 You probably noticed that vinyl is in the middle of a big comeback right now. People are buying more and more records every year and it's not hard to imagine why. Maybe some of us are tired of Spotify playlists and iTunes downloads. Now I live in Brooklyn and I've got a beard and I wear these glasses, so of course I've got a record player. But if you want to get into vinyl, which one should you get? Well, there's one obvious choice and it's one that won't break the bank. The best turntable for most people is Audio Technica's AT-LP120 USB. It's a mouthful. It's $300, which isn't cheap. It's more than those $99 turntables you find at Target and Best Buy and other stores, but those are awful. You should stay away. So if you're going to start a vinyl collection, you should start off with a player that does that music justice. And the best thing about the LP120 is that it comes with everything you need out of the box, just no speakers. There's a phono preamp built in, so all you do is plug it into some powered speakers and start playing. The cartridge, which is that small thing that actually leads the records, is pretty decent and you can always upgrade later if you want to. There are two main downsides to this player. One is that the tone armor is manual, so you've got to actually go over and lift it off once you're done listening. Also, just spin and spin and spin. The second, those cables on the back that plug into speakers are actually hardwired and they're kind of short, so you're going to have to be pretty close to the speakers wherever you put this turntable. The LP120's other tricks to record your vinyl collection to a PC over USB. All the software is included and it's pretty simple. Now other turntables like Sony's new $600 model also do the same thing, so you can make high-risk copies of all your records. Now why would you do that? Some people just swear that vinyl sounds better and they've got a point. Vinyl tends to offer more dynamic range, so the music isn't so loud, loud, loud like CDs and digital files. Now if you want to spend between $400 and $600, there are a lot of other good options that do sound better, but not so much better that it's worth spending that much money up front before you're sure you're going to stick with vinyl in the first place. The Project Carbon is a good choice and like the Sony, is a little more stylish than the Audio Technica. Even the $200 Project Elemental they've got here is an okay pick. It's also plug and play because of a built-in preamp, but this belt that wraps around it, that's how it spins, tends to come loose every so often. Setting up your turntable takes patience, but there are guides online that show you how to do it and Audio Technica's own instructions do a good job of guiding you through. Records also need upkeep. You should clean them every so often to keep them in good shape and always put them away as soon as you're done listening. So look, stay away from those cheap $99 record players at Target. They're awful. Instead, if you're getting serious about vinyl, you should start off with the AT-LP120, but finding the right speakers in your favorite record store in town? Well, that's up to you.