Vinyl records have had something of a resurgence recently. You’d think that the advent of digital subscription services would kill the idea of physically owning music, but in fact it seems to have encouraged many people to go back and consider some of the more charismatic media. Thankfully, the market has taken over, which means that anyone can go online and order themselves a record player without having to worry about being an expert in the field or spending a lot of money.

That’s why we’ve come up with this list of the best record players for under £100. We’ve spent a lot of time researching everything there is to know about turntables and reading hundreds of customer reviews to put together this list, so you can find a great way to play vinyl without breaking the bank. Whether you have lots of old records stashed away and want to start listening to them again, or you want to buy your very first turntable, this list is a great place to start.

Easily choose your best affordable record player using the table below. Read even more detailed product reviews to find out more. And find out the key features to consider when choosing a record player in our buying guide.

DIGITNOW Vinyl record player

The DIGITNOW record player is one of the most popular low-cost options on the market. It’s well under our 100 euro budget, but it does almost everything the other record players on our list do. In fact, the only feature it doesn’t have that you might want is the belt drive.

 

This is another suitcase-style turntable, completely covered in black leatherette, with brass fittings and accents. The inside of the lid is finished in an attractive red, although this may be a little intense for some. Overall, the look is pretty good, and most people will find it fits well with most decors.

Functionality is definitely the best thing about this record player. You get all the connections you could possibly need, including Bluetooth, a full USB port and an SD card reader. This model also has a display that shows information such as playback time, mode and more. It’s also another turntable with a rechargeable battery, so you don’t have to worry about a power cable and it lasts an impressive three hours on a full charge.

Finally, it has two stereo speakers, which is good. They’re not as good as some of the other decks here, but they’re reasonable, and you can always connect to a better speaker setup if you want.

AUX and RCA

Wow. What can we say – this is without doubt one of the most remarkable record players you can buy for under £100. The Victrola brand has been around for over 100 years now and has recently been relaunched with a bang. Priced slightly below our budget, this Victrola offers a huge amount of features in an impressive package.

The appearance of this turntable will obviously be the first thing that catches your eye, as it really doesn’t look like a cheap player. It is a tall, imposing shape with a very vintage, almost antique look. You get a beautiful wooden body, with a metal plate on the front that contains a vintage dial and all the switches.

It looks very impressive, but if you want to be critical, not all the materials are of a very high quality. But for the price, it is really well made. Several colours are available.

Victrola presents this device as an entertainment centre, and we agree with this statement: this is no ordinary record player. In addition to having good record functionality, there is also a CD player, a cassette player and a radio. You can even pair Bluetooth devices. It is conceivable that you could replace all your other systems with this one.

Because of the size of the unit, the speakers are excellent, and there are also tuning settings. Overall, this is an excellent option.

 

1byone Suitcase Style Turntable

We’ll now look at another suitcase style option, but this one doesn’t have the vintage aesthetic that many others do. Instead, it’s a sleek, modern and almost minimalist unit that will appeal to many people. Plus, it’s so light that it can be carried effortlessly wherever you go. For more lightweight turntables, read our buying guide to the best portable record players.

The 1byone case is wrapped in a soft black leather-effect material that makes it look like a much more expensive product than it actually is. The inside of the lid is white, with the attractive 1byone logo. All the hardware and the tray are also black.

Despite its modest price tag, just over half our budget, this record player is packed with features and is one of the most functional devices on our list. Bluetooth is just the beginning – you can also plug in a USB stick and record directly to the record. Perfect for people looking for an inexpensive way to turn their stored records into digital media. We also like the way the speakers sound, which is probably due to the fact that the chassis is a good size.

1byone also offers a 12-month warranty on its units, which means you can buy with confidence. Although some cheap record players may come with blown speakers, you don’t have to worry about that here. We do have one minor gripe, which is that the case style looks functional, but there’s no place to store the power cable.

