, or RPM. But 10-inch records that play at 78 RPM and seven-inch records that play at 45 RPM are pretty common, too. Take a look at the records in your collection and choose a turntable that can accommodate them; when in doubt, go with a record player that can handle all three playback speeds.A fully automatic turntable raises and moves its own tonearm, lowering the stylus onto the record to start the play and then, at the end of the record, it lifts and removes it again. Semi-automatic record players lift the tonearm after the record has been played through, but require manual placement. Manual turntables require you to place and lift the tonearm. While high-end turntables are often manual, Ferguson says there’s really no right or wrong option here. “Go with what you like to use,” he says, adding, “The higher in quality you get, the less liking you’re going to encounter a semi or fully automatic player. Semi and fully automatic are usually what you see in the entry-level turntables.” If you’re new to collecting records, Hong recommends fully automatic for beginners, saying, “Fully automatic is the easiest to start, but a lot of people actually like manual, because it is more tactile. In my opinion, it comes down to whether you want to prioritize convenience or value the ritual of listening to records.”Built-in record player speakers can be convenient, but they are almost always also going to be modest to poor-quality. “Built-in speakers can be acceptable for casual listening or space-limited setups, but they inevitably cap performance,” says O’Brien, who says that external speakers are almost always going to produce better audio. “Their larger size allows them to reproduce a much wider and more accurate frequency range, which makes music sound fuller, clearer and more natural.”A record player’s cartridge is the component on the end of the tonearm that houses the stylus, the piece that actually makes contact with a record’s grooves. “When deciding the specific components worth prioritizing when buying a record player, I recommend most people start off with the cartridge and tonearm as a single unit, rather than treating them as separate parts,” says O’Brien. Look for a turntable with a good cartridge, for if this component is poorly constructed, none of the other components can compensate and yield good audio quality.Every aspect of a turntable impacts the quality of its playback, largely by minimizing vibration that can distort sound quality. Look for stabilizing feet, ideally made of rubber, a solid platter, ideally made of aluminum or acrylic, and for a plinth made of solid wood. All of these factors help ensure good playback quality.This piece was edited by Rebecca Isaacs, who oversees the tech vertical for Forbes Vetted and who has been testing and reviewing consumer technology for years. We know that new products regularly become available and that older models go out of stock, so we will regularly revisit this article and update it as needed. This version was published in Jan. 2026 to choose all-new picks.Audio-Technica makes some of the most popular record players sold today, and what’s more, the company’s components can be found in many turntables made by other companies, especially Audio-Technica cartridges. There are many great turntable brands to consider, but Audio-Technica is a leader based on its consistent high quality.Neither is universally better—they’re optimized for different uses. Belt‑drive models tend to offer quieter operation and better sound isolation, making them ideal for home listening. Direct‑drive models start up faster and are more durable, which is why DJs prefer them. All of the models featured here are belt-drive record players.Often yes, but not always. Higher‑priced models usually have better components—cartridges, tonearms, platters—that reduce noise and improve clarity. But setup, speakers, and record condition matter just as much as the player itself.
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