The built-in switchable phono stage, two-speed playback and Ortofon OM5e magnet pickup are a step up from other options at this price point, but simplicity is key here. They are all individually hand-made with love from mainland Europe, with high-quality materials to bolster playback.
But you really don’t need much more than that, as it sounds excellent, with reduced vibrations and clean performance. A few Pro-Jects have graced this list and all of them are pretty stripped down to the bare bones, but this table is basically a single wooden board, a plinth, a tonearm and a platter. If it’s the quiet refinement you’re after, you don’t get much more subtle than Pro-Ject’s minimalist T1. The best turntables sink into your aesthetics to a point where only the cultured will notice they are there – they should blend in until you turn them on to make them sing to you.
You’ll need to have a working understanding of tonearms, direct drives and belt drives, plates and pre-amps, and that’s before we start firing up the traditionalists by stoking the Bluetooth vs analogue debate. However, before you dip your toe into the vast waters of record-flipping, there are a few key things you should wrap your head around to get the most out of your music.
No matter whether you’re the proud owner of a healthy vinyl record collection or you’re looking to make a move away from the instant, on-demand nature of digital music streaming for a more manual experience, there are plenty of top-quality turntables for aspiring at-home DJs and music-lovers alike. The song might be 37 years old, but we'd recommend upgrading your hi-fi system if it's of a similar age, as the world of high-end turntables is filled with advanced tech to draw all the tonal quality out of your favourite tracks. If Kate Bush’s current resurgence into the UK Top Ten chart has taught us anything, it’s that music is timeless and nostalgia wins out overall, prompting us to dust off the record player to enjoy Kate's work away from Running Up That Hill.