What do you need to begin?
Three pieces, and only one of them is worth agonising over.
A turntable. The one hard rule is that it shouldn't chew your records. Look for an adjustable counterweight (the dial at the back of the arm that sets how hard the stylus presses into the groove) and a cartridge you can replace when the stylus wears out. A fixed ceramic cartridge tracking at high force, which is what most cheap all-in-one players use, takes a little of the groove with it every play. That's the question that matters, far more than belt drive against direct drive.
Speakers or an amp. Powered speakers have the amplifier built in, so it's turntable to speakers and you're listening. The alternative is a stereo amp with passive speakers, which costs more now and rewards you later. Either way, find the phono stage: the signal coming off a record is tiny and needs a phono preamp before anything else in the chain. Some turntables have one built in, some amps have a socket marked "phono", and if neither does, a separate box is about £40.
A record. Any record. It doesn't need to be one anyone else respects.
Honest starter tiers, with no product names, because the specific models change every year and the shape of the advice doesn't:
- £120 to £200 (roughly $150 to $250). An entry deck with a counterweight and a replaceable cartridge, plus a pair of small powered speakers. That's a real setup, not a compromise you'll apologise for.
- £300 to £500 ($350 to $600). A better arm and cartridge, and speakers with some weight underneath them. You'll hear it, and for most collectors it's the last upgrade they ever make.
- Second hand. A serviced deck from the seventies or eighties, with a new stylus and belt, is often the best value in the whole hobby. Ask when the stylus was last changed. If the seller doesn't know, budget £30 for a fresh one.
- Under £80. This is suitcase player territory. They're portable and they're fun, and they're the hardest on your records. If one is what gets you started, start there, then keep your favourites off it.
Where should you buy records?
Everywhere, and where you buy changes what you find more than what you pay.
Local record shops are the heart of it. You'll pay a little more than online and get something you can't order: someone who knows what came in this week, a listening deck, and racks you can flick through with your thumbs. Crate digging is the sport. You go in for one record and come out with three you'd never have searched for, which is a feature.
Record fairs are volume. Dozens of sellers, tables of the same twelve albums, and then one box in the corner with the thing you've been hunting for two years. Bring cash, bring a list, and go early if you want the good stuff or late if you want the deals.
Charity shops and thrift stores are the lottery. Mostly easy listening and scratched compilations, and every so often a clean original that costs £2. It's worth five minutes whenever you pass one.
Online covers everything else: shop web stores, artists and labels selling direct, and the big secondhand listings. You give up the flick-through and you gain the ability to find one specific pressing. Read the grading carefully and read the seller's notes even more carefully.
How do you buy well?
Condition matters more than hype. A common pressing in clean shape beats a scarce one that spent a decade under a blunt stylus, every time.
Start with the sleeve. Check the seams for splits, the front for ring wear (the circular ghost a record wears into its own cover), and the corners for water damage. Then check that the record inside is the record on the front, because shops mix them up and so did whoever owned it before.
Now the record. Hold it by the edges, tilt it under a light and look across the surface rather than at it. Fine hairlines are usually surface noise you stop hearing after a few plays. Deep scuffs you can catch with a fingernail become clicks. Grey haze is often grime, and grime cleans off. Sight along the edge for a warp, which is the one thing you can't fix.
Most shops and sellers grade with the Goldmine scale, so VG+ and NM are specific promises rather than opinions. Our guide to vinyl record grading covers what each grade commits the seller to. If a record is expensive, ask to hear it. Most shops have a deck behind the counter and would rather you were happy.
One more thing worth knowing before you spend: whether the copy in your hands is an original or a later press. It changes the price and sometimes the mastering, and it's readable off the label and the run-out groove. That's the whole story in first pressing vs reissue.
What should you collect?
What you love. There's no canon, and nobody is marking your shelf.
Every "essential first records" list is somebody's taste wearing a lab coat. A shelf of pop records is a great shelf. A Taylor Swift shelf next to a Coltrane shelf is two good nights in, and if it's one person's shelf, better still. Reissues count. Charity shop finds count. The album you played to death at fifteen counts twice, because you'll play it again.
The only advice worth taking is this: buy records you'll play, not records you'll own. A collection built from the second kind looks impressive and gathers dust. A collection built from the first kind is a room you want to sit in.
How do you keep track from record one?
Start the catalogue at record five, not record five hundred.
At five records you don't need one, which is exactly why it's the right moment. Cataloguing as you go takes a few seconds per record. Catching up on two hundred at once is a lost afternoon, and it's the reason most collectors never do it. The collectors with beautiful, complete catalogues aren't more organised than you. They started earlier.
There's a practical payoff too, and it arrives sooner than you'd think. Once you're past a hundred records, the shelf outruns your memory, and you'll buy something you already own. A catalogue you can search in a shop is the fix.
Cratemint is built for that from the first record. Point the camera at the barcode and the record lands on your shelf with the cover full size. Older records without barcodes get added by search. You can note what you paid, keep a wantlist of what you're hunting, and export the whole thing whenever you want it elsewhere. If you'd like the longer version, read how to catalogue your vinyl collection.
Cratemint is free on iPhone. Every feature, for everyone.
Common questions
What do you need to start collecting vinyl?
Three things. A turntable with an adjustable counterweight and a replaceable cartridge, something to play it through (powered speakers are the shortest route, or a stereo amp with passive speakers), and a record you love. You also need a phono preamp somewhere in the chain, though many turntables and amps have one built in.
How much should you spend on your first turntable?
Around £120 to £200 buys an entry deck that won't wear your records, and small powered speakers to go with it. Spending £300 to £500 gets a better arm, cartridge and speakers, and that's the last upgrade most collectors ever need. A serviced second hand deck with a fresh stylus is often better value than either.
Are suitcase record players bad for records?
The cheap ones are hard on records. They usually have a fixed ceramic cartridge tracking at high force, which wears the groove a little on every play. If one is what gets you started, use it, and keep the records you care about most off it.
What records should a beginner buy first?
The ones you already love. There's no canon and nobody's checking your shelf. A pop shelf, a jazz shelf and a shelf of charity shop finds are all good shelves, and reissues count the same as first pressings.
How do you check a used record before buying it?
Slide it out of the sleeve, hold it under a light and tilt it. Fine hairlines are usually harmless surface noise, deep scuffs you can catch with a fingernail turn into clicks, and grey haze is often dirt that cleans off. Sight down the edge for a warp, and check the sleeve for seam splits and ring wear.
When should you start cataloguing your collection?
At around record five, not record five hundred. Cataloguing as you go takes seconds per record and means you always know what's on your shelf. Catching up on two hundred records at once is an afternoon nobody enjoys.