James Williamson I’ve been asked this question by my friends and people in the vinyl community many times, and let me tell you, the question “Are record players worth it?” is not complete.
Through this question, the user might be asking if it is worth investing in vinyl and record players or if having a record player instead of a turntable is worth it or not.
So, I always get confused about what they are exactly asking me.
Well, in one-on-one interactions, I always ask about their actual intention behind this question and answer it accordingly.
But in the online world, communication is mostly one-way because we can’t have a conversation until you email or call us, so it becomes quite difficult to know your actual intent behind this question.
Having incomplete information about your doubt, I decided to answer the questions with both intents. I have first answered whether it is worth investing in a record player and vinyl records or not, and after that, I have answered whether it is worth buying a record player instead of a turntable or not.
So, let’s get started with the first user intent.
Are Record Players And Vinyl Worth Investing In?
As a music lover, the answer is yes. You should definitely give it a shot.
Now let’s dive deeper and understand the hype of vinyl and record players.
In today’s world, technology has evolved so much that your favorite albums are at your fingertips. You can simply open Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud, or any other music streaming platform to play your favorite songs or albums in no time.
But in the last few years, the trend of having a record player and vinyl collection has started booming again, and due to this trend, many people have started entering the vinyl world.
According to reports online, the sales of vinyl units are in the millions, which has surpassed the total sales of all physical music formats combined. And with this report, you can estimate how big the vinyl industry is becoming day by day.
Let’s ignore the trend and sales bubble and discuss what you are missing by not entering the vinyl world.
Well, the experience of having a record player or turntable and playing a record on it is completely different.
You will get nostalgia or a unique feeling whenever you take the record out of its sleeves, clean it, put it on the platter, and play it. The music outputted by these turntables is far superior to any modern-day digital streaming channels, CDs, or DVD players.
Like me, many people have their feelings attached to vinyl records.
My grandpa introduced me to the music world through the gramophone, which affected me so much that I even made a career in the music field. I don’t know how it sounds, but it’s real that whenever I play my grandpa’s 70s or 80s records and close my eyes, I feel calm.
However, many people debate online and offline about whether the sound quality of vinyl is superior to digital audio or not, but let me clarify one thing: if a record is being played on a well-configured and quality turntable setup, then the sound it outputs does beat the sound quality of digital audio.
Similarly, if you play vinyl on a suitcase record player, then the sound quality will be worse than anything, and all you will hear is a muddy and distorted sound.
But getting into the vinyl world and setting up your first turntable or collection of vinyl is quite expensive, which is one of the major cons of entering the vinyl world.
On top of that, the records and turntable setup need proper maintenance, i.e., record cleaning at regular intervals, a proper storage place for records, and proper oiling of the turntable bearing and mechanism.
In the end, it all depends on your choice.
My Experience With Vinyl:
Well, I do love listening to music digitally, but for me, vinyl is something more than just listening to music. It just takes me back to the old good days, and I just love it. According to me, every music lover should, at least once in a lifetime, try to build a turntable setup and listen to vinyl records.
I hope I cleared up the confusion in your mind regarding whether you should invest in vinyl or not.
So now, let’s discuss the other intent of the same question, i.e., are record players worth it?
Are Record Players Worth It?
If you are looking to buy a suitcase record player, then the answer is no.
The suitcase record players don’t do any justice to your vinyl records, and they are a very bad example of what a quality turntable setup can do.
Some people call the turntable setup a record player, but let me tell you, there is a lot of difference between a turntable and a record player.
An all-in-one setup that has a turntable, phono preamp, amplifier, and speakers in a single unit is called a record player, while on the other hand, a turntable setup includes four separate components, i.e., turntable, phono preamp, stereo receiver, and pair of speakers.
Well, I am not talking badly about those all-in-one units or suitcase-styled record players without any facts. There are some genuine reasons why these record players get a lot of hate in the vinyl community.
Why You Shouldn’t Buy A Suitcase Record Player:
The all-in-one record players are built with cheap quality of materials. They have a smaller platter, short tonearm, cheap stylus, bad cartridge, no tracking force adjustment, and much more. They have a very bad sound quality, and they often damage your record while playing and much more.
We have written an individual article in which we have shared the facts about why you shouldn’t buy a suitcase record player like the Crosley record player or the Victrola record player.
So, if not a record player, what should we go for if we want to enter in vinyl world?
You should go for an entry-level turntable.
While creating your setup, you will need a turntable, phono preamp, amplifier, and pair of speakers.
In the setup mentioned above, we can combine these four separate components into two components, i.e., a turntable with a built-in phono preamp, which removes the need for an external phono preamp. On the other hand, we can buy a pair of active speakers that already have a built-in powered amplifier, so these speakers remove the need for separate powered amplifiers or stereo receivers.
My recommendation to you will be Audio Technica AT-LP60 with a built-in phono preamp. It is the best entry-level turntable in the market, and you can get it for under $170 (depending on deals and offers). For amplifiers or speakers, you can buy any pair of active speakers.
That’s it. You are ready to enter the vinyl world and enjoy vinyl records.
I hope you got the answer to your questions, and now you know the worth of record players and vinyl and also whether to buy record players or not. If you have questions, then you can comment below. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
