During Prime Day, I always get asked, “are there any good cheap turntables?”
It’s not surprising given how vinyl, and retro hi-fi in general, seems to be growing in popularity with young people (heck, I caught my niece rocking wired headphones the other day!).
And, because I’m lazy, I have decided to address the sea of questions asking exactly that during this year’s Prime Day, here, in one handy article.
And it’s both good and bad news. Yes, there are two very good cheap turntables available right now that will delight hi-fi newbies or people looking to add a cost-effective record player to their existing system. But the deck we recommend most hasn’t had a Prime Day discount.
First up, for people who value audio quality above all else, but are on a tight budget, we have our standard recommendation, the Pro-Ject Primary E.
This is the cheap turntable we have recommended in our best record player guide for years, and the top option right now. It’s available on Amazon, and pretty much all of the specialist hi-fi retailers, for its bog standard £229 (ignore the save £20 icon on some shops, it’s been that price for ages).
The turntable offers the best audio quality you will find for less than £250, and has a pleasingly simple plug and play nature. That’s why we have recommended it for so long; our review verdict sums it up:
“There is a whole cavalcade of budget turntables flooding the market – from Crosley, Lenco, Audio-Technica, Majority and more – with fancy features, electronic speed change, and built-in preamp speakers in snazzy, trendy-looking designs. We can see their appeal, but remain unconvinced when it comes to their sound quality.
“We have no such reservations about the musically entertaining Pro-Ject Primary E. For a beginner’s vinyl revival path who has this kind of budget and is more fussed about getting the best sound from your records than about features such as record ripping and automatic operation, the multiple Award-winning Primary E could be just the ticket.”
That’s as true now as it was in 2018 when we first wrote it.
And if you’re getting a sense of déjà vu, there’s a reason: I have written a version of this piece every Prime Day since I joined What Hi-Fi?.
The only downside for the Pro-Ject Primary E is the lack of an in-built phono stage. This means you need to have an amp or system with one built in, as well as a pair of speakers, to get it running.
If that’s a problem, I am pleased to report there has been one cool development since my last warning against bogus turntable deals; we have a new cheap unit with a built-in phono stage to recommend.
Say hello to the Sony PS-LX3BT, a five-star entry-level turntable we recommend to proper hi-fi newbies who don’t own, or want, a separate system. The unit has a solid built-in phono stage, an equally easy plug-and-play nature as the Primary E, and comes with the added allure of Bluetooth connectivity.
The unit is available for £220 (save £79) on Amazon, though the retailer is reporting only having one left in stock. The next best price is on Sevenoaks Sound and Vision which is selling it for £223.
The Sony PS-LX3BT is a stellar option for people who want a just-add-speakers set-up – if you don’t already own a stereo pair, we recommend the Award-winning Dali Kupid, which cost £299.
The only reason we don’t recommend the Sony over the Pro-Ject overall, is that, during testing when we ran the two head to head, we found the Primary E is still the top dog for audio quality at this price. If plug and play simplicity is your main priority, however, the Sony is the one to get.
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