Almost 40 years ago, dire predictions rang from every corner about how the new compact disc would completely displace the good old vinyl record – after all, it sounded better, was easier to use, and lasted forever. Well, four decades on record sales still continue to be strong, and the hippest and hottest new bands and artists insist that their new songs and albums be released on streaming, download, CD, and vinyl formats.
Why is this?
Well, maybe because those three assumptions about CDs over LP records are simply not true. CDs are not easier to use, they definitely do not last forever, and, most of all, CDs do not sound better than LPs. Indeed, the warmth and presence of records is something many older listeners sorely miss, and many younger music fans find fascinating and delightful.
Many people spend hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on audiophile turntables and hi-fi systems, but can you get that great vinyl sound on an inexpensive all-in-one record player? Let’s find out, as we explore the best record players with built-in speakers on the market today.
Are Record Players with Speakers Really Any Good?
Let’s be honest. Just like with any consumer electronics product there are a lot of really bad record players out there – units that look and feel cheap, that break down quicker than you can say thirty-three and a third, and that sound, well, awful.
At the same time, there are a select few models which really tick all the boxes, and which provide beautiful sound, great looks, and long-term reliability for very little money. The best all-in-one record players are great values and can provide years and years of wonderful use and wonderful listening.
It must be said that even the best phonograph with speakers will not capture all of the incredible detail, depth and dynamics which audiophiles, with their superb, staggeringly expensive turntables, so highly value, but all of the warmth, the richness, the musical energy and that fat analog sound should come through loud and clear – at least if you get the right record player.
What Should You Look for in a Record Player with Speakers?
If you really want to find a great record player, the most important things to look for are:
- Sound Quality
- Styling and Looks
- 3 Playback Speeds (33, 45 & 78)
- Material and Construction Quality and Reliability
- Tech: Bluetooth Streaming; Digital Conversion Built In; USB and Wired Connectivity; etc.
Here’s where we run into some difficulty. In this age of online shopping, some of the most important qualities to look for in finding the best record player with speakers are things you can’t determine, or at least can’t easily determine, by staring at a screen.
For example, how can you tell the sound quality, especially when customer reviews are always dependent on a person’s preferences and ear, not to mention other variable factors? And while you can get a general idea of what a product looks like, you can’t really get a sense of the fit and finish and the overall feeling of quality (or lack thereof).
How Can You Find the Best Record Player with Speakers for You?
That’s why we’ve put together this buyer’s guide for the best all-in-one record players in 2024, to give you a much clearer idea of what’s good and what’s not.
To do this, we have listened to as many different record players as humanly possible, gotten feedback from colleagues and friends, and pored over counteless online reviews – careful to get more long-term reactions and clear consensuses about a record player’s sound quality, reliability and overall coolness.
And the great news is that yes, for very little money you can find a great record player with speakers, that not only looks awesome and is made really well, but that also truly captures that amazing analog vinyl sound. In fact, many of the people we have heard from say that they actually prefer listening to their inexpensive record players than their expensive headphones and high resolution music files.
Our recommendations are listed below by price, from the least expensive up to the most – though even the most expensive units included here are super-affordable – and so all you really need to do is determine your budget and find the unit that best fits.
Whichever record player you choose from this list of best all-in-one turntables in 2024, you can be confident that you will get a phonograph that works great, sounds great, is built exceptionally well, and offers the very best value for the money.
The Best Record Players With Speakers in 2024 [List]
Best Value in a Record Player with Speakers – Budget
Best Sounding Record Player with Speakers – Budget
Best Complete Entertainment System – Budget
Coolest Record Player with Speakers
Best Value in a Record Player with Speakers – Premium
Best Sounding Record Player with Speakers – Premium
1byone High Fidelity Belt Drive Turntable with Built-in Speakers
Best Complete Entertainment System – Premium
Best Record Player with Speakers Overall
In-Depth Reviews
Best Value Record Player with Speakers – Budget
There are lots of reasons to recommend this Crosley CR6019A record player, including the rich and dynamic stereo sound, the famous Crosley builds quality, the simplicity, and the portability, but what strikes us most, at first glance at least, is the cool retro styling.
At the same time, though, this budget record player is surprisingly high-tech. The USB outlet and supplied software allow you to not just listen to any analog record (33, 45 or 78 RPM) but convert it to digital format on either a Mac or Windows PC.
