Of all the formats that have come and gone over the years, nothing has had the sheer staying power of vinyl. Records have existed for over a century, and even at the height of CDs, records still held a piece of the market – and plenty of people would tell you that they sounded better than CDs – and twenty years after CD audio peaked, vinyl sales came back to more than double those of CDs. While streaming services now offer the most convenient listening experience, there’s still something special about analog audio setups and listening to music on vinyl. If you want to enjoy the timeless experience of listening to music on records, we’ll help you through the process of building a system to get the most out of your record collection.
Core Turntable System Components
Your turntable is the heart and soul of your setup. You’ll have a number of decisions to make when purchasing a new table from the drive system, to the cartridge, to whether or not you want an automatic turntable. The stock components in audiophile turntables from brands like Pro-Ject and Audio-Technica will be high quality, but in many ways a good turntable is as much a platform for future upgrades as it is a component in and of itself.

The phono stage (or phono preamp) is one of the most crucial pieces of your turntable setup. The primary purpose of the phono stage is to increase the output level of your turntable to line level – the level that your headphone or speaker amp will need to properly output the signal. The other purpose is RIAA equalization. RIAA equalization is required because the process of making a record carves the sound waves into the surface of the record, but frequencies at the extremes would either be too deep or too shallow to fully represent. To fix this the phono preamp applies equalization to output the original signal correctly.
Many turntables have a phono stage built-in, while some audiophile powered speakers and integrated amps also have a phono stage built-in, so be careful that you only actually have one phono stage active in your signal chain, as having more than one can cause issues both by introducing distortion from the multiple amplification stages and if you double the RIAA equalization things start sounding a little weird. We’ll walk you through fitting this all together.
The Turntable
Your first step is going to be choosing a turntable, and while this might seem like a pretty straightforward decision at first, there are a lot of factors to consider besides price and color. The biggest consideration when it comes to turntable design and components isn’t whether or not it will match your furniture, it’s vibration.
The turntable’s feet, platter (where the record sits), tonearm, and plinth (the base of the turntable) all have a part to play in making sure that you get the good vibrations, but not the bad ones. You’ll want to pick materials that have aesthetic appeal, but that will also help deliver the best possible sound and experience. With most modern turntables, the components are modular and upgradeable, allowing you to upgrade any number of components.
Turntables can either be direct drive or belt drive. Belt drive turntables are more common, and have a motor connected to a belt, and the belt is responsible for turning the platter. With direct drive, the motor is directly connected to the platter to turn it. While belt drive has been preferred by many turntable manufacturers in the past, since it isolates the platter from vibrations of the motor, newer direct drive turntables achieve the same level of low vibration with a simpler design.

Another major differentiator is whether or not a turntable is automatic. Automatic turntables will set, stop, and return the tonearm automatically, meaning that the listener can simply lift the tonearm or press a button to start playback, and when it reaches the end of the record, the tonearm will automatically return to the base. Typically whether a turntable is automatic or not doesn’t have a major effect on the sound, but some prefer the added convenience of automatic, while others prefer the simplicity of the classic design.
Finally, you’ll need to be sure that the turntable supports the correct RPM speed for your record collection. Modern 12” LPs are designed to be played at 33 ⅓ RPM, and pretty much every turntable will support that, but if you have any 7” inch records, you’ll need a 45 RPM option. Some modern turntables still support 78 RPM playback, but you should only need that if you have an extensive collection of vintage records dating back to the 50s or earlier.
Do I Need to Upgrade the Cartridge?
The cartridge is probably the most important piece of your audiophile vinyl signal chain. It’s responsible for reading the vibrations from the record and transferring the vibration into an electrical signal, so even if you have a top of the line phono stage and an incredible speaker system, the quality of the sound is still determined by the original signal from the cartridge.

Most turntables are equipped with a Moving Magnet cartridge out of the box, which is the industry standard for reliable performance, but many high-end units use Moving Coil which is more sensitive than Moving Magnet, allowing it to retrieve deeper detail and provide more extended treble.
Moving Coil cartridges tend to be more expensive, and they may require that you upgrade your phono stage to use them. Along with that, the greater sensitivity of a moving coil can be more sensitive to dust or flaws in the record. Whether you stick with the more popular Moving Magnet style or switch to Moving Coil, there are a number of upgrade options that you can replace a stock cartridge with.
What Other Upgrades are Available?
Most high quality turntables are highly modular in the design, and you can replace everything from the cartridge and tonearm to the platter, and sometimes even the plinth (the base that everything else connects to) itself. Other upgrade options include anti-skate weights and clamps or pucks that rest on the record to reduce vibration. The ultimate goal is to find any place where your system could experience vibration and eliminate that vibration. Adding stability to the tonearm, more weight to the platter, or additional clamp on the top of the record are all ways you can accomplish this in any system.

The Phono Stage
Since it’s responsible for both amplifying the original signal and applying corrective equalization to the signal, it’s safe to say that a phono stage has a big impact on your sound. The phono stage also needs to be compatible with your cartridge. Most phono stages have selectable options for different cartridges to provide the correct level of boost based on the sensitivity of the cartridge and the input level being provided to the phono stage, and some will have more advanced options for selection the gain and impedance, which should be set based on the sensitivity of the cartridge. You can usually find the information for those adjustments in the turntable or cartridge’s user manual.

Just like with traditional amplification, both tube and solid state options are available for phono stages, and the differences between them are probably about what you expect. Solid state phono stages tend to deliver a faster, more linear presentation, while with tubes you get a more natural, sometimes warmer characteristic to the sound and timbre.
Putting it all together
Once you understand the different elements you need, it's time to pick out the turntable you're going to use and decide on a phono stage if you need one. We have a number of options available for listeners who don't want to compromise on sound.
Analog Excellence on a Budget
If you’re looking for a simple vinyl solution that won’t break the bank, at $649, the Pro-Ject T2 Super Phono offers an elegant high performance design with a built-in phono stage, allowing for plug and play integration into any HiFi system.

If you already have a phono stage, the standard Pro-Ject T2 costs $549 and provides the same features without a phono stage if you don’t plan on using the built-in option. Add a budget-friendly option like the Pro-Ject Phono Box MM, and you're good to go.
Next Level Audiophile Vinyl Experience
The Pro-Ject Debut Carbon Evo was their best selling model and an excellent starting point for an audiophile turntable setup, and its follow-up, the Pro-Ject Debut Evo 2, aims to exceed what Carbon Evo accomplished. Pair it with a phono stage like the iFi ZEN Phono v3 and you’ll get an excellent analog audio experience without cracking the $1000 threshold.

For something more feature packed, the Audio-Technica LP-AP8X offers direct-drive precision and a wide range of adjustment options. Paired with the ZEN Phono v3 or a tube phono stage like the Tube Box S2, and you’re in for an incredible audio experience.
Exceeding Audiophile Expectations
For the ultimate turntable experience, the Pro-Ject X8 Evolution is hard to beat. The Evolution edition updates the original X8 comes with a Sumiko Moonstone cartridge right out of the box. Pair it with the Tube Box DS3 B and pray that your sound system is capable of handling that level of audio goodness.

For something almost as incredibly sonically, but a little easier to setup, the Pro-Ject A2 Automat streamlines much of the vinyl listening experience with multiple automatic features. Add the Tube Box DS3 B and you’re ready to disappear into your music without a care in the world.