Record Players

After a long absence during the early 2000s, vinyl record players have made a triumphant return to the mainstream music world and are now available in both contemporary or retro styles. Many of the vinyl players come with built-in sound systems, such as the briefcase-style players that have many ways to connect or stream. Of course, your vinyl collection takes precedent here, physically holding your favourite albums in your hands is a much-loved experience that is increasingly rare in the digital era.

Shop Affordable Record Players

Affordable record players have become more and more accessible to the general public in the last ten years or so. As technology has now been integrated into most aspects of modern life, the vinyl player is no exception and some now have additional ways to play music. Bluetooth tech and AUX inputs can be used in most of our range, allowing customers who just wanted a budget vinyl player because they look great, to also get some practical usage from their purchase.

The players work by using the turntable built inside, this rotates your vinyl beneath a needle that can read all of the small grooves on the record itself. Note that vinyl is an analogue format and any sound heard comes from the vibrations the stylus or needle will experience as it tracks through your albums. Every song is made up of thousands of differing waveforms that have been pressed onto the vinyl itself creating the grooves, as the stylus tracks these waveform grooves, each vibration will become an electrical signal for your sound system to process and subsequently amplify to your speakers.

All too often people think of vinyl as a thing of the distant past, however, modern technologies have at last caught up with the public. Nowadays some players have AUX connections, Bluetooth compatibility and even USB linking to computers to create samples of aged music. Take care when handling your album collection, as sound quality can occasionally be compromised by a build-up of dust or accidental scratchings.

Is it worth buying a vinyl record player?

As mentioned above, the feeling of physically owning something tangible is the main draw to vinyl. Many people have found satisfaction through physically owning a cherished record as opposed to simply just streaming songs over the internet. The digital format is indeed far easier to access, but sound fidelity can be lost through various digital-based compressions.

The final sound output of a high-grade turntable is much more accurate to the artists intentions and will sound much better than a digital release. The grooves on the vinyl itself are read by the stylus needle as mentioned above, the left and right sides of the groove are the songs channels. When amplified they will then be heard from the left or right speaker respectively, thus letting the listener hear the full scope of the audio design.

It is important to keep in mind that the turntables we stock are not for use in professional DJ environments and should only be used in the home. Nevertheless, music lovers can get a lot of use out of them while they simultaneously look great in most modern spaces. Both our contemporary and retro designs are popular with our customers all year round as either a gift for others or for interior design reasons.

What is the difference between record players and turntables?

A lot of people use the term turntable in place of the word record player, this is acceptable and many will understand what is meant when this is said. However, the turntable is the revolving area a record sits on before the stylus is lowered onto the outside edge. There is occasionally the option to spin your turntable faster or slower using a built-in switch on the player itself, this raises or lowers the pitch of the song respectively, a commonly used way of creating samples.

A downside to having a record collection is that vinyl has become expensive to create and naturally more expensive to buy in stores. This is why most record collectors only have a few of their all-time favourites albums at home, although some more avid fans will spend thousands on a giant collection over decades. Of course, if you prefer to use your vinyl player as a Bluetooth speaker whenever you feel the need, that is an option for most of the products on this page, we also supply protective record storage cases and vinyl wipes.

Taking care of your records

We stock many different sizes of record case, some hold between 70 and 100 vinyl. If you want to keep your collection in good shape it is advised to sleeve up your records when not in use, most records come packaged with this sleeve. Once sleeved you can store your collection vertically in the vinyl cases, it is advised you store them upright like this to avoid potential warping of your records, for example, if left in direct sunlight.

After use you should make a habit of wiping down both side A and side B of your vinyl with a dry, soft cloth to remove any dust that may have landed on the disc as you listened to it. Also, the general handling of your vinyl is important too so try to hold the vinyl without applying your fingertips, perhaps held at either side with both of your palms. This is to stop any potential fingerprint oil or dust that may have built up in the grooves, if left untreated this can affect the smoothness of your playback, take good care of your collection.