Want a Vintage Turntable? Here’s What No One Tells You

Vintage audio is en vogue. Vinyl has been experiencing an incredible renaissance — so much so that it has encouraged a whole industry to making new turntables, preamps, phono cartridges and other components.

And it seems to have had a trickle down effect into other old-school playback formats. Interest in CDs and cassette tapes are both experiencing resurgences, as well.

Why audiophiles love vintage

But it’s not just listening to vintage audio formats that a lot of hi-fi enthusiasts love — it’s listening to them on vintage components and machines.

Any purist will tell you that “they just don’t make them like they used to” and that’s actually true in some ways. The look, feel and nostalgia of an old-school turntable or receiver is simply unmatched.

Most turntables from previous decades are quite large, made of high-quality woods and metals. They harken back to a time when vinyl was really the best and easiest way to listen music. And let’s be honest, today’s influx of modern turntables just don’t have that same vibe.

To make them even more tempting, vintage turntables are actually somewhat affordable by today’s hi-fi standards. For example, you can find old-school turntables from Marantz, Pioneer or Technics for a few hundred bucks or less.

But purchasing one and getting it in working order might not be as straightforward as you think.

Vintage turntables don’t sound as good as modern turntables

The reality is that even though vinyl is an old school audio format, there have been a lot technical advancements in the way it’s played.

Modern turntables have more sophisticated components (tonearms, motors, belts, cartridges, circuitry, etc.) and are thus able to produce a more accurate and warmer sound than turntables from decades ago.

So if you’re building a hi-fi system around a vintage turntable, you’re most likely doing it for the project and the nostalgia rather than the end sound quality.

Most vintage turntables will need serious TLC

If you’re serious about buying a vintage turntable, the other thing you need to know is most of what is being sold won’t be in perfect working order.

In fact, a lot of vintage turntables are being sold for parts (mostly belts, tonearms and motors); meaning they’re designed for people who are restoring a vintage turntable they already have.

Lucy Lambriex/Getty Images

Unless you seriously know what you’re doing, we recommend finding and reaching out to a local hi-fi shop and asking what they think of the turntable you’re buying and if they can help you fix it up.

The most difficult thing in restoring vintage audio is finding old-school parts, and they might tell you that restoring the model you’re eyeing might not be so easy.

Still want one? We don’t blame you. Peruse our guide to the best vintage turntables you can buy today.

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