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5 Best Vintage Turntable Reviews 2022 Top Picks

admin February 2, 2022 Electronics, Record Players

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Left for dead by the side of the cultural road back in the late 80s the turntable has found new life here in the early 21st century as audiophiles have rediscovered the tactile joys of handling vinyl platters along with their nostalgic sound quality. With vinyl making a comeback, a high-quality vintage-style turntable can provide a foolproof way of enjoying classic music the way it was intended. Below is a selection of the best vintage turntable offerings on the market today. While compiling our list, we’ve accounted for cost, quality, user-friendly features, and accessories.

Comparison Chart Of 5 Vintage Turntables

5 Top Vintage Turntables- Product Reviews 2022

#1. Akai Professional BT500 Premium Belt-Drive Turntable with Wireless Streaming

With vinyl sales surging more than 30 percent last year it should surprise no one that companies that make audio equipment are producing vintage-style turntables to meet demand. One such company is Akai Professional out of Singapore. Their new BT500 has all the design cues that make vintage turntable fans swoon plus a couple of modern enhancements that don’t leave the digital natives out in the cold.

This is an extremely handsome retro-style audio kit with a rich walnut finish and a low profile. The die-cast aluminum platter is genuinely hefty and provides excellent stability for your vinyl. The brushed aluminum controls are easy on the eye and the belt drive action is smooth and ultra-consistent.

• Sleek aluminum tonearm is beautifully balanced for precise cueing
• Rubber mat is non-slip
• Leveling bubble ensures the adjustable legs can do their job properly
• Built in pre-amp allows the BT500 to canoodle with your retro stereo system
• Automatic conversion of your vinyl products into digital files that you can shift to your computer via the USB port

The “BT” in the BT500 stands for Bluetooth, a feature you’re obviously not going to find on a true vintage turntable. Here it’s a nice touch for those who want the versatility of a speaker system compatible with old and new technology.

#2. TEAC TN-300 Analog Turntable with Built-in Phono Pre-amplifier & USB Digital Output

The Tokyo Electro Acoustic Company or TEAC has been around more than 60 years, long enough to see the rise and fall and rise of vinyl. While they’re owned these days by Gibson they retain their founders’ interest in producing high-quality consumer-grade audio products and the TN-300 fits the company profile perfectly.

The TN-300 is a belt-drive disc player with a DC motor that will play your 33s or 45s as well or better than virtually anything you might have been able to buy back in the day. Rotation speed is generally accurate and stable and the elliptical stylus produces 2g of pressure. Overall audio quality is excellent with minimal distortion and a clean, clear signal to noise ratio of about 67 dB. The RCA jacks are gold plated for corrosion resistant and allow the TN-300 to be easily switchable between line and phonograph.

• Premium Audio-Technica VM cartridge provides accurate reading out of the box
• Phono and line inputs let you play your vinyl platters with or without an equalizer
• Die-cast aluminum platter provides a rock-solid foundation for your vinyl
• Ability to convert your analog music to digital automatically and upload it via a built-in USB port

Being able to convert your vinyl collection automatically to digital while listening is a feature many of the best retro-style turntables share today. It’s an important feature in that it ensures you’ll always have high-quality copies of your precious old vinyl platters.

#3. Rega – RP1 Turntable

Rega is another audio manufacturer that’s been around since 1973 and the heyday of vinyl. They bring their lengthy experience to every turntable they manufacture including the sleek, dependable RP1. The RP1 is deliberately simple, devoid of most of the nods other retro-style turntables make to digital music fans. If you want those you’ll need to check out Rega’s higher-end models.

The unadorned base of the RP1 is modernist reduction at its best. The rubber feet keep the plinth where you place it. Just be sure to place it on a nice level platform since there is no leveling bubble to guide you. The belt drive features a stepped pulley that allows for manual speed changing that reduces wear and tear. The RB101 arm is the little brother of the company’s widely praised RB300 and the family DNA is obvious in its easy precision handling. The Ortofon OMB5 cartridge is pre-fitted and provides high-quality audio with a low SNR.

• The RP1 is as handsome a retro-style turntable as you’ll find
• Setup takes only a few minutes as the RP1 is virtually ready to go out of the box
• One of the quietest belt drive, retro turntables
• Stable with its low vibration motor

All in all the RB1 is an outstanding, minimalist retro-style turntable that won’t break your bank.

#4. Audio Technica Fully Automatic Belt-Drive Stereo Turntable

The AT-LP60 BK from Audio Technica is a good entry level old school turntable with a reliable belt drive, the ability to select between the built-in pre-amp or an external one, quartz timing control, and the option to play either 33s or some of your old Donny Osmond 45s. Professional DJs aren’t going to be lining up to purchase this but unless you need to perform some heavy-duty back-cueing, this is a good low budget option for vinyl lovers.