While more expensive record players may sound better, or have more features, the Crosley CR6019A has remarkably good audio quality – and amazing build quality – for the money, and even if you don’t use it for digital conversion it is by far the best record player at this super-budget price.
Best Sounding Record Player with Speakers – Budget
The looks of this Ion Premier all-in-one turntable just inspire confidence. It has the straight tonearm, high quality plexiglass dust cover and sleek minimalist design of a true audiophile turntable, and, most wonderfully, has the sound quality as well.
To be fair, a high end turntable will offer levels of resolution not to be found here, stronger dynamics, more precise imaging and wider frequency response – as will the expensive separate speakers you would need to go with it – but for a tiny fraction of the price it is absolutely amazing just how great this all-in-one sounds, even with its diminutive built in speakers.
Included also are Bluetooth streaming, so you can take this great sound to even larger and better speakers, as well as digital outputs to convert your vinyl to digital files. But even without this great technology, and just based on the sound quality, the Ion Premier is a phenomenal record player for the money, and very highly recommended.
Best Complete Entertainment System – Budget
If you happen to have set up one of your rooms to resemble a parlor from the 1890s, or you just love that nostalgic old-timey look, the Victrola Nostalgic VTA-200B entertainment center is for you. But really, anybody who is looking for a very well built and beautiful looking system that is affordable and has literally everything you need – record player, CD player, cassette deck, AM/FM radio, and clear and dynamic built-in stereo speakers – will find it all, and more, in the Nostalgic.
There is also a line-out, which will allow you to plug in larger active loudspeakers (and the sound quality is certainly good enough for them) as well as a headphone output for private listening, USB, and Bluetooth connectivity. And with 30 watts of output power, the Victrola Classic not only sounds great, but it will also play really loud.
A beautiful and complete package, the Victrola Nostalgic VTA-200B sounds great, is well built, and offers everything you might need – an amazing entertainment center at a remarkably low price!
Coolest Record Player with Speakers
Is “coolest” really a good enough reason to recommend a product? If you have ever seen an old Mustang, or for that matter if you have ever seen this particular record player, there would be no question. But in case you still think that “coolest all-in-one record player” is not a legitimate category, we can assure you that the Ion Mustang is, in fact, one of the best sounding and best built turntables with speakers we’ve ever used.
It’s also highly intelligent, with wired inputs to connect other audio sources like your phone, music player or cassette deck, outputs to connect larger active speakers, a headphone jack and a USB plug for digitally recording your vinyl.
But, despite the tech, the beautiful sound and the premium build quality, at the end of the day it’s just plain cool. Comes in Ford Mustang black and red, and also Ford Bronco navy or teal, but we don’t have to tell you which is the coolest…
Best Sounding Record Player with Speakers – Premium
We have to admit that 1byone is a new brand for us here at Speakergy, and normally we would have to see a bit of history with a company before we go recommending them. But this 1byone all-in-one turntable with stereo speakers sounds so incredible – really in a class all by itself at this price level – that we couldn’t help but include it on our list of best phonographs with speakers.
Anyway, the absolutely beautiful and solid materials they have used and the apparently excellent quality of construction, as well as the positive feedback from customers who have used this unit over the long run, make us more than confident that it will continue to sound wonderful for a long time to come.
The 1byone allows for digital conversion of all your vinyl records and has a Bluetooth receiver so that you can play other devices through its amazing two-way high fidelity speakers. A great sounding record player, and a great unit all around!
Best Complete Entertainment System – Premium
Functionally there’s not much difference between this Crosley Musician all-in-one record player and entertainment center and the much less expensive Victrola Nostalgic above, but comparing them side by side can be a real revelation.
Yes, the Victoria Nostalgic sounds great, especially for its low price, but the sound is so much more clear, warm and rich with this Crosley unit, with deeper bass, more shimmering highs, more detail overall and a sense of reality rare at this price level. And yes, the Victoria is beautiful, and well made, but the fit and finish of the Crosley is at a whole different level, making it look like it could be much more expensive.
