We love vinyl. Convenient it is not, nor is it cheap. It's not all that accessible either. But there's just something about digging through second-hand record crates, stacking your discoveries when you get home and, of course, listening to them that keeps our vinyl craving strong. You just can't get that experience from streaming on Spotify.
Whether it's the sound (imperfections and all), the tangible playback experience or the artwork and liner notes, there's nothing else quite like it – no, not even you, compact disc. And that's probably why it's still going strong more than a century since its invention and resonating with both new and old audiences.
Whether you're a long-time vinyl lover or new to plate spinning, it's important to do your utmost to get the best sound from your turntable. Of course, that means choosing the best turntable for your needs and ensuring your turntable set-up is properly configured. But even then, there's always more you can do...
The following accessories and upgrades will help you improve your turntable sound and/or experience, thus enabling you to hear and enjoy your growing vinyl collection at its very best. From phono amps to turntable weights, cartridges to interconnects, read on to find out how to maximise your music – after all, it is What Hi-Fi?'s Vinyl Week!
Phono preamp
A phono preamplifier (otherwise known as a phono stage) is an integral part of the turntable experience; the component that boosts the tiny turntable signal into one that can be understood and delivered by your electronics.
Most turntables don't have one built-in, although many of the best stereo amplifiers and active speakers do nowadays – and you only need one component in your chain to have one.
Even if your turntable and/or amplifier does have an integrated phono stage, however, you will find that a separate, price-suitable phono preamplifier, like the latest Rega Fono MM MK5 (£220 / $445 / AU$499), will upgrade its sound quality due to its more advanced electronics.
The latest Fono packs the multi-Award-winning performance of its predecessor into sleek new casework, making an already fantastic performer an even better proposition. It's our go-to recommendation for the best phono preamp, though there are also options that sit on either side of its price in that list.
Digital stylus gauge
This little gadget is all about measuring the force of your stylus when it's placed on a record. This is a crucial step in how to set up your turntable properly when readying any record player to ensure you get the best sound from a stable needle without damaging your records due to an unnecessarily heavy tracking weight.
This tool is simple; just rest your needle on the scale and then adjust accordingly. Most record players should come with recommended force weights – usually around 2g, although check the manual – otherwise Google is your friend.
The Neotech digital stylus pictured is one affordable and well-reviewed (4.5/5 stars) option on Amazon, although there are plenty of choices online.
- The Neoteck digital stylus force scale is £11 at Amazon UK / $16 at Amazon US
Record weight
Talking of weighing things down, how about this record weight? To allow for optimum performance you want your needle moving as little as possible.
A weight will keep vibrations to a minimum, which should mean a cleaner sound with less distortion, and also help when it comes to playing any less-than-perfectly-flat records.
Keeping records flat will again help ensure optimum tracking for better sound. A turntable weight is far from essential but well worth experimenting with. The stroboscope will also allow you to check that your turntable is spinning at the right speed.
The Viborg record weight pictured is one affordable and well-reviewed (4.7/5 stars) option on Amazon, although there are plenty of choices online.
- The Viborg record weight is £19 at Amazon UK / $24 at Amazon US / AU$55 at Amazon AU
Audio interconnect
Sexy it ain't, but a stereo interconnect cable is another simple and effective sonic upgrade for your system.
Provided your turntable doesn't have a hard-wired phono cable that cannot be unplugged, an upgrade on any free cable is likely to be a good way to boost performance.
Chord Company has been making five-star cables for as long as we can remember and its multi-Award-winning C-line is another fine example at an affordable price. Of course, you can connect these anywhere you need an analogue audio cable, but between your turntable and stereo amplifier/active speakers is the use case here.
Microfibre cleaning cloths
Talking of unsexy accessories, try these microfibre cleaning cloths for size. The humble art of keeping your records clean is another way to help your system run smoothly.
While some might say it wouldn't be vinyl without a bit of snap, crackle and pop – wait, that's something else – dust on your records will make its way to your stylus and ultimately affect what you hear coming out of your speakers. Or don't hear!
We see no reason to spend an unnecessary amount here, but a quick wipe from time to time will keep your vinyl sounding crisper and cleaner.
- The Amazon Basics Microfibre cleaning cloths are £8.54 at Amazon UK / $10.25 at Amazon US / AU$18.50 at Amazon AU
Anti-static record brush
Giving your records a wipe with a cloth is one thing, but you're only going to attract more dust each time you remove a record from its sleeve thanks to pesky static.
Anti-static brushes have been around for decades but remain simple, handy tools for limiting noise in vinyl playback. Simply hold the brush just above your spinning vinyl record so that the tips of the brush are just stroking the record, and then after a few moments lift it up. Repeat if necessary.
Audioquest promises that its anti-static brush will remove "smaller fibres in greater quantity" to help you get every particle off your plastic.
- The Audioquest anti-static record brush is £25 at Richer Sounds / $30 at Amazon US / AU$43 at Amazon AU
Record cleaning machine
If you want to step up your record cleaning game due to several records in your collection being marred by dust or dirty marks, you can try a record cleaning machine.
