Gifts

You do not need to know anything about record players.

You need to know two things about the person you are buying for, and neither of them is technical. Answer those two and the choice makes itself — the rest of this page is just us showing our working.

If you would rather be asked than read, three questions will get you there in twenty seconds.

If you already know one thing about them

They own records, but nothing to play them onThe two that arrive complete.Speakers in the box. They plug it in and it plays. Nothing to buy afterwards, nothing to understand, nothing that can go wrong on the morning. See both They already have a hi-fiThe three with an output.They will want to run it into what they already own. Giving them speakers they will never switch on is money spent in the wrong place. See all three They inherited a collection they care aboutThe two with a named cartridge.An Audio-Technica AT-3600L, stated in writing by the maker. It is the one part of this decision that cannot be undone later. See both

Have they got anything to play it through?

This is the one that goes wrong, and it goes wrong in the worst possible way — in front of everyone, on the morning, with the paper already off.

A turntable with no speakers, given to somebody with no amplifier, makes no sound. It is not faulty and they have not broken it. It simply needs something we did not think to ask about.

No hi-fi, or you have no idea: Choose one supplied with its own speakers — the S20 or the A30. Not knowing is a perfectly good reason to pick the one that cannot fail.
There is an amp, a soundbar or powered speakers: Choose one with an output — the S20, the T50 or the C40. It will sound better through what they already own than through anything we could box up with it.

Do they already own records — and do those records matter?

If the records are new, or replaceable, any of the five will do. If they are inherited, this is worth thirty seconds of thought.

Playing a record wears it. How fast comes down to tracking force — a moving magnet cartridge presses at around 1.5 to 2.5 grams, a ceramic one at roughly 5 to 7. Two of our five carry a cartridge the maker names in writing. On the other three the type is not stated, and we say so rather than implying otherwise.

New records, or none yet: Buy on what it plugs into and what you want to spend. The cartridge is not the deciding factor here.
A collection with history in it: The T50 or the C40. It is the difference between a present they use and a present that quietly costs them something.

Give this one if…

The range runs from £169 to £319. If you are torn between two of them, tell us the two things above and we will name one — including the cheaper one, if that is the honest answer for the person you are buying for.

And if you have judged it wrong

If you get it wrong, we take it back.: Send it back within thirty days and we refund it. No reason needed, and we will not ask you to justify it. A deck bought in November is still returnable well after Christmas — which is what most gift buyers are actually asking.
It works the moment they open it.: Everything needed to play a record is in the box, and the product page lists exactly what that is. There is no setup evening between the wrapping paper and the first record.
Delivered tracked, anywhere in the UK.: Delivery is free on every order and tracked from the moment it leaves the bench. You get a dispatch email with the tracking link, so you know exactly where it is at every stage.

Buying blind

Tell us about them. We will pick one.

You do not need to describe a turntable. Describe the person: what is in the room they will put it in, whether they already own records, and roughly what you want to spend. That is enough for us to name one — and to tell you if you would be better off spending less.

+44 7402 275286 Write to us instead

Mon-Fri 9-6 · Sat 10-4 · a person, not a form