Best Speakers for Record Players

We’re going to cheat a bit and talk about this excellent set of speakers for record player in the context of more than just listening to music in your living room. After all, that addendum to the KRK Rokit 5 RP5G3-NA’s name doesn’t say studio monitor just for laughs!

This model has a special bi-amped A/B amplifier, which keeps interference from other monitors and sound equipment to a minimum. That means your sound should come through crystal clear even if you’re in a studio that’s bursting with sound sources. Besides, that’s also important for home use as well since even another speaker standing nearby can cause interference and distortion.

What does make this model a top choice for professionals is the fact that all of its parameters are adjustable. You can adjust the sensitivity level from the base, important for mixing and mastering. Now, your average user will likely not have much use for these and yet they’re definitely part of the price formation. So it’s up to you to decide whether the high-quality sound is worth the cost that’s been amplified by the intricate settings. Though we definitely feel that learning about these adjustments and actually taking advantage of them wouldn’t be the worst idea for true audiophiles.

If you like it loud, there’s no point in settling for tiny portable speakers or the ones built into your player. Those who want the whole building to hear their music should be on the lookout for a high-end speaker such as the JBL 305PMKII.

This model has a max power output of 82W which means you can take the sound as loud as 108 dB, equal to a whole orchestra playing a symphony. And, of course, the audio will be just as amazing since this model has one of the highest sensitivity levels we’ve seen at 92 dB. This means that very little power will be used to get the music louder so these are great speakers for those who love to blast their tunes all over the home while they do chores.

Plus, loudness isn’t the sole deciding factor, of course, especially if you like rock. The patented Slip Stream system in these speakers ensures that the bass will sound particularly rolling and impactful when you play your records using these stereo speakers. Even if you set the volume low, the frequencies will be transmitted clearly with no noise being let through.

Admittedly, the knobs and switches on this speaker seem a bit flimsy and, consequently, cheap. We’d ordinarily not complain too much about that but a model this good (and, let’s be honest, this expensive) deserves better design quality. Plus, you don’t want the volume knob to snap off and leave music blasting from the speaker.

Although vinyl is certainly a retro format nowadays, nobody wants to listen to it via means that were used 50 years ago. Now is the modern age where everything should be loud, wireless, and flawless. And while we wouldn’t call the Edifier R1850DB flawless, it’s definitely a good choice if you want active speakers for music listening or just a pair of powered speakers for turntable use.

This model uses Bluetooth 4.0 to connect wirelessly to any music-playing device with the same feature. Therefore, you can transmit tunes from your phone, tablet, or laptop without getting up off the couch or even entering the room the speakers are in.

However, a wireless connection isn’t always possible so you want your speakers to have other interfaces. Thankfully, the Edifier R1850DB has RCA and RCA toAUX ports that you can use to hook the speakers up to analog devices. That way you can always be sure that this model is compatible with your device of choice or whatever is currently available.

Last but not least in terms of quality-of-life improvements, the base of the Edifier R1850DB is angled upwards 10 degrees so the sound gets spread out wider and, if your table has a bit of a rim to it, doesn’t get muffled.

Even those music lovers who wouldn’t necessarily label themselves audiophiles can probably tell the difference between a cheap speaker that doesn’t boost sound and a good one. If you like your tunes to have good thumping bass as well as clear sound, turn your attention to the Micca PB42X. Though it offers wonderful audio quality, this is one of the more affordable speakers on the market, which makes it a viable choice for home sound systems.

You might be paying less than average but what you get from these speakers is far beyond the norm. First off, the woofer here is made with woven carbon fiber so it’s extra sturdy and a bit more rigid. The bass quality is thus stellar even though it isn’t being backed by high output power. Speaking of which, that low level of 30 W is not something we’re ecstatic about but it gets the job done so we wouldn’t call it a deal breaker either.

As for the tweeter, it’s downright tiny at 0.75” with a silk dome so you know that the quality of the low-frequency output will be excellent. And, since we've mentioned size, we should also point out that the speakers themselves are pretty small so you could plausibly use them as a portable model if you wanted to.

The Edifier R1280T speakers can be rightfully called versatile. And here are the reasons for that. The drivers with which this model is equipped with produce a really decent sound while the speakers themselves are pretty compact in size. Owing to those parameters, you can use them as a desktop acoustic set for your PC. Gamers will certainly appreciate such an option.

The set is comprised of two speakers with two-way drivers placed on their front sides (you can close them with a bundled fabric mesh). The output power of each speaker is 21 watts, which makes them capable of filling a small or middle-sized room. The speakers boast a built-in amplifier with combined manual and digital remote controls. It makes them more convenient than those with conventional sound amplifiers with analog controls only. One of the main advantages of this model is the quality of reproduction of medium-frequencies sound. This range creates a natural and immersive sound and reveals every note of your favorite melodies to you. However, with some records, you may experience a slight distortion at low frequencies. With that, it is easily defeatable with the built-in equalizer. Especially that, you can configure it directly on the speakers.

The main speaker has the bass and treble controls and the main volume control dials to adjust the tonal balance and volume of both speakers at the same time (if the left speaker is fed signal from the built-in amplifier in the right one using the wire, which is a default option).

The set of the Edifier R1280T bookshelf speakers can be considered a full-fledged 2-channel music system for personal use, which is able to meet the requirements of the most demanding listener.