\n\tAll products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. However, Billboard may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.<\/em><\/p>\n \n\tThe vinyl revival symbolized by Record Store Day has been great for vinyl \u2014 but it hasn\u2019t done much for audio. When LPs were the most popular way to listen to music, serious fans played them on record players hooked up to stereos. These days, to judge by the popularity of inexpensive, self-contained record players with built-in speakers, many people listen to vinyl that cost up to $50 on turntables that cost less than $100 \u2014 and sound like it.<\/p>\n \n\tThat\u2019s a fine way to discover vinyl. But if you want to get the best sound out of your records, you\u2019ll need a proper stereo system \u2014 separate components such as a turntable and a CD player (if you\u2019re into that), plus an amplifier they connect to and speakers that it can drive. A quality system gets expensive \u2014 a truly great turntable costs $1,000 or more, as do speakers and amps. And that\u2019s not even at the high end.<\/p>\n \n\tA proper stereo doesn\u2019t need to be expensive, though. For $1,000, you can buy one that will blow away a self-contained turntable. It\u2019s also possible to build one for $1,000. About $1,500 to $2,000 is where things get interesting though. For that amount of money, you can choose among some quality turntables, and add nice amplifiers and great speakers that suit the kind of music you like. Add a little more, to get to about $2,000, and you can upgrade to add a better turntable cartridge or pre-amp, or add even a CD player or digital-to-analog converter.<\/p>\n \n\tEven the most basic components system will represent a serious improvement over self-contained turntables, which generally don\u2019t perform well even as turntables \u2014 the cheaper needles can cause distortion and sometimes even wear on records, let alone as amplifiers and speakers. A proper turntable will better reproduce the sound in the grooves of records, and quality amplifiers and speakers will present it more accurately. Some of this is a matter of taste \u2014 different combinations of amps and speakers sound better with different music, and to different ears. But serious sound starts with a system that might look like this.<\/p>\n \n\tIf you love vinyl, start with a solid turntable. There are two main kinds of models: direct drive, where a motor turns the platter directly, and belt drive, where \u2014 you guessed it \u2014 the motor moves a belt that in turn moves the platter. The first can start and stop faster \u2014 which is why DJs use them \u2014 and they are often more durable. But the latter sound better because the platter is isolated from the motor\u2019s vibrations. (Much of home audio performance essentially comes down to reducing vibrations and electrical interference \u2014 admittedly rather nerdy obsessions, but they dramatically affect the music you hear.)<\/p>\n \n\tIf you want a direct drive turntable, try the $500 Audio-Technica AT-LP5X<\/a>. It sounds great, it looks great and it comes with a counterweight to prevent the needle from wearing out your record too fast. As far as direct drive models go, it handles vibrations pretty well, too. It should last as well.<\/p>\n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n\tIf you want the best sound, though, go for a belt drive turntable like the $600 Rega Planar 1<\/a>. Rega Planar turntables are reliably great, even this entry-level baby of the bunch. (I had a Rega Planar 3 for years, and I moved up from there to a Rega Planar 8.) Rega\u2019s turntables are studies in vibration reduction, and this one comes with a mounted MM cartridge, which saves time and hassle. (There are two main kinds of cartridges for turntables \u2014 Moving Magnet and Moving Coil. The latter offers better sound and more flexibility with setup, but it\u2019s not worth thinking about until you start looking at turntables that cost more than $2,000 \u2013 and maybe not even then.) You also have the option of upgrading it with a better cartridge.<\/p>\n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n\tA proper turntable needs a phono pre-amp, to bring its signal up to \u201cline level,\u201d equal to the output of a CD player or any other component. At this level, you don\u2019t need a separate one. When you do, start with the NAD PP 2e Phono Preamplifier<\/a>. <\/p>\n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n\tUntil then, I\u2019d sooner trust a phono preamp that\u2019s built into an integrated amplifier than one that\u2019s in a turntable itself. Partly for that reason, the amp I\u2019d recommend at this level is the $500 NAD C 316BEE<\/a>, which includes one. It\u2019s one of the best entry-level integrated amplifiers available. It has dedicated inputs for a turntable, a CD player, a tuner and video, plus an extra. (If you want to use a phono preamp, plug the turntable into that and that into another input \u2014 not the phono input.) Its clean design looks great, too.