These come in several shapes and sizes, and you can spend some serious money here. But plenty of affordable options exist too. One of our Australian-based contributors recently tested three vinyl cleaning solutions, one of which was the more traditional 'tub of soapy water' system from Spin-Clean.
It's dead easy to use and will get even the grimiest old vinyl looking and sounding great in moments. A must-try if you're buying or selling a lot of second-hand vinyl.
Alternatively, some record stores (and many online services) offer per-record cleaning services, which could be better value if you only have a handful you want to polish up
- The Spin-Clean Record Washer System MkII is £89 at Amazon UK / $80 at Amazon US / AU$134 at Amazon AU
Anti-static inner & plastic outer vinyl sleeves
Don't just treat the symptom, though; treat one of the causes by making sure all of your records have nice protective sleeves to keep them safe and clean in the first place.
Spincare's inner sleeves (pictured) are perfect for replacing paper sleeves, with a 12-inch piece of rice paper sandwiched between two layers of anti-static, anti-dust and anti-scratch HDPE plastic. And you'll want to protect the outside cover of your records, too, especially if you want them to hold their value. Spincare's 12-inch plastic sleeves fit single, double and triple LPs, and the company offers 7-inch and 10-inch versions too.
As we note in our how to clean vinyl records at home article, a good tip is to make sure that the open end of the inner protective sleeve is positioned inwards, inside the outer cover (see below), rather than open to the elements.
- The Spincare anti-static vinyl sleeves (50 pack) are £19.95 at Amazon UK
- The Spincare plastic outer record sleeves (100 pack) are £20.95 at Amazon UK
Cartridge
Your turntable may well come with a pre-fitted cartridge, especially if it's a modestly priced one, but either way this is one of the main areas in which you can upgrade your turntable – and there'll almost always be an upgrade available to you (you can spend tens of thousands – yes, really).
Goldring is Britain's oldest cartridge company, so when it comes to thinking about upgrading one of the most important components of your vinyl playing system, the company is a good place to look.
Its E3 is our favourite budget moving-magnet (MM) cartridge in our best cartridges buying guide, but there are plenty of recommendable alternatives for higher budgets or moving-coil types.
Turntable mat
One easy upgrade to your record player's sound is the turntable mat – that's if it even came with one in the first place. This cork version from Tonar – it offers a slightly dearer cork and rubber version, too – damps vibration before it is radiated as noise for a cleaner overall presentation. As the packaging proudly states, mats matter.
Pro-Ject also sells a pricier Cork-it mat with positive Amazon user reviews.
- The Tonar pure cork turntable mat is £13.50 at Audio Affair
- The Pro-Ject Cork-it turntable mat is £22 at Amazon UK / $35 at Amazon US / AU$49 at Amazon AU
Turntable spirit level
You're hopefully getting the idea that the more attention you pay to your turntable set-up, the better your results. Everything matters to an extent, so while you shouldn't lose sleep over the effect of these details, if you enjoy experimenting to get the best out of your music, here's something else you can try: a spirit level.
Simple but effective, this level from Audio-Technica comes in machined aluminium housing and will help you ensure the horizontal adjustment of your turntable is spot-on.
That said, you may be able to get good results simply using your phone and one of these 6 free audiophile apps providing you have a suitable phone or tablet.
- The Audio-Technica AT615a turntable level is £30 at Amazon UK / $35 at Amazon US / AU$73 at Amazon AU
Hi-fi rack
A good hi-fi or AV rack is a must-have for any system with more than a few components, and especially when dealing with a sensitive turntable.
Atacama has been making simple, solid wood furniture that will help ensure your kit can perform at its best without being interrupted by any external vibrations.
Its Evoque Eco 60-40 SE2 is the current What Hi-Fi? Award winner and is an investment worth making if you really want to hear just how good your system can sound. There are more premium rack options from Atacama, as well as Hi-Fi Racks and Blok, in our best hi-fi and AV racks buying guide.
Isolation platform or wall bracket
But what if a rack doesn't work in your room? Whether that's because of space, children or a springy floor, you could go for a wall mount instead.
Use this shelf to get your turntable up and off the floor – and ideally, mounted at the perfect height for putting on vinyl, too.
Alternatively, you might want to invest in an isolation platform. Vibrations are the enemy of record playback, and Pro-Ject's platform is another way to keep them to an absolute minimum.
It has a granular-filled, heavy-weight MDF base, with adjustable feet and a choice of sizes. It looks pretty smart in a minimal way, too, thanks to the anthracite finish.
- The Rega turntable wall bracket is £195 at Doug Brady / $325 at Music Direct / AU$469 at Audio Trends
- The Pro-Ject Ground-IT Deluxe isolation platform is £389 at Analogue Seduction / $549 at Pro-Ject / AU$580 at The Audio Tailor
MORE:
Welcome to What Hi-Fi?'s Vinyl Week news, reviews and features
The best turntables of What Hi-Fi?'s lifetime
Best turntables 2025: top record players tested by our expert reviewers
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