Turntable Buying Guide - What do people want from a vinyl record player?

When you're choosing your new record player, there's a lot to consider. As the vinyl revival is in full swing, there's even more choice out there. So how do you decide the record player that's right for you?

Budget

It probably seems as though it should be the final question, but in fact let's be honest, you probably need to think about this first. Turntables vary wildly in price. You can spend anywhere from £30 to £3000 on a vinyl player. It's always best to think about how much you've got to spend and then searching for record players in that bracket.

Even within GPO's collection of record players, it varies from under £50 with our "back to basics" GPO Stylo and up to £200 with the GPO Bermuda and GPO Memphis. With more expensive vinyl players the sound is often better and you get more features. Yet price shouldn't exclude you from your love of vinyl. Even entry level record players let you play your favourite records.

Style

What do you want your vinyl player to look like? There are lots of different styles. The suitcase style, seen in the Attache or Ambassador are two of our favourites and it's replicated in how many people buy them. Others prefer the 50s styling of the Memphis, or the 60s era inspired Bermuda, with its removable legs.

One of the great things about our vinyl revival has been this growth in very different styles that you can find the vinyl player that's right for you.

Colour

Don't forget about colour. Some vinyl snobs might turn up their nose, but vinyl is a huge part of fashion right now, so why not choose a record player in your favourite shade?

What's your music habit?

How do you listen to music? If you've only got three vinyl records and 1,000 tracks on your MP3 device, then buying a vinyl player that only plays records might not be right for you. However, buying a record player that has a USB connection and built in speakers, so that you can plug in your MP3 and play your digital tracks becomes increasingly important.

The new generation of vinyl players sits in the middle of your whole music collection, be it CD, digital tracks, records and even cassettes. Chose a record player that suits you and how you listen to music.