![]() If your turntable has a USB output, it already has a preamp. Some turntables, and many receivers, have built-in phono preamps, but if necessary you can buy an external preamp, which can range in price anywhere from $50 to several hundred dollars. You'll also need a phono preamp, which takes the signal produced by the cartridge and prepares it for use by other audio equipment. Cartridges can cost as little as $20, or more than $1000 for use with audiophile-grade turntables. There are two types of cartridges: "moving magnet," the most common type, especially on more affordable turntables and "moving coil," typically found on pricier players. Many of the less expensive models come with the cartridge/stylus installed, but some pricier models require that you buy the unit separately. First, all turntables need a cartridge and stylus, also called a needle. First, though, here's what you need to know before you go shopping. We haven't tested any of today's crop of turntables, but these models have good reputations and will give you a sense of what features to look for. ![]() We've listed a few turntables at vastly different prices below. And in engineering, "precise" can often be translated as "expensive." If that sounds like it requires mechanical precision, you're right. That sets up vibrations that are converted into electrical signals, which are sent to an amplifier and eventually to your ears via speakers or a pair of headphones. As the needle-or, to use the right term, stylus-on the tonearm moves along a groove in a record, it glides up and down the tiny peaks and valleys carved into the vinyl. You can spend anywhere from $100 for the crudest model and up to $4,000 or more at the high end. To understand why, consider the analog wizardry performed by a turntable. One thing that hasn't changed much-the vast price range. Most also include traditional RCA jacks to connect to speakers, and some turntables are Bluetooth-compatible, allowing you to play the music through wireless speakers. Many new turntables include USB ports, letting you connect them to a computer to digitize your Pink Floyd collection. The details have changed a bit from the heyday of the technology. And those memories fuel the excitement I feel over the return of the turntable, a technology on sale in such stores as Urban Outfitters, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Kmart. I repeated that ritual myself many times, playing hundreds of different LPs throughout childhood and my early adult years. I can almost see him placing the LP on the turntable, lifting the tone arm and gently dropping the needle on the fourth track of "The White Album." I heard a popping sound, then a slight hiss, and then, that wonderful, lively, rhythmic burst of piano notes. For me, the song was the Beatles' "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" and the turntable belonged to my dad. If you're of a certain age, you may remember the first time you ever heard a vinyl record.
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