Hi-Fi

Over the 30 plus years that the Rock Box has traded, the medium on which music has been consumed has changed dramatically. However, the oldest medium is proving to be the most enduring and vinyl has been on a resurgence for a few years. Many of our customers have told us that they’d love to not only buy vinyl records again, but also dig out their old ones from lofts/garages/dusty cupboards.

However, this isn’t something practical as they no longer own a record player (or turntable). This has got us thinking that perhaps we ought to offer turntables.

Click here to jump straight to our offering.

All in One?

So, you’re thinking to yourself – I don’t want anything flashy, maybe I should get one of those all in one systems (Crosley for example) which don’t cost a fortune & don’t take up too much space? Well, our advice is simple – DON’T DO IT!

Why? Well, there is a fair amount of information out there (just ask Dr Google) which suggests that a) they sound awful & b) they can damage your lovely vinyl records. Obviously, we will try and sell you some other turntables so here’s some research which is available. We encourage you to independently research to make your own mind up.

Are Crosley Record Players Bad for Beginners?

Why Cheap Turntables Will Ruin Your Vinyl Records

So what do we recommend?

We recognise that you may not want to have to invest thousands of pounds in some swanky top notch turntable. The reality is that you don’t need to break the bank to afford a decent turntable. We’ve decided to offer two brands which we think provide quality and value for money. Mark has owned turntables from both brands over the years.

The first is Pro-Ject Audio Systems.

Pro-Ject was founded in Austria in 1991 and have produced high quality simple turntables since then. Mark bought an early version of their basic turntable in the early 90s. He passed it on in the early 2000s and recently discovered that the turntable is still spinning tunes with it’s third owner today. Their entry level turntables are simple but have high quality components which produce phenomenal sound. And you can buy their entry level turntable for less than £200. You can read more about Pro-ject here.

The second is Rega Research.

Rega is a British company manufacturing top quality audio equipment since the 1970s. Mark currently owns a Rega P5 and will quite happily bore you with his dilemma over Ortofon versus Goldring Eroica cartridges. Rega’s products from a price range start where our offering from Pro-Ject ends but we think that they provide an opportunity to upgrade an entry level turntable or an excellent starter turntable if funds allow.

At the end of the day, your choice may well be driven by your budget and we offer some options below.

You can browse our selection of turntables and accessories here