Record Players

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Record player - Discover the magic of your vinyl collection

While for some, vinyls are living a second youth as if it were a cyclical fashion. For others they simply never left and constitute a unique and special way of enjoying music. If you are thinking of buying a vinyl player to check how the experience is.

Or simply to take advantage of those old legacy albums. On this page you will find some useful recommendations to approach this world. Also a selection of outstanding models for different budgets.

Our turntable models are characterized by extreme attention to detail and excellent build quality. Our record players are designed to work independently as portable record players or to be connected to an hi fi system. Using one of our turntable record players, you can rediscover the warm sound of your vinyl.

Record player for sale - A quick look at the main features.

Bases, plate and motor

Regardless of the material used for the base of the turntable, you will find low rubber feet at the bottom. So the turntable is firmly supported on the surface.

As a general rule, the heavier it is, the better, as it will be more stable. And offer so more capacity to absorb vibrations. The mechanism of the turntables allows us to classify the turntables in:

  • direct drive record players when the plate shaft is connected directly to the motor. In this case, start-up times are shorter, and greater stability in the speed of rotation of the disc is achieved. Turntables with this type of drive are mainly used as DJ turntables. Because they are suitable for special techniques such as "scratching". They have a higher price but are the most recommended for intensive use. As they have no mechanical parts, their deterioration is lower, they are quieter and offer more uniform movement.
  • belt drive record players when the motor is connected to a belt which in turn makes the plate rotate. The belt acts as a shock absorber. It is reducing the vibrations produced by the motor, ensuring that the arm and the needle do not vibrate. Thus allowing for a cleaner sound. They are cheaper to manufacture, require more time to reach the nominal speed and tend to suffer greater deterioration over time.

With regard to the motor, the most advisable thing is that it is direct current. They are the most common in current models - which provides a stable power supply as opposed to those using electromagnets.

An added bonus:some turntables come with speakers, generally in the input and mid-range frequencies. This can be an interesting feature if you need an autonomous and independent model to listen to your vinyls. Especially if you don’t have a dedicated amplifier or hi-fi system to connect the record player.

Arm and pickup capsule

The arm is the extremity in charge of connecting the vinyl with the record player. Turntable arms fall into two categories: manual or automatic. How do they differ?

The automatic one has a mechanical calibration allowing the reproduction to start when you press the "play" button. In the manual one you will have to do this operation yourself.

For home use, automatic record players are clearly more comfortable. But the manual ones offer greater precision for playing and mixing tracks. They suffer less if you are going to skip songs.

Capsule

At the end of the arm you find a key piece in every turntable. The pickup capsule, where the needle is located.

The capsule reads the record grooves and the sine waves. You aim at high sound quality? It is always recommended choosing an independent head and a quality needle.

The two most common types of pickup capsules are moving coil and moving magnet. Without going into detail, moving coil capsules are usually more accurate, allowing them to extract more information. Their output level is lower. They will require a good phono preamp to amplify the signal coming from the record player, accurately and minimizing distortion.

And this makes them more expensive than moving magnets. However, magnet capsules on properly tuned turntables also compete with coil models. So it's worth listening to several models before you make your decision.

Vinyl records are classified according to two parameters. The diameter (in inches), with values of 12", 10" or 7" and their angular speed (in rpm). And with values of 33, 45 and 78 rpm, being the formats of 33 and 45 RPM the most common.

The combination of both gives the capacity of the vinyl. LP (Long Play) for 33 rpm, SP (Standard Play) for 78 rpm, EP (Extended Play) for the singles, usually 12".

Also affecting the amount of information that fits on a vinyl is the amount of information. The fidelity of the sound and the number of audio channels as well. In this sense, we will also consider the weight of the vinyl, which takes into account its density.

Other features

Unlike digital devices, record players do not have many additional features and functions. Functions that allow the devices to stand out from each other. Apart of course from the quality of construction and materials used. Three features, however, are noteworthy:

  • Pitch control: this function is extremely useful for DJs. As it allows to slightly increase or decrease the rotation speed of the turntable. Thus manipulating and mixing songs with ease and precision.
  • Anti-skating system: 'skating' on a plate occurs when the needle moves sideways without remaining in the centre of the groove. This can lead to distortion and disc wear. On better turntables the anti-skating function prevents this, allowing for better reproduction quality and extended vinyl life.
  • USB output: turntables with a built-in USB port offer the convenient ability to digitise discs for playback on other media. The sound signal is in fact transferred from the record player to a computer via USB cable. The signal will be recorded internally with a common audio recording program.
  • Bluetooth connection: If you don't have a record player with speakers it's good to have this feature. The bluetooth turntable can be easily connected with bluetooth speakers or hifi systems.

Vintage record player - antique charm for an always up-to-date sound

Just take a look at auna product gallery to find different models of vintage turntables with a sophisticated design. That, in shapes and colours, will make you relive the atmosphere of the golden age of vinyl.

Designed to be used independently, thanks to the presence of internal loudspeakers. At the same time they have the possibility to connect to the line input of a hi-fi system. And that without the need to buy a special signal preamplifier.

Our retro record players are an elegant. They are excellent value for money solution to fully enjoy the warm sound provided by your vinyl records.

Some models also feature an FM tuner, built-in CD player, Bluetooth connection for streaming audio from other devices. In addition to the 78 RPM capability that is increasingly difficult to find in a bluetooth record player today. Even DAB+ radio, offering a truly complete solution for listening to music at home.

And if you're looking for a truly unusual design, take a look at Verticalo. Our sleek, minimalist, belt-driven vertical turntable with a wooden body and fully automatic start/stop system. Not only will it bring a new lustre to your records. It will always catch your attention, allowing you to visually savour the flow of your favourite music, groove after groove.

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