VINYL REPLAY FOR LESS SCRATCH

Whether you're on a budget or just starting your vinyl journey, these sub-£500 decks will suit you well

Joining the vinyl revival needn't cost the earth. Our pick of the best turntables under £500 are guaranteed to have you playing record after record and delighting in the ninn experience and warmth that vinyl replay can provide.

If your budget allows, our pick of £500-£1000 turntables elsewhere this issue (see page 48) may be where your wallet takes you. But at this more affordable price point you will certainly find some excellent choices from the likes of Audio-Technica, Dual, Rega and more.

Yes, you can spend less on a first turntable; there are plenty of budget turntables knocking about, aimed more at absolute vinyl beginners. But the What Hi-Fi? approved turntables we have rounded up here will, quite simply, sound much better - and will serve you and your vinyl faithfully for years to come.

Bear in mind, though: no phono stage, no music. The minuscule signal relayed by a cartridge requires more amplification than most modern amps, which are geared towards the compact disc and digital music, can manage.

Whether this is to be your first experience of vinyl, or you just want to keep some budget aside for building your record collection, sit back, relax and let us guide you to a great record player that will let you play your precious vinyl at the very highest quality possible at this level.

Pro-Ject Primary E 

A great first turntable

£199

View online review whf.cm/Primary_E

You don't need to set eyes on Pro-Ject's Primary E turntable to know it has a lot going for it. It's the most affordable traditionally designed Pro-Ject turntable and it is also more or less a twin of the Pro-Ject Primary deck to which we had already handed five stars.