The Best Turntables for DJs and Vinyl Lovers (2024)

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If you want to make original mashups of your favorite songs, or DJ to an audience, your most important tool is the right turntable.

Just take it from Australian DJ Alison Wonderland, who’s remixed tracks by everyone from Justin Bieber to Dua Lipa. “I love creating the set off the crowd’s energy and I love treating the decks like an instrument,” she says. “It’s always fun to experiment with two tracks on top of each other.”

Turntables or record players (the terms are used interchangeably) can do more than spin a disc. “A turntable is what you put your music into and it actually plays the music,” Wonderland says. “You use these to time your songs.”

A DJ setup includes a few pieces of equipment, including a mixer, controller, and speakers, but none of them will perform at their best if you don’t use the right turntable.

“The turntable is the device that plays the song which is then broadcast by the mixer,” explains DJ Mensa, a Toronto-based nightclub, radio and mixtape DJ who’s a three-time winner of RedBull’s 3Style DJ competition. “Two turntables playing songs alternately keeps the music playing at a non-stop pace. That,” he says, “is DJ’ing in a nutshell.”

What Are the Best DJ Turntables?

There are many factors to consider when choosing the best DJ turntable for you; below are the most important ones, which we considered while we were researching this list.

Direct Drive: The DJ turntables we’re recommending are direct-drive models, which means their platter (the circular piece you place your album onto) is spun by a motor. This differs from “belt” driven record players, which have an elastic band around the side of the platter to spin it. Mensa says, “DJ (direct-drive) turntables are more precise, and more durable over the long run.”

Tempo Controls: One of the hallmarks of a DJ turntable is a fader (a sliding switch) that allows you to increase or decrease the platter’s speed to change a song’s tempo. This fader lets you switch between songs with different BPM (beats per minute) seamlessly.

Speed Shift: All of the DJ turntables we recommend allow you to change between 33/3 and 45 RPM (rotations per minute), so you can play both singles and full-sized albums.

Preamp: Some turntables have a built-in preamp, an audio component that increases its volume output so it can be connected to any input on a stereo receiver (or a pair of powered speakers). Most of our DJ turntable recommendations don’t have a preamp, because that job is handled by other components, like the mixer you use.

Causal Use: Although the turntables we’re recommending in this guide have features meant for DJs, they can still be used for listening to albums for pleasure as a part of your home theater system. Just remember you’ll need to get a preamp if your stereo receiver doesn’t have a phono input.

1. Reloop AMS-RP-4000-MK2

Reloop may not be a name you’re familiar with, but its AMS-RP-4000-MK2 is an excellent entry-level option for aspiring DJs.

The direct drive turntable has a fader on the right side of the platter that lets you shift the tempo between +/- 8% and +/- 16%. You can shift between these two modes by pushing the 8%/16% button below the fader, and automatically reset the speed to 0% (normal) by pushing a button to the left of it. The ability to regulate your DJ turntable’s speed without looking down, or relying on muscle memory is a major win.

The MK2 also has a button that lets you reverse the direction of your record, so you can play it backwards for scratching. The turntable’s start/stop and 33/3 and 45RPM speed selection buttons are located on the left side of the of the platter.

These quality of life features make DJing easier for beginners because you can rely on pressing buttons until you get comfortable controlling the faders, while also focusing on other tasks like song selection, and EQ (equalization). When combined with the physical design choices Reloop made, like building in a motor with higher torque (force used to rotate objects) and reinforced metal housing, you get a well-balanced turntable for home and professional use.

Whether you’re a music fan who wants to start DJing, or a DJ looking to upgrade from an older rig, this is a great place to start.

Buy Reloop Direct Drive DJ Turntable $375.03

2. Pioneer PLX1000 Direct Drive DJ Turntable

Pioneer’s PLX1000 Direct Drive DJ Turntable is an excellent choice for more professional DJs.

Its layout is similar to the other DJ turntables we’ve recommended: A fader on the right lets you change the tempo at either +/-8%,+/- 16%, or +/- 50% (the biggest range of any table we’re recommending). You can switch between those modes by pushing a button on top of the fader, or reset the tempo by pushing a button to the left of it.

The PLX1000’s speed controls and start/stop buttons are located to the left of the platter. Pioneer includes a 45 adapter, which fits into the larger hole on a seven-inch single and allows you to place it onto the turntable’s spindle.

Where this turntable pulls ahead is in its overall design. It has a high torque motor that Pioneer says can spin the table to 33/3RPM in .3 seconds. Its chasis is made out of die-cast zinc (that means it was hardened and compressed under extreme pressure, improving its overall stability). Pioneer says this turntable is “club grade,” so it’s made for regular use in a challenging environment.

The only downside to this table is that it doesn’t come with a needle or cartridge, so you have to supply your own. You can attach any cartridge you like, which is nice, but this table won’t be DJ ready out of the box. If you already have a needle you like, but need a new deck to handle anything you can throw at it, this is our recommendation.

Buy Pioneer PLX1000 Direct Drive DJ… $739.00

3. Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB-BK

Audio-Technica has a huge line of turntables, but the AT-LP120XBT-USB is its newest, most fully-loaded record player for DJs.

While it looks like the other turntables in our guide, it has a couple of features that help it stand out. The fader on the right side lets you change the tempo +/- 10%, which is a fair amount of range. The buttons on the left side let you start and stop your album, and switch between 33.3, 45, and 78RPM.

This turntable’s most technically advanced feature is its support for Bluetooth, which lets you stream music from your record player to a wireless speaker, or wireless headphones. This may not help you in the DJ booth, but it gives you a lot of flexibility when listening to music at home. It also has a USB port on the backside, so you can easily digitize your records.

This is the only DJ turntable in our guide that supports either of these features, which makes it the most versatile pick. Audio-Techica also includes a dust cover and an adapter for playing 45s, which makes the AT-LP120XBT-USB-BK the full package for DJs and music listeners.

If you’re a DJ who wants a turntable to use on and off the stage, you won’t find a better choice than this.

Buy Audio-Technica AT-LP120XBT-USB-BK $399.00