The process of setting up these record players was a welcome relief from the complicated setup that most turntables require. Many of these players look alike, and many probably emerged from the same factory, so allegiance to any particular brand is probably unwarranted. The two players I tested use several of the same components, including the record platter and some of the tonearm parts (see our guide to the best turntable to learn more about the parts of a record player), and similar models are available from other brands. Both models have built-in stereo speakers, a headphone jack, an auxiliary line input to connect other audio sources, and analog audio outputs for connecting to an external stereo system. For the home model, I selected the Victrola Plaza, which has Bluetooth and an FM radio built in. The portable I chose is the Crosley Cruiser, which includes a built-in Bluetooth receiver and is available in 24 colors and finishes (including, not surprisingly, a Star Wars theme). To put the cost of these players in perspective, consider that the least expensive vinyl playback system you could assemble from Wirecutter picks-a U-Turn Orbit Basic turntable combined either with a Sony STR-DH190 stereo receiver and a pair of Q Acoustics 3020i bookshelf speakers or with Klipsch R-51PM powered speakers (which have a phono input)-would cost more than $500. But could they at least provide some fun for a vinyl newbie? To find out, I tried models representative of the two basic types of cheap turntables: portable models costing about $50 to $60 and home models costing $100 or less. I used to review turntables for Sound & Vision magazine, so I knew that today’s ubiquitous cheap record players couldn’t match the sound quality of my high-end turntable. But then I remembered the experience that originally awakened my passion for music: listening to a scratchy copy of Led Zeppelin II handed down by an older cousin, played on a Sears Silvertone record player that I had used mostly for records featuring the likes of Batman and the Peter Pan Pop Band & Singers. As a devoted audiophile, I had been as disinterested in cheap record players as a fishing enthusiast would be in an R2-D2 spinning reel. When a Wirecutter reader recently asked this question, I couldn’t answer. With some models priced below the cost of an audiophile-grade record, the budding vinylphile has to wonder: Do these things sound okay? Or more to the point, do they even work? Vinyl record sales have grown at double-digit annual rates since 2006, and as a result you can find inexpensive record players at music stores, department stores, and even fashion outlets.
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