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Okay, let’s be honest: buying a record player is impractical. (If you want practical, buy a Sonos and call it a day.) But there’s a bespoke magic to owning a turntable and building a library of vinyl LPs. Especially in a world of unlimited digital streaming, find comfort in imposing a little constraint. Think of it as a reprieve from skipping around your endless Spotify library like some kind of constantly distracted lunatic.
While there are any number of very cheap options out there, if you’re setting the foundation for a killer vinyl collection, do it justice and invest in a turntable that’s going to make those records sound great. (Also necessary: a decent phono preamp, a receiver, and speakers—no one said this would be cheap.) It should be simple to set up. But unlike the other electronic appliances in your home—your Blu-ray player, your neglected Wii—a record player should also be beautiful. You’re not going to be able to hide it deep inside some Ikea console.
In short, the best record player sounds great, stands out in your living room, and isn’t fussy to set up. And you’d be hard pressed to do better than the Pro-Ject Debut Carbon. No sub-$1000 turntable sounds better. As a brand, Pro-Ject is a beloved turntable manufacturer among audiophiles—but also, just look at the thing. The Debut Carbon is the Eames chair of turntables. It’s as soothing to the eyes as a Coltrane LP is to the ears.
1. Even bad music will sound brilliant: With the high-quality Ortofen 2M Red cartridge (which, by itself, would cost $100), all the records we tested on the Debut Carbon sounded vibrant but distinct, with a wide range of dynamics that made everything from Coltrane to the Clash to Carly Rae Jepsen (Emotion bangs) come through in all the clean, warm tones that vinyl geeks incessantly wax rhapsodic about.
2. It’ll look good forever: Blessedly, we’re moving into an era where home technology doesn’t look like, well, technology. So why should the most old school thing in your stereo setup be any different? The Debut Carbon has the sleek simplicity of all those fetishized ‘60s Braun products with the contemporary high-art touches that would be at home in the MoMA. Sure, Apple would never make a turntable, but if they did, it would look like this.
3. It’s the Skittles of turntables: The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon comes in a rainbow of colors. Black and white finishes are there for you, but for a bolder approach, there are several brightly colored options that really stand out.
4. Easy out of the box: Thanks to the simplicity of its belt-drive design, the Debut Carbon will only take you a few minutes to set up and a few more to tweak the counterweight. The cartridge even comes pre-installed. The only tricky bit might be the anti-skate weight, which has to be carefully hooked onto the tone arm. But if you have any issues, there are plenty of YouTube videos that’ll show you exactly how.
The Orbit Basic is a good starter turntable for anyone who isn’t sure about committing. It’s easy to set up, has a flat-but-even sound, and comes in five solid colors. If nothing else, it sounds a 1000x better than a comparably priced Crosley record player you might find at an Urban Outfitters. (You can also get the Orbit Plus, which upgrades the platter and the cartridge, but at $309, we’d recommend you just pay a little more and go for the Pro-ject Carbon Debut.)
If you want to go high-end, go with Pro-Ject’s throwback to the ‘50s and ‘60s. With a dual platter and low-friction tone arm, the Classic brings the Pro-Ject craftsmanship we love with a beautiful retro look. It also comes in three stunning wood finishes named after the most popular baby names in Park Slope, Brooklyn—Eucalyptus, Rosenut, and Walnut.