Best turntables under $500: Top 10 Reviewed

Pro-Ject is another fantastic turntable brand, and their T1 model is a popular intermediate pick. It’s definitely one of the best turntables they offer in terms of quality and value for money.

This sleek-looking turntable features a stylish wooden chassis with no plastic or hollow sections.

A notable feature is the unique thick glass platter that offers great isolation and stable rotation.

This Pro-Ject deck comes set up and calibrated for the high-quality Ortofon OM5e Cartridge. It also has counterweighting and VTA adjustments, so you can always swap it out for a better cartridge later on. It’s a single-piece tonearm with a built-in headshell, so you can’t replace the whole stylus array, but swapping cartridges is good enough.

It uses high-quality parts for clean accurate playback, the motor creates a minimal amount of noise. But not as quiet as the Fluance above. The belt-driven motor is highly precise with minimal wow and flutter and tracks records at a consistent speed.

The overall experience is really high with this. It has slightly less overall detail than the winner, but I think it looks a bit more stylish, which is attractive to some collectors. This is similar to the Pro-ject Debut Carbon Evo which is another recommendation.

An affordable direct-drive DJ style turntable from Audio-Technica. Ideal for budding vinyl DJs who want a solid, well-featured deck without forking out too much cash. Despite being a direct drive, it still has a good sound with minimal motor noise, unlike other DD decks. This could easily be the best budget turntable for upcoming vinyl DJs,

It features an anti-resonant aluminum platter with a felt slipmat, which minimizes vibration noise and lets you easily scratch, and jog the record into time. The direct-drive motor assembly is high torque and offers 3 speeds. It features a thick, well-made base with strong isolation and reduced low-end vibration interference.

Moreover, it comes with adjustable calibration – counterweight and anti-skate, and a removable  universal headshell. The variable pitch slider offers +/- 8-16% control, which is a larger range than some more expensive decks. It also comes with all the other standard DJ trappings like the strobe lights, ridged platter, cue lever, and a quartz lock.

It features an ATVM95E phono cartridge, made by Audio-Technica itself, which sounds great and is good for scratching. This version of the  Audio-Technica ATLP120 direct-drive turntable also includes a USB port enabling you to rip vinyl direct to digital files on your PC, which is a huge attraction. You can also find a Bluetooth turntable in the Audio-Technica ATLP range.

All of these features culminate in a great-sounding DJ-friendly deck that is easily one of the best turntables under $500 for DJs.

The RT84 is another intermediate turntable from Fluance. Again, this offers excellent quality and great value for money.

The S-shaped tonearm has a removable headshell so you can swap it for better models later on.

The solid wood plinth offers decent vibration resistance, and it comes with adjustable feet for further isolation. The electronics offer a super clean signal, with no annoying buzz or hum, and let you experience your records with clarity and detail.

There is only a little difference between the RT85 – namely, the platter being lighter and comparatively less stable (though still fantastic). I think the price difference is fair, and if you want to save a bit of money from the full $500 then this is still a great choice.  But if you can afford it, the RT85 is worth the extra cash.

Standout features:

• heavy acrylic platter
• super-low noise floor
• consistent, quiet motor.

Denon has over 100 years of audio equipment experience, and this really shines through in the DP-400. This belt-drive turntable is ideal for those who love vinyl, and it offers three speeds – 33, 54, and 78 RM.

It has easy-to-use controls and a stable belt-driven platter with a speed sensor ensuring accurate rotation. This fully automatic turntable offers a clear sound that lets your vinyl collection sing, particularly when paired with other quality audio gear in your sound system.

It’s compatible with either moving magnet or moving coil cartridges, so you can always upgrade later for extra high fidelity. It has a high-quality adjustable tonearm, and the chassis features a built-in preamp with EQ, so you don’t have to rely on using an outboard phono preamp.

It is super easy to set up and the cartridge is installed and aligned from the factory. It also features a dust cover and dust cover stand. Although the dustcover can’t be used when records are playing, and it doesn’t fully enclose the deck, so dust and dirt can enter from the sides – not great if you live in a dusty environment or have pets.

Pioneer are another household name in the DJ scene, and this is their affordable direct drive turntable. It features all-around solid engineering features, which are great for DJs.

It has all the elements you need to scratch and mix, it also works really well with Rekordbox and VDJ control software, mostly thanks to the fact it also features USB output. That can also be used for digitally capturing your record collection.

The high torque motor comes up to speed quickly and rotates consistently with low wow and flutter, and minimal noise interference. It offers +/-8% variable pitch control for beatmatching, which is decent, although not as wide as the Audio Technica model above.

The unit offers all-around fantastic dampening and vibration resistance, comes in either a black or white finish, and even comes with a dust cover with a built-in sleeve display stand for showing the loaded album.

The Yamaha TT-S303 is a modern audiophile turntable with a minimalistic aesthetic from one of the best-known brands in audio. It features a straight tonearm with calibration and a removable headshell with universal mounting. It also comes with a built-in phono stage preamp, so you don’t need an extra amp with a phono input.

This is an interesting turntable and sounds great when paired with your favorite set of powered speakers. It offers low motor noise with super-accurate rotation, and adjustable feet, although not as far as others. With generally great build quality, there isn’t much to criticize, although it does feel a little overpriced in comparison to the best turntables on this list.

The U-Turn Orbit Plus is a USA-made quality turntable offering high fidelity audio and accurate tracking. These models include built-in phono preamps for boosting to line level and offer a decent analog sound. It features a straight tonearm with an adjustable counterweight and removable cartridge.

It comes with an Ortofon OM5E – a great cartridge that sounds fantastic right from the box. The Orbit Plus is the perfect table for all vinyl enthusiasts, from newbies to old-schoolers. With a dust cover included, setup is a breeze and it includes a 3-year warranty issued by U-Turn Audio themselves.

It has calibration for the counterweighting, although there is no anti-skate of vertical tracking angle settings. Although this shouldn’t be a massive issue as the cartridge is fixed. Another slight gripe is the lack of cueing lever, although you can fit an optional one.

This would make an excellent starter turntable and is equally suitable for experienced collectors alike. This budget turntable is fully manual and offers two speeds. It comes with a universal headshell mount fitted with an AT-VM95E cartridge, which can be easily upgraded if you please.

The straight carbon fiber tonearm features an anti-skate control and counterweight and also includes a hydraulic lifter. The resonance reducing wooden plinth is decorated with a walnut style coating and houses the built-in phono preamp to boost the signal up to live level.

Audio-Technica turntables are always fantastic and this lives up to expectations.

This is a lower cost option from Fluance, which can still make for a solid choice.

It comes with much of the same features as their other models, although the overall build quality is lower than the best turntables on this list.

It really offers you everything you need, although it could be more refined.

Saying that it does come with a good range of features.

This belt-drive deck has a universal headshell mount fitted with an Ortofon OM10 cartridge, an S-shaped tonearm with counterweighting and lifter, and an exposed belt platter. If you’re on a tight budget then this could be the best turntable under $500 (or $300!).

It doesn’t come with a phono preamp, although you will have cash left over to get a better amp setup if you pick this model.