From the Walkman to the iPod, the music world has long been obsessed with the advancement of playback technology, and job number one has always been concerned with boosting convenience. So where does your lovingly curated classic rock vinyl fit into that equation? Vinyl is certainly an outlier, a relic that’s stubbornly refused to bow to the ‘everything now’ culture, but today’s best Bluetooth turntables are here to change all that.
Essentially, Bluetooth is an old technology being put to fresh use in the latest tech, and a new breed of advanced turntables is harnessing the power of this tech to shake up the vinyl market. Bluetooth record players wirelessly sync to any speakers within range (up to around 30 feet) and operate your stereo remotely.
They can be used with headphones for private listening sessions too. Now, if that tickles your fancy, we’d recommend you check out our guide to the best headphones for vinyl and the best headphones for music – we've tested the latest beauties to help you decide which ones are right for you.
The best Bluetooth record players open up the possibility of spinning a record in one room and listening to it while you’re sat in another, or slapping on your favourite pair of budget wireless headphones to make a sandwich while delving into a forgotten corner of your epic valuable vinyl records collection.
While you don’t see many Bluetooth record players at the best budget turntables end of the market, they do crop up occasionally, so you won’t have to bust too far into your savings to take home one of these tech-enhanced players.
We've included some useful advice in this guide too. Just hit the ‘buying advice’ button above, or keep scrolling to get straight to our top picks right now, including the best prices you'll find online today.
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Bluetooth turntables: Product guide
Audio Technica have been churning out quality turntables for a long time, and the AT-LP60XBT underlines that fact by stripping everything back. Aimed at beginners and budget buyers, this is the best Bluetooth turntable for beginners and boasts solid sound alongside maximum plug and play user-friendliness.
Packed into this wallet-friendly deck you’ll find a built-in phono stage and balanced sonic performance. It’s also almost entirely automated, so you’ll be delving into your records with absolutely minimal fuss. It’s not the prettiest, but it makes up for that by ensuring that the ride is smooth elsewhere.
The Sony PS-LX310BT Bluetooth Record Player wants to be all things to all people, and in this case that’s a really good thing as it doesn’t sacrifice one element in order to cram another feature on top. It’s nicely balanced.
It comes with a built in phono stage alongside its Bluetooth connectivity, prioritising ease of use above anything else, and it'll take you longer to decide what to listen to than to get your headphones paired with the deck.
Up to eight devices can be synced, too, while the sound quality is excellent given the entry-level price point. The PS-LX310BT is a fantastic choice when buying a Bluetooth turntable. Plus, it’ll look good when sat on top of one of the best vinyl record storage consoles.
Read the full Sony PS-LX310BT review
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The Pro-Ject Essential III Bluetooth record player enters the ring with a huge pedigree on its side. The base model has long been regarded as one of the finest competitors in the budget to mid range turntable bracket, and here the Bluetooth capability has been drafted in as a new, extra feature.
Boasting a phono stage alongside its Bluetooth functionality, the Essential III channels years of Pro-Ject hits into a fresh package, boasting bright sound, punchy treble and winning sonic versatility.
At £349, this is undoubtedly the best Bluetooth turntable for the money. It has so much to offer and years of tweaking to the Pro-Ject format behind it. It’s an ideal blend of cutting edge and tried and tested. Buy it, you won’t regret it.
Read the full Pro-Ject Essential III review
There’s a lot to be said for being the everyman, and in the Audio-Technica ATLP120XBT-USB we have the record-playing, all-connecting equivalent of a vinyl everyman. If your system is well-established and you’re looking for an affordable deck to slot in, the 120 (as it shall be known from this point) has you covered. If you’re looking to stream over Bluetooth, you’re set. And, if you have a large collection to back up, the 120 will see you right thanks to its USB connectivity.
As a direct-drive turntable with integrated phono preamp, we can also see the 120 being popular with vinyl samplers and producers looking for an easy way to get into crate digging. Simply hook the deck up to your audio interface and you’re good to go. For everyone else, Audio-Technica has once again produced the goods with a superb balance of price, performance and functionality.
Read our Audio-Technica ATLP120XBT-USB review
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Meet a modern twist on the music centre. Unlike the other models on this list the Pro-Ject Juke Box E Bluetooth record player also boasts RCA inputs and outputs, its own amplification and a receiver, meaning that you can also stream music through it. Bluetooth is a two way street around these parts.
On the vinyl side of things, this setup also has plenty to offer. It takes its job of protecting the Pro-Ject name seriously, balancing dynamic space with a sense of warmth. And, all this still lands comfortably in the mid-range pricing-wise. To borrow a phrase from baseball, this is a multi-tool player.
