Best Turntable for 2024
The Audio-Technica is equipped with a carbon fiber tonearm.
All of these turntables offer a phono-level output: an unamplified signal that RIAA equalizationI used a combination of equipment including a Rotel RA1592 amplifier, Onkyo TX-NR696 and TX-RZ50, Q-acoustics 3050i tower speakers and the Cambridge Audio Duo preamplifier.
For receivers and amplifiers that don’t have a phono input, you’ll need a phono preamp. CNET Staff Writer Steve Guttenberg recommends the $100 Schiit Mani phono preamplifier as a quality budget option.
Two of the models offered a switchable line-level output — the Music Hall MMF-1.3 and the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN — and this is handy if you don’t have or don’t want an external preamp. You can plug these models into anything that accepts RCA cables. I also plugged these two directly into the amp and compared them side by side.
It’s worth noting that some models are not available outside of North America, such as the Crosley C10A, Music Hall MMF-1.3, Fluance RT82, and the U-Turn Orbit Plus. If you’re looking for the best alternative to the Fluance RT82, I’d recommend the Project T1.
As part of the testing I listened to a number of different albums, including these four artists: Bob Marley, Slint, LCD sound system And Mile Davis. On each turntable, I listened for bass response (was it boomy or clean?), midrange detail (low-frequency instruments and echo effects), and high frequencies (were they recessed or too loud?). The best turntables performed well across all genres.
