Our Favorite Turntables and Analog Upgrades for Vinyl Systems

The Goldring GR3 is notable because it marks the cartridge specialist’s return to complete turntables after a long absence.

Its strongest appeal is convenience: the Goldring E3 moving-magnet cartridge is pre-installed and aligned, while the built-in phono stage allows connection to a broad range of amplifiers or active speakers.

The phenolic resin platter is designed to place mass toward the outside of the rotation, increasing inertia and helping suppress speed variation, and Goldring also supplies a choice of QED interconnects to suit different systems.

The Rekkord Audio M500 is aimed at vinyl listeners who value traditional mechanical engineering and setup flexibility.

Its aluminum-clad sub-chassis is supported by four parabolic springs for damping, with the tonearm and platter support bearing integrated into that suspended structure.

The straight aluminum tonearm uses a cardan bearing, carbon headshell, damped microlift, and proprietary Easy Motion internal wiring. Depending on version, it can be supplied without a cartridge or with a pre-installed Ortofon 2M Blue MM pickup, leaving room for users who want to fit their own cartridge and adjust tracking force and anti-skating.

The Audio-Technica ATN3600LE is not a turntable, but it is a relevant upgrade for owners of compatible Audio-Technica decks and Sound Burger models.

It is designed for the Sound Burger AT-SB727 and AT-SB2022, as well as variants of the AT-LP60 and AT-LP60X turntables.

Compared with the related conical stylus model, its 0.3 x 0.7 elliptical diamond profile sits lower in the groove and is specified by Audio-Technica to capture information a conical stylus cannot, with higher frequency response and less surface scratch noise. For users keeping an affordable automatic or portable deck in service, it is a targeted and practical maintenance upgrade.

The Pro-Ject X2 B stands out for its True Balanced signal path, a feature still uncommon in turntables.

The design is intended to make the most of a high-quality moving-coil cartridge when used with a compatible balanced RIAA phono amplifier, minimizing radiated noise in the delicate cartridge signal.

The source also notes that the X2 B and matching balanced Phono Box S3 B phono stage received EISA recognition in the Vinyl System category. Importantly, the turntable can still be used without buying the matching balanced phono amplifier, so the balanced capability can be treated as either an immediate system choice or a future upgrade path.

The Phasemation PP-2200 is a moving-coil cartridge rather than a turntable, but it belongs in the conversation for systems where the deck and tonearm already justify a serious cartridge upgrade.

It succeeds the long-running PP- and was developed after Phasemation chose a broad redesign rather than continuing the existing model under changing production conditions.

The central technical change is a revised magnetic circuit, which the company says increases generation efficiency. Phasemation also says this more efficient arrangement is intended to reduce audible distortion and preserve finer musical information.

The Clearaudio Concept MM is presented in the source as a high-end vinyl player that is ready to use with minimal setup.

Tracking force, cartridge adjustment, and anti-skating are factory preset, which makes it approachable for buyers who want a more serious turntable without a complicated first installation.

The chassis is described as anti-resonance, the feet are height-adjustable with a supplied level, and the low-noise DC motor drives the platter via a wide belt. The source also highlights the turntable’s smooth, transparent sound character and strong rhythmic and dynamic qualities, though those descriptions should be read as the article’s characterization rather than a new comparative test.

The T+A R is positioned by its maker as a high-end turntable within the company’s R-series.

It uses a specially modified Clearaudio tonearm with a carbon-fiber tube and is supplied with an MC-2 moving-coil cartridge.

The plinth is developed in-house by T+A, built from MDF with aluminum exterior plates, and designed so the tonearm, motor, and bearing are not simply tied to the same top layer. Despite its compact description in the source, the deck is substantial in weight and uses adjustable feet for installation. The source also points to DSP-controlled speed in the article title, indicating attention to rotation control as part of the design package.

The Mark Levinson No.

515 is a premium turntable developed with VPI Industries, combining Mark Levinson industrial design with VPI’s turntable manufacturing experience.

It is hand-assembled in the USA and built around a highly damped vinyl-coated aluminum composite sandwich-panel housing. The all-metal aluminum platter runs on an inverted bearing, while the AC synchronous motor sits on a separate mechanically insulated chassis. A precision-machined pulley, triple-belt drive, analog oscillator, discrete Class AB power amplifier for the motor, and electronic rotation control circuitry all point to a design focused on mechanical isolation and controlled drive behavior.

The Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB is included here through the source article about its white finish, but the substance is broader than color.

It is described as a popular direct-drive turntable with Bluetooth wireless connectivity and an integrated USB output for direct connection to a computer.

That USB connection can be used for playback through PC speakers or for digitally archiving records, while the wireless capability suits cable-light systems and pairing with compatible active speakers such as Audio-Technica’s white AT-SP3x. The new finish simply gives an already versatile model a cleaner visual option for modern interiors or studio spaces.

The Music Hall MMF 5.3 focuses on vibration management through a dual-layer chassis.

Two fiberboard panels are separated by conical shock-absorbing inserts: the upper panel carries the bearing and tonearm, while the lower panel holds the synchronous AC motor and electrical components.

The piano-lacquer finish is available in black or white and is described as adding damping as well as visual polish. Practical supplied elements include a dust cover, 45 rpm spindle attachment, felt mat, screw-fixation record clamp, and bubble level. Speed change is manual, by repositioning the drive belt on different pulley diameters, so this deck favors listeners comfortable with a traditional hands-on routine.