The Elipson Omega 100 RIAA BT is the sort of Bluetooth record player that covers all the bases, packing eye-catching features into its sleek, well-rounded design. Alongside its phono stage and Bluetooth capability it also has a USB output, enabling you to rip digital copies of your vinyl records from source.
Crucially, though, these bells and whistles are backed by a setup that’s still capable of doing the basics very well. The turntable is comfortable when handling music from a wide range of genres, trading in detail-oriented sound as its bread and butter.
We’re big fans of the ION Audio Air LP, which is arguably the best value entry-level Bluetooth record player. Sound quality is perfectly passable, and we also found the Bluetooth range meant we could position separate speakers in different rooms to enjoy our music wherever we found ourselves.
The Audio Air comes in a couple of classy finish options, and is small enough so as to not dominate the space. Throw in USB connectivity for backing up your collection and you’ve got a package which is, certainly at this price, hard to beat.
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Cambridge Audio’s tricked-out Alva TT Bluetooth Turntable offers a few key revisions to the format by attempting to answer those potential sound quality concerns while also offering a versatile, easy to use system.
Underneath the bonnet you’ll find a built-in phono stage complementing its Bluetooth capability, while the ace up the Cambridge Audio Alva TT’s sleeve is its aptX HD functionality. That facilitates streaming to devices in 24-bit hi res audio. For those of you worried about sacrificing the sonic pleasures of vinyl in pursuit of convenience, this Bluetooth turntable offers some intriguing answers.
At £1,500 (RRP), this is definitely one of the more expensive Bluetooth record players doing the rounds right now, but it makes a good argument for shelling out the extra cash if you’re in the market for an upgrade.
Often, when people decide to install a vinyl-playing system at home, they can be put off by the amount of other ‘stuff’ you need. Older record players usually require some form of amplification, meaning people living in small spaces will need to think carefully before they take the plunge. The alternative is to look for something with all the bits you’ll need already included, and with the Lenco LBT-188 there is a perfect Bluetooth record player for small spaces.
The integrated phono preamp and USB connection, along with Bluetooth, means you’ll need only a set of speakers to make the most of this nicely-designed unit. It’s also smaller and more compact than certain others on the list, making it ideal for anyone in cramped apartments who doesn’t want to compromise on style.
As much as vinyl is revered for its unique tonal character, you shouldn’t overlook how the record player itself will fit into your setup. While it shouldn’t matter if the sound is good, record players are not tiny devices and, as such, you should give consideration to how it’ll look perched on your shelf or sideboard. The House of Marley Stir it Up is, like other products from the brand, designed with a sweet sustainable bamboo finish which gives it a great contemporary look.
Sound quality is about on par with what we’d expect in this price range, however there are reports that the Stir it Up does take a bit of tweaking to find the sweet spot. This is, by all accounts, a simple fix however and shouldn’t put you off what is a very attractive deck indeed.
For anyone just getting into vinyl, suitcase style portable record players offer a great way to get started. The Victrola VSC 580BT is a cost-effective, nicely designed option which will have you playing your music in no time.
The Bluetooth functionality here is worth highlighting, however, as it’s something of a one-way street. You can, for example, stream music from your phone or tablet and play it through the built-in speakers but you can’t, on the other hand, stream your vinyl to a set of external Bluetooth speakers.
Understandably, given the price, the speakers contained within the Victrola aren’t of the highest quality - bass and low-end suffer particularly - but what you lose in audio fidelity you make up for with convenience. Plus, thanks to the stereo RCA outputs, you can always hook up to a preamp and better speakers if required.
Bluetooth turntables: Buying advice
A lot of major audio brands have joined in the Bluetooth turntable fun, with slick spinners from Sony, Cambridge Audio and Pro-Ject available all coming in at various price points for most budgets. One of the greatest things about Bluetooth decks is how simple they are to use…
On one hand they have the potential to remove the need for wires completely, while on the other, many of the best Bluetooth record players also come complete with built-in phono preamps (so skipping a separate preamp to boost the signal from your turntable). That means they’re about as plug and play ready as possible, if you choose to go old-school.
You will need powered, Bluetooth ready speakers and perhaps a pair of wireless headphones to make full use of the tech, but otherwise you should be up and running with the push of a couple of buttons.
What about the sound?
Of course, Bluetooth turntables are designed for listening to music, so how does the extra tech impact the sound? It’s worth remembering that Bluetooth is a digital addition to an analogue system, so as a result you will likely experience some deterioration in audio quality due to compression. But this will be negligible for the casual listener, and potentially outweighed by the increased freedom you'll get from your Bluetooth turntable.
There are also a lot of high quality Bluetooth record players out there these days, and it’s all about getting what you want from your records and how best to enjoy them. If you need some extra advice, have a read through our guide on how to buy your first vinyl record player.