While a record player is an all-in-one listening device, a turntable requires additional equipment before it can be used and is preferred by those who want to pick out all of their equipment, experts told us.īefore making an informed purchase of a record player or turntable, it helps to understand its main parts. Unlike a record player, though, a turntable does not come with a built-in preamp, amplifier or speaker - all of these come together in a record player to simplify the experience. A turntable is actually part of a record player: It houses the platter that holds (and spins) your record while it plays. Though many people use the terms “turntable” and “record player” interchangeably, the two aren’t the same. Turns out the experts say you don’t have to be an expert to get the most from your turntable: We spoke to turntable repair specialists and record store owners about the inner workings of turntables and what you need to know before buying one, as well as rounding up some of their favorite models. The music player can be quite complex, and words like “preamp,” “tonearm” and “rumble rating” might be unfamiliar.

If you’re new to vinyl records, you may have no idea where to look or what to look for when it comes to buying a turntable (or record player, but we’ll get to that distinction later).

Listeners are newly discovering older artists, too: In a recent survey from Dolby, almost half of respondents (and nearly 70 percent of Gen Zers) said they'd recently started listening to a song first released over a decade ago. And while shoppers from older generations are most likely to pay for music on vinyl, more than a quarter of millennials and Gen Zers (28 percent and 26 percent, respectively) said they’d spend the money in a 2019 YouGov survey. and 62 percent of all physical music revenue - according to data from the Recording Industry Association of America.

In 2020, vinyl record sales surpassed CD sales for the first time since the 1980s, totaling $232 million of revenue in the U.S. What’s old is new again, particularly when it comes to music.

Record players for sale in ireland