Personally, I won't use anything that isn't at least semi automatic. If it's not, then there are modern tables she may use. That's where you have to do homework and figure out what sounds best to you for the style of music you listen to, and what your budget it.Īlso, since your wife wants a turntable 'like she used to have,' what features were in that turntable? Was a fully automatic or semi-automatic? If it was, then is that feature important to her? If it is, then you're probably looking at vintage. You can take a 'cheap' turntable of reasonable build quality and really kick it up a notch with a cartridge/stylus upgrade.Īnd, before you ask, there is no 'best' cartridge/stylus. I think the #1 thing when it comes to turntable sound quality is the cartrdige and stylus. But, at the same time, they sometimes need work and don't come with a warranty. I think the best bang for your buck is always vintage gear. We need to know your budget, first of all, and your technical knowledge.

Some people will tell you to drop $10K on a turntable, because nothing else will do.

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