In the ’80s my mum got a big Hi-Fi system that had about 5 stacks on it. The top stack was a turntable and it allowed her to play all the old records that she had from being young. When we had parties people loved looking through her vinyl collection and having a good dance to some classics.
Then in the ’90s things changed and vinyl seemed to die off a bit and hi-fi systems changed and all became much smaller. Some were made for minidisks and most moved to support CD’s as both vinyl, mini disk and tape were slowly phased out.
However, there has been a recent surge and vinyl has now become “cool” again. That’s probably the main reason you are looking at this article! People always say vinyl sounds better as well, as the sound quality is not compressed. Anyway, let’s take a look at some of the best ones for 2020 which can play all your old albums and relive the old days.
Table of Contents
Best Hi-fi Systems With Turn Tables
1. Teac MC-D800 Turntable Hi-Fi System
Teac produces a wide range of record players but this is one of their most popular items. As with most on this list, It has a CD player which supports MP3 and WMA tracks as well as having the turntable on the top.
There are external speakers which have a 10W output each and have a small bass on the back but don’t expect any massive bass sounds from this stereo system.
There is Bluetooth support, which in 2020 is something we definitely want to see. This means you can use the music system to playback your favourite Spotify songs when you are not using the turntable or CD player.
We don’t think it looks the best, but it depends on what the room is like that you are placing it in. We feel it could look a bit more modern and think it looks a bit dated when compared to some others on the list.
When doing our research we found that people were very impressed with the sound quality of this item and its made them go out and buy some new records to go with their collection of old records.
2. I-Box Vinyl Record Player
I’ll be honest, this vinyl system only in here for the way it looks, and I wouldn’t really call it a hi-fi system as the speakers are built into the unit. It is a budget turntable. This would look great on a bookshelf, or maybe in a home office for those afternoon chilled out work vibes.
It does all the things the big hi-fi can do except it does not come with a CD player. Is that a big issue nowadays though? The only time I used CD’s now is in my car, and that’s not very often as I just connect my phone via Bluetooth. The main focus of this product is the fact that it’s a cool looking turntable.
One downside of it looking so good, is that the speakers are built-in and very small. These only offer 1.5w of output each so you really can’t expect much. This is not the player to have if you are having a party and want the music cranked up for those big tunes. It’s a home office/study player for someone whos just starting out in the world of vinyl.
What you could do though is link up some external speakers! It has both R + L lines at the back which means you can improve the quality of it straight away.
There are 3 speeds on the turntable which means you can play singles, LP’s or 78’s.
When doing our research we found reviews to be decent, not amazing, but decent. It all depends how high you set your expectations for a budget item and remember you are buying this for the looks and not the functionality.
This would be good for those who are after a budget turntable.
3. 1 By One Turntable with Hifi
Third on our best list of home entertainment stereo system that really looks good. This is similar to the first item but just looks that little bit classier. It comes with bookshelf speakers which means they are nice and shallow and will look the part. We also think this look will age well with it looking so clean and modern. In 20 years times, we think it would still look good.
As well as the vinyl player it comes with Bluetooth connectivity which is what you want in 2020.
This turntable comes with an adjustable counterweight and anti-skating force which is what you want if you are taking your vinyl playback seriously. It will help stop any skipping distortion and ensure the playback is nice and smooth.
You can also connect your computer into the player and record your vinyl into MP3 format. If you have some old classics or rare mixes that you want on your computer then this could be a good option for you.
When looking at reviews of this vinyl system we found that people said it produced great sound and said it was a lot better than some turntables they have purchased in the past.
4. Zennox Retro Deluxe Hi-Fi System
Fouth on our best turntable system list is a pretty slick looking home entertainment hi-fi system! This turntable system can playback 33s 45s and 78s vinyl records and also has lots of extra functionality such as CDs, a DAB radio. It can play MP3s on the CF player or through the auxiliary lead of your phone or iPad.
It comes with Bluetooth connectivity so that you can play Spotify or whatever else through the speakers.
The system allows you to record directly from the CD or turntable to a USB pen drive via the USB output which we think is a really cool function.
The speaker systems are 5W each which is lower than the system that’s first on our list, but certainly not the smallest.
When doing our research we found that people were pretty happy with the system and found it easy to operate. Overall they thought it was a great system that does everything that you could ever need as well as looking good.
5. Digitnow Hifi with Turntable
We have picked this stereo system as its a beast and finished in black which is different from some of the others.
It comes with 2 decent speakers but we are not sure what the wattage output is.
It includes a record player, CD player, Bluetooth functionality but only comes with an AM/FM radio not a digital one which is a shame.
One thing it does have above all the others is a cassette function which is on the side of the player. It is hard to find players that support cassettes so it’s really good to see this on a hi-fi as I am sure many of you have some old classic songs on cassette that you have not been able to play for years.
When doing our research people said that for the price and functionality this is a great all-round system.
6. Zennox Midi Hi-Fi System
This music system takes me back to the days when my mum had a massive hi-fi. You don’t see them very often now and this music system is a real classic that takes me back to the late ’80s while still looking modern.
The vinyl turntable deck can play 33s, 45s and 78’s vinyl.
There is not just an FM radio on this system, but a fully digital DAB radio.
Speakers are 5w each but this should be fine for most people.
There is not just 1, but 2 cassette decks which is very rare. This means you can record from 1 cassette to another which is something I used to do back when I was younger before copying CD’s and MP3 were the normal thing to do.
One thing this system does lack is Bluetooth functionality to play music from your phone. However, it does have an auxiliary port, so all is not lost.
Buyers Guide
There is a lot to think about when buying a turntable system. We have put together some options below of some things that you should consider before purchasing a record player stereo system.
Size
Some of the record players featured on our list are really big (like number 6) but then we have some really cool music systems (like number 2) that would fit nicely on a shelf or desk or even a bedside table. Personally we prefer the smaller systems that would fit nicely on one bookshelf.
Speakers
Do you already have a good set of speakers that you can link it up to your record player? Does the Hi-fi turntable come with speakers, and how powerful are they? None of the systems has amazingly powerful speakers and some just have them built-in. If you are thinking about regularly hosting parties then you will want some decent speakers but if the systems just going in your home office then the speakers the system comes with should be fine.
Digital Radio
Not all the above speaker systems above come with a digital radio but we think its an essential to future-proof the life of the system. In the future FM will likely be phased out and you want to make sure you are prepared for the future. Digital radio also give you access to so many more channels and the reception you get is a lot better.
Portability
How often are you moving the record player around? If its a lot, then an option like number 2 would be suitable. Chances are though you are not moving it that much but its still something to consider.
Budget
How much have you got to spend on a turntable system? What options are within your price bracket? Chances are you need more than £50 but some of these systems can cost hundreds of pounds. If you need something basic just to see if vinyl is for you then don’t go out spending hundreds on a turntable system – save that extra money to buy yourself some records and get a budget turntable to begin with.
Bluetooth
It’s 2020 so we think whatever turntable system you buy it should have Bluetooth. Sometimes you might not want to use the CD player, or anything else and just utilise the speakers of the system to play the music that you can’t get anywhere else but on your phone, that’s on youtube or Spotify.
Conclusion
We hope the list above has helped you pick a music system. There really is a lot of choices out there and something for everyone’s budgets and taste. If I had to pick one it would be number 3 as it looks classy, has decent speakers and is just really simplistic.
