With a total of seven turntable winners across a range of prices at this year's What Hi-Fi? Awards 2026, it seems almost inconceivable that there was a time, in the 1990s, when we were thinking of retiring this product category.
Vinyl's continuing popularity rages on, and while there are plenty of cheap, poorly made, poor-sounding record players awash on the market, the quality of build and performance amongst the serious players has never been better.
Rega dominates the category with three of these seven wins, but we also have turntables from Pro-Ject, Technics and Vertere Acoustics – all very different manufacturers that prove just how much choice there is today and how potent the competition is.
What's more, there's a terrific turntable we can recommend at every price point, from the very budget to the fantastically high-end.
Our budget wonder is the Pro-Ject Primary E at £249, which has been our favourite budget record player ever since we first tested it in 2018. This is its eighth consecutive win in this category, and we'd still recommend it as a starter turntable, especially if you're on a strict budget. Nailing the sonic basics can be hard, especially at such an affordable price, but this purist Pro-Ject deck does so brilliantly.
Go up a step on the price ladder, and you have Rega's entry-level Planar 1, another multiple Award-winner that pushes the needle forward when it comes to rhythm, dynamics and detail for an additional £80. It's a nimble, expressive performer that manages to relay the music so faithfully from a record, especially in this £300-£500 bracket.
Pro-Ject rears its head once again with the Debut Evo 2 in the mid-range £500-£750 price bracket. It comes in 11 different finish options (some in very lovely hues) and is as appealing to the eyes as to the ears. It has a wonderfully fluid and open presentation, with a particularly delicate touch with voices.
We like the standard Evo 2, but it delights us even more when you swap in a couple of very useful additions – such as an upgrade power supply and an aluminium sub-platter – that elevate the standard package to a more dynamic, authoritative and rhythmically capable turntable. The additional cost is well worth investing in and makes the Evo 2 a hugely entertaining, well-rounded turntable.
The biggest change to the category comes in the shape of Rega's newest 'RS' spin on a standard model. The Planar 3 RS Edition wowed us last year by elevating the standard Planar 3's performance – it combined the P3 with elements of the step-up Planar 6 to Award-winning success. It looks beautiful, it sounds fantastic, and it's competitively priced – it even fended off new five-star rivals from Pro-Ject and Technics to hold on to its win here.
This year, the 'Rega Special' treatment was given to the standard Planar 6, combined with elements of the more premium Planar 8 such as the step-up tonearm, and a new flagship Nd9 moving magnet cartridge, to bring the deck's performance to new heights.
The Planar 6 RS Edition is a thrilling success, so much so that it replaces the standard Planar 6/Nd7 winner at this premium price. It sounds even more stable, composed and expressive, with a quieter background allowing delicate detail to flourish. It delivers a more three-dimensional soundstage, too.
The 6 RS Edition (£2000) is a clear step up – from the Planar 3 RS and Planar 6 – and is astonishingly good value for the performance it offers.
If your pockets are deeper, you'll be met with an excellent direct-drive turntable from Technics, the returning SL-1300G, whose clever Delta-Sigma motor control technology brings astounding stability to your records' performance. Our favourite turntable between £2500 and £3500 delivers a punchy, "generous, big-boned presentation" sound that's also crisp and nuanced, while its terrific engineering and robust build quality are extremely pleasing.
At the very top end, you have the show-stopping Vertere DG-X, the latest evolution of a stunning turntable that has been impressing us for over six years now. Vertere's snazzy design is backed up by a whole lot of substance: a completely new tonearm design, a new cartridge, clever engineering throughout, and a sound that keeps its innate rhythmic talent and dynamic prowess while sounding more mature and confident than ever before.
The DG-X's tonal balance has been refined, and there's more depth and space, but that infectious, visceral, energetic sense of rhythm that brings music to life is more present than ever, and we are swept up in its charms.
It's a great time to be a turntable fan, and these seven fully deserving winners show just how high the standard is regardless of where you are in your vinyl journey. Whether it's the budget Pro-Ject, the high-end Vertere or any of the Regas in between, you're in very good hands.
MORE:
Check out all the 2026 What Hi-Fi? Award winners
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