Record players have quickly come back into fashion over the past five years.
They offer such a great way to enjoy music.
Nothing quite beats holding your favourite album in your hands, placing it on the platter and watching the needle drop as the music springs to life.
Isn’t this reason enough to encourage your teenager into vinyl and help them with that same anticipation and enjoyment of their music?
But that said, it can be a minefield out there when choosing the best record player.
You need to balance an easy to use system that sounds great and will help to grow their interest in vinyl vs keeping the budgets realistic.
So we’ve put together 5 of the key things to consider when picking a record player with speakers for your teenagers.
1. Choose An Automatic Turntable
The simplest to use turntables are the automatic variety.
Once you place a record on the platter you hit the play button, the tonearm will automatically lift, track across to the start of the record, gently drop down and start playing.
This makes it really easy to use and less likely to damage anything.
We’d also recommend avoiding cheaper brands and sticking to the known’s such as Audio-Technica, TEAC, Crosley & Lenco.
The Audio-Technica LP60X is our most popular fully automatic turntable and you’ll find lots of the best-selling turntable with speaker bundles here.
2. Powered Bookshelf Speakers
Powered bookshelf speakers such as the popular Edifier R1280DB are an absolutely great choice for turntable speakers.
They feature a built in amplifier and line input for the turntable.
You simply plug the speakers in, connect the turntable to the speakers and you’re ready to play music.
Powered speakers, otherwise known as active bookshelf speakers, give you a great choice with varying budgets and qualities but also keep the system simple to set up and use.
Most speakers will also feature additional inputs so TV’s and laptops can be connected which further increases your return on investment and may prove useful for homework on the laptop.
3. Bluetooth Compatible
Whilst it’s great that there’s an interest in vinyl it’s also worth considering choosing a speaker with a built-in Bluetooth receiver.
That way your teen has the ability to stream music from Spotify, Youtube etc as well as playing records.
Again this further increases your return on investment;
Remember that the best HiFi is the HiFi that gets used the most!
The most popular bluetooth powered bookshelf speakers are;
1. Edifier R1280DB
Massively popular, it has a 42W built-in amplifier that kicks a ridiculous amount of bass (which can also be dialled down, don’t worry!).
It’s got Bluetooth and multiple analog audio inputs as well as a digital optical input for connecting a TV. A steal at £129.99, no wonder it’s our best-selling speaker.
2. Q Acoustics M20
If the budget is a bit higher then consider the M20 from Q Acoustics.
Featuring aptX HD Bluetooth 5.0 for CD quality wireless streaming it boasts 130W of power, has multiple inputs including a digital USB interface for computers and is also great for gaming.
These come in at £379 a pair but are worth every penny.
3. Kanto Audio YU4
The YU4 from Kanto is a beautiful speaker that powers a 4” kevlar driver and a 1” silk dome tweeter from the built in 140W peak power amplifier.
Multiple inputs including digital optical for TV’s, a USB charging port for streaming devices (or smartphones) and a unique feature of these is a built in phono pre-amp for improving the turntable connection.
At £349.99 for the pair they still represent great value for money but have the sound quality to back up their price.
4. Edifier R1700BTs
Another great powered bookshelf speaker from Edifier, the R1700BTs.
These don’t have the optical audio input, however they do have more power with 36W per channel for a total of 72W from 2 x 4” mid/bass drivers and 2 x 19mm tweeter units.
The cabinet features an angled design making them great for placement on desks or side-units.
Price at £159.99 for the pair these are slightly better than the R1280DB for sound quality, but lack the digital input.
5. Edifier R1855DB
The new R1855 DB is a combination of the R1280DB and the R1700BT in one package!
With 70W of power, the great angled design but still featuring an on board digital to analogue converter with an optical audio input for TV’s as well as a subwoofer output should you fancy some more bass.
£159 in black, amazing value.
4. Encourage Correct Record Care & Storage
It’s important to encourage your teen to handle, look after and store their records correctly.
This will ensure that the records are fit to play for many years of enjoyment.
We’d recommend a vinyl record cleaning kit as a minimum, such as the Legend Vinyl Complete Care kit which contains everything you need to get started.
Get them to read our vinyl record care & cleaning guide which covers all the basics on handling and cleaning vinyl.
Also take a moment to read our vinyl “How To Store Vinyl Records - 10 Tips To Protect Your Collection” guide that covers storage tips and tricks.
5. Bluetooth Turntable
Last but not least on our list is to consider a Bluetooth turntable.
They offer two benefits;
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You can wirelessly link the turntable to the speakers allowing for less cables and better placement in their room.
- You can also connect a pair of Bluetooth headphones to the turntable which may be a benefit for both you and your teen!
The most popular Bluetooth turntables for teens are the Audio-Technica LP60XBT and the TEAC TN-180BT - the former being fully automatic.
Conclusion
Hopefully you have a better idea of which record player to go for now.
As a dad of two young boys, although not quite teenagers yet, I try to buy things that they’ll use for years and that can be used in multiple ways to maximise the value they bring.
I’ve mentioned “return on investment” a few times in this blog, and the reason being is that sometimes the cheapest option isn’t the best if it ends up at the bottom of a cupboard.
Whichever record player you go for, consider spending a few extra pounds on something that’s guaranteed to get regular use.
If you need any more help choosing a record player for your teen please feel free to contact our expert team by email, live chat or calling 02393 190955 and we’ll be happy to advise further.