From a design perspective, the AT-LP60 BK is more compact and performs admirably considering its price point. All your controls are concentrated at the front panel. The “cue” function allows you to let the turntable set the stylus, which is useful for those with less steady hands or who may be visually impaired. You also get to choose between 12 and 7-inch records so your vintage 45s will find a home here. Some other features include:

• Die-cast aluminum platter provides a stable platform for your vinyl
• The diamond stylus on the company’s Integral Dual Magnet cartridge is easily replaceable
• The belt drive is fully automatic and plays either 33 ⅓ or 45 rpm offerings
• Tonearm can be set automatically or manually
• Retractable dust cover keeps everything nice and clean

If you’re new to vintage-style turntables this is an affordable, dependable entry point.

#5. Denon DP-300F Fully Automatic Analog Turntable

The final entry on our best vintage turntable list is this fully automatic offering from Denon. The DP-300F Analog is a turntable that will have mom and pop getting all misty about the old days while the kids use it to crank up the retro at the rave. The base here is nice and heavy which makes for a stable platform on which to play your vinyl. The turntable sheet is equipped with some serious 21st-century tech with its hologram vibration analysis capabilities that make jumps and bumps a thing of the past. While the auto start/stop feature makes sure the stylus is always properly set.

The 300F offers both 33 ⅓ and 45 rpm options, the DC servo motor works hand in hand with the belt drive to provide consistent play with virtually no noise. And should you need to replace the cartridge on the 300F, the headshell is easily removable making the whole process a snap.

• Dust cover and genuine rubber anti-slip mat
• Phono equalizer built in, allows the player to be connected to an integrated amp
• Cabinet wall is thicker than most at 4 mm providing heft and stability
• Turntable is made from high-quality die-cast aluminum
• Available with 1-year warranty

Some people are reluctant to play their vinyl on anything short of the highest end equipment. With the 300F, you’ll have nothing to worry about. The auto cueing feature protects your platters from unsteady hands, the extra weight added to the base helps eliminate bumps, and the standard MM cartridge is compatible with most 5.0 to 10.0 g cartridges.

Vintage Turntables Buying Guide

Should I Buy a Belt or Direct Drive Turntable?

While direct drive was considered the gold standard after it was introduced in the mid-1970s it has since been relegated to the dustbin of audio history with the belt emerging as the drive of choice. There are a number of reasons for this, but most revolve around the fact that the belt drive is easier and cheaper to service or replace than the direct drive

Which is Best: Automatic, Semi-Automatic, or Manual?

Every turntable falls into one of these categories. The trick is finding the one that’s right for you because really, the one you select will be largely a matter of personal preference. There are purists who insist on cueing the records themselves, while for others who may be visually impaired or have a less than steady hand automatic cueing is a necessary convenience. While the majority of vintage-style turntables produced today are manual, semi-automatics are slowly making inroads as people embrace the idea of not having to get up to return the arm when the record is finished. For those thinking that manual turntables are mechanical free-for-alls that require nerves of steel remember that most have a cue lever that provides smooth, dependable action.

How to Choose a Phono Cartridge?

If there is one part of the retro turntable you need to get right it’s the cartridge. Determining exactly which cartridge is best for you will depend on a couple of things:

• You will need to know how the cartridge is attached – A standard mount is most common as the name implies and uses 2 screws to secure itself to the headshell, while a P-mount uses prongs at its back end to plug into the tone arm directly. P-mounts are most typically found on Technics brand turntables.
• You will need to select a stylus shape – Most professional DJs will choose a stylus with a spherical shape because it produces less wear and tear on the vinyl. Most home systems though will use an elliptical stylus which picks up more information for superior sound quality.
• Finally you will need to consider your budget – If you’re rolling in dough you can find cartridges that cost upwards of $15,000. Most of us, however, are not rolling in dough and so for most of us it’s a matter of which $60 to $100 cartridge is the better value. If you are looking for a budget turntable, check our list here. If budget is not a concern at all, these picks would be best for you.

Maintenance

Given that the cartridge is the heart and soul of the turntable you’re going to want to make sure you practice proper maintenance. The only rule that really matters when it comes to proper cartridge maintenance is to keep your vinyl discs and your stylus clean at all times. A quick search of the internet will reveal dozens of products that will help you do so along with even more videos demonstrating the best ways to clean your records. No matter which cleaning technique you employ though you should make sure you clean both stylus and record before every play.

Conclusion

Lead by the resurgence in vinyl, the vintage turntable has found new life and purpose here in the digital age and is now celebrated and sought after for its ability to produce dependably high-quality audio experiences. Whether you are new to the world of recorded music on vinyl or are an audiophile of long-standing, you’ll find something to like in the 5 vintage-style turntables reviewed above.

Hope you find it useful for you. Let’s continue with the best all in one record player.