Amazon's four-day Prime Day bonanza ends tonight, and it hasn't quite been a great showing for really good turntable deals, has it?
There are swatches of brand-unknown, dirt-cheap models that are included in the Prime Day sales, but any record player (no matter how appealing-looking) that only costs £30 or so should be avoided like the plague. As my editor said: "If your turntable costs the same as a vinyl record, you’re making a big mistake."
There are, however, two budget turntables from reputable audio brands that are enjoying a juicy discount, and they're both on models we've tested and reviewed.
First up is the Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT – this is a TikTok favourite, enjoying huge success with the younger generation who have embraced the vinyl revival. Its Prime Day deal knocks 25% off its full price: you can get it for just £149 at Amazon right now.
Alternatively, there is the long-running, five-star Sony PS-LX310BT that's enjoying its lowest ever price drop. Also enjoying a 25% reduction, you can now nab it for £179.55 at Amazon.
But which is the better option? For my money, it would be the Sony.
Both of these Audio-Technica and Sony decks are near-identical when it comes to features, and make great starter turntables.
Unlike the more purist hi-fi turntables, these are fully automatic designs that are super convenient to set up and get playing records within minutes out of the box.
In our reviews, we likened the experience of using the Audio-Technica to using a CD player: "all you need to do is place it [the record] on the platter and press the start button."
And with the Sony, we said: "It could only score more highly for usability if it somehow took the LPs from their covers."
For added convenience, both record players have a phono stage built in, meaning you can plug them straight into an amp-equipped powered or active speaker. No need for separate boxes.
And they both feature Bluetooth, so you can pair your favourite wireless headphones or speakers to either deck to stream vinyl replay, and not even have to deal with wires in your vinyl set-up!
But it's when it comes to build quality and performance that the Sony and Audio-Technica spinners start to diverge. They are both lightweight structures that use plastic, but the no-frills PS-LX310BT has a better standard of build quality for the price.
The AT-LP60XBT feels cheap and cheaply made – it's not poorly built like many of those suitcase-style spinners on sale, but its light plastic build just doesn't feel very nice to use.
Sound-wise, both turntables deliver an admirably coherent and musical presentation – but the Sony is more detailed, more rhythmically adept and more capable overall.
The Audio-Technica delivers a range of dynamic ability we rarely ever hear at such a budget price, but its lack of detail is an issue. It sounds more like a squashed block of sound. This and its build quality are the reasons why we gave it three stars in our review.
The five-star Sony is easily the more accomplished of the two, with "each musical strand handled deftly and methodically" – it's more entertaining to listen to overall.
So there you have it: these are both good Prime Day deals if you're a new vinyl fan looking for a genuinely affordable and easy-to-use budget record player from a reputable brand. But for just £30 more, the Sony PS-LX310BT at £179.55 is the better option here by far.
MORE:
Read our Sony LS-LX310BT review
And our Audio-Technica AT-LP60XBT review
Check out our guide to the best record players across all budgets
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