<\/p>\n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n\tSpeakers \u2014 amps, too \u2014 are a matter of personal taste. It\u2019s easier to evaluate turntable motors or CD player digital-to-analog conversion systems, but various combinations of amplifiers and speakers differ in how they present sound in ways that are much harder to describe, let alone judge. If you can, test them. Listen for soundstage (a sense of dimensionality), presence, clarity of detail, and clear bass, treble and midrange. Think of what kind of music you listen to most: A system that booms with the heavy bass of EDM might not have the detail demanded by jazz, which is a fancy way of saying your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n \n\tI can recommend two sets of speakers, though. The $500 Klipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M II<\/a> have big horns, and thus crisp sound. As reference speakers, they are optimized for accuracy, not sweetness. For the same price, the KEF Q350 speakers<\/a> also offer impressive accuracy and bass for the size and price. (At this level, you don\u2019t need tower speakers; it may make more sense to invest in stands to stabilize these. For $700, you can get KEF Q550 floor-standing speakers<\/a>, which have more bass and presence, but at that point you might want to upgrade other parts of the system as well.)<\/p>\n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n\tThat\u2019s $1,600 spent so far. Depending on what your music collection looks like, you may want a CD player. I know what you\u2019re thinking \u2014 dad! \u2014 but CDs often offer higher fidelity than streaming services and most downloads. Any CD player will sound OK \u2014 they just differ less than turntables \u2014 but for a relatively low amount of money, this $400 NAD C 538 CD Player<\/a>, which includes the high-quality Wolfson digital-to-analog converter, will sound great and look nice with the NAD receiver. I\u2019ve had this myself for more than a decade, and it\u2019s dependable, and it sounds and looks great. That brings the total to an even $2,000.<\/p>\n \n \n \t\t\t\tBuy Now On Amazon<\/span>\t<\/a><\/div>\n \n \n\tAt this level, most components come with wires that connect to an amplifier, so the only other thing you\u2019ll need to buy is speaker wire. The basic kind is fine. (Specifically, Amazon Basics is fine.) At some point, you may want to buy better wire \u2014 or even try to understand the dizzying debate on how much it matters \u2014 but give that some time. This is a good way to start. But be warned: You may enjoy better sound so much that you want to upgrade.<\/p>\n \n \n \t\t\t\t\n\t\tThe Best Turntables\t<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Audio-Technica-turntable.jpg?w=942&h=623&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tAudio-Technica AT-LP5X Turntable\t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Rega-Planar-1-Turntable-1.jpg?w=942&h=623&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tRega Planar 1 Turntable \t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\t\tThe Best Amplifiers\t<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NAD-PP-2e-Phono-Preamplifier.jpg?w=942&h=623&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tNAD PP 2e Phono Preamplifier\t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/nad-ampllifier.jpg?w=942&h=242&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tNAD C 316BEE Integrated Amplifier with Phono\t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\t\tThe Best Speakers\t<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/klipsch-Reference-Premiere-speakers.jpg?w=942&h=623&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tklipsch Reference Premiere RP-600M II Ebony Bookshelf Speakers\t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/KEF-Q350-speakers.jpg?w=942&h=623&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tKEF Q350 Bookshelf Speakers\t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/KEF-Q550-Floorstanding-Speaker.jpg?w=813&h=623&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tKEF Q550 Floorstanding Speaker\t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\t\tThe Best CD Player\t<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/NAD-C-538-CD-Player.jpg?w=942&h=309&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tNAD C 538 CD Player\t<\/h2>\n
\n<\/div>\n\n\t\tThe Best Accessories\t<\/h2>\n
![\"How](\"https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Amazon-Basics-14.jpg?w=942&h=623&crop=1\")
<\/p>\n\n\t\tAmazon Basics 14 gauge Audio Speaker Wire Cable\t<\/h2>\n