 

Jensen JTA-222

Then we have a turntable from Jensen. Again, this is a lesser known company, but this particular product is one of the best selling options on the market, and for good reason. Not only is it a decent choice, but it comes at a very attractive price, well under half our budget. There really isn’t much that can compete with this kind of value.

Aesthetically, Jensen has gone for a vintage look, and there’s a very cool 50s or art deco vibe to it, with the circular plate on the front, and the slatted speaker grille. It’s all enclosed in a nice smooth wooden box with rounded corners, which is excellent, although the plastic cover is not up to the standard of the rest of the unit.

As it’s so cheap, you won’t find features such as Bluetooth, but you do get an AM/FM receiver, which means you can replace your radio with one unit.

It’s a 3-speed deck, so you can play all your favourite records. In addition, there’s also a tuner, so you can change things if you like, or fine-tune them if you think things aren’t quite right.

There are RCA outputs at the back if you want to hook this thing up to your stereo system, but the built-in speaker is perfectly fine too if you don’t insist on very loud or high quality sounds.

 

JORLAI Rechargeable Case Deck

This product is one of the best on our list, and you should definitely consider it for your next purchase. It’s beautiful, has great features and is very, very well priced. This is the JORLAI Rechargeable Case Deck, and we really like it.

First of all, the appearance. This is another suitcase-style turntable that is very popular these days. Instead of a wooden finish, this particular product is made from a wooden frame wrapped in good quality PU leather. The overall effect is very high quality, with brass or chrome hardware. It will certainly be hard to beat in terms of aesthetics.

The functionality, as we have already briefly mentioned, is extremely good. Like all good modern turntables, you get Bluetooth, an auxiliary input and RCA and headphone outputs. There’s no SD card or USB functionality like on some devices, but that’s not a problem for most people, especially as there’s a PC link output. Two speakers are built into the front, and it’s also a belt-driven deck.

We also like the fact that, as the name suggests, it’s a fully rechargeable turntable, which means you can use it outside if you want, and you’re generally not limited by power cables. Given its suitcase shape and light weight, it’s certainly a good option for people looking for portability and quality.

JORLAI Wooden turntable

Then we have another product from JORLAI. This one is completely different from the suitcase model we’ve already reviewed, but it’s a great device in its own right, and it’s also slightly cheaper.

While many of the products on this list go for a vintage or retro style, this one is rather modern, albeit in a wooden frame. Everything looks very clean and minimalist, with a single button on the front of the unit, the speaker and outputs on either side, and then the speed and arm level discreetly placed beside the arm. There’s also a removable plastic dust cover on top.

From the looks of this thing, you’d expect it to not have much functionality, but that’s not true. This JORLAI has pretty much everything you want except Bluetooth. You can connect it to your stereo, your computer, or whatever you have in mind.

And it’s also a belt drive model, which is great for audiophiles. For those who don’t know, this type of drive is generally desirable because it separates the motor from the plate, reducing unwanted noise.

The built-in speakers are clean and loud, so you don’t need an external hi-fi system, and overall the quality of this record player is pretty good. It doesn’t feel as cheap as it is.

 

Miric turntable

We’ve seen a number of vintage and antique style record players, as well as some that merge older styles with modern design, but this Miric product has to be the most up to date and modern of all those we’ve reviewed. If you don’t want leather or wood, and insist on a cutting-edge style, then this could well be the budget record player for you.

Again, Miric is not a brand you are likely to be familiar with, but they have done a very good job on the design of this unit. It has a very attractive glossy black casing and a purple lit volume knob surround. It certainly won’t look out of place next to your laptop or Mac.

A wear-resistant ceramic needle, as well as a belt drive and DC servo motor, will certainly appeal to audiophiles and those who really want a quality device to play their records on. In addition, the two built-in speakers are impressively loud – you can connect to an external system if you wish, but it’s really not necessary.

There’s no Bluetooth here, but you can connect via USB to your computer, which means it’s another great turntable for recording your vinyl and turning it into digital music.

 

Musitrend LP turntable

First, we have this lovely record player from Wockoder. As you’d expect from a budget option, the brand isn’t well known, but don’t let that put you off: it’s a great choice, with good looks and good features.

