4 things to consider before buying a record player

Key Takeaways

Start with an ideal setup in mind based on your goal and level of commitment to Hi-Fi or casual listening.
Budget and plan for multiple components in your setup, understanding that a turntable is just one part of the equation.
High fidelity playback involves physical wear and tear on parts like stylus tips and records, so be prepared for maintenance.

Buying your first record player can be daunting with a number of brands, styles, models, and price points to choose from — it can make your head spin faster than a 7-inch single. As a vinyl enthusiast, I put a list together of things to consider before you bite the turntable bullet.

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1 Start with an ideal setup in mind

Do you want something upgradable or just for casual listening?

In the preceding 12 months, just 50% of vinyl buyers owned a record player, Luminate, reported in 2023. Many people collect records for aesthetics, or as a type of ‘merch’ from their favorite artists, opting to then hang them on walls or display them around their homes. For others, it’s a full-blown Hi-Fi hobby, so this begs the question, what is your goal in seeking out your first record player?

If you want to casually play records without being too concerned about Hi-Fi (high fidelity) or audio technicalities, you’ll most likely enjoy a simple turntable with a built-in preamp or even Bluetooth connection. That said, it’s not important to fuss over whether a cartridge is upgradable.

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If, however, you are already thinking of your first turntable as merely your first step into the world of high fidelity and vinyl collecting, then you’ll want to be sure you buy a table that can grow with you. This is most easily achieved by buying a table that either doesn’t include a built-in preamp or, at the very least, allows you to completely bypass it in favor of your own external preamp.

You can spend a lifetime upgrading and learning about nicer and nicer preamps, so this versatility would come in handy. The same goes for the table’s tonearm not using a fixed cartridge. Ultimately, you’ll want a turntable that allows you to upgrade the cartridge as your tastes and ear evolve.

2 Your turntable is just one part of the equation

A complete vinyl setup takes multiple pieces working in concert

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When budgeting or planning for your first record player, it’s important to keep in mind that the turntable itself is just one component of a complete record player setup. Depending on whether you get a record player with a built-in preamp or not, and whether you chose to use it, your setup will have as many as four individual pieces of equipment even with a beginner’s setup.

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So you’ll want to budget and plan space accordingly as starting this hobby can take up a lot of space in both your balance sheet and your living room.

3 Analog high fidelity means physical wear and tear

Some parts may have a limited lifespan

When looking at dipping your toes into the deep pool of high fidelity (Hi-Fi), keep in mind this is an analog method of playing music. There are physical moving parts that each have a finite lifespan, being used to reproduce sound from the record. The most notable example is your stylus and the records themselves.

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The act of the stylus pressing against the grooves of your records will eventually cause wear to both parts of that equation. Most entry level elliptical stylus tips, found commonly on entry level tables, are rated for about 300 hours of playback, and higher precision (and more expensive) MicroLine stylus’ are rated for about 1,000 hours. Depending on how often you play your records, you could be looking at replacing your stylus once a year or once every other year.

4 Hi-Fi listening changes everything

High fidelity music is a vast world that can keep your attention for years

The last thing you should consider before going down this road, is that it’s entirely possible, particularly if you are 35 or younger, that you have never heard music in high fidelity before. That the only music your ears have ever heard, aside from live music, of course, was from highly compressed digital audio files.

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Stepping into the world of Hi-Fi music, whether from lossless file formats, or from vinyl records, is to realize how studio recorded music was actually meant to sound. The first time you hear Stairway to Heaven played on an old vinyl record, through quality bookshelf speakers, and absorb every string pluck, the resonance of Robert Plants voice, the staccato pops and thuds of every percussive beat, it’s a transcendent experience. So you should consider that high fidelity audio is an addicting hobby that can pull you down deep, and potentially expensive rabbit holes. All that being said, you won’t regret it.

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