The Crosley Musician has all of the features and tech you could want, despite its wonderful old-fashioned styling – AM/FM radio, cassette deck and CD player, and both a wired auxiliary input for phones or music players and a Bluetooth receiver so that you can also play them wirelessly through the Musician’s great sounding built-in speakers. The only possible downside to some is that there is no ability to record your records digitally, so if you want a record player for converting vinyl to digital files this is not the one.
But if you want a truly great sounding, premium quality all-in-one entertainment system that’s easy to use, looks beautiful and will last and last, the Crosley Musician is our strongest recommendation, and one of the best record players with speakers on the market today.
Best Value in a Record Player with Speakers – Premium
Best Record Player with Speakers Overall
The last two record players in our buyer’s guide to best phonographs with speakers in 2024 are designed differently than all the other recommendations, and as a result can offer noticeably better (and significantly more) sound.
The Teac MC-D800 and Teac LP-P1000 record players both have separate speakers, as opposed to built in speakers on the other phonographs, and since the speakers aren’t in the same cabinet as the turntable and won’t directly vibrate the record while it is playing, this allows Teac to use a higher power amplifier which can drive the speakers to much higher volumes.
Bot not just volume – the amplifiers on both of these Teac all-in-one record players are cleaner and higher definition, have more punch and dynamic energy, and offer a sweet, musical sound that nothing else on our list can quite match, and as they won’t vibrate the record or needle the sound is much clearer and cleaner still. All of our recommendations sound great, and are the best we’ve found at their price level, but both of these Teac units sound absolutely fantastic – very close to what you might expect from entry level separate hi-fi components.
They both feature built-in CD players and great AM/FM tuners, and can also play back music from other devices – like phones, MP3 players, tablets, computers and also old-school tape decks and the like – with a USB slot, Bluetooth wireless receiver and analog wired audio inputs. Both also include nice full-function remote controls.
The Teac MC-D800 has 20 watts a channel, and fantastic separate two way stereo speakers, and given its incredible sound and premium quality is easily the best value in premium record players with speakers in 2024.
The more expensive Teac LP-P1000 has a full 25 watts of power per channel, even better speakers, and sounds unbelievably good. It is an expensive unit for an all-in-one, but compared to high fidelity components, which it sounds nearly as good as and which it can easily match in terms of quality of construction, fit and finish and usability – it is unreasonably cheap. Indeed, it could also easily be recommended for its incredible value, but we are happy to crown it as the best overall record player with speakers on the market today.
The LP-P1000 will play a little louder, has a more open sound, more definition and dynamics, and for a hundred bucks more will be well worth the investment, but the MC-D800 is still super-sweet sounding and plays plenty loud. Either way you go, you are getting an all-in-one record player with included speakers that sounds a bit more like a serious hi-fi separates system, with real high resolution sound on a whole new level.
And either way you go you are getting a product made by Teac – one of oldest and most respected audiophile manufacturers in the world, and a natural choice if you want the best phonograph on the market today.
Final Thoughts: Should You Just Get a “Real” Audiophile Turntable?
Even with as great as the last two choices on our list of best turntables with speakers – the Teac MC-D800 and the Teach LP-P1000 – sound, and as good as all of these nifty phonographs sound for the money, it is natural for your vinyl-loving self to still have an eye trained on more expensive audiophile-grade turntables.
And in fact, if you are willing to make the investment, they really do sound better. For a list of the best audiophile turntables at various price levels, please check out our three recent articles:
Please realize, though, that a $200 record player with speakers is a complete thing, and that’s essentially all you need to spend – except, of course, for all of those thrift store records, 25 cents at a time – while a $200 hi-fi turntable is just the beginning. You will need, at least, a receiver or amplifier with a phono stage, separate speakers and speaker cables, and maybe even a good hi-fi cartridge. A two hundred buck turntable may easily become a thousand buck stereo system before you are ready to actually play records.
And if you can afford it, and really see yourself sitting down and doing deep, critical listening, or if, no matter how you listen, the quality of the sound is the most crucial thing, then by all means consider getting a “real” hi-fi. There are very few bad products on the market today, and the best ones – even at entry level – can be spectacularly good.
But a basic record player will still offer so much, not the least of which is that wonderfully warm and musical analog sound that only records can provide. Again, there are some real duds among cheaper record players, but all of the recommendations on our 2023 phonograph buyer’s guide sound great, are built well, and will offer enormous listening pleasure.