The first thing you’ll notice is, of course, the look of this turntable. It has a vintage or antique look, with a nice wooden body, corner braces and brass handles. When closed, it looks like a classic record player box. The wood is not very high quality, but it is not bad at all. By the way, if you are looking for a classic record player, check out our article on the best vintage turntables.

It’s also worth noting that you can choose from four colours, all of which look great. The cork effect is particularly good.

The exterior may look very old-fashioned, but the specification inside is certainly not. With Bluetooth, SD card and USB connectivity, this is a thoroughly modern piece of equipment that can play just about any media you want, not just records.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a good turntable if it couldn’t play records, and we’re happy to say that it does. The stereo speakers are pretty good for a record player of this price, and you get the standard three speeds. The only downside is that there is no option to adjust the speed if you think it’s not quite right, and there were a few reports of blown speakers. The needle mechanism and switches are nice and robust though.

 

1byone Belt-Drive 3-Speed Stereo Turntable Portable

We decided to choose a second 1byone product to include in our list, this one also being a suitcase type model, but with a more retro feel and slightly less functionality. However, the price is very low and it more than makes up for this lack of features by offering very good value for money.

Of course, that’s not to say that this device doesn’t have many features, because that wouldn’t be true. Starting with the record playback capabilities themselves, this is a three speed unit with a 45rpm adapter, and an auto stop function, and the big selling point is that it’s a belt drive, which is very rare on record players of this price. You also get a soft damping control on the tone arm.

Connectivity is excellent, with all the inputs and outputs you’d expect.

In terms of design, this is a nice looking case unit, available in black or turquoise. As with the other 1byone record players we reviewed, it is wrapped in a nice leather effect finish ; Being a little smaller, the discs stick out on this model, but this shouldn’t be too much of a problem as you wouldn’t be carrying the player with a disc mounted in it.

Overall, this is a very good value choice that will appeal to many people. It has a nice balance of vintage and modern styles, with plenty of options.

 

Turntable

The first thing you need to pay attention to is the size standards and speeds available. As we’ve discovered, most turntables under £100 have three playback speeds – 33 1/3, 45 and 78 rpm, so you don’t have to worry that your new turntable won’t play your favourite vinyl, whether old or new. The second important component of a turntable is its stylus. Of course, you don’t expect high-end styluses to come with turntables under £100, but make sure you check if they are replaceable so you can upgrade. The needle doesn’t make a huge difference to the sound quality, but bear in mind that sapphire needles need replacing more often.

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Speakers

Speakers are an integral part of any record player, but the quality of built-in speakers varies considerably. And while the speakers that come with a sub-$100 record player may sound decent and sweet, it may be best to check if the record player can be connected to external vinyl speakers for even better sound.
Bluetooth
In the world we live in today, versatile connectivity is a normal state of affairs. And many of the more affordable record players can be connected to your smartphone or speakers via Bluetooth. If you can’t imagine your life with these wires anymore, make sure you check if a record player you’re planning to buy has Bluetooth connectivity.

Other media

The more you can get for under $100, the better, right? So if a record player can play CDs or tapes, or has a built-in radio, that’s a huge advantage. It turns it into a complete entertainment centre with the ability to play vinyl.

Recording

The ability to convert your vinyl collection into digital MP3 files is perhaps one of the best features of modern record players. This means you can create a digital collection of your vinyl records and listen to them on the move, wherever you are, while keeping your records safe. You can record your vinyl directly to a USB stick or connect your record player to a computer, depending on the specific record player you choose.

Conclusion
And that’s it. If you have a vinyl record collection but have long since thrown away your old record player, you’re spoilt for choice. Likewise, if you want to get into vinyl, but aren’t sure you want to spend a lot of money, you’re spoilt for choice too. Read through all the products, think carefully about each one, and then you’ll be able to make a decision. All the products we have chosen will suit different people, whether you are looking for something very modern like the Miric, very functional like the Victrola or elegant like the Musitrend