The Top Five Vinyl Turntables

For many years the world DJ’ing has continued to evolve and become more and more digital by nature. Of late, there has been a strong surge in vinyl sales and more and more DJs are heading back to where it all started. Vinyl mixing is a real art form and the sound quality of vinyl is beautiful. If you're serious about DJing it's a must to try it out! At LSA we teach vinyl DJing as part of our Advanced DJ Course but we also have one-to-one vinyl mixing classes and a dedicated scratch DJ course too! You can learn with old school vinyl records or you can learn with a DVS (Digital Vinyl System) like Serato Scratch or Rekordbox DVS.

If you would like to learn how to mix and beatmatch on vinyl turntables get in touch by clicking here.

You might also want to learn more about how vinyl works by clicking here.

To help the new wave of budding vinyl DJs we’ve decided to put together a list of our top 5 turntables on the market at the moment, to help guide new vinyl enthusiasts in the right direction!

Technics 1210 MK7

The undisputed industry standard. The 1210 is everything you could ever need from a DJ turntable hence why it has held on to the top spot for so many years. Now on the 7th generation, although it’s argued that the MKii is still the best to go for. The MK7 has more features than ever such as multiple torque settings and reverse direction the 1210 is still the turntable to go for in 2021.

RRP £799

Pioneer PLX 1000

Hot on the heels of the Technics 1210, Pioneer is a strong contender for the top spot. The PLX1000 is a great alternative and comes in at a fraction of the cost of the 1210 and contains more features than its main rival such as an adjustable pitch range. The PLX 1000 is also available in as belt drive too if you’re looking to keep costs down.

£569 through LSA (Student Discount) Click here to buy.

Audio Technica LP120XUSB

The Audio Technica is another step down in terms of budget but that doesn’t mean that it lacks on quality or reliability. This is potentially the best all-rounder. It’s direct drive and packs plenty of torque but also contains many of the features of the PLX 1000 such as adjustable pitch range and 3 platter speeds. In addition, it also contains a USB port so it makes the job of converting your record collection to digital way easier. On top of that it has a built in switchable phono pre amp.

RRP £259

Reloop RP-4000MK2 DJ Turntable

A direct competitor for the Pioneer PLX 1000 the Reloop contains a feature list that is practically identical. The only thing that really separates the two decks is price and brand name. A robust and reliable contender and definitely not to be sniffed at, the Reloop has everything you need when playing a vinyl set.

RRP £245

Omnitronic BD-1390 Belt Drive USB DJ Turntable

These are a great choice for a beginner turntable or as an addition to a CDJ set up to test the waters if your just starting to learn on vinyl and don’t want to take the leap and get 1210’s right away. They may be belt drive but they are powerful and will definitely get the job done, all at the fraction of the price of a PLX 500 (Pioneers belt drive alternative)

RRP £149

RANE TWELVE MKII

If you’re not quite ready to fully go back to basics and get yourself a pair of turntables you can always opt for the Rane Twelve MKII’s. They give you all the functionality of turntable but you can still play all of your digital music. Compatible with all of the leading DVS software this is a great way to get the feel and feedback of a turntable but still be able to utilise digital functions such as hot cues and looping.

RRP £699

Conclusion

If you're on a budget get the Pioneer PLX 500 (contact us for student discount, the Audio Technica LP120XUSB or the Reloop decks. The Omnitronic might be a bit too basic for DJs who want to eventually play in a club. The best options would be to get the Technic 1210 MK7 or a second hand pair of earlier Technic models. The Pioneer PLX1000 are also excellent and very popular with our vinyl DJ students.

If you're not sure what to get book a DJ lesson at LSA where we have a selection of turntables such as the Technics 1210’s, Pioneer PLX 1000’s and also the Rane Twelve MK2s.

Click here to view our DJ courses.

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