The ABC of turntables

If you can’t tell, we’re big fans of vinyl and we think you might be, too. There is just something incredibly satisfying to the act of watching that arm go down and listening to music that is full of soul.

A report on Forbes says vinyl sales are at a 28-year high. To put this into perspective, vinyl sales last year were higher than those of ad supported music streaming services like Spotify. Seriously!

This trend has led popular artists like Adele and Taylor Swift to release their albums on the vintage format.

But whatever your reason for starting a record collection there are a few things to know before you dive down the rabbit hole. We break it down for you.

As with anything; the first step to choosing a turntable is setting a budget.

If you know you’re in this for the long haul, it’s worth investing in a turntable that will grow with you, as you can swap out cartridges and tweak settings to get the most out of your records. Also, you may want to choose a turntable without a preamp so you can upgrade later on. But more on all that a bit further.

There is a bit of lingo that comes with a turntable. Nothing too difficult, but just a little overview:

The stylus, is the needle (usually made of diamond) that traces the grooves pressed into your records.

The stylus is supported by a phono cartridge, a miniature electrical generator that produces a voltage (music signal) when the stylus moves. Needless to say, that a high quality cartridge and stylus treats your vinyl collection more gently. Some turntables will have their phono cartridges preinstalled, others won’t.

The tonearm holds your cartridge and stylus steady as the record rotates underneath it. To get the phono cartridges to work properly, they need a specific amount of downward force (typically 1 to 2 grams) that needs to be adjusted by the user. The tonearm counterweight is used to adjust this downward force.

The platter is the spinning component that your records sit on while playing. It’s usually covered by a mat that prevents scratches and helps reduce vibration.

A turntable’s base, or plinth, holds all the components that play your records, and helps isolate them from unwanted vibration.

Back to decision making:

After you set the budget, you will have to consider whether you want a direct drive turntable or a belt drive turntable. Often you will find that belt drive turntables are preferred by those listening to records while direct drive turntables favorited by DJs.  The difference between the two is how the turntable’s motor is connected to the platter. Direct drive turntables feature a direct connection from the motor to the platter, meaning the platter itself is a magnet that is driven by an electric motor right beneath it. Most high-end audiophile turntables are belt-driven because they produce less audible vibrations, but are also more of a hassle as some turntables require you to reposition the belt when switching speeds.

Then there is the choice between automatic and manual turntables. Automatic turntables simply require you to press a button and the turntable will lift the tone arm and place it on the record. Manual turntables require you to physically place the tone arm on the record. Automatic turntables that start and stop playing at the push of a button are the easiest to use. But many music purists prefer a manual model because they feel the additional hardware required for automatic operation can detract from sound quality.

Some turntables do not come with a phono preamp (aka phono stage), which is required for record playback, so next thing on the list is to see if the record player you’re about to buy has one. A phono preamp brings the volume level of a record up to a standard created by the Recording Industry Association of America.

Most beginner turntables will feature a built-in preamp for convenience, but audiophile turntables do without them, allowing listeners to mix and match their turntables with whatever preamp they want.

Make sure to look for a turntable that provides the proper rotation speed for the records you want to play. Most turntables give you 33-1/3 and 45 RPM capability, which is perfect for most vinyl-lovers. But on the off-chance that you have a collection of 78 RPM records that you want to play, you may want to pay attention to the numbers, since most new turntables lack this speed. Also, if you do purchase a ‘table for spinning 78s, make sure you get a specialized cartridge or stylus that’s equipped to handle the wider grooves of these increasingly rare records.

Some other things to look out for when it’s decision time: You want a turntable to be quiet. You want to hear the music, not the sound from the motor, bearings or the feedback from the music playing in the room. Solid construction is a requirement.

Look for dense, vibration-absorbing plinth designs and adjustable feet that supress unwanted resonance.

Other features to watch out for are motors that are physically separated from the plinth to further cut down on vibration.

Turntables come with their own specs. Phrases like ‘Wow and flutter’ will tell you how accurately the turntable spins the platter. Any deviation in record speed can affect sound quality by changing the pitch of the music or causing an audible wavering effect that detracts from the listening experience. A lower number is better here, ideally below 0.25%.

As we mentioned before, flexibility is crucial for future-proofing your set-up:  this can go from a tonearm that can accommodate a range of phono cartridges, via replaceable cables, to a replaceable platter that can be upgrade to a beefier model for more dynamic sound. Upgrades like this can potentially make a huge sonic improvement.

And finally, some turntables have a USB output that allows you to connect your computer and digitize your vinyl collection for playback on a smartphone or car stereo. Not everybody is a fan, but it may be important to you.

Which brings us to the Rapallo offerings on turntables. We’ll dig a bit deeper into this topic in the future with some in-depth product reviews, but we thought we need to make a little introduction for now.

Pro-ject and Rega seem to dominate the market, but there are some excellent and tempting alternatives available that may offer superior quality for your money.

We make it a point of honour to offer high-quality turntables that we would happily put in our own homes. (As a matter of fact, some of them do, but I guess we can’t have them all… I know…)

Sources: Cnet, What Hifi, Edwards Audio, The Funk Firm, Clearaudio, Crutchfield, Vinylharmony, The wirecutter