Best Turntable 2025: Eight great vinyl spinners

We’ve tested plenty of Technics turntables over the years but the SL-1200GR2 is arguably the best model yet in its SL-1200 series that goes back to 1972.

Very little appears to have changed in terms of the design, but why would Technics want to change one of the most iconic looking turntables out there?

It has strobe lighting to confirm that it’s spinning at the right speed, supports 33.3, 48, and 78RPM; and in general it’s very well bolted together. Our reviewer commented that the S-shaped tonearm is one of the nicest looking examples they could remember testing.

It doesn’t come with a phono stage built-in or a phono cartridge pre-installed, so these are areas to resolve before you jump into playing records on it.

The biggest changes we noted have happened inside the player, with a new Delta Sigma drive that controls the timing and synchronisation of the electricity hitting the motor. And along with the new revised power supply, the Technics aims to be quieter and less prone to vibration than before.

The performance is excellent, with the Technics imbuing records with lots of energy and scale. That’s down to the bass the SL-1200GR2 offers that’s impressive in terms of depth and impact, giving tracks a lively and energetic performance.

And it’s not just tracks bounding with energy that the Technics can describe well, with slower tracks it can reveal all the smaller, more delicate moments, playing at the rhythm of the album itself rather than forcing energy onto the track.

The Technics succeeds by making changes where it needs to, and improving on its well-regarded forbearers to make the SL-1200GR2 one of the most capable all-rounder turntables Technics has come up with.

After launching the PS-HX500, a player that delivered on affordability and performance; the PS-LX310BT repeats the trick but adds Bluetooth connectivity to its feature-set.

We’ll admit that it’s not the most visually attractive, and though it is light, the construction is sturdy enough.

Convenience is the main selling point, from the set-up all the way to listening. It comes with a built-in phono stage and the set-up process only requires you add the platter and belt-drive. If you’re learning about vinyl, this would be a steady option to start with. Then there is the Bluetooth support, with a button to initiate pairing.

And once it’s up and running it’s a solid performer that favours smoothness. Our reviewer felt it extracted enough detail from vinyl tracks to make for an enjoyable listen. There’s decent heft to the bottom end, and acceptable drive and momentum to the presentation. While we felt the top end of the frequency is played safely, it’s an enjoyable listen.

As as expected, the Sony loses a bit of detail in Bluetooth mode compared to when it is hard-, but at this price it’s an excellent performer and an accessible turntable.

Audio Technica’s AT-LP60XBT offers similar features at a less expensive price, but we feel the Sony offers the better sound quality.

The Cambridge Audio Alva TT V2 follows on from the original, offering and wireless Bluetooth streaming for connecting to wireless speakers or headphones.

The Alva TT V2 is one of the few that offers (lossy) Hi-res Audio streaming at a 24-bit/48kHz in aptX HD. That offers more convenience (and higher quality playback) for those who find the world of vinyl a little disorientating.

Not much has changed on the design front with its chunky aluminium platter, and direct drive design. Where it has changed is in the new design for the tonearm, bringing counterweight adjustment and anti-skate features; the headshell is detachable coming pre-fitted with a Cambridge Audio moving coil cartridge.

There are dedicated inputs for stereo RCA connections, along with support for 33.3 and 45rpm speeds.

Our reviewer found there was a remarkable consistency to the Alva TT V2’s delivery over and wireless connection. There’s weight and detail to its sound, and while the top end can sound understated, there’s still plenty of attack and bite.

The low end has a good level of extension, and the mid range packs in lots of detail. We found there was a remarkable cohesion and unity to the overall sound of the Alva TT V2, too.

We did note that a hard connection provided better handling of lower frequencies but for those who prefer convenience, then Bluetooth playback is a simpler solution than hooking up various hi-fi separates. If the price is too high, a more affordable option to consider is the Sony PS-LX310BT or Cambridge’s own Alva ST player.

Another option for those who have Sonos speakers is Victrola Stream Carbon, which is a wireless turntable built to work with Sonos speakers.

If you want to take the hard work out of playing records, then an automatic turntable is the way to go. You’ve got a few choices but in our minds the Pro-Ject Automat A1 is one of the better choices.

We’ll concede that it’s not perfect. It doesn’t look particularly special, the phono stage control doesn’t look like it’s finished, while it can’t make the most of the dynamic variations in the records our reviewer played. There is a limit to the automatic function, as the A1 won’t play 12-inch records that play at 45RPM.

Despite those limitations, the Pro-Ject puts in an even, balanced, and informative listen with the records that it can play automatically. The low end of the frequency range is described with punch and substance, the top end of bright and crisp in its reproduction, the midrange is coherent and detailed.

You can switch the automatic operation off and use manual, but with this record we found the auto stop/start to a very convenient option. Another choice at this money is the Rekkord F100, though availability for that money isn’t quite as wide as it is with the Pro-Ject.

The Sound Burger has been around for decades, but the initial launch didn’t go so well. For Audio Technica’s 60th anniversary, they decided to bring the turntable back with modern features such as Bluetooth and USB-C. Suffice to say, this launch went alot better.

It’s a portable turntable, which is rare in itself. It’s a clever design, though not perfect in some ways, with the transit screw one that’s likely to go missing if you lose track of it.

New features include a new battery which offers 12 hours of battery (though the battery itself charges rather slowly), a 3.5mm to RCA connection (for use), and a Bluetooth 5.2 connection (for wireless flinging your records to a wireless speaker).

We did find that trying to get the turntable to pair with a pair of headphones was a hassle, but connecting to a speaker was easier. Disappointingly there’s no room for Bluetooth streaming higher than SBC.

There is no volume control, which means it has be done on the speaker (or headphone) you’ve connected to. Electronic speed control equals 33.3 and 45RPM, while the tonearm is a ATN3600L and with an AT-91 cartridge, which are easy enough to replace if they wear out or get damaged.

It performs well for a turntable of its size, with a enegertic sound that’s capable of showcasing plenty of speed and agility where it’s needed. Where it is weakest is with the low frequencies, but you can make up that shortfall by pairing it with a bass-heavy speaker (or headphone).

When products are too cheap to be true, you tend to think the worse of them but that shouldn’t be applied to the Majority Moto in our view.

If you’re interested in vinyl but care spare the cash, this is a very affordable entry path into it.

The Majority Moto is smaller than most record players, which will help for those tight on space, and build quality is decent too, with a small dust cover included and the chassis featuring built-in speakers. It’s not quite as modern as we’d like it to be, the more expensive JBL BT Spinner is an example of how to make a turntable feel modern and fresh.

It comes attached with an Audio-Technica cartridge that’s a solid and reliable performer and easy to buy a replacement stylus for. While you can play sound from the built-in speakers, there’s Bluetooth streaming to beam audio to a Bluetooth speaker or wireless headphone of your choice.

You can plug in a headphone through the connection and an RCA connection on the rear allows for an amplifier and powered speaker to be added to the Moto.

There’s even a built-in phono stage so won’t necessarily have to rely on a standalone piece of kit, and you can rip your vinyl files to your computer if you want a digital copy. So far, the Majority Moto ticks covers all the bases for an entry-level player.

Our reviewer found that there is a limit to the Moto’s playback performance. Its speed stability is not always the most consistent, and it can create some noise when it’s spinning too much.

But, all that said, the Majority is capable of a fun, enjoyable sound, which gets better depending on the device you connect it with. It’s fairly limited on the bass front, so consider partnering it with a speaker or headphone with a bigger bass performance, and you’ll get a much more engaging performance.