Our Record Player can be the crown jewel of our home, but do they need to be expensive? I believe that the Vinyl hobby doesn’t have to be expensive. Because of this I’ve researched what options are out there and have listed our top 5 Cheap Record Players.
Table of Contents
5. Wockoder, Belt-Driven Record Player
Pros:
- Price: $48-$59, which is very affordable.
- Great gift for a beginner, due to its low price and simplicity.
- The wood material feels great and solid, but the record player does not feel too heavy or cheap.
- Very easy to use, unpack > plug in > play.
- Comes with built-in speakers.
- Bluetooth receiver, so you can play music from your phone or mp3 player.
- Line out & Aux inputs on speakers, amplifiers and other devices.
Cons:
- Mediocre built-in speaker audio quality. This can be solved by connecting the record player to your own stereo setup.
- Some buyers have complaints about rigidity of the record player, causing wobbling and skipping issues. If you’re interested in how to fix this, check out this article.
- No bluetooth transmitter, so you can’t use your bluetooth speakers.
4. Byron Statics, Portable Record Player – Cheapest of Cheap Record Players
Pros:
- Price: $34-$40, so an extremely affordable option.
- Perfect gift for children & beginners. Mainly because of its low price & simplicity.
- Belt-driven that can play 7″ and 12″ records.
- Jack-in for headphones.
- Ability to use RCA connectors with your own stereo setup.
Cons:
- No bluetooth functionalities, even though the Amazon listing does give this impression. Keep this in mind.
- Record skipping issues. If you’re interested in how to fix this, check out this article.
- Feels fragile, so don’t drop it.
- Mediocre built-in speakers, the mediocrity mainly becomes apparent when playing on higher volumes.
3. Victrola, Suitcase Record Player
Pros:
- Price: $42-$60, this is obviously a very affordable price.
- Very easy to use, unpack > plug in > play.
- Bluetooth receiver for playing music from your phone for example.
- Portable, light enough for a child to carry, but not flimsy.
- Tonearm is well-weighted.
- Comes with replacement needle.
Cons:
- Quite some reports on damage during shipping. Victrola does offer a 30 day return policy. Just keep this in mind.
- No bluetooth transmitter, So you can’t use your bluetooth speakers.
- Mediocre built-in speaker sound quality.
2. Audio-Technica, AT-LP60XUSB
Pros:
- Start/stop automatization, you’ll have to press set the correct record size setting, press play and everything will be taken care of for you. It’s similar to a robot.
- USB connection to PC & Mac is possible to record what you play. Ideal for if you need to digitalize your vinyl collection.
- Phono preamp, allowing for Aux or Line inputs on speakers, amplifiers and other devices.
- Mini-jack & Dual-RCA.
- Anti-resonance materials, these materials prevent vibrations from reaching the stylus. So less distortion & skipping.
Cons:
- Price: $90-$129, now this is actually still cheap, but when looking for something cheaper this might just be too expensive.
- Installation is not as simple as most record players on this list. It comes with a visual manual, that’s not too accurate in its description.
- No bluetooth transmission, so you can’t use your bluetooth speakers with this one.
1. DigitNow, Bluetooth Record Player – Our Favorite of Cheap Record Players
Pros:
- Price: $60-$75
- All-in-one, plays & records: vinyl, casette tapes, radio.
- It can record without any extra software to sd-card or through USB.
- General agreement about good recording quality.
- Bluetooth receiver for playing music from your phone for example.
- Easy-to-use, with gadgets like a remote control for muting, changing channels, etcetera. Which is very rare at this price range.
- Can be connected to your own stereo amplifier/speakers.
Cons:
- Built-in speakers have mediocre audio quality. Lack of bass & sound artifacts at high volumes. Solved by connecting good speakers.
- Some buyers have reported issues with skipping and wobbling. I’ve written an article for this though. Check the article out here.
- Issue regarding a short tonearm, leading to it not being able to finish the last track on some of the larger LPs. I haven’t been able to confirm this though.
Hopefully you found what’s best for you! However if you still haven’t decided yet, I’d like to suggest to take a look at our other Top-Lists. Otherwise I’d like to suggest you ask around on either Vinyl Subreddit, Discogs Forums, or Vinyl Collective.
Here they are again starting on the left with the best first:
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