Getting started with vinyl can be overwhelming. Before hitting “play,” newcomers are faced with a host of potentially confusing choices and terms. To add to that, it’s easy to get sticker shock from high-end, audiophile-approved setups.

While most people understand step one — buy a turntable — the process can spiral from there. A vinyl-based system can have between two and five components, and that’s not even including a cartridge and cabling.

Power amps, preamps, integrated amps, phono preamps, passive speakers, powered speakers — it’s a lot for someone to grasp. For this guide, we’re keeping it as simple and affordable as possible: a turntable and a pair of powered speakers. That’s all you’ll need to get started on a budget that makes sense.

The first step to simplifying the process is to pick up a turntable with a built-in phono preamp, which the majority of budget turntables have, and speakers with their own internal amplifier. Powered speakers are simply speakers with a built-in amplifier.

What does a phono preamp do, anyway? It amplifies and equalizes the tiny signal produced by the cartridge. That signal feeds into a larger amplifier before hitting the speakers. This equalization ensures playback meets the RIAA standards inherent in all modern recordings. If you don’t have a phono preamp, you can’t listen to records.

By getting a turntable with a built-in preamp, you can sidestep the process of researching and picking one out. which adds another step between buying your first record and the needle dropping.

In this guide, most of the phono preamps will be inside the turntables, but there are some nicer powered speakers that include a phono preamp, and we’ll touch on that. All of the turntables are fully manual.

Note: Discogs does not earn any money from the links below. All equipment mentioned was chosen through merit, testing, and first-hand experience. No sponsorships were involved.

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$300 and below 

Set your budget and look for sales, but even at full retail you could pair any of these turntables with any of these speakers and get decent sound.

Bundles

One of the easiest paths to get started is with the 1byOne Audio’ H4000 turntable and speaker combo, which retails for $249.99 but is frequently on sale for $199.99. The turntable is solid and features a tonearm with all the necessary adjustments, and all the electronics (phono preamp and stereo amp) are wedged into the turntable base.

The rest of your options at this price point are mix-and-match, requiring you to pair a turntable with powered speakers. Most turntables at this price point will have some quality control issues — it’s just the nature of the beast — but the odds are in your favor with the selections here.

Turntables

The House of Marley Stir It Up looks great and has solid build quality for $159.99 (or $212.49 with Bluetooth and an adjustable tonearm).

The TEAC TN-180BT-A3 offers a more classic look and is another reliable choice at $199.99 with Bluetooth, but no adjustments.

Also worth mentioning is the the Fluance RT80 table, which will always be a leader in this price range thanks to its $199-$250 tag, clean look, and tonearm adjustments.

Powered Speakers

At this price point, the Edifier brand is your friend, your mate, your best option. Now, the following models aren’t large — they’re meant to sit on table tops and record cabinets — and Edifier makes up for smaller size that with a decent amount of power and a house sound that has a friendly mid-bass bump. 

The Edifier R980T is a ridiculously low $99 with 12 watts per channel (wpc).

Alternatively, the R33BT is smaller and less powerful but has Bluetooth for the same price.

If you’re willing to put in a little more money, the fan-favorite R1280T offers a noticeably fuller sound, and more power with 21 wpc, for $149.99. An added alternate is the R1280DB Bluetooth option, pictured above.

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$600 and below

Bundles

We’re starting with a bundle from Fluance that offers a package deal pairing the RT81 Elite turntable with Ai41 powered speakers for $589.98, however it can sometimes be found for as low as $489.99, which deserves a mention in this category. Fluance offers several bundles that hover around the $500 price point, any of which will do, and while the bundle recommended here has smaller speakers it also has a nicer turntable and cartridge. It feels like a nice compromise but check the Fluance website for options that may work better for you.

Turntables

Recommended turntables include the Audio-Technica AT-LPW30, which has recently been easily available for as low as $200 at several major retailers and packs a larger punch than the ubiquitous AT LP-60, especially in the tonearm department.

U-Turn’s Orbit Basic with preamp is $329, which puts the squeeze on your speaker choices, but it’s a legit budget classic.

