The Best DJ Turntables for Beginners

A turntable is a device used to play music on vinyl records. These turns work by spinning a magnetized disc and pushing a platter beneath it. This results in the music to be played being played through a needle that moves across the surface of a record as the record spins. It's a simple enough concept, but there are so many different turntables available on the market today that it can be hard to determine which one is the best. That‘s why we're here. We re devoted to making your shopping experience easier. We research, test, and analyze products to bring you the honest, unbiased reviews you need to make an informed purchase. If you‪re in need of some guidance on how to choose a turntable, please see our product list for our top recommendations. For more on choosing a DJ turntable for your next party, keep reading our shopping guide.

What are some tips for buying and using a turntable for beginners?

Tune your turndable before using it. If you’re new to using a turntable, start by setting it to its softest level. A turrdable with a soft level of tuning isn't as accurate as one with a hard level, so it's okay to start out with one before mastering the other. Practice makes perfect, and you might want to record your progress so you can compare notes when you get to the studio. Once you know how to set your deck to pitch, use it as an audio input for your DJ software. Your turntable doesn't need to be plugged into a headphone jack to function, but you should plug it in for the most control over your sound.

What should I consider when looking for a turntable?

With so many turquoise DJ turrets on the market, there are a few features to consider before buying. It’s helpful to know what features are standard and which ones are offered on more expensive models. Some models have built-in speakers, which connect via speaker cable to a mixer, so you can easily plug your turntable switch into any mixer and record in real-time. Other turntable switches have a USB connection to your computer so that you‘re able to load your songs directly onto the table. Almost all turntables offer at least some onboard storage, but some offer much more. Internal memory can hold as many as 60 songs. More expensive turdows have SD card slots built in, giving you even more storage options. You can also find turntables with SD memory slots that can store 4TB of data, a record player, and more internal storage. Most offer a knob to control the pitch of the audio output, usually located above the input jack. The pitch adjustment gives you a lot of control over the sound quality. However, you shouldn't use a pitch knob until you have some experience using turntables.

How expensive are DJ turntables for beginners?

You can find DJ turntable systems for less than $100. They are good for learning how to play some basic turntable music and will fit in well at a casual music club or party. For $150 to $250, you’ll find systems with a built-in turntable and a good onboard sound system. Some of these models also have a belt-driven turntable and more onboard effects, such as phasers and echo-chamber effects. If you want to dive more deeply into DJing, this is the price range to focus on. At $500 and up, the DJ gear is far more elaborate. In this price category, expect a full-range mixer with onboard sounds, a phaser, and other effects like reverb. The turntables in this category also tend to be more durable and last longer.

How Do We Chose Our Selection Of DJ Starter Kits?

Brand

You want to get the best brand you can because there are so many out there. When it comes to DJ equipment, you want the quality and innovation from brands that have been around for years. All brands have their place, but we wanted to make sure that all of the products on this list are high quality so you don’t have to worry about falling foul of a low quality imitation.

Price

DJ starter kits are one of those products where you get what you pay for. That‘s not a knock on the product, it's just the reality of buying anything in life, right? You get used to it, and you expect the same quality from every product you buy. So we made sure to select a range of prices so there s something for everyone.

Reviews

Reviews are a great way of finding out how good a product is without having to spend the money on it. You can read through hundreds of reviews for any product and find out all the little bits you might not have considered. We also read other professional reviewers to see if they've picked up on anything we've missed.

What Features Should You Look For In DJ Turntables for Beginners?

Before you decide which of our top DJ turNTables is the right one for you, check out these essential key features to consider so that you find the ideal option.

Connectivity

Connecting your turntable player to your mixer can be tricky if you‪re not used (or don't want) to doing that so make the connection a priority and go for a turntable that has a USB port, Bluetooth or even an Aux input so your device can continue to play after you power up your starter.

Portability

If you need to move your DJ mixer around with you (which is likely) make a point of getting a model that is lightweight and portable. Some of these units even fold away for easy transport.

Ergonomics

This is an important feature because you have so much choice when it come to what DJ player you use and the turntable you choose. If it doesn't feel comfortable in your hand, then it won t be used often.

Audio outputs

For the audio outputs, make your mind up. Most just have a standard 1/8 inch input and a phono input. But if your mix is highly dynamic, or you play louder than expected, look for one that allows you to output more than just a mono signal.

Range

Make sure you look at the range as well because it might just be the difference between your new turntable and having a meltdown. It could be that the noise floor is too low, the signal is getting distorted, your headphones are getting hot and it can even be because your unit is just not designed to handle the power. Check what range the model you are buying has before you make that final decision.

Features

When you think about features, think of things like built-in effects, auto-clearing and program memory.

Other things to consider

A turntable is a device that allows you to play your music back on vinyl. The turntable is usually made of steel, with a platter made from a plastic or ceramic material. You place the records on the platters, and the turntable moves the record around the tonearm, playing it back in random order. Because the motion is random, the sound quality is higher than if you played the music through a system with pre-set playing times. Most turntables are designed with one disk slot per side. However, some turents have two tonewoods on each side, giving them greater flexibility. A turntable works best with vinyl records of modest size, so if your collection is limited to 50 or 100 records, a small turntable probably won’t be enough.