home turntable setup

👉 Best Turntables and Vinyl Accessories for Record Collectors – 2025 Picks


Whether you're new to vinyl or a seasoned collector, having the right accessories makes all the difference. From turntables to sleeves, we’ve curated this 2025 list to help you upgrade or build your setup. Andy and the We Buy Records Milwaukee team test everything in-store and link only to products we personally use or recommend.

 

Turntables

This space will contain turntables that we have tested and loved. These are our top picks for DJ turntables, budget tables and a higher-end model. As our retail space is limited (and frankly, full of records) we are choosing to offer these as Amazon links. These picks will often focus on Audio Technica decks, as we have found the replacement needles are high quality and most importantly, easy to get. This is a huge factor these days, as anyone who owns a turntable with a discontinued replacement stylus model can attest to.

Noticeably missing from these picks will be turntables under $300. We have found a sweet spot around the $300-400 mark where the quality just goes up so much from the lower-priced tables that we cannot recommend the ultra-cheapies in good faith.

Disclosure: We may earn a small commission when you purchase items through links on this page. As an Amazon Associate, We Buy Records earns from qualifying purchases.

 

Best DJ Turntable

Best DJ Turntable: Audio-Technica AT-LP120

The Audio Technica AT-LP120 is their take on the classic Technics 1200 - by far the most famous and utilized DJ deck of all time. At the time of writing these AT’s are $379 - an absolute BARGAIN for this beast of a table. If you are looking to DJ parties or are a producer wanting to pitch-shift and manipulate your records for sampling, this is the table you want!

Under $500 Home Turntable Pick

Best Home Turntable: Audio Technica AT-LPW40WN

Coming in at $399 the Audio-Technica AT-LPW40WN is our absolute fave for an under $500 home turntable. It looks great and has an adaptable cartridge - meaning you can choose from a wide range of replacement needles at various price points. This is actually my main home table at the moment, it has a great sound and I’ve had zero technical issues thus far.

Best High End Turntable

Best High-End Turntable: Audio Technica AT-LP7

The AT-LP7 is our favorite all-around higher end table, coming in at $899 at time of writing. An ultra-sleek, simple exterior and a top shelf cartridge make this weighty belt-drive model sing.

Best Protective Record Sleeves


Invest In Vinyl Record Sleeves for LP Protection

Simple, High Quality Vinyl Outer Sleeves

These Invest in Vinyl outer sleeves are crystal clear, archival-safe, and perfectly sized for both new and vintage LPs. A staple for long-term vinyl protection.

Best Powered Speakers for Turntables

powered speakers

Powered Bookshelf Speakers

These look and sound great, amazing value for under $120! Pair these with any of the turntables above and you’re in business! You literally don’t need any other gear to be playing records, and having them sound great.

Best DJ Cartridges and Needles

Jico M44a DJ Cartridges

DJ Cartridge and Needles

These are a new Japanese version of the classic Shure M44s. I had used the Shures for years and truly thought they were the best. When Shure discontinued them, I was really worried until Jico came along with this at-least-as-good and maybe even better take!

Vinyl Record Accessories

Vinyl Record Stabilizer

Record Stabilizer

These low-cost stabilizer weights kill annoying bass feedback and will also help lightly-warped LPs play better. Audiophiles have been using stabilizers for decades to get a richer playback, we love these!

Vinyl Record Cleaner

Vinyl Record Cleaner

Eliminate dust and static from your records with this affordable and easy to use kit!

Best Smart Speaker System for Vinyl and Streaming

Sonos

The Era 100, Era 300, Five, Amp and Port all allow a turntable to plug directly in.

Once you are connected to one Sonos product, you can add as many more Sonos speakers around your home or business as needed (or wanted lol!).

These audiophile-quality speakers and the amazing phone-app that you use to control your system will have you absolutely addicted!

If you just want a powered smart speaker to plug directly into, choose the Era 100, 300, or Five (you need one extra cable for the Five). You will need to have either a built in phono-preamp on your turntable or you will need to buy one (we can make recommendations for those as well!). Most modern turntables (Audio Technica, U-Turn, etc) have built in phono pre-amps.

If you want to have a truly two-way street - a system where you can play records through a smart-system AND stream music not only through your smart speakers but also back through your vintage analog gear - choose the Amp or Port.

We highly recommend the Sonos Era 100 in Black or White to start your journey.

If you have any questions about setting up one of these systems, feel free to message us!

Buy Sonos speakers from Amazon here!