You could also get the Fluance RT81 Elite ($299) or the beefier RT81+ ($349). Both include an AT95E cartridge, which are easily upgradeable.

Speakers

That leaves $200-300 for powered speakers. All of these models have Bluetooth. 

The HiVi-Swans OS-10 are little beauties at $179.99; small but potent. 

The Edifier R1700BTs offers plenty of power and easy subwoofer connection at $219.99 (and can be occasionally found on sale for ($149.99).

The Fluance Ai61 speakers offer a lot of bang for $299.99, including 60 wpc and 5-inch woofers.

The Kanto YU is available for $249.99 so often that we’ll ignore its $349.99 list price. The Kanto house sound, like Edifier, has that pleasing mid-bass bump. 

Speaking of Kanto, the YU4 model is $479.99, which makes it too pricey for this category, but it adds a built-in phono preamp. If you have a working vintage turntable sitting unused because you lack the other gear necessary, you can plug it directly into the YU4 and be set — just a thought.

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$750 and below

Things get a lot more fun now, starting with more prepackaged bundles. At this price point, the brand options open up to some of the most familiar names in audio. 

Bundles

At the time of writing, Turntable Lab has an Audio-Technica LP120X paired with the Kanto YU4 for $720. The LP120X is an all-time budget bestseller for good reason. It has all of the basic adjustments, a nice included cartridge and solid build quality. As noted earlier, the YU4 has its own phono preamp, which you may like better than AT’s. Either way, this combo offers options, easy upgradability by doing a simple stylus switch.

Not to be outdone, Fluance packages their RT80 turntable with their Ai81 Elite powered tower speakers for $834.98, but can be found for $734.98. The Ai81s are the game changer in this scenario because this is a lot of speaker, with 75 watts of power per speaker, Bluetooth, and plenty of connectivity options. The 2.5-way design has a tweeter and two 6.5-inch mid-bass drivers, meaning you’ll get enough thump to annoy someone you love to hate.

Turntables

Pro-Ject has been a major player in the entry-level market for a long while and the Austrian company’s recent E1 line of turntables have proven themselves. The E1 Phono at $449 is the model that makes sense here as it has a phono preamp, nice build quality, and a decent cartridge in the Ortofon OM 5e.

The Audio-Technica LPW40WN pictured below is an excellent turntable with a excellent carbon-fiber tonearm, but it’s gone up to $500, which doesn’t leave much for speakers. The Audio-Technica LPW30 mentioned in the sub-$600 category has a less sophisticated tonearm and cartridge but the same stylish look; fingers crossed that its on sale for $199, as it has been in the past.

The U-Turn’s Orbit Basic with preamp sneaks back in here at $329. And there’s no getting away from Fluance and the RT81+ Elite is the very sweet spot at $299. For an extra $50 over the RT81, you get the highly capable Audio-Technica VM95E cartridge, a dampened platter and acrylic mat and adjustable feet, which is more handy than you’d believe possible. It’s a steal.

Speakers

The Klipsch R-40PM is a fan favorite that can be found for $390 with some comparative shopping. They also have the Klipsch house sound, and if that doesn’t work for you, then pass. They’re treble forward, to be sure, but it’s clear and clean sound, and a lot of people love attenuated treble. 

The Audioengine A5+ is a perennial contender at $499 but is easily found for $399. Excellent sound and a robust 75 wpc. 

The Fluance Ai41 powered speakers and the Kanto YU base model, both $249.99, are still minor players that this price point but the Ai61 are a  better option at $299 simply because they offer more of everything —  power (60 wpc), larger mid-bass driver and plenty of connectivity.  

Any combination of turntable and speaker will work here, so it depends on your budget and aesthetic preferences. You could also mix components from different categories; for example, the Audio-Technica AT-LPW30, assuming you can get it for $200, paired with the Fluance Ai81Elite tower speakers at $549.98, would be a great sub-$750 system. 

Shop carefully and keep you expectations realistic, no matter what your budget. You’re in for a good time.