While audiophiles will attest to the high fidelity of a purely analog record setup, no one can deny the convenience of being able to connect your turntable to an existing Bluetooth sound system. The best Bluetooth turntables have a well-adjusted counterbalance weight to protect your records from damage, and a Bluetooth transmitter to connect to your wireless devices.
Your first priority when shopping for a Bluetooth turntable should be the tonearm, which houses the needle and extends across the record when it plays. To preserve your collection in the long run, the tonearm needs a well-balanced counterweight to evenly distribute the weight of the cartridge and tonearm.
You'll also want to consider whether you'd prefer a manual or automatic turntable. Fully automatic turntables place the tonearm on the record with an internal mechanism but are often more expensive. Manual turntables require you to place the tonearm on the record yourself, and they tend to be less expensive while also producing superior sound.
In order to be Bluetooth compatible, the turntable needs a transmitter that can convert the record’s analog sound into a wireless signal. If you’re looking for the most convenient Bluetooth vinyl setup, look for a turntable that has both the Bluetooth transmitter and pre-amp built in, as those components are typically sold separately. You'll also want to look for a turntable with a replaceable cartridge and needle, as they’ll wear out after a few years (or 1,000 hours) of listening.
Last, but not least, when shopping for a Bluetooth turntable, consider the aesthetic design. Turntables do take up a considerable amount of space, so it should reflect a bit of your personality and taste in decor.
If you're ready to upgrade your home sound system, here are four of the best Bluetooth-compatible turntables that you can buy on Amazon.
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1. The manual one
- Connection types: USB, Bluetooth, Phono, LINE
- Play type: manual
This turntable from House of Marley is perfect for a beginner vinyl enthusiast and has a built-in Bluetooth transmitter and pre-amp. The turntable has an adjustable counterbalance to ensure you can get the most of your record’s sound without damaging the surface of the vinyl, and the needle and cartridge are both replaceable. The turntable can run at both 33 and 45 RPM speeds, so it can play a variety of records, and many of the components are made from sustainably sourced or recycled materials. The Bluetooth is easy to set up, with an accessible pairing button on the turntable’s face and a volume adjustment dial.
For burgeoning record enthusiasts, this turntable can grow with you as you improve and expand your record collection. If you later decide to upgrade your audio setup, you can toggle the audio output to use the external or built-in preamp to get the highest fidelity sound possible from your vinyl records.
One reviewer wrote: "I did a lot of research for a turntable. I'm a 'casual', not a hardcore audiophile.. But I do expect good sound quality and a good product for this price. I am VERY happy with this turntable. The aesthetic is fantastic- beautiful addition to my living room. And the turntable itself is a joy to operate. Sound is excellent. Once you balance the tonearm, it's a joy to manually play records. Highly recommend."
2. The fully automatic one
- Connection types: USB, Bluetooth, Phono, LINE
- Play type: automatic
This automatic turntable from Sony is the best option if you’re looking for Bluetooth compatibility and an automatic play type. The tonearm moves for you at the start and end of the record, so you don’t have to worry about placing the needle yourself. The button on the face offers easy Bluetooth pairing, and the USB and LINE output options allow you to connect to analog speaker setups or a computer. The USB functionality is especially key if you’re interested in sampling music from your records, or converting them into digital files. While this turntable doesn’t have an adjustable tonearm, it does have a well-balanced counterweight to help ensure that the full weight of the needle and cartridge doesn’t ruin your records.
One reviewer wrote: "I have absolutely nothing negative to say about this musical piece of genius. I applaud Sony for making a streamlined affordable Bluetooth record player. The functions are solid, feel amazing and built to last. I was looking for something to bring my whole living room together without massive speakers, a receiver and wiring to boot. I purchased a Visio sound bar with sub and the records sound amazing next to downloaded music. Night and day. I have a smaller Bluetooth Bose I have in the bathroom and it also connects with no problem. If you’re looking for a quality Bluetooth record player look no further. I noticed some people were complaining about the speed but no issues with the 33 RPM setting. Buy it!"
3. The budget-friendly one
- Connection types: LINE (out), Bluetooth, USB (in)
- Play type: manual
This affordable turntable is great for those who want to listen to vinyl without a separate audio system. This all-in-one record player comes with a built-in preamp and speakers, with an option to connect external headphones or speakers with a 3.5mm auxiliary cord. You can also play music off your phone or laptop on the turntable’s internal speakers using a USB or Bluetooth connection, but note that you can't connect to external speakers via Bluetooth. This turntable has a non-adjustable tonearm and permanent cartridge (though the needle is replaceable), so it’s good for casual plays of modern pressings. However, the lack of a counterweight may scratch records, so if this is a primary concern for you, you'll likely want to go with a more expensive turntable to preserve your vinyl collection for the long term.
One reviewer wrote: "This is the best option for a small budget record lover. I have purchased another record player for twice the amount of this one and the sound quality is 10x better on this one than the more expensive one. It is nice and crisp, doesn't muffle anything. Highly recommend. This is at least a $300 sound quality."
